Conversation 3:
Another story about the Showalter Fountain is told in this way. This setting also takes place at my job on the same day (Wednesday the 28th) at around 5:30 when I asked had anybody heard the story of the fountain.
“The Showalter Fountain”
Tracy: “Has anybody heard the legend about a virgin graduating and the fish in the fountain swimming around?
Mike: “No, but I have heard about it being more than the four that is around the fountain and one was stolen?
Tracy: “Tell me a little bit about it. I’ve never heard this one.”
Mike: “Well you know about the basketball coach Bobby Knight and him getting fired? It was said when he left one or some of the students got so mad they came and stole one of the fish in his honor. So it used to be five fish and now it is four. It was kind of like a riot type of thing. Someone wants to get back at someone else for taking away something important to them, in this case Bobby as coach so someone else takes something of importance from someone else, the fish.”
Tracy: “Where and when did you hear this story?”
Mike: “It was probably a couple of weeks after Bobby got fired.”
Tracy: “Do you know the person that stole it?”
Mike: “No, I’ve heard no one ever found out who did it but they are sure that one is missing, but that is all I know about the fountain.”
Context: Mike stated that the fish was taken in honor of Bobby Knight. This almost makes it seem like they redeemed him by taking something that they knew would get them in trouble if they ever got caught. It would be worth it though because they did something to bring back honor to the coach that was fired. This legend also brings excitement to the statue, just in a different way. Now when I go by the statue I find myself counting the fish to see if it is only four instead of five. I would have never done that before if I wasn’t told the story. Before I just looked at the statue and wondered if you would move even though I know that it wouldn’t but what if it did. Now I look and wonder if a fish really was stolen. Now you have different things to look at and you have different perspectives about what will or did happen. This is what makes legends so interesting: they give you something to think about.