Young Writers Society

Pets are those types of animals that everyone would enjoy. They’re just a comfort thing for when you’re alone to when you want the whole world to shut down. Every day, I see animals running around the place as if it’s a zoo. They’re everywhere I go, on the streets, in the sky, they’re everywhere! I wish that I had just one pet that would stay in its place. Even though I’m talking about pets to you, I don’t own one. I decided last week that I would go down the corner store and by something. I just don’t know what though, that’s the problem.

My mum always says that I need to get my head in because I don’t have any friends to call my own. It’s not my fault though, they always laugh at my face, giggling away about so many things. One of the problems is my hair, they say it’s like wild vines that are all crunch together in one massive ball. I just stare at them flatly, sighing at their stupidness. First, I’m a guy, but they keep calling me a girl and second, it’s not my fault. I have asked my mum dozens of times to get my hair cut, but she says that I look better with long hair rather than short, also she says to brush it.

Why is the world so mean to me?

So, right now I’m in the car, getting driven to the pet store. My house is quite a long way from the city where the store lies, so the ride makes my eyes heavy. The trees become one blur, making the fields go out of site. The sun isn’t out today, instead thick white layers of snow blanket the walkways, making people dig through the wall; the snow is very thick on this fine winter’s day it may seem. Buildings come into view, and before I knew it, the country side has vanished with the wind, as we enter this world of the city. It’s so big, massive buildings just cover each walkway, making the road routes very confusing.

My mum had, somehow, managed to find the pet store. It’s such a cute store in my opinion, the chime makes lovely music each time someone opens it. I close the door of my side of the car, running up to the window. I’m a teenager and I act like a five year old when it comes to puppies. They’re adorable though, running after each other, their hair bouncing with the movement. As I place a hand on the window, they stop, looking at me with their hug brown eyes. Before I got up, they all rushed to the window and started to lick it, their slobber mucking up the glass, making it hard to see their faces. I sigh, strolling inside.

Why would you need to see the animals in the pet store when you can hear them? It’s so noisy in here, all the high pitched squeaking from the guinea pigs and the playful barks from the puppies. I don’t want to have a pet that will give me a migraine every second of the day though; I want a pet that is peaceful yet interesting, something that shines in the light whenever under one.

I glance over to my left, spotting something odd. It’s a tank full of goldfish, but there’s something else about it. I walk up to the tank, minding all the pet gear that is in my way. I made my way to the round tank; or rather goldfish bowl, and bend down. This thing is set on the lowest shelf of all the fish here, which doesn’t make any sense. I mean, it has fish in it, so why does it need to be set on the lowest shelf for?

I take it out, dusting the glass. It’s just your regular goldfish tank, with multiple colours for the rocks on the bottom of the tank. Goldfish were swimming around in a circle, with this blank expression that the fish wears on his face. I sigh, standing up. However, as I am about to walk away, I notice something unbelievable.

It’s hair, brown hair flowing with the water. My eyes widen as I made my way back to the fish bowl, picking it up. The movement made the girl sway all around, making her to lose her balance, falling off the goldfish she was riding. That’s when I realised something; a girl is in the goldfish tank, swimming around with them. I didn’t know what to do; I was panicking a little to be honest. She is cute though, her brown orbs are huge and full of curiosity. Her dress was a weird one, white and lacy, which goes up to her knees. To me, she is cute as a button.

I walk up to the counter, placing the tank on the counter. One of the staff giggles as I mention the girl, when she ended up saying that there’s no girl in there. I look in the bowl again, noticing that she wasn’t there. I groan, paying for the fish and walk out of the store with my mum.

As we drive home, I notice that she came back, this time smiling. She waves, and a waves back, uncertain. This is weird, but she’s mouthing something. I can’t make out what it is, and she stomps her feet on the pebbles below her. My mum asked me what I am going to name the ‘goldfish’. I look back, only to see Goldfish Princess written on the glass frame.

I look out the window, “Goldfish Princess.”

My mum looks at me, raising a brow, “That’s…unique, Sam.” She continues to drive in silence, but I chuckle. That is her name, so that’s what I’m going to call her.

She is the Goldfish Princess.