Chapter 20 – Nemo's First Attempt
Author's Note: As requested, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!
It was early the next morning. The dentist had only just entered his surgery, and was starting to organise his dentistry tools for the day ahead. Gill watched him for a moment, wondering how long it would be until Doctor Sherman left his surgery for any length of time – Peach had been watching him intently ever since Sharkbait had joined them in the tank, and was poised ready to inform the others as soon as they could put Gill's plan into action. No, the dentist was not worth worrying about for the moment – it was Sharbait that Gill was concerned about. He could see the little clownfish staring out of the side of the tank, a melancholy expression on his face. I know what you're thinking, kid, I've thought it myself so many times – the ocean is so near, but at the same time so far away, like a dream upon waking, and the longing to get back there, to be a part of it once more, it's almost unbearable. But it's more than that, I can tell. You have fish out there that love you, and being separated from them…well, nothing we do in here can ever be enough, can ever compare to having your own real family around you. But maybe, just maybe, I can ease you're sadness, just a little.
Silently, Gill swam up towards where he could see Sharkbait's sad reflection in the side of the tank. He looked down at him briefly, sympathetically, and said: "You miss your Dad, don't you, Sharkbait?"
"Yeah," the boy replied, looking down sadly.
For a moment, Gill was unsure what to say. But surely the boy's Dad would be trying to find out what had happened to his son, would, even now, be making his way towards them. "Well, you're lucky to have someone out there who's lookin' for you," said Gill quietly.
Sharkbait gave a huge, sad sigh, "He's not looking for me. He's scared of the ocean," he said.
Gill wanted to argue, wanted to say that of course his Dad was searching desperately for his lost son. But he stopped himself. He could not know that for certain. Though Sharkbait was brave and smart, that did not mean that he got those qualities from his father, and Gill was well aware that sometimes the most cowardly parents could have the bravest of children. Besides, he did not want to contradict Sharkbait when he was not in possession of all the facts. Instead, he turned his attention to where Peach was attached to the side of the tank, watching the dentist intently. "Peach, any movement?" he asked.
"He's had at least four cups of coffee, it's gotta be soon," she replied.
"Keep on him," Gill said. They had to be ready at a moment's notice, and Gill was glad that it was Peach – sensible, wise Peach – rather than one of the eccentric younger ones who had offered to keep a careful eye on Doctor Sherman.
Gill watched the dentist for a moment, and then, out of the corner of his eye, noticed that Sharkbait had been looking at his severed right fin. The boy looked away quickly, as though ashamed of having stared at it, as though he was worried that Gill was embarrassed about it. Okay, thought Gill, better we get this conversation over and done with now, or there is going to be a great deal of awkwardness in this tank, "My first escape, landed on dental tools," he said, remembering as clearly as if it was yesterday his first attempt at trying to escape from this tank, and how he had become permanently injured as a result, "I was aiming for the toilet," he added.
"Toilet?" asked Sharkbait.
Of course, the boy was from the ocean, and was as unaware of the human world as Gill had been at that age. "All drains lead to the ocean, kid," Gill replied, and his voice contained that longing, that desire to return back home, that it always did whenever he talked about the ocean.
"Wow. How many times have you tried to get out?" asked Sharkbait.
How many times…Gill was not sure, there had been so many, so many failed attempts at trying to get out of the tank. "Aah, I've lost count," he grunted, and swam along the side of the tank, Sharkbait following close behind, "Fish aren't meant to be in a box, kid. It does things to ya."
As if to prove his point, at that moment they passed by Bubbles, who was waiting excitedly by his beloved chest, the one that opened revealing-
"Bubbles! Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles!" the yellow tang said excitedly, as he watched the bubbles rise up from the opened chest. A moment later, the chest shut once more, stopping the bubbles from emerging from it. Bubbles looked at the closed chest in disappointment, as though waiting for it to open and let out his beloved bubbles once more.
"Potty break!" said Peach excitedly, urgently, "Potty break! He just grabbed the Reader's Digest! We have four point two minutes."
Gill was impressed at how precise Peach had become at noticing Doctor Sherman's habits, but there was not time to reflect on that now. They had just over four minutes – plenty of time to get the plan underway, but it was better that they acted as soon as possible, just in case of unforeseen eventualities. Gill turned his attention back to Sharkbait once more, and grinned down at the little clownfish, "That's your cue, Sharkbait," he said encouragingly.
The Tank Gang were gathering around the filter when Gill and Sharkbait swam towards them. "You can do it, kid," said Bloat encouragingly.
Gurgle still seemed worried, even though Gill had, for once, taken his advice and helped and trained Sharkbait, so that now the boy could swim almost as well as Gill himself. But Gurgle would not be Gurgle if he was not worrying about something, and Gill knew that they did not have time to argue with the gramma. The most important fish now was Sharkbait, the rest of the Tank Gang merely there to help and encourage him so that he could reach his full potential. Gill turned his attention away from the concerned gramma, and back towards where Sharkbait himself now seemed to be nervous and unsure, "Okay, you gotta be quick," he said. "Once you get in, you swim down to the bottom of the chamber and I'll talk you through the rest."
"Okay…" the boy said, but he sounded hesitant and uncertain.
"Go on, it'll be a piece of kelp," Gill added, trying to alleviate some of the boy's uncertainty.
Sharkbait took a deep breath, and swam up towards the filter. After a moment, Gill could only see Sharkbait's shadow, as the boy did exactly as instructed. The clownfish managed to squeeze himself through one of the spokes of the waterwheel, and landed on the filter. Gill grinned to himself, basking in reflected pride at his star pupil's cleverness and bravery, "Nicely done!" he called out, "Can you hear me?" he asked.
"Yeah," came the reply from inside the filter.
"Here comes the pebble," Gill picked up a pebble in his mouth, and launched it towards the clownfish in the filter, "Now, do you see a small opening?" he asked.
"Uh-huh," Sharkbait replied.
"Okay, inside it you'll see a rotating fan," Gill said, "Very carefully, wedge that pebble into the fan to stop it turning."
Something was going wrong, Gill was sure of it. He could still only see the shadow of the clownfish, but his mannerisms seemed less sure, more uncertain, more scared…
"Aaah!" the boy screamed in fear.
"Careful, Sharkbait," Gill said worriedly, watching intently, and wishing that he could do more to help.
"Gill, this isn't a good idea," Peach warned him.
This has got to work, I don't know what else to do! Gill thought to himself. We don't have time to come up with another plan. "He'll be fine," Gill insisted, wondering if he was trying to convince Peach or himself. He turned his attention back to the filter, "Try again!" he insisted.
"Okay," Sharkbait's voice sounded worried and uncertain.
Gill didn't really blame him for feeling that way. How much time did they have left? They had to hurry, Gill was certain about that. He watched intently. Good, the boy was being more cautious now, moving the pebble slowly and steadily into position to stop the filter. "That's it, Sharkbait," said Gill encouragingly, "Nice and steady."
"I got it! I got it!" the boy called excitedly to Gill.
Peach let out a sigh of relief.
"He did it!" said Bloat.
"Whew!" said Gurgle, relief practically floating off of his gills.
Gill could understand perfectly why they all felt so relieved. At last, a plan that worked! He turned his attention back to the filter, "That's great, kid!" he said, "Now, swim up the tube and out."
Gill's jubilation suddenly turned to terror when, once again, something seemed to have gone wrong. Gill didn't know what it was, and for the moment at least, it did not matter, the only thing that mattered was that the child was in danger – because of Gill's own recklessness.
"Oh no! Gill! Gill!" the boy called out.
He was being sucked back into the filter and to the danger that awaited there. The knowledge hit Gill suddenly, with the force of a tsunami.
"Sharkbait!" Gill called desperately.
"Oh my gosh!" said Bloat, starting to panic.
"Get 'im outta there! Get 'im outta there!" Gill insisted, looking around the tank desperately for something that could be used to help the child.
"Help him!" that was Bubbles, who sounded almost as worried as Gill felt.
"What do we do!? What do we do!?" asked Gurgle, who seemed to be on the verge of having hysterics now.
"Oh no!" said Peach – even she seemed to be panicking now.
"Stay calm, kid!" Gill instructed, trying to do exactly that himself, "Just don't panic!"
"Help me!" the boy called desperately.
Gill grabbed one of the plastic plants from the base of the tank, in his mouth, and, with the help of the others, managed to fit it inside the plastic tube leading to the trapped clownfish. "Sharkbait!" he said, "Grab hold of this!"
There was the sound of a leaf coming off of the plant, and being sucked towards the filter. There was the sound of the panicking clownfish: "No! No!"
Gill turned to the rest of the Tank Gang. The plant was not long enough to reach the boy, "Feed me more!" he insisted.
"That's it!" came Gurgle's worried reply.
Gill had never felt more worried or concerned before, not even when Chuckles had died. He turned his attention back to the panicking clownfish, "Come on, Sharkbait!" he said, indicating the offered plant, "Grab it!"
There was a moment of tension, when Gill was certain that the boy would not be able to reach the offered plant, would not be able to free himself, would be trapped, killed, because of Gill's own pride…
"I got it!" Sharkbait's voice sounded muffled, due to having the plant in his mouth, but Gill had never felt more relieved to hear his voice.
"Pull!" Gill ordered. He did not have to tell them twice.
Within a moment, the plant was removed from the tube, along with the terrified, but thankfully unharmed clownfish. The boy, crying, shaking with fear, made his way over to Peach, who engulfed him in her arms, holding him protectively, as she looked over towards where Gill was staring at them.
Gill stared back, not knowing what to say, not knowing how to apologise, as the shock and terror at what had nearly happened suddenly hit him with the force of a tidal wave.
"Gill, don't make him go back in there," Peach said, as she hugged the boy close to her, for what little comfort that could give him.
"No," said Gill, as shame and guilt overtook his feelings of concern, "We're done."