I opened my eyes in water, to see light that was also dancing along with waves.
Natural instincts guided me to swim across all the similar looking fish, towards the light.
I noticed a fish which was swimming towards me. Though it was a red-fish like many others, it was agressively swimming. Being afraid, I lost control and bumped so hard into a glass wall, that my eyes whirled for a while. Quickly I gained strength and swam opposite way only to find that the same fish was coming towards me yet again.
After bumping into a glass, yet another time, I realized that this fish was doing exactly opposit to what I did. It would turn to left, if I turned to my right. I have a black-spot on the right of my tail and it had one on its left. But if I swim up, it also swims up. And it will also swim downwards, if I do so. I was getting tired of this mysterious fish, whom I can see, but cannot reach.
After a while, a black-fish approached me. Laughing at me, he told that I'm looking at my own image. He advised me not to run away from it, nor to try discovering it.
Image.....! What a wonder!
It's there, but it is not.It's myself, but it is not.
There were many aquariums of various sizes with fish of different color, shape and size. Our aquarum was in one corner of the shop. Among a hudred of my kind, I'm the only red-fish with a black spot on my tail. Our aquarium also contained gold-spot and black-fish. It was the most crowded in the entire shop. One end of our neighbourhood had blue-hay, royal-white and dragon-yellow. The other end of shop had black-and-white, silver-majestic, mini-shark, king-snail and turtles.
The shop-keeper gives only a little feed, to keep us small and in good shape with the excersize of fighiting for the feed. He lits only one of the three lamps in the shop and everytime lits a different one.
On our third day, we were already done with observing all corners of shop, other kinds of fish, the tired shop-keeper and never-tiring ceiling-fan.We named our aquarium 'Hell'.
Every time a bike stops in front of the shop, the shop-keeper nets few of us and packs them in a plastic-cover. He doesn't show a pinch of love to us, atleast while selling, than that he shows to the money he gets.
Once there were a couple of kids - a small mischevous girl and a boy with chubby cheeks. I was swimming under the artificial plantation, and the shop-keeper caught ten fish from Hell into a plastic cover. The girl bounced the packet into air, and as it landed on a nail, it burst to spray the fish into all corners of the shop. Two fish which lost their breath, were fed to the Giant fish.Others were saved with minor bruises and packed into another plastic-cover. I mourned for my dead friends; and for those who are dead any moment the girl goes wild.
The next time a rookie came in a bike, along with his girl-friend. As the shop-keeper started netting Hell, I recollected they were the same couple who've forgot the package of blue-fish, a week ago. I doubted wether they'll ever bother about the 'Hell' in their home. I've escaped the net and felt satisfied that I've escaped a mishap. I was surprized to find myself prefer Hell over their home.
The next day, a couple came with a small baby in lap. The mother was so caring not to allow a fly to land on her baby. And the father was looking equally caring. As the shop-keeper put the net into Hell, I rushed into it but he never traps. Twice when I was finally in the trap, he tossed me back to Hell. Finally some black-fish, few blue-hay and gold-spot were packed for them. I felt bad for missing such family, but they were not there in my fate.
In a corner of the Hell, I was brooding over the future I've missed in the house of such soft people. I realized that I was being pulled out of 'Hell', and packed into a plastic-cover. It was already too late for me to resist. A group of boys were interestingly looking at four of my kind in the package. One of them carefully carried the package to his bike.
The first view of road from a bike was exquisite. The ride on a bike was very thirlling. Hiking the steps, bouncing into the air and rolling on the floor from inside the package were nice experiences.
Our package was opened to pour us into an aquarium already hosting fifteen fish of seven different kind. For few days we were freshers and were dominated by those who were already there. Weeks later we were also officially crowned the citizenship of our aquarium, 'Home'.
One of the boys used to feed us twice a day. And every one who takes a moment to look into Home tosses few pellettes of feed. There used to be change in feed every month. And along with it, change of water after cleaning the Home.
As days went by, the boys grew up. They moved out and new boys started moving in. Also, the fish in Home had their time. Those fish who passwed away initially were given royal saluit on their final voyage. Those following them later, hardly recieved any such respects. Only one couple bred, and even their babies are dead. Now i'm the only fish in the tank.
One of the boys used to clean the tank on every weekend and fill it with fresh water. Now he hardly cleans it once a couple-of-months and rarely refills the evaporated water. As Home is becoming green with algae, he put a couple of snails.
I've grown about hundred times, than what I was on first day in Home. The snails too have grown old. They are not of my kind, but we are the only company around. Having nothing to do, nowhere to go, we three wander the shallow waters of Home...
Even now one boy feeds me twice a day. He loves me so much, that talks to me when he is alone. He pities me for being so lonely, like him. It is almost a month that I've seen him. May be he too moved out of their home.
Sometimes, I wish, I could have resisted from getting into that packet. My life could have been different, from this Home. Or, it might have been the same.............. in yet another 'Home'.
But, I cannot reverse the irreversible. Whatever is done, cannot be undone.
I have to live with it for rest of my life.
I'm a fish in a tank..................a lonely fish in the little tank.
