The Writers' Circle

His name was Otis. He was named after an elevator because his head bobbed up and down. Someone used to call him Bob but not anymore because Bob was a cool name; like a cop. In contrast, Otis had a teasing sound to it especially when the 'O' part was prolonged as in OOOOO-tis. So, after being Bob, he was Otis. His unusual movement was believed caused by his disability; that was a given. A bully who chased him around, practically all day and night at the sanctuary might have unduly made his disability worse; it was quite embarrassing because her name was Jack or Jackie, short for Jacqueline. Yes, a girl and she was a bully, all right, and she preferred Jack. She would chase up Otis' behind every chance she got; once, beat him up too.

	Otis suffered from a minor spinal disability and might have caused his head bobbing; part of his body was crooked - something to do with a bent spine; some kind of scoliosis. But he was brave. He wouldn't shy away from that morose black guy, the one named Ebony Pleck. Behind his back, they would call him 'sucker'; and Ebony Pleck had a sinister frowned look and temper, who would, given chance, could literally slap Otis silly with one angry flip. Most times, it looked like his friends at the sanctuary would edge Otis off away from that crabby black guy for fear he might irritate Ebony Pleck just by being around him.

	Otis made friends easily but some of the orphans wouldn't take it as a sign of friendship. They probably think he would only steal their food and so, they'd normally push him off. And then there were those three stupid Japanese natives who recently arrived together and almost immediately pushed every other orphans around at will, as well as keeping them away to corner their food. The Japs were not really mean; just always hungry and they always gossiped - their mouths always moved.

	Otis, along with eleven of his orphaned brethren, was rescued from sure death and placed in the sanctuary to be fed and cared for. But, due to the scarcity of food, or perhaps due to his disability and inability to keep the food and fend for himself, Otis grew weaker by the day.

	Finally one gloomy day, Otis died. 

	And the rest of the orphans ate him; it was a gruesome sight. 

	First, it was the big black guy, Ebony Pleck, the sucker, the morose Plecostomus; believed at first to be a vegetarian, but hell no, he ate part of Otis. Then the three Japanese Kois, barbells flickering, moved in and nibbled on Otis. Poor guy; his crooked scoliotic spine denuded and deboned. Jackie the Guppy stopped chasing Otis; as it was no longer fun. Otis did not run away anymore.

	And as disgusting as it was, even his brethren minnows finished him off. Now the sanctuary of the aquarium had one less fish.  

THE END