Ashley Morgan

4/2/14/

Creative Writing Assignment

Loud noises, carnival rides, greasy foods, and bright lights come through a small town in

West Virginia once a year at the small time during August. Children are crying to their parents to

allow them to play and ride every game there. A small boy the age of 5 was begging his mother

to let him play every game; however, she told him that he would be allowed to choose one game

right before they left. The boy passed by games such as balloon popping, using a water gun to

shoot a target, playing basketball, and fat albert. Towards the end of the line of games, the boy

came across a game that used fish bowls. He looked to his mom and asked if he could actually

win real fish at this game. His mother allowed him once chance at the game which consisted of

throwing 5 ping pong balls into many fish bowls. The boy was so excited that he could have the

chance at winning 5 fish; however, he was so small that he could barely see where he was

throwing the ping pong balls. After he took all five chances none of the balls landed in the fish

balls and the boy was so devastated because he never had any pets and wanted to win something

at the carnival. The men working the game gave the young boy five of the gold fish since it was

their last night in this town and most of the fish wouldn’t survive to their next destination. The

boy was ecstatic about these new pets and made his mother go to the store and buy two fish

bowls and fish food to feed 1,000 fish for the next year before going home.

The boy was only five years old and expected the five pet fish he had to be extremely

interesting; however, he complained to his mother that they never did anything. He would spend

hours watching them because he believed that his fish had magical powers and could jump up

and out of the water. She told him that he shouldn’t stare and watch the fish all day because they

wouldn’t perform while he is watching. She suggested that they should put all five fish in one

bowl and place the other bowl with water in it beside it. A week went by of the boy staring at the

fish constantly and the fish did not move into the other bowl. The boy gave up and told the

mother that he didn’t even want to have the fish as pets anymore because they don’t do anything.

The mother explained to the young boy that he must not stare endlessly at the fish waiting

for them to do something. After the boy stopped watching the fish constantly for a few days the

child realized that four of the five fish had moved into the second container. He told his mom,

but she assumed that he had moved four of them by himself. While tucking the child in for bed

that night the mother and son heard a splash of water coming from the fish bowls. They

immediately looked over and the last fish was jumping into the other bowl.