When my two older boys were six and eleven, I put away my aquarium swearing never again to make it functional for fish.

But then along came my youngest, Mikey, who loved all things of the water. Even as a very young baby, he favored stuffed whales and fish over the more popular teddy bears and jungle animals.

When he was four, I got suckered by an advertisement for a free fish. All you had to do was buy a fish bowl for $3.95 and you could got a free goldfish. Well, one fish led to another -- each one larger, fancier, more expensive. And, of course, they had to have a better environment in which to live. So, our free gold fish cost us hundreds of dollars with a larger more expensive aquarium.

That is how we acquired Blackie, a black moor goldfish, who at the time lived with two large fantails. If anyone thinks fish are creatures that are not intelligent or responsive, they would not believe Blackie.

From the beginning, Blackie was my fish, which made Mikey a little jealous. If I put my hand on the outside glass of the aquarium, he would come right to my hand. If I put my hand in the water, he would come to me and swim against my hand. If I talked to him, he would face me and almost look like he knew what I was saying (I have to admit, I started talking to our fish quite a bit). At night, when the TV was on, he would swim always facing it. It seemed that he liked to watch it. His best trick was to kiss. If I pressed my lips against the aquarium glass, he would quickly come swimming towards it and give me a "kiss". It was unbelievable to watch.

We had Blackie for two years. When he did die, we had a formal burial ceremony and placed him in an honored spot in our pet cemetery. I have had many fish before and after Blackie but he is the one that taught me that all animals, even fish, are unique creatures of God that have personalities and are to be treasured.

Copyright © Ann Kalko
June 13, 2001