No Name
October 18th, 2005 at 11:35 pm (Unschooling Life, Musings)
For months, I’ve watched one of our five bettas, No Name, the most energetic and, perhaps, the most beautiful of them, cope with a growing tumor on his face. It slowly blinded him and pushed his mouth over to the side, hindering his ability to eat. Over the past week, it grew so massive that he was unable to eat at all, despite my putting him in a small jar a few times a day and sprinkling dozens and dozens of tiny food pellets (rather than just sprinkling a few in his huge bowl). He tried to eat, lunging at the food, but still couldn’t get anything. So, I began crumbling lots of freeze dried blood worms into his bowl. They floated nicely on the top, and he was able to get a tiny bit each time he tried. We kept him beside our bed for the past three nights, watching over him, crying, talking to him, and discussing death.
Kenzie believes that the spirits of those who die pass through the spirits of those who love them and leave a bit of themselves behind on their way to the (Greek) underworld. He wondered if No Name would pass through him and, if so, what part of himself he would leave in Kenzie. Would Kenzie be able to swim quickly and smoothly underwater, or perhaps be better able to hold his breath?
No Name died during the night as we slept beside him. When Kenzie awoke in the morning, I told him that No Name was dead, and he said, “So that’s why I had that dream!” Apparently, just before he woke, he’d dreamed that I’d told him about No Name’s death. He took that as a sign that his spirit already knew about the fish’s passing because No Name had left Kenzie a part of himself.
Does he feel more fishy? Well, he wasn’t too keen on taking a bath today, so he’ll have one tomorrow. I guess we’ll find out then.
(I was never able to get a decent photo of him, and as much as I search for a similar-looking betta in Google images, I’m unable to find one. I’ve never seen another betta like him - a dark teal, beautiful and vibrant. And, he loved to flare more than the others, showing off his gorgeous coloring over and over throughout the day.)