Gold

-->         Some may say that a fish has neither woes nor worries. Pets, you may say, have it the best. Though you may be wrong…

SPLASH!!!

         I started to awaken from the blow of hitting the water. It felt as though I fell on the hard, stone cold, sidewalk material you people know as concrete, instead of the soft, clear liquid that I had called home all my life. I looked back at my silky tail to see if it was still there and when did I saw that it was indeed there, along with the unchangeable, defaced, stubborn scars. But there was nothing and no one else. I was not with the others that I had known for so long. I was alone. In a prison that was deserted other than me.

         Like any inmate that I knew, and for your information yes I was in to doghouse for sometime but I would not like to say why because I am not proudest of it. Any way, any good, and I stress GOOD, inmate would know that there is always a way out. So I ran as fast as I could until…

THUMP!

         Bouncing of the glass, I shook it off, and charged again.

Then again, and again. Then once more, because I was only so desperate. I probably hit every spot of transparency on that invisible wall. Finally giving up, I took a nap. I figured that if I slept I could lose the pounding head ache and regain some strength, along with some dignity.

         When I came to I looked around. I saw the baby blue sky, the growing green trees, and the birds. Oh the birds, how I envy them. Then I got up and thought about flying. I thought about trying to fly but soon changed my mind because I remembered Jimmy, rest in peace my good old friend. So I just started swimming around. I think I made about twelve laps around that cell before I just got bored. So I started talking to the rocks that I soon came to know as Rocky.

         “Hello Rocky!”

         “…”

         “How’s the weather down there?”

         “…”

         “Are you shunning me?”

         “…”

         “Me, your only friend in this place! You are shunning ME!”

         “…”

         “Well I hate you too. Now I am shunning you.”

         “…”

         “Starting now.”

         Since Rocky was so obviously ignoring me, I decided to talk to Sherlock, the seaweed.

         “Hi buddy!”

“…”

“Not you too,” …

And so it went on until I was bored with that, so I blew bubbles. Which wasn’t much better. So I slept some more. Then…

SPLASH!!!

         Then there came another. She was the kind of fish that others would want only for her beauty. Her scales shimmered in the gleaming sun and her tail flowed behind her like limp butterfly wings.

“Hello?”

“What? What? What do you want?” I said hiding behind Sherlock. I could not stand the thought of her seeing me with the scars of my past life.

“Where am I”

“A better question is, what is your name?”

“Bonnie, Bonnie the goldfish”

“Clyde, Clyde Goldfish”

“How do you do? And can you tell me where I am?”

“A fishbowl. An ugly, boring, with nothing to do fish bowl. So make yourself at home because we’re gonna be here awhile,” I told her with the most serious face I could put on.

“Well is there a way out?”

“No”

“Not one spot you haven’t tried?”

“No”

“But isn’t there…”

“Stop asking questions!” I yelled. And I mean yelled. It felt like an earthquake because of the vibrations hitting the inside of the bowl.

         It was quiet again.

         Days past and we didn’t speak. I swam circles and she would take a deep breath, then go to the surface to look around. She would talk to herself at times but that was it. One day though, things got strange.

         I soon learned that our “owner” was a scientist, like the ones in the movies that are complete psychos. He studied all different types of things, but recently he was interested in the domesticated goldfish. One day, though, he put a weird tube in our bowl. The tube was connected to a gas tank that said LAUGHING GAS on it. He turned the knob on the tank and started taking notes. I felt a little tired and fell asleep.

         When I woke up I felt dizzy and I could see that Bonnie was bumping repeatedly into the wall. I soon started laughing uncontrollably.

         It turns out the doc put laughing gas in our bowl to see what the effects were on fish. So I was a guinea pig for life.

         We died three days later from what you might say was “laughing to death”. the psycho that killed us is still on he loose and killing more fish like us.  So that was my life. In a fishbowl. I lived with a beauty of gold and did nothing for it.My only hope is that who ever reads thins will do other wise, because when you have something, as I did, you don't want to set them free.

-Clyde Goldfish