Heavy Fish

A curious fish marvels at the world existing just beyond his reflection—a body of water with strange looking heavy fish that appear to drag themselves along the floor. He spends his days studying them—trying to understand through the eyes of a fish. How can we truly understand anything, if we only see it in relation to our own reality and who sees things as they truly are?

He hung there, suspended in time and space, for what seemed like an eternity. Weightless, motionless—staring glossy-eyed into the distance. Drinking in every perceivable detail of the other land. The land on the other side of his reflection—the land of the heavy fish.

He watched their every move, with his non-blinking and expressionless eyes; observed them as they stepped oddly, along the bottom of their world. These creatures were strange, he thought, and tragic at the same time. He saw them as large and slow with anomalous heavy bodies. He noted their long-ridged fins, unusual grasping, that would often hold smaller heavy fish, objects or food. Sometimes they would join fins and travel close in pairs; sometimes they would join lips and wrap themselves around each other. They would approach the barrier of the worlds and gaze into his colourful realm, long head fins hanging heavily around their open, toothy faces. Dull shades and intricate patterns hanging around their upright, awkward bodies. They were all similar looking, aside from the colour of their skin, their shapes and sizes. They seemed to only have one species, these absurd yet wonderous heavy fish.

He quickly surveyed his own surroundings, moving only his eyes. Large rocks, coral, plants to eat, snails and water bugs; an enormous array of colourful fish of many different species. Small fish to hunt. Three smooth rock walls, one air wall above and then the other world, the world beyond the reflection. He had always been an inquisitive fish; had always been thirsty for knowledge and understanding, but it frustrated him. He explored his water and knew much about his environment. He knew very little of theirs despite watching it closely his whole life. They seemed happy inspecting him and the beautiful, vibrant world beyond their reflection. Of course it was full of colour and movement and a multitude of aquatic species.

He felt sad watching them. The atmosphere on the other side was ominous and so utterly arcane. So close in time and space and yet incongruent in nature and species. He yearned to comprehend them fully, desperately seeking a connection he was certain they shared. Their milieu was stark in comparison, he thought to himself, plain rock walls with strange black opening holes. No plants, no rocks. Maybe also an air wall on top? Maybe not. No one ever seemed to swim up to the surface. When it grew dark they would all disappear. Crawl into the rock holes on the far side of the wall. And in the light of day they would come back into the main area. His heart grew heavy and he felt so sorry for them.

He was tired. He had been observing them for two full days. His hunger grew strong—and with that a certain clarity or focus. Suddenly, he saw a small heavy fish approach. It put its long skinny fin to the barrier and began to draw a circle. Then it crossed over into another circle beside it. It was fascinating! It was a motion his parents had called the symbol of infinity. Suddenly he was mesmerized! The heavy fish continued to repeat this figure along the barrier and magnetically he was pulled toward the glass, entranced, propelled to follow the sign. The heavy fish responded with utter excitement and for a moment they were absolutely connected—his world and theirs, entirely different and yet each fully moving together in the sign of infinity. It dawned on him that they wonder about the other side too, and he realized for the first time that both worlds see things differently. Was it possible neither sees them as they really are? Suddenly, he felt satiated. Perhaps it was okay to simply accept that he could never know a lot of things, not with absolute certainty. There was something so liberating about that realization. They had connected and that was so much more than enough.