The Aquarium Chronicles

This story begins before I came into the picture; the fish tank entered my life when two Missionaries where being transferred. The Missionaries had four fish who needed a good home. My family offered to take the fish--tank included-- and feed them, care for them and love them. To welcome the new additions to the family, following tradition, we gave them names. Hitler, as I called him, the largest of the four, was definitely the leader of the tank. A white fish with what must have been an amputated gill, was given the name Back in Nam, definitely a veteran. The other two seemed to be your typical little gold fish, and continuing with the "historical battle figures" theme, we named them Mormon Battalion #1 and #2.

As the days progressed, Hitler's power in the fish bowl grew; leading him to become a fierce and brutal fish. Chasing the other fish around the tank, Hitler displayed his dictatorship. His hostile behavior could have been the cause of Back in Nam's previously mentioned deformity. The dangerous power of Hilter was spreading, the other fish were fearful of what might happen next. So, Back in Nam and Morman Battalion #1 stood up to Hitler. Sadly, only to meet their early and unfortunate demise via the tyrant fish. Hilter killed them.

In the mean time, Battalion #2, being the only other remaining fish, trapped there with Hitler, he tried a different approach. Battalion isolated himself from the murderous fish; giving Hitler time to think. Hitler felt remourse so deep that shortly thereafter, he leapt from the tank--taking his own life- when the water level was abnormally high. Therefore, he ended his misery and escaped from the guilt which had haunted him.