Talk about funeral arrangements.
"Where's Fluffy?"
Jack bent at the knees and stared into the empty fishbowl, tapping his finger against the glass as if it would make the fish reappear from beneath the colored pebbles covering the bottom. On the other side of the glass he could see his nephew Aaron staring right back, wide blue eyes following the motion of the finger.
"Fluffy's gone," came the small voice belonging to the blurred features. At that Jack immediately straightened, palms flat against his thighs, forcing himself not to put at least one on his hips.
"I don't understand, Aaron. What do you mean Fluffy's gone?"
The boy squirmed, small but plump hands moving behind his back to play with his fingers. "Fluffy floated to the top. I wanted to help you so I flushed him."
It would almost be funny if he weren't so young. "Who taught you that?" Jack asked.
"You did, Uncle Yack."
Jack's brows furrowed as he strained to recall any time he told his nephew of the all too common, but probably not appropriate, practice of flushing a dead fish down the toilet. "When did I do that?"
"After Nemo floated to the top too. You told me that the movie was true. All drains lead to the ocean. Then you flushed him."
It took everything in him not to gape openly. It was amazing what kids did and didn't remember.
"Well, I think Fluffy needs a funeral." Jack took Aaron by the hand to walk from his house's living room to his bedroom where they would then search through the closet for a shoebox. Once again an empty coffin would have a proper burial. He was almost getting good at this.
Jack bent at the knees and stared into the empty fishbowl, tapping his finger against the glass as if it would make the fish reappear from beneath the colored pebbles covering the bottom. On the other side of the glass he could see his nephew Aaron staring right back, wide blue eyes following the motion of the finger.
"Fluffy's gone," came the small voice belonging to the blurred features. At that Jack immediately straightened, palms flat against his thighs, forcing himself not to put at least one on his hips.
"I don't understand, Aaron. What do you mean Fluffy's gone?"
The boy squirmed, small but plump hands moving behind his back to play with his fingers. "Fluffy floated to the top. I wanted to help you so I flushed him."
It would almost be funny if he weren't so young. "Who taught you that?" Jack asked.
"You did, Uncle Yack."
Jack's brows furrowed as he strained to recall any time he told his nephew of the all too common, but probably not appropriate, practice of flushing a dead fish down the toilet. "When did I do that?"
"After Nemo floated to the top too. You told me that the movie was true. All drains lead to the ocean. Then you flushed him."
It took everything in him not to gape openly. It was amazing what kids did and didn't remember.
"Well, I think Fluffy needs a funeral." Jack took Aaron by the hand to walk from his house's living room to his bedroom where they would then search through the closet for a shoebox. Once again an empty coffin would have a proper burial. He was almost getting good at this.