November 07, 2003
A childrens' story
Once upon a time there were three little goldfish, living among others in a fashionable zip code in Cambridge.
They had a small but cheerful pool for such an urban setting, and plenty of yummy insects. Special desserts were provided by the man of the house. The woman of the house worried that they would get too fat and never gave them fishy treats. In spite of their privileged circumstances, they yearned for adventure. They dreaded the thought of lying unconcious at the bottom of the pond for the winter with the rest of the gang. And so the three dear friends planned their escape. They chose the autumn to make their move. They knew they would be easily camoflaged in the bright foliage. They waited for just the right moment with eager anticipation.
In mid October, they saw a sign from the universe on a rock just beside their pool. It seemed to say "this way guys!"
And off they went, first mounting the hawthorne where they could get some traction, then leaping over to the trellis
Then up the trellis to the open window of the big brick house. They could hear running water just below the window. This was a relief, since they realized that they could not do the fish equivalent of holding their breath out of water much longer. They had used all of their athletic prowess on the climb from the pool.
With their last gurgles, they hurled themselves through the window, and soared, using their fins to steer, toward the sound of the water
landing, kerplop, in the washing machine, where they lived happily ever after. The man and the woman, impressed by their initiative, allowed them exclusive use of the washing machine, and went to the laundromat. The three little goldfish will probably want to go back to the pool in the spring. Right now all their buddies are hibernating, and they are thrilled to be in a place where there is lots of action, and they can spin and swim against the tide to their hearts content.
The End