just for fun

This is something I wrote over two years ago. I thought perhaps "charmed one" would like it.

Eulogy for Emeron
I remember when I first met Emeron. It was just about 3 years ago at the Kahala Petland. Emeron was just a no-name goldfish at the time, swimming in a tank with hundreds of her bothers and sisters. My mom and I were looking for some goldfish to populate our new 10 gallon aquarium. Three goldfish impressed us that day and were taken home. As soon as the three fish were released in our new tank, they began to explore the plants, rocks and tree stump in the tank. Within a few hours my mother had named the fish, the larger of the three was pure orange and given the name Natalia, the medium sized fish was orange and black and called Botchi, and the smallest was orange and white named Emeron.
We were looking for something special in a goldfish, we found it in Emeron. Of the three, Emeron, was clearly the leader, showing the others where to find algae and scraps of leftover flake food. Even though she was the smallest, she always got the most food at feeding time and could swim faster than her tank mates. Emeron was a peaceful and graceful swimmer. I could watch her swim back and forth the tank for hours at a time. Even at rest, her fins gently swayed in the currents. When I put my face against the glass the others would get scared and hide, not Emeron, she would swim right up to the glass and wag her tail at me, as if saying, “yes, let’s play!” Her eyes were wide and bright, and I really think she could see me through the glass. Perhaps she even recognized me. She was always ready to say hello. If Emeron were a person, she’d be one of my best friends, I thought.
I remember the day Emeron got sick and died. I had not cleaned the water in the tank for quite a while and the filter wasn’t working correctly. The water quality had gone bad and Emeron must have caught some disease. She started to swim sluggishly and her once bright eyes began to cloud. In a day she was gone, and I watched her go down the drain of the toilet. It was a sad day. Mom cried a bit and I know Botchi and Natalia were confused without their leader and friend. I was just stunned. I had lost my best goldfish friend.
I miss Emeron and often think of her when I clean the fish tank. I learned a few things from her that I could not learn from anyone else. I learned that you can be happy even in a 10 gallon tank and that flake food tastes pretty good. That you should always greet others cheerfully, bright eyed and with a smile. I learned that you should swim through life with grace, strength and speed. Good-Bye Emeron, swim free in the fish tank of Heaven.