Growing Old in the Pond

An old fish drifted in the icy water, propelling herself slowly with weary fins. Through the murk and the gloom, she strained her eyes. Searching for food was no menial task, an activity she found to be particularly arduous in the depths of winter.

Surveying the shifting shadows and seeing only floating bits of nothing, the old fish continued hunting, undaunted. Having lived a long life, she understood the value of patience.

The freeze happened gradually. Ice formed along the water’s edge and crept steadily toward the center of the pond, converging into a solid layer. The dark waters, moving freely beneath the sheet of ice, held a lentic community surviving and competing over a scarcity of sustenance.

The old fish spied movement ahead. A rippling disturbance in the water, and a flurry of bubbles tickling against her scales, indicated the possibility of food nearby. A tiny nymph glided within striking distance and the old fish did not hesitate. She surged forward, jaw opening wide and swiftly snapping closed with a satisfying crunch. The nourishment from this small morsel would provide the energy she needed to last another day. The pond rewarded her diligence, and the old fish was grateful.

She swished her tail and paddled her fins, moving quickly now with the excitement good fortune brings. The meager light that managed to filter into the water was further diminished by a blanket of snow, resting on top of the ice. After weeks spent in darkness, the old fish was intrigued to notice the shadows beginning to lift and break apart the nearer she swam toward the center of the pond. Soon, she came upon a beam of fresh sunlight jutting down through the water from a jagged hole carved into the ice.

The old fish halted at a comfortable distance to observe the strange scene. Squinting against the brightness, she could just make out the shape of a plump worm, coiled around itself, suspended beneath the opening in the ice. The worm neither squirmed nor sank. A sense of uncanny familiarity turned her stomach and kept her from moving any closer. Cloudy memories welled up in her mind from winters long past. Holes like this one, and fish disappearing.

The prospect of such an appetizing meal, so fortuitously displayed, would certainly be enticing to any fish that happened by. This course of thought only heightened her suspicion. Growing old in the pond didn’t happen by accident or chance. A fish had to be patient, resourceful, and above all, cautious. A highly unnatural event seemed to be taking place within the glowing ring of light. Every instinct in her body was screaming ‘DANGER!’ and she found herself keen to heed the warning.

She turned, eager to be on her way when a flashing glint near the floating worm caught her eye.

She looked on, with growing dismay, as a curious young fish swam into the light. The young fish approached the lifeless worm in a circular motion, moving closer with each rotation. Although they were strangers to each other, she believed that one should always be willing to lend a fin, wherever the need may arise.

Swallowing her fear, the old fish advanced into the blinding light with a gentle flick of her tailfin. Her eyes refocused and adjusted to the jarring brightness just as the young fish was closing in to devour the worm.

“Stop!” Her wail sounded muffled against the heavy stillness of the water. “Stay away from that worm!” The young fish went rigid with shock, mouth hanging open, eyes casting wildly around to find the source of the sudden outburst. There was something almost taunting about the lack of bother demonstrated by the worm, still floating motionless. The gaze of the bewildered young fish came to rest upon the elder fish and eased considerably. Shifting from a state of apprehension to one of mild irritation.

“Why should I stay away?” He responded with guarded skepticism. “So you can have the worm all to yourself? I will not be fooled so easily.” He turned and resumed the encroaching circle maneuver with greater enthusiasm. The old fish sighed a gill-full of frigid water and spoke with a warm and friendly manner. “Let me assure you, I mean you no harm, nor do I have any desire to take the worm for myself. My only intent is to dissuade you from taking it.”

“Why would you want to do that?” The young fish asked; a note of concern sneaking into his voice. The old fish ruminated for a moment. Growing old in the pond didn’t happen by accident or chance. “I have lived many years in these waters, but I would not be here today without the wisdom and guidance given to me from many a kind, fellow fish.” A strained silence enveloped the patch of glowing space near the aperture in the ice. An air of leery hesitance emitted from the young fish. “And?...” He pressed.

The truth was the old fish didn’t know what became of those who disappeared into the bizarre light, she only knew they were never seen again. She went on. “I have seen holes like this one in the ice before, and there is always a worm nearby. All the fish who followed those worms into the light vanished.”

Now the young fish appeared to be torn. He huffed a bouquet of frustrated bubbles. “But I’m hungry! And I am too tired to go on searching for food anywhere else.” Looking tentatively from the old fish back to the worm, he continued hopefully. “Could it be the fish who vanished were simply pleased with what they found on the other side of the light? It seems like a shame to squander such a generous gift from the pond…” He trailed off, inspecting the worm with a wistful longing.

Perhaps he was onto something. Who could say what lay beyond the light and the ice? It seemed there was only one way to know for sure, but it was not a risk the old fish had ever been willing to take. “Curious currents run through the waters of life. Each of us swims in a wake of our own design. I have told you what I know and now I must be on my way. Whatever your resolve may be, I hope the outcome is fulfilling. Good day, young fish.” They regarded each other across a plane of contrasting perspectives. The old fish shifted her fins, somersaulted, and began swimming away.

The sunlight steadily dissolved as she returned to the shadows. Her nerves melted away in the darkness and she congratulated herself for being a considerate fish. This one encounter could be enough to reduce the number of disappearances happening every winter, if the warning began to spread around the pond. Even if that was too much to hope for, preventing one more fish from going missing was enough to justify the effort. A sense of contentment warmed her from within. A considerate fish.

Violent thrashing echoed abruptly from the glowing waters she was leaving behind. Waves of dread washed over her scales and the old fish froze in her wake. Following a moment of inner turmoil, she willed herself to flip around and investigate the commotion. The circle of light was vacant except for a few stray bubbles. Both the worm and the young fish were gone. Just like the others. She looked on in horror as an identical worm descended through the hole in the ice, lowered into the water with a gentle plop. The worm hung motionless, waiting.

Every instinct in her body was screaming ‘SWIM AWAY!’ and she found herself desperate to oblige. She fled with the vigor of a fish half her age. Into the safety of the darkness, into the welcoming arms of the shadows. Over moss-covered rocks and between narrow crevasses, she did not spare another backward glance. The old fish cared only to escape, and her fear carried her into the deepest parts of the pond.

She coasted in aimless exhaustion, gasping at the freezing water. The unsettling events continued to replay in her mind. Vanished. Just like the others. Just like the others… In her haste and distraction, the old fish failed to notice a set of glowing eyes peeking out from beneath a nearby rock, watching her swim by. She was completely oblivious as a big fish slithered out from its hiding place and began following closely behind.

The big fish smiled wide, revealing many glittering teeth. He was just coming to terms with the unpleasant idea of going hungry again tonight, and yet, it seemed that patience would deliver him from such a fate. The pond rewarded his diligence, and the big fish was grateful.