A Fishy Tale
It’s Murder in the Aquarium—fish are mysteriously vanishing. The Prime Suspects, a shoal of vicious tiger barbs, await exile in a bucket in the bathroom. Two die of cold—well, they had it coming. But back in the tank, another guppy is missing. Is a serial killer still lurking among the fissures of improbable coral?
Who dunnit? It can’t be the barbs in the bath with their watertight alibi. Suspicion falls next on Fred the Plec—he sounds like a mobster, but he’s toothless. Jason the Eel? He’s a slippery customer. Perhaps it’s Percy the Puffer Fish who dispatches frozen cockles with ruthless efficiency and a manic grin?
Could the killer be Jose the Mexican axolotl? Surely not as his dorsal fin looks nicked. But on closer scrutiny, a tiny flapping tail protrudes from the inscrutable mouth of this ambiguous amphibian. He shoots us an innocent glance, who me guv? Then gulps down the guppy, swallows the evidence, avoiding the scales of justice.
No way, Jose.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleA wonderful fun story, Clare! I can see them all so clearly, especially the look on Jose’s face. I’ve just woken on the first day of yet another covid-lockdown here in Australia so it was great to start the day with a smile and a laugh 🙂 Well done!
Thank you and I’m glad it brought a smile to your face Sandra! This was a True Crime scene when my son didn’t do enough research on which fish could live happily in a tank together!
Sad for the fish and I’m sure your son was very disappointed but isn’t it wonderful how those incidents can inspire stories?
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThis is a very well worded and clever little story Clare. You made me smile too at the end of a very long day. Very nicely done!
Thanks Carrie! I remember staring at all the fish wondering who was eating who!
With the utmost respect for the poor fish who lost their lives in the making of this story, it put a huge smile on my face Clare. Love the line ‘He shoots us an innocent glance, who me guv?’ Just the tonic we need right now. ?
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleI was saddened to think it was Jose the Axolotl who was responsible – he was my favourite!
I loved this clever and entertaining story, Clare. The picture first drew me in – it is so whimsical and splashed with color! I like the way you use words, with so many subtle witticisms – the “fissures” of improbably coral, “barbs in the bath”, “watertight alibi”, “scales of justice”. You really have a feel for the written word, and a wonderful sense of humor. Welcome to Voice Club! I can’t wait… Read more »
Thanks for those encouraging comments Fuji! This started out as a poem, which I think really helps focus word choice and then expanded it out into a piece of flash. I enjoy exploring the boundaries of flash and prose poems.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThe plot of my own mystery submission, “Cookie Monster,” is actually quite similar to yours! It is so wonderful to read another who-ate-it? story that ends with a character getting away with their evil crime!
Well done, really cute story. Jose needs to get a good lawyer. He could probably get off by accusing the fish of speciesism, picking on him just because he was an amphibian.
Yep, he certainly needs a good brief! With his Mexican connection I thought of the lawyer in ‘Breaking Bad’!
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleWelcome to Voice.club, Clare and congratulations to a great story! I laughed out loud when I read about the crime and its circumstances. The suspected individuals were hilariously described with their names and looks, and the outcome with all its little details so well presented. Reading your comments, I was reminded of an aquarium we had when I was a child. There too, little guppy children were eaten. However, it was evident… Read more »
Thanks Christer. I’m so sorry to hear about your guppies, their cannibalistic father and negligent mother! I had no idea, until my son got an aquarium, what complex societies they are…
Welcome to Voice club, Clare. What a very entertaining story. You got me chuckles. Congratulations on a very well-done story.
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