JACK’S FAVORITE PET WAS HIS LITTLE FISH HORACE.

JACK GREW UP WATCHING HORACE SWIM HAPPILY AROUND HIS LITTLE BOWL.

JACK LOVED TO FEED HIM AND LOOK AFTER HIM.

ONE DAY JACK NOTICED THAT HORACE WAS SWIMMING MORE SLOWLY THAN USUAL.

THE NEXT DAY, HORACE WAS SWIMMING SLUGGISHLY AND BARELY MOVING.

JACK ASKED HIS MOMMY AND DADDY WHY HORACE WAS SWIMMING SO SLOWLY, AND HIS MOM REPLIED THAT HORACE WAS GETTING VERY OLD.

ONE DAY, JACK FOUND HORACE NOT MOVING AT ALL AND FLOATING AT THE TOP OF HIS BOWL.

JACK CALLED OUT TO HIS DAD: “DADDY, WHAT IS HORACE DOING?”

Oh no, what's wrong with Horace???

DADDY LOOKED AT HORACE AND SAID TO JACK, “JACK, THIS IS SAD, BUT I THINK HORACE HAS DIED.”

THEN JACK’S MOM CAME OVER AND SAID, “YES, HORACE HAS DIED. I FEEL VERY SAD.”

JACK WAS VERY CONFUSED.

HE ASKED, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE DIED?"

He DIED???? What do you MEAN?

HIS MOM SAID, “IT MEANS THAT HORACE IS NO LONGER ALIVE.”

"BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?" ASKED JACK.

JACK'S MOM SAID, “IT MEANS THAT HIS LIFE IS OVER.”

JACK ASKED AGAIN: "BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?"

HIS DAD REPLIED, “WHEN A FISH DIES, IT CAN NO LONGER SWIM OR EAT OR FEEL ANYTHING.”

JACK SAID TO HIS PARENTS, "THAT MAKES ME SAD. I DON’T WANT ANYTHING TO DIE. I FEEL SAD THAT HORACE HAS DIED."

HIS MOM SAID, “IT IS SAD, AND IT IS COMPLETELY OKAY TO FEEL SAD.”

JACK STILL HAD QUESTIONS. HE ASKED, "BUT WHY DID HORACE DIE?"

HIS DAD SAID, “HORACE HAD LIVED A LONG TIME FOR A FISH AND HAD A GOOD LIFE. YOU LOOKED AFTER HIM AND GAVE HIM LOTS OF LOVE. EVERYTHING EVENTUALLY DIES TO MAKE ROOM FOR NEW THINGS TO JOIN THE EARTH.”

JACK SAID, "BUT WHEN HORACE DIES, WHERE DOES IT GO? DOES IT BECOME A NEW FISH? OR DOES IT COME BACK AS A NEWBORN BABY?"

HIS MOM SAID, “SOME PEOPLE, LIKE YOUR NANA, BELIEVE THAT LITTLE HORACE WILL GO TO FISH HEAVEN AND LIVE THERE FOREVER. OTHER PEOPLE, LIKE YOUR GRANDPA, BELIEVE THAT THERE IS NO AFTERLIFE. OTHER PEOPLE BELIEVE YOU BECOME ALIVE AGAIN IN THE FORM OF SOMETHING ELSE, LIKE A NEW BABY.”

JACK REPLIED, "YOU MEAN PEOPLE BELIEVE DIFFERENT THINGS?"

JACK'S MOM SAID, “YES, AND THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH PEOPLE HAVING DIFFERENT OPINIONS. WHAT MATTERS IS THAT WHILE HORACE WAS ALIVE, YOU TOOK GOOD CARE OF HIM AND GAVE HIM LOTS OF CARE AND LOVE."