#Fridayflash: Wishes and fishes

Fishies courtesy of Marni Zainodin. Check out her exhibition below!

If wishes were fishes, Tom would be a fat cat by now. But the world didn't work that way, so Tom was still a tiny little fish. 

As a little fish, Tom had to watch out for everyone and everything. Slightly bigger fish would attack him so that they could grow bigger by eliminating the competition. Hungry big fish could swallow him whole, whilst not-so-hungry big fish might toy with him and let him go just because they could. It was a game to them. He hated it. Hated them. 

Tom sighed, releasing a stream of bubbles that floated up to surface of the water. Oops. Time to change my hiding place.

Everything looked still when he peeked out around the rock formation he had been hiding behind, so he flicked his tail and raced to his other hiding place. The pond really was getting too crowded. It was getting harder and harder to find new hiding places to escape from the big fishes and the fat cats, and it seemed as if every time he found a new one, he would lose another one to other little fishes. It was annoying. 

"If only I were a cat," he said aloud to no one in particular. After all, he was squashed in a little nook he had found quite by accident, its only plus point being that no other fish was tiny enough squash in here with him and invade his privacy. 

"Are you sure about that?" said a voice, startling Tom out of his scales. "Because I could make you one, if you wanted. You already have a cat-ty kind of name."

"Um. Yes? Maybe?" he stammered in reply. Cats ate fish, after all, so no matter how big the big fish were, they still had to watch out for the fat cats that prowled the edges of the pond. Even the skinny cats could get them if they were careless enough. 

"Done!" said the mysterious voice. "You'd better get out of that little hole."

Tom felt a burning sensation along his fins and all the way down his sleek, silver body. He shot out of his hiding place as if his tail was on fire, breaking the surface of the water with a yowl. Landing on his feet on the shore, he shook out his fur, bristling at the icky feeling of water all over his body. Ugh how cold.

He inspected his paws and groomed himself, keeping a wary eye on the water of the pond in front of him. Several bubbles broke the surface, and he prowled the edge of the pond, inspecting the ripples for fish. It really was quite difficult to catch fish, he realised.

If wishes were fishes, Tom would be a fat cat by now. He wondered if he should wish for a big fat fish for lunch. 

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The BIG FISH, little fish exhibition opens today in conjunction with World Postal Day (Oct 9) and FreedomFilmFest Penang (Oct 16-18).

The exhibition in LUMA @ The Whiteaways Arcade features artwork by Marni Zainodin as well as mail art sent in from all around Malaysia.

The exhibition runs until Oct 29 and is open on Wednesdays - Saturdays from 10am - 6pm, and on Sundays from 9am - 1pm.