Chapter 3
A Glass Fish?
Hi, it's me again. Lenny!
I was back home trying to convince my dad that I saw what I saw on my way here, but he didn't quite believe me.
"I'm telling you, pop. I saw a glass fish."
"Lenny…"
"A real live glass fish! She disappeared right in front of me!"
"Lenny, I'm not saying I don't believe you. But glass fish come from Twilight Zones. They don't live in these waters."
"But how many other fish can disappear like that?"
"Lenny, we're getting off the subject. If you're gonna run this reef, we've gotta get back to business."
I thought about the little fish I saw as I looked out of the window one last time.
"Alright." I sighed.
"Alright. Now, we've lost over 500 Clams today alone."
"Five hundred? That's twelve hundred this week already! How come the business is so much so fast?"
"We might just be about to find out. Luca, you got those reports?"
"Sure have, boss. But, err… I've kinda hit a dead end."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Ya see… Err… I've been though every single point of income and…"
"And?"
"And, and… the total from all of these expenses shows that we're in profit."
"What?"
"I know. It sounds ludicrous, don't it? I calculated all the accounts from yesterday and it shows we've lost five hundred and eighteen clams. But when I checked the income and compared it with the outgoings it came to a profit of over seven thousand just today!"
"So where's the money goin'?"
"I… I… I don't know, boss."
"Well, that's just perfect." Pop didn't look to happy. "Are you hearing this, Lenny?"
"I sure am, pop."
"Of course you know what this means?"
"That's someone's spending money and not owning up to it? Oh! Oh! And they're using the oil problems to cover it up."
"You always were a fast learner."
"But boss." Luca continued. "Exactly how are we gonna find out who's behind this money robbing scheme? I mean, that oil's not just gonna disappear over night."
I glanced back out of the window.
I knew that the oil was out there somewhere.
I started to daydream again about the little glass fish I'd seen before. I know she was a glass fish. How many other fish can disappear like that. And what if she migrated from a Twilight Zone somewhere in the ocean? It's possible, isn't it?
And quite coincidentally, just as I was talking about the little mystery, little did I know at the time that someone was watching me.
Someone who'd followed me all the way home was watching me from the window. Though I couldn't see her, she could see me.
I kept on staring out of the window… and then, I though I saw something in the corner of the frame.
I could swear I could see eyes. Two little eyes staring back at me.
As soon as she thought I'd seen her, her eyes disappeared.
I got up from where I was sat and swam up to the window.
"Lenny, what are you doing?" Pop sounded a little annoyed that I was distracted again.
I swam right up to the pane and tried to see… Well, anything at all.
And then, I swear I saw something moving through the water right in front of me on the other side.
"Lenny…"
"Hold on, Pop!" I hurried for the door. "Be right back!" I didn't wanna lose her again.
"Lenny!" Pop called after me, but I was already gone.
Luca shook his head. "Kids. Eh, boss?"
I made for the exit, and into the open water. I had to make myself scarce. I didn't wanna scare her away again.
I swam to the other side of the window where I last saw her. I thought I just saw her again. There was a funny shape in the water. It was moving, as if someone was there.
"Hey." I whispered.
But suddenly, she shot off! Well, she wasn't very fast, but she stopped trying to disappear and swam away with her true colours.
"Wait!" I swam after her. "Wait, wait, wait. Hold on!" I called out to her, but there wasn't really any need. She was pretty slow and I was right next to her the whole time.
"Please don't swim off. I'm not gonna eat cha." I kept following her.
"I don't like being followed!" She swam a little faster.
"You followed me." I replied as she turned round to me and began to swim backwards. "Who are you? Are you a glass fish?"
She then looked behind me. She looked scared.
I looked back.
"Hey, Lenny!" Matteo, one of the killer whales, had seen that I was out here. He was accompanied by Giuseppe
"What are you doin' out here?" Giuseppe called over to me.
I looked back to the little fish.
"I was just…" But she was gone.
I stared through the water, trying to spot her.
"You were just what?" They both swam over to me.
"Dang. Gone again!"
"Lenny, what are you talking about?"
I sighed. "Never mind."
"Well, get a move on. The Don's wondering where you've disappeared to."
"Alright, I'm coming." I started to swim back with the others.
I glanced back one last time at where I last saw the little glass fish. And I saw something else. No, unfortunately, it wasn't her. It was something shiny slowly sinking from where she last floated.
I held out my fin as it slowly sunk into my grasp.
"Yo, Lenny!"
"I'm coming, already!"
