X

When I was in film school I made a little short film called X-Ray.  One of the stars of the film was a little Betta fish appropriately named X-Ray.  After we finished shooting I kept him as a pet.  When I got home today I noticed something strange on the floor.   I thought to myself "hmm thats odd, why is there a red leaf on the floor"?  Upon closer inspection I realized it was my little buddy X-Ray all dried up and motionless.  The first thing I thought of was that scene in Kill Bill when Bill goes:

"Is that not the perfect visual image of life and death? A fish flapping on the carpet, and a fish not flapping on the carpet. So powerful even a five-year old child with no concept of life and death knew what it meant."

Poor little X was in the "fish not flapping on the carpet" category so I grabbed a tissue and picked him up thinking I’d say a little word about how he’s been a good pet and then give him a toilet bowl burial ceremony.  Then he began to move… HE’S ALIVE!!!!  So I dropped him back into his extra large fish bowl and he immediately sank to the bottom.  I was sitting there with my nose pressed against the glass rootin for little X-Ray.  "Come on buddy you can make it!!!!"  My next thought was that he was going to drown because he breathes air!  Luckily after a couple finger taps on the glass he swam to the surface and took a breath of air.  HE MADE IT!

What a tough little bastard.  He launches himself out of his fishbowl (five feet off the ground) lands on the carpet and sits there drying up and about to die and yet he still manages to survive!  I don’t know if he’ll ever be the same but he’s alive.  If only I knew why he tried to commit suicide.  Maybe he needs some new food.