A FISH TALE

I can't believe it has been a week since I published to my blog, but this story must be shared.  
     
     My two grandsons WON two plastic bags of gold fish at the Fulton County Fair on Labor Day weekend.  They were so proud of themselves and walked around the fair carrying them like trophies (in the plastic bag, swinging back and forth by their sides, those fish had to be sea-sick).  Cooper, the four year old won two and August, the two year old won one.
     Since the boys were visiting for the weekend, grammy had to dig out the old fish bowl from the basement, clean and fill it.  After the water reached room temp, the three little fishies were introduced to their new, but temporary home.  They vacated two days later, to be transported to their new home in Pennsylvania, where they would take up permanent residence.  
     Their days, spent as many other gold fish in captivity, swimming back and forth, up and down, nibbling at little, smelly flakes.  We mammals are all fortunate to be able to choose more diversity in our routines.  Fish-days seem to be enriched only by the diversity of faces, mutated by water and glass, that peer into the bowl for a view of the colorful swimmers.  
     A week passes by and grammy and papa go to visit the Pennsylvanians.  On Saturday morning, we all woke to discover one of Cooper's fish, floating belly-up.  The adults of the household discussed the need to present the young boy with the finality of the "circle of life."  We decided to just tell him the fish was dead.  His response surprised us all.  He announced that he thought he had won and was happy with a bag of water.....Really?
    On Sunday, August's little fish met the same demise as his brother's.  August was unfazed and the fish was flushed.  I decided that the water in the bowl should be changed and I began the arduous project of making all that happen for Cooper's lone fish.  The transition was made and the fish, Albert (Einstein) seemed to make a quick adjustment.  
    On the evening of the third day of my visit, the final fish met his destiny in the same posture as the two before.  Based on the response to the demise of the fishie number one and number two, we adults were surprised as Cooper suffered complete melt-down following Albert's passing.  
     Cooper, with this new mystery of life to ponder in his tender and sensitive young mind, asks "Why did Albert have to die?"   Despite the reality that this fish had a tough little life, one young boy will always remember their brief September encounter.  It is a lot easier to answer the question, "Where did my bag of water go?"