The Warning

Times were turbulent in the aquarium.

Born of the tank, Andrew did not know very much of the outside world. Occasionally a new fish, or rarely another critter, was introduced who had experienced life elsewhere. Andrew had once envied their adventures. And like all the young fish in this tank, his greatest wish was to someday live in the Big Tank.

But trouble had started when Charlie, an old wise goldfish, had been relocated from another tank. He came prophesying their doom. A disease had run rampant in his previous abode. A rotting disease of the tail and fins that, once afflicted, would eat away at the fish until death came to greet them.

But Charlie did not just bring this warning with him. He brought new words too.

Contagion. Decay. Isolation. Quarantine.

These words spread, mutated and multiplied across the aquarium faster than any waterborne illness ever could. It appeared that for each new word they learned, the fish lost hundreds of the ones they had spoken before. A droning hum of these words eventually replaced the sound of the water filters whirring altogether.

When the first fish succumbed to the wasting sickness, one of the land creatures came with his cursed net to take the body away. It loomed over the tank, colossal and terrifying. And as tradition dictated, the fish fled to the various cracks, crevices and shelters, whilst death itself came to collect the fallen. It was ceremonial for the occupants of the tank.

Andrew peered out from within the treasure chest just in time to see the net plunge into the water and aim straight for the dead nipper's body. In one fell swoop the young fry was removed.

The aquarium stilled in its wake.

Not a ripple could be felt. Not even the dead fish's mother, who stared wide-eyed at the vacant spot in which her son had rested, let out a bubble.

The fins of the young fish’s body had been ragged, as Charlie had warned. The decaying disease was here. In their home.

After the fish had been taken, Andrew swam over to the deceased's family, who were grieving in the small stone castle.

“Get back! Get BACK!” Charlie yelled from the front of the castle. Andrew tried to swim around him. “Didn’t you hear me boy?! Get BACK!”

“Sorry, but I am only going to visit my lost friend’s family.” Andrew tried again to pass by the spluttering fish.

“For your own sake boy, listen to the fish who has seen the outside! Death is coming! We must isolate those who have fraternised with the infected. Death is here, boy, and it is catching!”

“I just need to tell them they are in my thoughts, mister. Surely, that’s safe?” Andrew asked.

Charlie picked up a pebble from the aquarium bottom with his fin and launched it at Andrew. It bounced off his head with a dull thud and fell in slowmotion to the floor. His eyes followed the pebble as it tumbled down and then he looked at Charlie. Andrew’s lip began to quiver.

“My boy, it is for your own good. I have seen things. I have stared death in the face and won. I will not challenge him again because a youngling like you couldn’t heed my warnings.” He bent to pick up another pebble.

Andrew retreated from the castle, but not before he spotted a sad young fish waving a fin at him from the tower window. She must be terrified - trapped inside like that. Andrew could not even imagine how being unable to swim free would feel. He averted his eyes, ashamed he would not fight to help her. Surely this would be over soon, he thought, and then he could comfort his friend in peace.

But the next day the inspections began.

Charlie went fish to fish inspecting the fins of everyone in the tank. He did this without touching and instead visually assessed whether the fins showed any recession, any decay. At first, they were all clear of disease. Until they were not.

“Get back! Get BACK!” Charlie yelled from behind a rock near where the petrified fish dwelt.

“Can we not help him?” asked one of the bystanders.

“No, death is here! Any who have contact with the contagion will die!” Charlie said, ripples in the water eddied from his open mouth.

“Will he die?” asked an older fish. His eyes bulged as he asked the question, whether out of concern for the affected fish or himself, it was not clear.

“Most definitely. As will anyone else who swims near here! The disease is spreading my friends, we must act now to save those who are healthy! Stay away from each other and we can outlast this sickness!” Charlie said, making eye contact with all the other fish in the vicinity as he spoke.

That was the last day Andrew saw more than two fish out in the open water together. They all distanced themselves as much as possible, fearing contact with their closest friends. Even members of the same family were too terrified to go near each other.

There were no more signs of disease for a few days, but most fish hid away all the same. Andrew, who had no family, struggled to fill his days with much of anything. On occasion, he thought about leaving his designated space to briefly meet with one of his friends. He had heard talk in the water of fish gathering in secret - behind Charlie’s back. But Andrew feared he may notice sooner rather than later as he was still carrying out the daily inspections.

When Charlie started showing signs of fin decay, the tank fell into pandemonium.

Every fish tried to shrink as if this would somehow offer them protection from the disease. There was even talk of culling the affected fish who were doomed to their fate anyway. Of course, this never happened as none were willing to get close enough to perform such an act; out of fear that they too, would end up like Charlie.

Charlie was doomed to the very fate he had warned them of, but they had not listened before it was too late. He was the wisest and kindest of all. He had helped them when they needed it most. He had inspected and warned even when it meant he was putting himself in immediate danger. Even now, as he suffered and wasted alone, Andrew could hear his cries.

“Get back! Get BACK! Can’t you hear me?! Get BACK! Death is here!”

Soon after the cries stopped, Charlie was spotted floating. The fish came out of their hiding spots that morning to stare up at his body, devoured by disease, bobbing back and forth near the surface.

Andrew did not see another living soul for weeks afterwards. There were another two floaters, who everybody saw, taking the total body count to four. He presumed they both caught it from Charlie when he visited them each day.

Soon after, death started collecting live fish too.

Andrew had been hidden inside the little clay pot when he saw it. The land monster opened the top of the aquarium tank and glared down at them with its huge haunting eyes. The fish hid and scattered to the farthest corners of their homes.

Then the net came. Not the small square net they were accustomed to seeing. No, this net was huge, with a long pole that allowed the creature to reach the furthest corners of the tank. But he did not start with the fish - he came for their homes.

Plants, rocks, castles, pots and treasure chests. He took them all.

When the tank was bare the dreaded net had other targets in mind.

The fish were all swimming about in a frenzy. Fish crashing into fish. Fins colliding with fins. The disease would be everywhere. Nowhere in the tank was safe.

Andrew began frantically swimming in a violent zig-zag along the floor, trying to avoid the others, trying to avoid the net.

The net collected fish after fish. The swarm at the bottom of the tank was visibly thinning now.

Andrew was going to be next. He could feel it.

When the net finally came down on his head, he felt his body relax. A part of him was happy that now, at least, it would all be over. Now at least, the terror would end.

He broke the surface and found his gills were without water for the first time in his short life. He shrieked silently. His mouth yawned open over and over and over again with increasing frequency and ferocity. He needed oxygen, but he could not filter it from the air. He thrashed and he thrashed and he thrashed.

Whilst he was dying, he could feel something holding him. Folding his fins and tail. Inspecting, he thought, just like Charlie had.

Just when his body had stopped flopping around, and he thought death had come at last, he was plopped into a small white container filled with sparkling clean water.

This must be the quarantine place Charlie spoke of, he thought.

He was alone.

Where were the other fish? Where were his friends?

He was completely alone…

Andrew felt himself fully relax, for the first time in forever.

He was alone now, he was safe now.

There was nothing to do in the box except swim back and forth and let his thoughts wander. He loved being in the white box. He was free to go wherever he wanted without fear of swimming into another fish. He never had to worry about another fish swimming up to him to say hi, or coming to ask if he wanted to play.

Life in the box was good.

He still religiously checked his fins for signs of decay ten times a day, but one day he would definitely work on cutting this down. Although, he reminded himself, there was no harm in being vigilant.

But things could not stay this way forever.

After what felt like a hundred years and at the same time seemed mere seconds, the small net returned to Andrew's life. It scooped into his small container and cornered him as he swam around desperately. What was going on? He could not be removed from his box, his home, his sanctuary!

He was poked and prodded again by the land monster, who then carried him and plopped him into a new body of water.

Andrew could not believe his eyes.

He tried to swim back into the net.

It was gone.

He swam and swam and swam. Circling near the surface, desperate to be saved, to be taken back to his little white box.

He was in the Big Tank.

He could not be in the Big Tank.

It was full of fish!

Disease-carrying fish infected with the contagion. Disease-carrying fish who were not isolating. Disease-carrying fish who had not just spent a lifetime in quarantine getting healthy.

Disgusting, terrifying, disease-carrying, sick fish who would be the death of everyone and everything!

“Hi, I’m Nora. What’s your name?” a young fish said from behind him.

“Get back! Get BACK! Didn’t you hear me, girl?! Get BACK! Death is here girl, and it’s catching!”