1. You knowthe storiesaboutgoldfishonlyhavingthree secondsof theirlivesrememberedatany
momentintime?Well…notthisfish.Ihad a life;ajob,a family,friends,everything.AndIremember
everymomentof it.Butsome thingsare bestleftforanothertime,anotherstory.Irememberthe
perfectstory,andthisone isn’tleftforanothertime.Thisone isfor here andnow… Butit needsa little
back storyfirst.To move the story along,justknow thatI was alone fora while.Some thingstooka
wrongturn, andI endedupin a separate fishbowlfromeverythingelse. Everyoneelse.
It had beenaweek,withjustme andmyself.All the foodtomyself,the peace andquietwas
relaxingenough.ButIwouldalwaysturnaround,tosee everyone else,together havingfunandsharing
theirfood.Ididn’tevenknowif theymissedme,exceptwiththe glance one of themwouldmake every
once in a while.Thatlookof guiltwhenevertheylookedoverandsaw me bymyself there.Itshookmy
hearteverytime ithappened.Theyneversaidanything…justlookedup,thenlookedaway.AtfirstI
triedto brushit off,like itwasnothing,tellingmyselfI’dgetbackto themsoon.Then,dayslater,I began
to wonderif I’d ever getback. It startedto angerme.Why’dI have to get taken,whynotone of them?
WHY ME!... ThenI’dbe alone,feelinglikecrying,butI’dalreadycriedmytearsout,the dayI leftthem.
I had knownfora while thatI wasfeelingdifferentfromthem;somethingwasn’trightwiththe
wayI was breathinginthe water.But thenitmanifesteditself outside mybody,greenooze fallingoff
my scales,thenmyscalesturningtoooze and fallingoff mybody.Iwasdying,I justknew it.I
rationalizedwithmyself onwhattotell them, whatto saybefore Ileft.If theycouldevenhearme…
The last day;I knewit wasgoingto happensoon.Toosoon.I wasn’tgoingto make it back.If I
movedtoomuch,my heart wouldfalteroutonme.But I neededtotalktothemone last time,tohear
theirvoices.Ialmostcompletelyforgotwhattheysoundedlike.ThenIsaw it; itwas her,inthe other
fishbowl,tryingtotell me something.She wasyelling,butIcouldn’thearwhatshe wassaying.
“I love you”,I readon herlips.

2. That was all I needed.Iknewnow thatI neededtogo,tofeel herupagainstme.My heartwas
hurting,butI neededitforwhatI was aboutto do. I swamincircles,fasterandfastereach time my
heartwas beingpickedatbyneedles.Icouldn’ttake itanymore,soIjumped.Everythinghadslowed
downaroundme,waterleftmy body,andI feltthe coldstingof airengulfingme,asitbeganto burnmy
lungsfromthe inside.Icouldsee the shockedlooksontheir facesasI beganmy descentintotheirbowl.
She lookedatme withfearandexcitement,as Inearedthe warmingtouchof the wateragain.This time,
it wouldbe backin myoldbowl.I wasgoingto make it home.Iwas--