The Eel Named Ellis Who Wanted to Be In Wonderland

One day, an eel named Ellis jumped out of the water to catch his breath when he saw a captivating sight. On the banks of the river was a lit candle and next to it, an abandoned book. On the cover was the title: 'Alice In Wonderland' and on one of the pages was an image that enthralled Ellis. He called his best friend, Edna. "What's this?" he asked.

Edna had grown up in an aquarium, around humans, and she knew how to read. "That is a caterpillar," Edna said. "On a toadstool, smoking a hookah, ready to talk to a girl named Alice. You don't see the lil' girl in this picture but that's what he'll do."

"I want to be like that caterpillar!" Ellis said, swimming backward and forward in delight. "I do! Create an 'Ellis In Wonderland'."

"No!" Edna said. "First of all, Ellis. You are an eel. A mighty ugly eel with open jaws, horrible teeth, and glassy eyes. You produce enough electricity to kill a horse! You can be no 'Ellis In Wonderland'. More like, 'Eel Shocks Bystander to Death While Trying to do Gymnastics'."

"I want to do what I want to do," Ellis asked, stubbornly. "Soon I'll leave for my final journey, my last migration, after which I'll die. This is my last wish. I want to give that little girl a memory to remember eels by."

"No, Ellis!" Edna said. "Please don't do it!"

"I'll see you in a week," Ellis said and swam off.

A week later, Ellis sat on a giant toadstool (he knotted his tail like eels do so he could sit on it and not slip off) with a hookah by his side. He did not want to smoke, but he loved the look.

When the little girl arrived, she saw Ellis and shrieked. The scream scared Ellis so much that he discharged on instinct. His tail came out of its knot and touched the wood behind him. Which set the wood on fire. Pretty soon, the tree was ablaze.

"EEEKS!" Ellis screamed, as 600 volts of electricity zapped through him. "I didn't zap myself in water. But I zap myself outside water? I guess I can't be 'Ellis In Wonderland' after all."

"Well, Ellis?" Edna asked him later. "Did you give the girl an image to remember eels by?"

"Yes," Ellis said, with great dignity. "Yes. I certainly DID."