PJ Swift

 Fishbowls

What was life like in all those little fishbowls, and all those aquariums of well-cared for fish? Those domesticated aquatic creatures that happened to live during the reign of terror under that unspeakable regime?  Was their contained existence as placid and as carefree -- and perhaps as boring, but also to a great extent luxuriant -- as always?  Was it all that and more? Was it a parallel life of oblivion, in which all the external torment passed them by?  Or did those negative rays bounce off the walls, and through their glass barriers, trapping them inside, in inescapable torment?  And if so, how were these fish different from those privileged folks in their high-rise shells, with exclusive entries, and a vast array of liquors, and free conversation, and exotic young women, and actually, anything else desired?  How did life in that fishbowl work out with all the torment down below?  Were they protected, or existing in concentrated anguish?

Sharks hunting

Having been around on the planet over 1,000 times longer than humans, sharks have had the time to evolve in stealthy and sophisticated ways.  To humans, sharks appear to be primitive, prehistoric creatures who roam the seas. In fact, just as land-based humans hunt the seas for food,  so too do sharks hunt on land.  Humans have no awareness of this, because of the shark's secret skills.  Whenever a human has disappeared without a trace, that person has often been captured by hunting sharks and taken to the sea as a meal. Of course, sharks sometimes furiously attack errant human swimmers, but this is primarily a diversion intended to keep humans in the dark. Sharks have had 400 million years to evolve an intelligence that humans cannot comprehend. And it is not likely that humans will ever catch up, and achieve such an extended milestone themselves.

Happy fish

They took fish out of his waters, and put him by the corals in a sea far away. It was only for a visit but he was a happy fish. So many colors of the corals, so many new shapes and hues of the foreign fish around him. He was not aware of the sharks on the other side of the reef. He did not realize how easily they could hurt him. Because he was a happy fish. And indeed, the same dangers lurked in his home waters, and he did not notice those either. Because he was a happy fish, everywhere he went.