A Fish Called Shelby

Last Sunday I used a prop on stage, an aquarium with 5 fish at the Saturday night service, and 4 fish on Sunday. I had a little impromptu funeral early Sunday before the 8:30 service =( I promised Shelby that she could have the fish after I had used them on Sunday morning which included: the goldfish, the aquarium, the fish food, the rocks for the aquarium, the tablets that remove chlorine, the drops to remove "cloudy water", the newly added filter, and a little treasure chest for the fish to play with (this turned out to be an expensive prop for me).

So I brought 4 fish home from the church last Sunday. Shelby named each fish, and she named one of the fish "Shelby". By the next morning we had lost another fish (Que the funeral music). Now we were down to 3; fortunately, "Shelby" was still living. And then it happened - today after our walk around Parker City (I'd post a link for Parker City, Indiana, but alas we have no website - surprise!) we came home and I found "Shelby", the fish, dead and sucked up against the filter... and then there were 2.

I stepped outside and broke the news to Shelby that another goldfish had died; Shelby asked in a questioning and faintly terrified voice, "Was it 'Shelby'?" "Yes, honey it was 'Shelby'", I said. For a moment Shelby seemed distraught and it appeared that she was going to cry -- but then her little brain kicked in and she said, "Can I name the other one "Shelby"? I said, "You sure can." and a smile returned to her little face. It looks like we will be doing pretty good with all the fish I'm knocking off just as long as we have back up "Shelby's" =)