Lycros | ✔

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𝒫𝒶𝓇𝓉 𝒯𝓌𝑜 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

It was easier to figure out what he needed now that he could communicate. It seemed that even written word was easy to read for him, since Lauren held up an alphabet chart to the cage to see what he would do, and watched in amazement as Lycros darted wildly from one letter to the next spelling out:

HELLO LAUREN I AM LYCROS

Once she set up the bigger, newer tank, complete with fresh substrate and vivid greenery, she taped the alphabet chart to the side and made a smaller chart with "yes, no, maybe, unsure" written in four quadrants, allowing for Lycros to select his easier answers rather than taking the time to spell it out.

She purchased a mirror toy for fish to play with and glued a bell to it, made for Lycros to hit to get her attention when she had her back turned. So, when she was singing to herself while cooking dinner or reading or somehow otherwise not paying attention, and he was wanting to talk or chime in with his thoughts, he would ring the bell, and she would know to turn around to answer him.

She found that books and other intellectually stimulating things easily caught his attention. So, she got into the habit of sitting on the floor next to the tank and reading aloud from different books. Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein, Game of Thrones, Buzzfeed articles, People Magazine — everything was fair game. But the floor was brutal on her lower back and bottom. Even so, she spoke not a word of her discomfort, never wanting to discourage Lycros' intellectual pursuits.

Until one day when Lycros rang the bell and spelled out:

PERHAPS YOU SHOULD PURCHASE A CHAIR

She chuckled, rubbing her hip. "Noticed my lack of décor, have you? Yeah, it's like this for a reason."

She realized her mistake when Lycros stared, as though waiting for the rest. Lauren shuffled in her seat, uncomfortable. She did not mean to say that, but it just slipped out.

She sighed, and softly closed the book, placing the marker in between the pages first. "It's late. I better get to bed."

I AM SORRY

Her heart shuddered at the words, spelled out by a goldfish of all creatures.

"Don't be," she whispers, fingertips lightly pressed to the tank glass. "You have nothing to be sorry about." And they left it at that.

She thought over it frequently during the next few weeks and decided that he was right. On top of the pet store job, she also did odd jobs when the need for money arose. So, she asked her boss if anyone they knew needed some light yard cleanings or dog walking gigs, or — even her most despised job — painting.

Her efforts were rewarded with quite a few offers from people her boss was in contact with, and with her earnings, bought a mustard yellow wingback chair. She paired it with a dark blue throw blanket and a fuchsia pillow with tassels along the edges after she realized how out of place the bright, singular chair looked in the monochrome apartment. Lycros may have played a part in the color scheme, as he was there the whole time she was online trying to find what suited the dull little place. He helped her choose colors when she told him she was not the best at choosing what went well with what. She was not even sure if goldfish could see color, let alone understand complimentary colors, but she had long since stopped wondering what was in the realm of possibilities for a mere fish.

Before she knew it, the chair was not the only thing she and Lycros had bought for the home. Rugs, throw pillows, vases of flowers, a coffee table, a tea kettle, floor lamps, a nice wardrobe for her clothes — all of these were things that Lycros had a part in buying.