Bob the Goldfish

The Goldfish of Blackwater Manor

There are a few myths we should clear up.

The three second memory. A charming idea, if one must live inside a glass bowl without space to turn around a short memory would be sanity saving. Perhaps the pervasiveness of this myth stems from our own wishes to leave our mistakes in the past with a quickness.

I can assure you Bob has no such constraints upon his memory.  Though he does have a very different life than the average goldfish. Somewhere in the synapses and brain matter s the memory of the shadow of mammoths darkening his particularly favorite spot in the pond.

He may be able to remember a sandal. A melody from an instrument found only in-bedded in ash. He is far more articulate in the change of algae and the oxygen of his tank.

Bob  is rather popular in our astronomy classes for correcting the professors much younger than he. He did so love to look at the sky as an egg. He will not now, of course. Even here the universe has dimmed with the invention of electric lights.

Our Bob has, for many years, an engineering miracle made and added by every class of Blackwater. He began on my desk. An unfortunate popping in from where he had been. Flopping on my papers and gasping. Quick thinking and repurposing he had his bowl on my desk until the students felt he was loosing his glimmer and gold.

Since then tubing and tanks were built behind walls with eddied in classrooms all the way to the lake.

This is out second myth the size of a gold fish will change on its constraints. While Bob visits often he is of the standard goldfish size.

He swims circles around the decorations I have provided and when I gift no more entertainments Bob pops off. The castle in the middle of his bowl leads to the labyrinths of tubing. He may spend some time in various classes or dorms. When bored enough he may take messages between students. It is known that Bob mail and is notoriously unreliable.

When adventurous, Bob will make an appearance at the pond. His safety is not guaranteed there but as I have often said, safety is guaranteed to no one  and nowhere here at Blackwater Manor. I have heard tale that the Kraken and Bob are the same. Myths do begin somewhere after all.