April 26: Flash Fiction Challenge – Koi Fish
April 26, 2018, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a fish tale. It can be about fishing from any angle, about those who fish, or what might be caught. Go where the prompt leads.
Respond by May 1, 2018. Use the comment section below to share, read and be social. You may leave a link, pingback or story in the comments.
Koi Fish in the Pond
“Mabel, I want to have a pond in our garden.”
“Humm, a great idea, but what for, dear?”
“For having ‘yu’ and lotus in the pond.”
“The lotus flowers are elegant and symbolize purity. Why having ‘yu’ in the pond?”
“Well, ‘yu’ means fish, but ‘yu’ of a different word means wishes come true.”
“Now you got my head spinning.”
“Have many colors of koi, especially gold color.”
“Like the ones in Chinese or Japanese Garden?”
“Yes, I’ll order the koi from Caspian or Black Sea. They are the fast-growing koi.”
“Our ten-thousand wishes will fast come true also.”
The Showers of Blessings 
Beautiful
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much!
LikeLike
Beautiful. Nice take.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much. Our recent visit to a Japanese garden prompts me to write about the koi fish.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful💕 Lovely images too!❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much. ❤ 🙂
LikeLike
When I was in Aruba last year there was a butterfly garden that had a koi pond – I have photos of the koi – somewhere…
My current flash for CR Lines is here: Unparalleled
I keep fiction and daily verses on different blogs.
Thanks for stopping by the daily verse 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
We went to Aruba a few years ago. My husband went diving. Too windy and humid. We’re leaving to Portland today for Mother’s Day with my daughter. Then we’ll go to Alaska for vacation. I’ll chat with you in June. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Have a wonderful vacation. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Jules. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well done, Miriam. 🙂 xo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, Bette, 🙂 xox
LikeLiked by 1 person
Loved that tale, Miriam.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much, Pranitha!
LikeLike
Your words and photos are beautiful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much!! ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such a beautiful and peaceful response, Miriam.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Charli. We just went to The Huntington last week and took the photos in the Chinese Garden.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That must have been beautiful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, my daughter wants to go when they come to visit later this year!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Fish Tales « Carrot Ranch Literary Community
Thank you.
LikeLike
Lovely fish and lovely thoughts for this week’s flash fiction. -Molly
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much, Molly!! ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful story Miriam. I love the photographs. I always feel very peaceful in both Chinese and Japanese gardens and always have a pond or two in the garden. I also have fish in the house. I find them so relaxing. Better than watching television. I hope all your wishes come true also.
LikeLiked by 2 people
We have a 40 gallon fish tank, but it takes changing the water manually, so we stopped keeping the fish. A friend has a huge tank with salt fish. I have to ask how they maintain it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We have a huge tank, a couple of hundred litres and we don’t find it too difficult to manage. We empty up to a third of the water manually using a syphon that we run along the bottom to pick up any debris and that is about it probably once every two months. We have a really good filter system and I think filtration is the key and not over feeding.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s lovely. If I want to have fish again, I would like to have the colorful salt water fish with coral. Watching the fish in a tank is so relaxing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We don’t have salt water fish. I’ve always had tropical and are hooked on cichlids. Unfortunately you can only have one or two per large tank and I am past the stage where I can manage multiple tanks. At one point I had six large fish tanks and the house before here I’d managed to downsize to three. Now we only have one and if we move again I have vowed I am not moving the fish.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can’t imagine having six large fish tanks. You must be a fish lover. Why only two per tank? Do they fight or do they grow fast. I know that the size of the tank determines how big the fish grow.
If you move, you’re not going to move the fish. It sounds like you can do without the fish. Was it your husband’s choice to have many fish tanks?
I googled the cichlids. There are many colors, they are pretty.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The six tanks were with my first husband and it was a joint decision. With Roger the most we have had is three but downsizing as with everything else. Cichlids tend to be very aggressive fish and will virtually kill everything else that is in the tank with them unless the tank is huge and then you may be able to have two. They were the reason our tanks increased in number. We bought a gorgeous lot of mixed fish that were fine when little but as they grew had to be separated before they killed each other thus the large numbers of tanks. They have real personalities and I love watching big fish swim. The two I have now are large – a relative of the piruahana but are vegetarian and will tolerate a few catfish in the tank with them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, now I see why you had so many tanks to accommodate the big fish. We had a large tank 30 years ago. It was decided by my ex husband. He made a mistake by putting the tank on the top of a teak sideboard. The sideboard is so heavy that it takes 4 strong guys to move it. Anyway. the moist from the bottom of the tank ruined the top of the sideboard. He left that along with other heavy furniture to me. I cover the sideboard with white lace and some of my collection on top.
My husband is not too fond of fish and tank. So that’s fine with me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pity about the sideboard. Moving them is an absolute pain. I think you get over it – I know I just want life to be simple now with few responsibilities – even going away becomes an issue with the fish.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thought there’s a way to feed the fish when you’re away. I don’t remember how to do it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We have automatic fish feeders but I don’t trust them and some of the fish need different size food so we end up with three on the tank when we go. If it is humid and the food gets damp it all clumps together and then doesn’t come out properly. I will probably enjoy not having fish so that we can relax.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I remember the food clumps together. Time will come when you decide not to have fish, At the mean time, enjoy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Definitely. Thanks Miriam.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome. I’m in Portland, Oregon (from California) to spend Mother’s Day with my daughter.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Happy Mother’s day. Enjoy it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know Mother’s Day is in the 1st week in UK. When is it in Australia? Happy Mother’s Day to you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Miriam and the same to you. It is Mother’s Day here today. About to go and see my Mum.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hope you have a great time. We’ll have a baby dedication for Autumn5zt church. Then Mercy and Will are having a small party at home.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hope it went well. A lovely event to have on mothers day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was a lovely service. The party afterwards was nice also.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad it went well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
How was you day with your mum?
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was lovely thanks Miriam.
LikeLike
That’s wonderful. Do you live close to your mum? There’s a writing conference coming up in our area in June. I signed up to attend as well as volunteer for registration and so forth. One of the workshops is Writing Memoir. I’ll sign up for that workshop for sure. I found several children’s stories I wrote 10 years ago when I took a Children’s Writing Course. I had a personal mentor, so the stories are checked, commended, and edited, ready for publication. I’ll work on them in the summer to make each suitable for books. Wish me luck on that!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
We live just across the road from her at the moment. It is good because I can literally run across the road whenever I want to see her or she needs me and she can drop in on her way home from the shops.
The writing festival sounds good and I’ll look forward to hearing more about the memoir one that you are signing up for. The Children’s one sounds as though it was really worth while – let me know when they are published and I wish you luck as you make the necessary preparations.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s wonderful that you live across the road from your mum. I wish I live close to my daughter and just say, want to come over for dinner? Or, let’s play a game tonight.
I’ll let you know how it goes with the writing conference.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks.I’ll look forward to that.
It is good being so close. When we all moved seven years ago it was the first time my Mum and I had lived in the same place since I was an adult. It took all of us a bit of adjusting but it is good.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m running a small business where I live, otherwise, I would move to Portland, Oregon to be close to my daughter any days.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Perhaps eventually. Something to look forward to.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, eventually I will close down my business. I then will have no excuse not to move.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We’re home for a couple days, then leaving for Alaska for 10 days.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll look forward to hearing about Alaska. I’d love to go there. Have a good trip.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Irene. My husband checked the weather. Denali is below freezing level. I always have a hard time packing the right clothes for travel.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I find it really difficult going from a hot climate to a cold. You can never imagine just how cold it can be. Good luck with your packing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was going to bring one heavy jacket, now I brought one jacket, two vests, all medium for layers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Layering is definitely the way to go. Inside will be hot and outside cold.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We’re getting close to the destination. We have 360 degree snow mountains.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Keep warm in those layers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
http://www.manoguru.com
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hope all your wishes come true! 🙂
LikeLiked by 3 people
Ha, thank you so much. I surely hope so. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
The little bridge over the pond with lotus flowers and koi is beautiful, Miriam. How pleasant it would be to stand on it and contemplate for hours on end. Your story is most enjoyable. It fits the scene and serenity perfectly.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Norah. Our trip to The Huntington and visited the Chinese Garden gave me the idea to write the story.
LikeLiked by 2 people
It was a great idea for a lovely story!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Norah!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did not know koi came in colors other than gold and white. I also did not know the association with wishes, but maybe that’s behind the old fables and fairy tales of magic fish and wish granting. Thanks.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Hi, D. thank you for your comment. Chinese language is a tonal language. The tone of fish yu 魚has many other characters (words). Like Homonyms in English (here, hear). At least two other words in Chinese with the same sound, this one yu 如 means according to your wishes – that’s the one I used to translate into wishes come true. Another one used often yu 餘, means abundant. Those two words appear in the Chinese Lucky Money envelops for Chinese New Year – wishing each other Happy New Year and wishes come true, or have an abundant year. Many traditional Chinese use read envelopes to make origami type of fish for hanging during Chinese New Year, like images in this Google search:
https://www.google.com/search?q=images+of+a+fish+red+envelope&rlz=610
LikeLiked by 4 people
Wow, thanks for all that. May you have yu, wishes come true.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much, D.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Navajo is also a tonal language and I struggled to study it but learned to master a high pitched tii which means horse. Thank you for explaining the language so eloquently!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Charli. I taught Chinese as a Second Language in Hong Kong when I was 26. There were many stories from the students – missionaries, professors and the like. They felt funny as well as embarrassed. Of course, nobody loved at them! I should add this element into my memoir. Writing the flash fiction reminds me of many fun things I should include in my memoir. ❤
LikeLike
Great story! Beautiful fish.☺️
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Cheryl. 🙂
LikeLike
I love this with such beautiful images. Lotus flower and Koi.
Serenity and rainbow.
Miriam
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh, I love to describe Koi as rainbow. Thank you, Miriam.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A lovely idea for the prompt, Miriam.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you, Robbie! That’s part of the traditional Chinese superstition.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Really really nice. Do you have an aquarium? I think I might have a go too😁.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I have a 60 gallon fish tank, but we’re not using it for now. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Wow… that’s s big one. Knew you had too with this piece.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes, thank you.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Nicely penned!👍😃🐟🐟
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Garfield. 🙂 🙂 ❤
LikeLiked by 2 people