Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. I'm baffled. Which is why I have to tell this story. But first, before I can go on I must make an embarrassing confession. I have been harboring a dead fish for a week.
Why keep a dead fish?
Well. . . because the fish belongs to my daughter and it's my fault that the fish died. We went away for the weekend and I forgot to make arrangements for his feedings. Bad mommy!
Beta fish are very active and aggressive, so when the fish went nose up, tail down and didn't move for a couple of days, (despite my tapping on the glass and shaking the bowl to get him going) I had to finally admit that he was dead. But my daughter is VERY sensitive. She gets upset very easy and I had a hard time bringing myself to tell her, but I wanted her to be able to have a "ceremony" to say good-bye to her pet. So I couldn't get rid of him without her knowing. That would upset her even more. She needed to say good-bye.
Day after day I walked by the fish bowl only to find the fish, unmoving, in the same position as the day before. I'd tell myself "today I have to tell my daughter." The days went by until days turn into a week. At this point I'm amazed that the fish hasn't begun to decompose yet.
Last night I resolved, "I must tell my daughter . . . tomorrow."
Much to my surprise, when I walked by the fish bowl before bed last night, I saw the fish was swimming! Fans flittering, tail swishing, moving all around the bowl like he used to. May I take the time to remind you that I have not fed the fish over the course of this week. I thought he was dead! Why would I?
Today, he is still swimming and ate the food I gave him.
hmmmmm. . . . I'm perplexed.
So I guess, (to use the words from my favorite book/move, The Princess Bride,) he was not all dead. He was just MOSTLY dead. And now he's mostly alive. So I shall change his name to that of the Princess Bride Hero . . . Wessley.
11 comments:
Maybe he was hibernating? What a cool story!
That is amazjavascript:void(0)
Publish Your Commenting -- a Lazurus fish! Maybe he went on automatic pilot when he realized no nutrition was coming his way? I think some animals can do that; when they don't get fed, they use what is in their body's stores, like an animal that is hibernating.
Whatever the case, I'll bet you don't forget to feed him again!
Wow--that's amazing! Consider the possibility that you now have a zombie fish...dead, yet undead. Don't lean over the bowl or it might jump out of the water to have a go at your brains...lol
What a cute story? And with a happy ending thrown in.
Bish - I wondered about hibernation too. I have other fish like that but I've never seen any hybernate before. but, you never know! it makes sense.
mary - I thought of renaming him lazarus, since Jesus has been known to do some pretty cool stuff with fish. :0)
Angela - LOOVe the zombie fish idea!!! Oh, if only I were Steven King. I'd be seing $$$$$ signs!
Catherine - I'm so glad there's a happy ending and my daughter NEVER has to know! :0)
And you know what? This goes to prove that procrastination is a GOOOD thing! Had I not hesitated, that Japanese Fighting fish would be facing mutant Nija turtles in the sewer right now! ;0)
Glad to hear your fish is now "mostly alive" and I appreciated reading your "blog day" blog. Afraid that I'm fairly self-conscious when I blog so it's freeing to read about your freedom. Make sense?
Thanks for stopping by and visiting mine. That one took too many hours than I want to admit to write. Sometimes I wonder if blogging has not become an excuse not to write, know what I mean? But, it is a good warm up like you said. THoughts provoked... carol
I think you had a miracle worker named Abigail who fed Carissa's fish.
Christy,
I love the book with your blog name at top right. What a cool thing! And I will keep track of your progress on "the charm keepers." It's always so helpful to me to have a little measuring instrument like you have posted here, to keep me accountable. - Janelle
LOL, I had to come back and tell you I was buying water conditioner for my Betta at Petsmart yesterday and I told the gal about your fish. I think she thought I was pulling her leg....
Abby might have fed him while we were gone, but I put him high on a shelf after I thought he was dead, so she wouldn't have been able to reach that high once we got home.
Janelle, I've been so much more productive being able to see the percentage amount increase.
Angela, I don't blame the pet store lady for thinking you were kidding. I would too. I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation for my fish being lethargic enough to appear dead, I just have no idea what that is. I figure he must have been nosing up food from the rocks when I wasn't looking. Sneaky fish! ;0)
Ooooh, Princess Bride movie. Fave! :)
I like the name Lazarus Fish, too, though. Has a nice ring to it!
VERY cool story and one that must go into a book at some point!
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