OMAR THE WONDER FISH
It was on the occasion of the princess' sixth birthday that she was given her first copy of Omar the Wonder Fish, the classic childrens' tale by Heinrich H. Hinkle. It quickly became her favorite story, a status it maintained all her life. The princess no doubt found that the story appealed to her own innate sense of wunderlust and dissatisfaction, which the story may have gone a long way toward inspiring. The first of Omar's adventures is reprinted here with the kind permission of Mr. Hinkle.
Omar had been adopted by a kindly old miller and his wife. They raised him as their own son, which made Grizzle, their real son, insanely jealous. But on Omar's tenth birthday the old miller and his wife celebrated with a little too much rhubarb wine, fell into the gristmill and--before anyone could say "plynthllddawwyth"--they were ground into flour, baked into loaves, sold all over town and--according to all the neighbors--made superb toast at next morning's breakfast. "Who would have thought!" they all said, agreeing that it was the best bread the old miller and his wife had ever made. It had body.
Grizzle immediately kicked poor Omar out into the cold, cruel, pitiless world.