Infinity on High

The Mystery of the Dead Axolotl

The Mystery of the Dead Axolotl

I came home from school two days before Halloween to find my step sister screaming bloody murder. "Sofia!" I shouted, but she just kept screaming.

"ROSHINA!" Sofia hollered. "COME HERE!"

I sprinted into her room, and Sofia was standing in front of the aquarium and crying. I peered over her head and saw exactly what the problem was. Our pet axolotl, affectionately known as Axie, was laying at the bottom of the tank, lifeless. Axie's gills had already begun to turn brown, and Sofia continued to cry as she looked at her precious pet.

Even I had to admit that Axie's death was a tragedy. Mom and my stepfather had bought her as a present for Sofia, Paola, and I shortly after they had gotten married, and now, five years later, she was a part of the family. Although Axie was possibly the laziest axolotl in existence, and she didn't do much during her short life other than eat far too many worms, her death was heartbreaking for me.

"I'm going to get to the bottom of this," Sofia said through her tears. "Somebody killed Axie, and I'm going to make them pay for what they've done."

"Sofia, Axie probably just died of old age," I said.

"Axolotls are supposed to live ten to fifteen years," Sofia said. "Axie was only five."

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"It's in the Beginner's Guide To Owning An Axolotl," Sofia said.

"Maybe there was an issue with the water," I suggested.

"No, that's ridiculous," Sofia said. "I've been taking great care of Axie. I bet somebody killed her."

"Why would anyone want to kill Axie?" I asked.

"That's what I'm going to find out," Sofia said.

I shook my head and removed Axie from her tank. I then placed Axie's body inside a spare shoebox and dug a small hole in the backyard. After Paola came home from Tazewell Elementary School, I explained the situation to her and we agreed to hold a mini-funeral for our fallen friend.

"How did Axie die?" Paola asked as she twirled a piece of her dark brown hair around her finger.

"We don't know yet," I said. "I'd avoid jumping to conclusions like Sofia though."

All three of us put on our jackets and headed outside to finish burying Axie and to hold the funeral. Paola and Sofia even came up with eulogies for Axie. Paola's was actually quite sweet, with her talking about how Axie had always been a faithful companion (as if an axolotl could be unfaithful), while Sofia ranted about how she was ready to avenge whoever had killed Axie.

In the middle of Sofia's eulogy, a dark blue car pulled into the driveway, and my boyfriend, Malcolm, stepped out. Immediately, I realized that Malcolm and I were supposed to go on a date that day, and I had gotten so caught up in the craziness surrounding Axie's death that I had nearly forgotten. I adjusted my hijab and stepped up to Malcolm, while my sisters backed away. "Hi Roshina," he said as he embraced me in his strong, muscular arms. "What's going on over there?"

"My family's axolotl just died," I explained. "If you'll just give me a few more minutes, I'll be ready for our date."

Malcolm gave me a gentle smile and said, "I understand. I'll wait here while you get ready."

I went back into the house to get ready for the date, but when I came back outside, Sofia was attempting to interrogate my boyfriend. "Malcolm, where were you approximately two hours ago?"