She Was Just a Fish
Animal Stories from All-Creatures.org

FROM Paul Hood
Facebook post, June 25, 2021

I bought her seven years ago out of a feeder tank for ninety-nine cents, an orange and white comet barely over an inch long, because l liked her markings; brought her home and put her in with my other goldfish.

Comet...

She was just a fish. I bought her seven years ago out of a feeder tank for ninety-nine cents, an orange and white comet barely over an inch long, because l liked her markings; brought her home and put her in with my other goldfish.

A couple of years later she'd grown to around three inches when l came home and noticed her missing in the tank. I looked all around the stand & didn't see her anywhere. After a few minutes l thought to look under the stand & there she was - and not moving and not breathing. I laid her in the palm of my hand and after another minute decided she was dead when l suddenly saw a gill move.

I quickly put her in the net and lowered her into the water and she started gasping. After a minute or two she swam out of the net, swam around a little and sank to the bottom of the tank where she spent the night. The next morning she was fine.

A few years and a couple more inches later l had an ick infection go through my aquarium and killed half my fish, leaving her once again at the bottom of the tank, on her side gasping. For a solid week. I almost gave up on her several times but she pulled through.

If l was laying in bed at night reading l'd look up occasionally and she'd be at that side of the tank closest to me just watching me until l turned out the light. If l was in the bathroom (being a bachelor l didn't bother to close the door) she'd be on THAT side of the tank watching me. Sitting in front of the aquarium watching my other fish swim around she'd stay nose to nose with me.

She grew to be over seven inches long. A few mornings ago l found her floating, having died overnight.

I've had horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, you name it, that have passed on. She was just a fish. But l loved her and miss her as much as any of my other pets.

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