Somehow I just knew that even with my disclaimer, even though I implored my fellow forum members not to subject themselves to the horrible truth that this post would reveal, that many members would not heed my advice. And their life journey would be forever altered. Every pond stocking decision would be second guessed, every predator/prey relationship reevaluated.
I feared of retribution. Would I be labeled a murder of Gambusia? Would this cause a scarlet letter effect upon my character? Would I be forever banned from posting on the Pond Boss Forums for so callously subjecting my innocent charges to the ruthless hordes of pond wolves that we refer to simply as LMB? At Pond Boss conventions, that I had hopes of attending in the future, would I be excluded from participating in social events? While passing congregated groups of convention attendees would I hear the dreaded whisper of hushed voices expressing disapproval and distain?
I was forced to weigh the consequences of my truth telling. Perhaps if my story could save one, just one tiny insignificant Gambusia from enduring such a horrible fate it would be worth the potential retribution. Perhaps if one fellow forum member would remember this lurid tale and thereby consider the poor innocent life that we pond owners so callously, collective refer as merely forage. Then maybe that forum member would be spared the psychological scars that I my wife and I now have. And with that goal in mind I felt compelled to share the truth.
THE AFTERMATH
A story is never complete unless the reader knows what transpires after a tragic event. And so I present to you some details of the aftermath.
Regarding Gambusia:
If you recall from my tragic story the large Gam school divided into two schools. I have been forced to accept that the one school that so innocently tried to escape their fate by swimming into deeper water suffered untold casualties and perhaps perished in their entirety.
The second school that by some quirk of fate, or karmic event, or perhaps even divine intervention, swam into the shallows and managed to conceal themselves amongst the thick vegetation. It is my belief, or perhaps just a thinly disguised hope, that this school represented half of the Gam population that was thrust into this horrific event. I do know that at least some Gams did survive as evidenced by the several large schools of minuscule Gam fry that I observed earlier this year.
The effect upon Jeffhasapond and his wife:
This tragic event has forever altered life as we know it. We no longer have the stomach to crush scary a looking spider because we know that this poor beast is someone�s brother or sister or perhaps even a mother or father. The though of taking an innocent life is still too fresh in our mind and weighs too heavy upon our heart. Countless thousands of dollars has been spent on psychological counseling; regression analysis; dream interpretation; and even role playing in which one of us, while donning a Gambusia costume, is allowed to bludgeon the other with a padded club. We now make an annual pilgrimage to a Gambusia Farm to pay homage and seek forgiveness.
Judge me if you will fellow pond meisters for there is no punishment that you can bestow upon us that is worse than that that we have subjected ourselves to.
And finally to my friend DIED�
I realize that this event will forever alter our friendship. I accept that you may no longer trust me with the care of any additional pond life. I just hope that, over time, you can come to realize that I had the best intentions and that it was ignorance not ill will that caused this tragic event to unfold. If you cannot forgive me then I shall be forced to consume the six pack of adult beverages that I have in my chilling refrigerator in solitude.
