Pebble

Alex gets a new pet fish. But little does he know how this will change his life.

Alex Marshall’s favorite pastime was to visit the local pet store and enjoy looking at the wall of aquariums. It never occurred to him that it was quite strange for a grown man to be gawking at fishes at a pet store. But that was Alex, oblivious to his surroundings and he didn’t care much about what people thought about him. He didn’t have much else to life other than a meaningless job and a lonely apartment. He always wanted an aquarium in his apartment but detested the huge responsibility of being in charge of another life form. Despite being better than average looking and not a complete loser, his fear of responsibility was one of the reasons he never dated. Which in his mind may one day lead to marriage and having kids.

“Hello Alex”, Amy the store clerk greeted him as he was deeply engrossed in the dances of finned beauties held in glass prisons. Amy knew Alex was not going to buy anything but also sympathized with the awkward man that stood there like a child. Amy had known him since high school. Both lived in the same neighborhood only a street apart. Alex went on to college and came back to his town to take care of his ailing mother. After she died, he just held on to the same apartment where he had spent most of his life. There was no reason for him to go anywhere else. His mother’s death did not help him in advancing his social skills. In fact, he became more like he was in high school. Awkward, shy and recluse. Amy never finished her degree. She took a couple of courses in the community college and started to work in the pet store to support her mother and younger brother after her father left her family for a better life in the city, for work and otherwise. One thing Amy had going for her was her love for animals so she really enjoyed her job. Both did not have such great lives and their paths only crossed again after several years in the pet store where Amy learned that Alex had moved back into town.

Now, Alex had become a bit of a habit for Amy. She would actually miss him if he didn’t show up for a long time. She got into trouble several times with her manager when she stood up for the unprofitable client. She felt sorry for him, in high school and now.

“Hey Amy” Alex offered an empty wave without looking at her.

“What is this? They are absolutely beautiful” Alex turned toward Amy.

“Oh! We just got those yesterday… Livingstoniis… Arent they a beaut?”

“They are quite exquisite. Are they hard to maintain?”

“Not if you keep feeding them. They are actually really fun. I love it when they play dead to get some food. My favorite is the blue guy, he stands out, reminds me of Josh from high school. Remember him? All the girls would hover around him. Even me for a while. The only difference is this little guy has a bigger heart than Josh will ever have” Amy chuckled.

“Yeah! I remember him. Not fond memories though” Alex smiled.

“I like the blue guy too”

“Wait! Are you actually thinking about getting one?” Amy asked in a mocking tone as if teasing a child.

Alex blushed.

“I don’t know…I have always been scared of having pets”

“You should totally get one. They are so awesome”

If there was another soul on this earth that treated Alex like a human being it was Amy. He didn’t want to break her heart since she was trying so hard to make a sale. She never did that before.

Alex agreed to buy the Livingstonii and everything that goes with it. A large tank, state of the art filters, aquarium ornaments and food.

Glad that she didn’t have to justify Alex’s visit anymore Amy made sure her manager got a glimpse of all the merchandize Alex was buying from the store but she also saw that Alex looked like he was about to throw up from anxiety.

Just before he left the store Amy rushed over to him.

“I will tell you what. I will help you set it up after work. Don’t worry” Amy whispered, smiled and went back to help another customer.

Alex waited that evening for Amy to show up. He didn’t dare touch anything. Everything he bought just lay on the counter along with Pebble. The only decision he made was to name the fish. After work Amy drove up to Alex’s house. She helped him pick the perfect spot for Pebble’s new home, one that would get most attention but also ample natural light. She set up the filter, placed the ornaments and finally slipped Pebble into the water.

“Thanks Amy. I hope I don’t kill him” Alex said under his breath before Amy left.

“You will be fine. Just call me if you need anything.” Amy’s phone rang.

Amy took a quick look at the phone “Shoot. It’s mom. I didn’t tell her I was coming here after work. Got to run Alex.” she rushed into her car.

“Don’t stop coming to the store” she yelled, driving away.

Alex and his new roommate shared a few moments of awkward silence, while Alex’s strangeness continued through the evening; Pebble carried on with his life and got settled in. The following days Alex faithfully followed Amy’s regimen with Pebble’s diet, filter settings and occasional communication. After a few weeks, the water in the tank started to become cloudy. Alex didn’t think much of it and hoped Amy would help him clean the tank but she was not available until the following weekend. Alex waited but it bothered him that the tank was getting dirtier. Alex drove to work as usual combating the heavy rain and frequent fog that was usual this time of year in his town as each day got worse than the previous. At work, Alex hardly spoke to anyone and carried about his tasks keeping safe distance from small talk with his colleagues. Those particular days, all he could hear was chatter of annoyance over the worsening weather.

Saturday finally arrived and Amy stopped by after work. Alex carefully watched how Amy cleaned the tank so that he did not have to trouble her next time.

“Do you have any plans Alex?” Amy asked as she wiped down the walls of the tank.

“For what?”

“It’s Saturday. Don’t you go out anywhere?”

“Naa… I planned a Galactic Wars marathon for this weekend.”

“How exciting” squealed Amy.

“Wait! You like Galactic Wars” Alex asked with much surprise.

“I love that show. I was glued to the TV during the final season”

“Uh… you are welcome to watch. I can make some popcorn”

“Not today Alex. I already made plans with some friends. Maybe some other time”

“Yeah.. uh.. sure” muttered Alex.

“You are all set” Amy smiled wiping her wet hands with a towel.

“Hey, I miss you around the store. Is Mr. Pebble keeping you so occupied that you don’t have time to come by anymore” she said jokingly.

“Just some late nights at work. That’s all. I will stop by tomorrow”

The next day Alex woke up to a bright, sunny albeit cold day. It was unusual to have a clear day in this season. Alex mind always wandered and it wandered to the fact that the weather got gloomier as the Pebble’s tank got cloudier and now after the tank has been cleaned the day was clear. This notion somehow latched on and was lingering at the back of his mind. Some following events would only make this notion even stronger.

The following week Pebble had gotten really sluggish unlike his usual self. Alex went to the pet store to inquire but Amy was not there. Another clerk whose expertise lay more in pet mammals tried to help him. After going through unfamiliar aisles, he finally gave up

“Gosh! You know what… Usually when the fish is sick like that we have this medicine that usually works. It’s not harmful for the fish even when they are healthy so there is no harm in trying. If this doesn’t work, come back. Hopefully Amy will be back by then.”

Alex’s belief that somehow Pebble having an influence in his life had already taken shape. If it is sick then he might get sick too. Pebble had to get better, he thought.

As Alex expected, he came down with severe cold symptoms. Pebble was not doing so well either. Alex continued with Pebble’s medication and after a full forty eight hours Pebble was back to his old usual self. Alex’s health was also turning around. This incident made Alex’s belief even stronger and established a deeper connection with Pebble. When he felt hungry he was sure Pebble was hungry too so he fed it. As Pebble grew bigger Alex felt his clothes had become tighter. By now, in Alex’s mind, both lives were completely intertwined. Of course, he wouldn’t speak of this to anyone. It would not help his already unimpressive social reputation.

During this time, Alex and Amy also hung out more. It started with Galactic Wars marathons, dinners, movies. Alex developed great affection for Amy, and couldn’t think of spending his future with any other girl. But every time, he wanted to bring this up he couldn’t find the courage or right time to talk to Amy about how he felt. Then a thought occurred to Alex. As long as Pebbles was alone, Alex was going to be alone too. So he quickly decided to get a companion for Pebble. Coral, another Livingstonii, became Pebble’s new partner. Pebble swirls and leaps revealed his excitement in welcoming Coral. Soon, Alex finally told Amy what he thought of her. She reciprocated.

The following months were filled with joy for Alex. He couldn’t be happier. After his mother passed away, Amy’s presence seemed refreshing. He felt lucky to have someone by his side that completely understood him and accepted him for who he was and this was all because of Pebble. Alex believed that if he kept Pebble happy then he will be happy too.

But these good times came to an abrupt end with a single phone call. It was Amy’s mother. Some drunk driver had rammed into Amy’s car when she was coming back from work. Alex rushed to the hospital only to see Amy connected several life saving machines. She was in a lot of pain but was conscious. She turned toward Alex, and slowly closed her eyes as tears trickled. Amy was gone from Alex’s life.

Alex felt like he was falling into an abyss the following days. He kept himself walking with the cocktail of depression medications. He couldn’t attend Amy’s funeral. He couldn’t face her mother or her little brother. He didn’t go to work or take care of himself. He mostly sat on the couch watching reruns of Galactic Wars and remembering his good times with Amy. As he was brooding, his vision shifted to something strange. Pebbles and Coral where both prancing around in the tank enjoying each other’s company. Why was Pebbles having such a good time when he sat there depressed, Alex thought. He walked closer to the tank. Pebbles and Cora swam closer to the top of the tank in hope of some food as Alex had ignored them too. Alex opened the top of the tank and scooped out Coral with his hands and put her on the counter for Pebble to see. Alex lost the love of his life in front of his eyes and so it was only fitting that Pebble should go through the same. If chance wouldn’t make it happen then Alex made sure it occurred by choice. He blamed Pebbles for not mirroring his happiness into Alex’s life.

“I did everything for you. I don’t deserve this” he cried.

Pebble looked from the tank helplessly at Coral as she gasped for air. After a couple of minutes, her fins flapped slower, her mouth only opened at longer intervals and she finally stopped moving. Alex smiled. They were even now. Balance had been maintained. He fell asleep on the floor next to the tank hearing to the humming of the water filter and occasional gentle splashes from Pebbles sudden movements.

After a few hours Alex woke up. His vision became clear to Pebble’s tank but he couldn’t spot Pebbles. He looked down and on the floor of the tank laid a lifeless Pebble.

“No! I am sorry!” Alex yelled. The two most important lives of his life had left him.

With Pebbles dead, there was only on option. He should die too, if not by chance then by choice.

He took the sharpest knife in the kitchen and dug into his wrist. Blood gushed out. Alex fell back on the couch with his head turned toward the tank.

He screamed and cried in pain but after a few minutes the pain was gone. His eyes were giving in as he lay on a pool of blood. He looked directly into the lifeless body of Pebbles. He was glad that he was soon going to join him and Amy and just before he eyes shut, he heard a splash, Pebbles was swimming again and looked right at Alex. Alex took his last breath. Pebble got his sweet revenge.

Reviews

[Akshay Rawal]

Beautiful work!..I am thrilled. After the climax I soon remembered that the fish used to lie senselessly to get some food so It was not a revenge but betokened its hunger,,,The pace is a little fast but quite tolerable, and the verbosity is zero, which makes it magical...English is my second language too, and I have to keep a dictionary with myself while I write something(OOPS....That was a secret!).....Nice meeting you and God Bless......

[Mashoosh Kateb]

Thank you for the review. Yeah I realize I like to rush things up, something to work on.

[Nusquam Esse]

This was a great read, unique and captivating. One of the more enjoyable stories on here. I agree with the others that the end was a bit rushed in comparison to all the build up to it. One main typo stood out to me, it should be "connected 'to' life support machines." Very well done, especially if English isn't your native tongue. I would never be able to write something this long, and so well, in any of my other languages.

[Mashoosh Kateb]

Thanks N. I really appreciate your review. I am glad you enjoyed it.

[Mittens]

Overall: This is an excellent piece of writing. The way the plot twists towards the end is quite masterful and definitely catches the reader by surprise. You're very good at detailed writing and many passages from the story are almost poetic. The line "dances of finned beauties held in glass prisons" is a great example of your excellent descriptive style.

Suggestions: For an English as a Second Language your mechanics are solid. There is always room for improvement, though, but I get the feeling the more you write, the better they will become. There are noticeable spelling/word usage errors, but nothing that detracts from reading the story and your message is always clear regardless.

Pay close attention to pacing of a story while writing; the start of the story moves along at an easy to read to rate that has a great balance between description and advancement of the story. The later parts are very much about moving the story and the pace picks up a bit; it feels somewhat rushed near the end. The buildup to when Alex and Amy start dating is well paced, but after that it all comes to a climax within a few paragraphs.

This is excellent work! Congratulations on a very good story.

[Mashoosh Kateb]

Thank you so much for the review. It is a joy when readers enjoy your work. I think the pace of this storyis something another reviewer commented on too. Your critiques are well received.

[Nevtry]

Wow. That's a very original story. I liked how Alex tried to reflect his life with Pebbles, the first one for which he's allowed himself to care.

There is some grammar missing, and an awkward sentence or two, but overall, good work. I liked the story, and although I do feel bad for Alex, I feel like the ending was almost fateful since fish don't live as long as humans do (to my knowledge) and considering how Alex kept his social habits, making himself connected only to Amy and his fish...

Great story. I enjoyed reading it.

- N

[Mashoosh Kateb]

Thanks I am glad you enjoyed it. Grammar and sentence structure has always been a challenge for me. I was inspired by Livingstoniis who pretend they are dead to capture their prey.

[Nevtry]

Your welcome. I could tell you where the grammar is lacking if you want. And that's cool. I didn't know fish did that.

[roarke]

Yikes, pretty dramatic ending. Not quite Romeo and Juliet.... Your writing in English vernacular has gotten much better. I liked the concept of the fish and Alex sharing qualities of life. Maybe Alex can talk to the fish, like talking to his self conscience, it would bring out the feelings in Alex's head and personality more. Maybe a stronger analogy between the glass of the aquarium and the glass windows of the pet shop can be drawn.
All your stories are very original and have strong characters. Always a refreshing read.