The Secret Goldfish

Chapter 1

It was a cool October day, and there was a young boy, no older than ten, outside in the front lawn of a house raking leaves. An activity that is very common in autumn, especially in the suburbs. The boy’s name is Daniel, he is saving money to buy a goldfish, hence the leaf raking. Daniel, or Danny, really wants to buy this goldfish, but his parents are forcing him to prove that he is responsible enough to have a fish by making him save up the money himself. They have their doubts about his responsibility because his toys are always broken, and his games are always missing pieces. What they do not know is that Daniel is not the one doing this, his older brother Adam is accidentally breaking his toys, and then soon after, he blames Daniel, because he does not want to get in trouble.

Chapter 2

Daniel has now saved up just enough money to get a goldfish. His father drives him to the pet store. The car ride was the happiest journey that Daniel ever embarked on. As the lines moved on the roads, and as the trees flew by his window, all he could think about was his goldfish. He went over each potential name in his head, he was filled with discontent, and he wasn’t sure what he was going to call his new fish. He soon arrived at the pet store. He jumped out of the car, slammed the door closed with out locking it, and ran like he was escaping someone’s evil clutches. He ran through the parking lot, angering his father, and he continued to run all the way to the front door. He flew past an elderly couple with a dog, and rudely didn’t hold the door open for them. If it was a normal day, he would have, but right now, politeness was the last thing on his mind. His young, big eyes searched the store. His heart jumped when he found the fish department. His father finally caught up to Daniel, and escorted his extremely eager son over to the glass covered wall filled with millions of prospective friends for the ten year old boy. Daniel studied each and every fish, he was admiring each one. His eyes lit up when he saw it, he not only saw the fish he wanted, but he also saw his new best friend, and he saw their future together. At that very moment, he knew what he was going to call him. He was to call his new best friend Clandestine. He also realized that he wanted to keep his best friend to himself; he was not going to let any one see or admire Clandestine, especially not his older brother Adam.

Chapter 3

Over the weeks, his secret goldfish was talked about all through the house. Daniel kept little Clandestine up in his room on his night stand, and every night he would cover up the fish’s bowl with a small green cloth. No one had seen Clandestine, with the exception of Daniel’s father, who was there when he picked the fish out. Adam was getting antsy, he was really annoyed. All Daniel talked about was how great Clandestine was, and how beautiful Clandestine was. Adam really wanted to see the fish for himself; he wanted to admire the fish too. All he wanted was one measly, little glance! Adam concocted a seemingly brilliant plan, he would sneak into Daniels room when he was sleeping, and look at Clandestine. Two days later, at approximately ten-thirty PM, Adam got out of bed and slowly crept out of his room. He saw Daniel’s room across the hall. He slowly reached the pine door that belonged to Clandestine and Daniel’s room. He gently pushed open the door, hoping to avoid loud creaking, but to his dismay, the door let out a slight creaky noise. He peered around the room to see if Daniel heard the noise. It appeared as if Daniel didn’t hear it. Daniel did though, and he woke up.

Chapter 4

Daniel just lay there, facing his beautiful fish, and waited silently. He heard Adam tip toe over to the nightstand. He saw Adam’s hand reach over to uncover the fortress that held Clandestine. Daniel could not watch any longer, he let out a scream. Adam, startled by the yelp, fell down. As he was getting up, he told Daniel to be quiet. Daniel went to let out another yell, but was muted by Adam’s clammy hand, the same one that almost unveiled Daniel’s beloved. Once Adam saw that Daniel was calmed down, he released his hand from his mouth. Right After doing so, he asked his younger brother why he was not allowed to look at Clandestine. Daniel was still raving with anger; therefore, stayed quiet. Adam asked again, to no avail. Daniel took a few more minutes before he explained himself. He told Adam that Clandestine was his fish, not Adam’s. He also explained that he loved it so much, and no one else was allowed to look at it, or love it. Not even Adam. Adam didn’t quite understand this logic. He told Daniel that if you love something, or someone, you should let everyone see it. You should show the world how proud you are, and what you’re proud of. He went on to say that if Clandestine is so remarkably beautiful, everyone should see it. Daniel understood, but still had his doubts. He explained to Adam that he was afraid that his fish would end up loving someone else more, and then Clandestine would want to be someone else’s fish, and would leave him. Adam almost wanted to laugh at that remark; he didn’t think that fish really experienced emotions. He humored Daniel though, and said that there is no way that a fish could run away. Daniel was offended, how stupid did Adam think he was? Daniel told Adam that he was more worried that Clandestine was going to secretly long to be someone else’s fish, and that he was worried that Clandestine was going to never be happy again. Adam sighed, and said to Daniel that he is going to have to take that chance. He also said that the odds of Daniel’s fish loving anyone more than he loves Daniel were slim. Daniel let a tear stream down his cheek, he was anxious. He got off of his bed, and got over his fear. He uncovered his fish, and made himself vulnerable to rejection. Adam smiled at his brother, and then took in all of the majestic beauty that Clandestine had to offer. Daniel sat back down on his bed with his brother, they both sat there in utter silence, admiring Clandestine.