in memory

just remembered that i used to have a goldfish in high school.
it was a fish won from a kingyo-sukui game (thats goldfish scooping game to you aliens. its a famous game at fairs and stuff)
i was in form 5 and it was during our schools annual foreign language celebration day.
(i manned the french language DJ booth. great fun)

it was a small fella, cute as hell. (actually it looked pretty much like all the other goldfish but being owned by me made the goldfish extra cute by one point)
i named it Chiisana Taiko that means 'small drum'
how cute is that.
i kept it in a altered 1.5L empty coke bottle (it was plenty big for him, trust me)
and fed it urm, stuff.
i made a funky name card to put next to the bottle and brought home water plants from the school ponds.
we talked and laughed and played together.
great times.

then one day (2 weeks later)
chiisana went belly up.
i was shocked and sad and seriously considering of following my goldfish to the other side.
but i overcame my grief and organized a funeral cause i know he would want me to be strong and because i couldnt have a dead fish floating in a bottle on top of my locker now, can i?
the funeral was a solemn yet beautiful affair. just me and fifie, my sister(chiisana's half sister, different mother. and father. and species) was there.
we picked a prime spot for his final resting place. (near the clothes lines, its grassy and breezy and theres some pretty flowers nearby)
we said some prayers, shed some brave tears as i slowly lowered him to the earth, in a beautiful wooden coffin(i took a match box and beautified it).
fifie and i held hands, drawing strength from each other.
and after the funeral we went to the dining hall to have dinner.
we had fried fish.

here's to Chiisana Taiko.
a friend, a brother, a fish.
you would never be forgotten.

IN LOVING MEMORY;
CHIISANA TAIKO SHUHAIME
(2000-2000)