Poor Goldy – Poor Jeany (by sarah)
So at the Queens Jubilee Jeany rescued a goldfish from the fayre and proceeded to care for it in a manner that astonished me and Alaric.
She would panic if she was running late for school and had not yet fed it. She was keen to clean the tank out and had selected a friend in the form of Slimey the pond snail for it.
Having gotten out of the initial first few weeks I thought we were safe but alas last night Jean came done the stairs sobbing that something was wrong with her fish. He wasn't moving and he was floating at the top of the tank.
She took me back upstairs and yes poor Goldy was a goner. I took Jeany back down stairs and sat her on the settee, 'Do you understand why Goldy isn't moving Jeany?'
shakes head
'He's died sweety' - clingy hug and hysterical sobs up several levels from the previous crying.
We had conversations (very wet conversations involving hugs) about death and about how she made Goldy's life really good and it would have died sooner etc...
She remembered Betsy and Minni and Eve and Percy and Cosmo and the Ginue Pigs. And we sent Goldy on a journey to the sea where Goldy's body would become part of the Great Cycle of life and nourish other creatures and were it's soul would swim in kinder different waters.
Jean was very scared of why Goldy was floating so I explained about how the tummies of the dead get filled with gas as they can't poo anymore and so the stuff starts decomposing meaning they turn into a sort of balloon. Part of me wondered why I was resorting to science and thought that Jean probably just wanted more cuddles but it actually calmed her down.
It's been knitting a fish which Jean asked me to finish so she could hug it in bed - so I did.
We sang Goldy a goodbye song.
Jean slept after being assured that any little ghost fish would be one that loved her for taking such good care of it.
This morning her main concern was that Slimey would be sad and loney.
Tue 17th Jul 2012 8:03 am 
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By Jo, Wed 18th Jul 2012 @ 1:53 pm
Poor thing. Goldfish from fairs never last long. I think it has a lot to do with changes in care and environment.
By Seth, Thu 19th Jul 2012 @ 8:38 am
I had an identical learning experience when I were a young'un 🙁