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In the warm tropical waters off the coast of Australia, two clownfish swam at the edge of the Great Barrier Reef. Here the ocean was a place of brightly colored anemones, towering corals, and delicate sea plants. But just beyond the reef was the vast open sea.

"Yes, honey. It's beautiful," a clownfish named Coral said nervously to her husband, Marlin. "When you said you wanted an ocean view, you didn't think you were gonna get the whole ocean, did you?"

"Oh, yeah. A fish can breathe out here," Marlin boasted.

He grinned. The edge of the Great Barrier Reef! He couldn't think of a better spot to make their new home.

"I know that the Drop-off is desirable, with the great schools and the amazing view and all that. But do we really need so much space?" Although Coral loved her new anemone home, she was a bit cautious about the location near the open sea, with its unpredictable dangers.

"Coral, honey. Our kids deserve the best," Marlin said. "They'll wake up, poke their little heads out of the window, and they'll see a whale passing right by."

"Shhh! You're gonna wake the kids," Coral whispered. They gazed inside the cozy cave just below the anemone, where hundreds of tiny fish eggs nestled close together -- Marlin and Coral's children.

Marlin couldn't wait for their babies to hatch. He wanted to show his children all the sights of the glorious ocean.

"We still have to name them," Coral said. Marlin puffed up with pride and drew an imaginary line down the center of the group of eggs with his fin. "We'll name this half Marlin junior and this half Marlene."

"I like Nemo," Coral said.

"Nemo?" Marlin repeated. "Well, we'll name one Nemo."

Coral looked over at Marlin wistfully. "Just think," she said. "In a couple of days we're going to be parents."

"What if they don't like me?" Marlin said.

"There's over four hundred eggs. Odds are one of them is bound to like you," Coral teased.

Marlin stared at her and shyly asked: "You remember how we met?"

"Well, I try not to," Coral replied.

Marlin playfully chased his wife in and out of the anemone. "I remember." he said. " 'Excuse me, miss. Could you check and see if I have a hook in my lip? Oh, you gotta look closer.'"

Coral laughed and swam out of the anemone to avoid getting caught by her husband. Marlin poked his head out of the anemone and was startled to find that the neighborhood was eerily quiet. He spotted Coral, who was motionless, staring into the water at a hungry barracuda.

"Get inside the house, Coral," he whispered. But Coral didn't want to leave her babies exposed. She darted for the grotto, but was too slow -- the barracuda reached her as she entered the cave.

Marlin slammed against the barracuda, trying desperately to save his wife. But with a quick swish of its tail, the barracuda batted Marlin against some rocks. Dazed, Marlin floated down into the protective fronds of an anemone.

After the sand had settled, Marlin came to with a start and bolted out of the anemone.

"Coral?" he called.

There was no answer. He peered inside the grotto. Empty. He squinted into the vast blue water.

Nothing.

Coral was gone. The eggs were gone.

Marlin couldn't believe this was happening! In the space of a few minutes, his life had been changed forever. His family was gone. He shook his head. He felt like it was his fault. He shouldn't have insisted they live by the Drop-off. As he sadly turned away, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye.

Lying on a small ledge not far away was one tiny egg. It was damaged with a small scratch. But the egg was alive. Alive!

Marlin cradled the egg in his fin. "There, there. Daddy's here. And I promise, I will never let anything happen to you…" He paused a moment, then called the egg by name.

"Nemo."