A Fish Called Death

As I have written before, I have a pond in my backyard. I have quite a few fish swimming in that pond. Right now those fish are getting ready for winter. I'm sad to see it happen, but it's time to lower the water level, clean the ponds of all the leaves that have fallen in, put the heater in the pond, and place netting over the pond to protect it for the winter. I don't want to do it, and actually I'm not, the guy who maintains my pond does, but it IS time. The nights are getting cold and the fish need to be kept warm. 

 After the tragedy of the winter of2024-25, we had 10 or so goldfish put in the pond. They were small fish. Over a year later, they have grown and even (sort of) developed personalities. Now there are at least 36 in the pond. (It's hard to keep track of them all. As a matter of fact I'm sure I'm NOT keeping track of them all.) 

 There are some that are very distinct. And those that are I have named. For example there is Different. We named him a little Different originally because he was part white and part gold. Now the Different has grown up, he is all white. Sometimes I call him Ghost. Because that's what he looks like. But most of all he is simply Different. 

 There is also White Lips. (Really white nose but fish don't have noses so I've gone with white lips. Do fish have lips?) There is White Face. You can probably guess why. There is Black and Orange. There is Black Stripe. And then there are a whole slew of other fish that I can't necessarily differentiate. (Does that make me a bad fish mom? I hope not. After all I do occasionally feed them, not that they need to be fed. But it's fun to throw the food in the pond during the spring and summer months and watch them come for it. In the beginning they were a little nervous. They still are a bit but for most part they come running when they realize what I've tossed in the water.) 

 But let me get back to the fish whose name is in the title of this post. Yes a fish named Death. Why would anyone call a fish Death? Let me tell you why. 

 After the tragedy of the koi, I have to come to be hypersensitive when it comes to the fish and the pond. I check on them a lot. (A LOT!)  I like to watch them swim around and make sure that they are okay. And then there is this one fish, a fish called Death. 

 Death has been named as such because he likes to lie on a rock and not move. This is generally pretty unusual. The first time I saw this fish lying on a rock not moving for several minutes I was sure that he was dead. Other fish swam by, he did not move. Finally (it seemed like a really LONG time) he moved and swam away. He did not do this just once. He does it regularly. Maybe even daily. He will go lie on this one flat rock, and it's always the same rock, and not move. I stand there and stare until finally he moves.  By the way, I am not the only one who was convinced that this fish was dead!

Death on his rock...just being Death

 But Death is not dead. Death is just playing dead. Laying there as no other fish would. Just doing his thing. When it happens it still makes me nervous even though I know he's only play acting. (I'm afraid someday this won't be an act.). He just lays there. And eventually he must get tired of just laying there. He finally moves and I heave a sigh of relief. And so after doing this two or three times, I realized that the little fish with a black spot on the top, was not dead. He was   however given the name, Death. 

 Now the time has come for Death and all of his friends, like Different, White Face and White Lips... to snuggle down for winter. There will still be days where it is warm enough for me to sit outside and check on them through the mesh netting. They will now be on their own. When the snow comes I probably will not be able to see them. But they will be there happy and hopefully healthy. Again there is a heater that makes sure that the entire pond never freezes over completely. 

 When spring comes, and for me it will never come soon enough, I will go out and look for Death and all of his friends. And hopefully Death and the rest of the gang will be very much alive and ready for another season of swimming in 2027!