“He looks like a goldfish.”

“I once knew a bloke named Stanley. He looked just like this.” Helena’s eyes shimmered as she watched her pet float around in the water, flapping his fins, swishing his tail.

“You paid a dime for it.”

“Completely under priced, but wouldn’t my mum be proud? He’s an economy pet.”

“Ten cents. You paid three bucks for the bowl, another two for the rocks, and fifty cents for the fake plant.”

“Don’t forget the food. Two dollars for the food.”

“This isn’t what I had in mind.”

“I think he’s perfect.”

Alice sighed, walking over to the bowl, crouching down on the other side, looking at Stanley. He was frantic now, unable to hide from either face. His mouth opened and closed rapidly, and his gills flapped, as if he were having a panic attack. “Well, I guess he is kinda cute.”

“Adorable.”

“And you still have to take care of it.”

“Absolutely.”

“You gotta feed it…”

“Once a day. At least, that’s what the instructions on the food container say.”

“And make sure to clean it.”

“He lives in water, I’m sure he’ll stay clean.”

“I meant the bowl.”

“Oh. I can do that.” Helena’s voice faltered as she wondered how she was going to clean the bowl with a fish in it. She liked Stanley, she just didn’t want to come into direct contact with him.

Alice suddenly looked around the bowl to Helena. “How do you even know it’s a boy?”

Helena looked at Alice and then back at the fish. “Well, with a name like Stanley, he can’t very well be a girl.”

————-

Four days later…

Alice and Helena stood in the bathroom, looking down at the toilet, their faces somber. Helena was dressed head to toe in black, and wiped her eye with a piece of toilet paper. Alice cast her a sideways glance before looking back down into the bowl, sighing. When she got the call from Helena twenty minutes before, she came to the apartment to offer whatever support she could. Helena sounded devastated.

“Well, he had a good run, I guess.”

Helena sniffled. “He was a really good pet. The best pet I’ve ever had.”

Alice nodded, unsure of what to say. “All right.”

“I guess I should’ve cleaned the bowl sooner.”

“When did you clean it?”

“When I couldn’t see Stanley anymore.”

“Eww.”

Helena nodded, sniffling again. “That’s when I found…I feel absolutely horrid.”

Alice’s face scrunched in disgust as she stared into the bowl. “This is starting to make me sick.” She reached for the handle. “Say goodnight Stanley.”

FLUSH…

“I’ll miss you.” Helena said gently, waving as Stanley disappeared. She sniffled once more before regaining her composure. “What am I going to do now Alice? I’ve killed my first pet in less than a week. How is that going to look? My mother will never release her hold on my money now…”

Alice sighed, shaking her head. “We should’ve started off with a plant.”

The End.

This story is dedicated to Stanley. Swim in peace little buddy.