Yesterday we had a small but not insignificant death in the family.
Mars, my little fish - passed away after two years of living with us.
In case anyone doesn't remember - I originally had a blog asking all of you to name our new, teeny tiny fiery red betafish.
Mars - as suggested by Lisa - was the name I ended up pulling out of a hat.
They say the average lifespan of a betafish is two to four years - MAXIMUM...so I guess he had a full life.
It's strange how attached you can get to a fish. I came home yesterday to find Mars floating and still at the bottom of his aquarium and even though my stomach sank and a lump immediately grew in my throat, I didn't cry. It wasn't a complete surprise, he had been very quiet for the last few weeks - hardly eating and not moving much.
He still looked as graceful and as colourful as ever. Peaceful.
For some reason I never got the impression that he was in any kind of "distress" - even Life Partner agrees - he just looked like an old fish, who was getting a little slower.
I removed his little fragile body carefully, for the last time from his bowl and slipped him into a small envelope I made out of tape and a paper towel.
I then placed the paper towel inside a zip lock bag and sealed it.
I then placed the zip lock bag into a small cardboard box and closed that up.
It wasn't until then, that I looked at the table where his home had been for the last two years, that I felt really sad - and Life Partner did too.
The table just looks empty without the colourful fishbowl, and the little spark of marine life darting back and forth, happily. I kept telling myself that it is stupid to be sad over a fish, but then I figured - hell - no it isn't!
I hand fed that fish every single day for two years! I'd spend about 10 minutes a day sitting next to the aquarium and staring at it, sometimes dipping my finger in each side of the water to make him swim over, curiously.
And even though I never got to cuddle it or pet him - his was still a tiny life and a pet I cared for...so I let myself be sad.
Today - I am going to bury it in the back yard. I know technically the earth is out of element for a fish, but I figure it's close to home. I might even make a little marker for it - maybe a stone with a small red fish painted on it or something.
We'll see.
I just wanted to send this little blog out - seeing as you guys all named him anyway - as a tribute to Mars: One little fishy who will DEFINETELY be missed very much.
Swim away, little Mars...
