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| It was a beautiful spring morning off the
Barrier Reef and I was just swimming around as you do, being a fish,
blowing water bubbles and thinking about life in general. Little did I
know that the events of that morning would change my life forever. A
chance experience, a quick nip and your life is in tatters. But I=m
getting ahead of myself. To understand the effect of the events on that fateful morning , I need to disclose some personal secrets, that not many people know. So here goes. I=m a sort of long red fish, (see photo) and I spend a lot of time just swimming about thinking, in fact I spend all my time swimming about thinking. I cogitate about deep ecological things, like what is happening to the Reef and life in general I don=t have many friends, probably because I am too busy pondering to see them so they just give up on me and go elsewhere. So you can see a fishanality, deep thinking, loner type, fish that need=s his space (or water so to speak) busy thinking about Ecology. Then on this fateful morning it happened, the encounter that changed my life: out of the shadows of a high reef this long thin shape with large webbed feet appeared. It saw me and turned in my direction. I was frozen with fear, and unable to move, suspended in space floating almost motionless at the monster=s mercy. I thought my time had come and I was going to be devoured by this long thin monster from the Reef when it hesitated and swung round slowly, facing me, when a ray of sunlight penetrated the deep blue sea and reflected off the monster and into my eyes. The effect was immediate and electric, I awoke from my paralysis and sprang into action. With a quick flip of my tail I accelerated towards and engaged the monster in the battle for my survival. It was taken by surprise and before it could recover I had nipped its extremities. It let out a scream and fled, leaving me a startled victor alone by the Reef. You would think that would be the end, but far from it. It is now 3 months later and the events of that morning still haunt me. My life is shattered, I swim cowering in constant fear of dark shapes appearing from the Reef. Any slight movement triggers the paralytic fear, first experienced on that fateful morning. So it was a month ago that I encountered the Wheatsheet reporter dressed in a fish suit and was able to recount this remarkable story. He had come many thousands of miles to seek me out and try and comfort me, having heard the story of my encounter with the Monster from the Reef. He told me of the Fund that had been set up to help the fish of the Reef and suggested I consult a fishician. I have done so, and have been diagnosed as suffering from Post Barbaric Reef Syndrome, which is severe but can be treated by extensive counselling which fortunately the Reef Fish Fund has paid for. Part of the road to recovery is, I am sure, knowing that Monster from the Reef is unlikely to re-appear for very many years to come. |
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