“Slice.”
The sickening sound of warm fresh blood being sliced open on a putruding stalagmite like a neck on a freshly sharpened guillotine. The poor guy had just seen it a fraction too late, and then his world went black.
Eddy had seen the huge fish get sliced open but he on the other hand had hit the cold sticky dry mud that clung to his skin like a new-born does to its mother. The mud was also as crumbly as a new biscuit and it irritated him!
He wriggled, struggled and stretched but whatever he did he just couldn’t get back into the water. So he lay there waiting, mustering up all his strength.
With a sudden flash of movement, he had flipped himself around and was back feeling the cool fresh water moving past him.
Eddy realised that everything was still. He was now really, really scared so he gently slithered into the sandy bottom, where he hit a little clump of seaweed and Eddy instinctively bit it.
Now this clump was now classed as Eddy’s friend. Eddy didn’t know how to survive in this environment so he cautiously nibbled at some algae on the stones. Eddy had also found a home in an old bottle.
After four days Eddy had made a new friend called Ish. Ish was a South American rasbora who came from a few miles down south. Ish then introduced Eddy to the rest of the fish that lived in the lagoon. He could tell that most fish didn’t want him.
Days passed and Eddy grew bored and weary.
One day when Eddy had gone to sleep, Ish was patrolling the area when he noticed that the clump of seaweed was moving slowly across the lagoon. It then proceeded to shake and Ish heard that it was transmitting low frequency noises. It took Ish quite a while to figure out what it was doing but then it hit him like a ton of bricks.
At dawn the seaweed had gone back and Ish gathered the whole village together and told them about what he had seen, the majority believed him. The fish thought the worst of it, “It’s a government spy camera.” One fish shouted. “A new type of species” said anther.
“Kill it say I.”
“Push it into the river.”
That was what fish planned to do. Eddy didn’t like it one bit but all the fish had said it had to go. “If it goes I go with it.” Eddy had shouted.
“Bye !” came the chorus aimed at Eddy.
That was that! Eddy said his goodbyes, went forward and was once again swept up like clothes in a sale.
To continue on his travels, where ever the current might take him.
End
David Hughes.
