Deadly Utopia

 "If [fish] are not handled very carefully and are not placed in an optimum environment, their stress [will cause them to] get sick and die."- Live Aquaria

"Rheeeee," I hear as the water-flow returns. Everyone gets scared and hides behind some plants. I don't mind too much, but I follow suit because people think I'm weird enough already. I should be more afraid. My mom says courage gets you killed, but I'm not afraid to die. What could I possibly lose? People only realize that I even exist if I bump into them, or when they want to pick on me. They say I'm a freak because of my colors. I stick out; they blend in. It is hard enough to see them already, but when you add in my terrible eyesight I'm basically all alone. I have good hearing so I can't shut off their tormenting voices. I do my best to get along. I agree with everything and never say stuff that could make them angry. It works sometimes, but at the end of everyday I always go to bed with at least torn fin or missing scales. The days I come back with no scars are the days when I retreat to my cave, but can't sleep because of how their words torment me. My cave is the only place I can be truly alone, the only place where I'm safe.

The sun goes down. The light goes off. I go to my cave to spend the night.

I never dream, but tonight I close my eyes and see inside my mind. I see politicians begging for change; debating whether or not change is in the budget. I suddenly awake to the sound of splashing. The other fish always splash when they're hungry. Food always comes, but not without him first. He draws near and everyone else hides. I'm in my cave so I have nothing to worry about. Then, he drops food in. Though I'm starving I wait until he leaves. I swim to go grab some food. I am always the first to get food; maybe because they are still hiding from him. My eyesight is so bad that I can't tell if he is still here. So, I get some food and some others follow me and eat. The food tastes like monotony, the same bitter pellets everyday. I finish eating and swim around. The day goes by like it does everyday. I get picked on, hide, come out, get picked on again. This lasts the majority of the day. When the sun starts to set, I am cued to go watch it. It's the only time I get to see something different than the blandness of my home. I watch as the sea blue turns to shadow black. I turn around and see a dark shape in front of me. Its him. He puts some food in, and I eat.

Suddenly, I am swept up by the others and paraded around, as if I just saved someone's life. I think they are just playing one of their sick jokes on me, but they never say,"Gotcha." I play along; I don't want to say anything to change the fact that they are being nice to me. One of the others honestly proclaims ," Your so brave. I could never stand up to him like that."

Another declares,"I would've turned and darted away as fast as I could." I realize that I broke the monotony. I was too stupid and blind to realize that everyone hid when he came to feed us except me. It looked like I was being brave. I was just being blind. I can't say anything though. Life would go back to the painful, dull, hurting way it was. I say,"I was tired of being afraid of him."

They start letting me sleep in the nicest cave, get food first, and never question me. What I say goes. A few sunsets after the incident I realize I could do so much good with the power they've awarded me. No one would ever be bullied by them. No one would go hungry. No one would be alone. I want to to change how we rule. How we eat. How we are.

I can't develop a utopia alone, so I spread the word for everyone to meet when the sun glows orange. When the orange sunlight starts to dissipate in the water, everyone starts to crowd around the wood and snails. I clear my throat to signal quiet, and many dark black pupils turn and look at me. "We need change!" I expect cheers or boos or some kind of noise, but none was given to me. "Our lives here will be meaningless if we cannot find out a way to make our society better. We do nothing until he comes with food. Then groups of us decide that instead of sitting around we should use that energy to pick on others. That's wrong!" The majority of the crowd agrees, except the ones who had picked on me.