What Do Fish Have to Do with Anything? by Avi

Author:Avi [Avi]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
ISBN: 978-0-7636-8802-8
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Published: 1997-03-13T16:00:00+00:00

Eve Hubbard had a passion for pets. Her entire life had been filled with gerbils, hamsters, a rat, turtles, a dog, a salamander, and most recently, cats.

In the beginning there was Chase. He was the dog Eve’s parents got before she was born. A dalmatian, his original name was Clark, but Eve so loved the way he chased other animals, squirrels, birds, cats, other dogs, that she changed his name to Chase.

When Chase died of old age, Eve was very sad. She insisted they bury him in their backyard. This yard was enclosed by a high brick wall, crowded with trees, shrubs, and flowers. It was a shady, often damp place, where the moss grew thick, while strange-looking mushrooms sprang up overnight, and withered and died just as quickly.

Midgarden was a small, murky pool in which, during the summer, fat goldfish swam. As they darted about the dark water, Eve was reminded of summer heat lightning.

It was in this yard that Chase was laid to rest with a large stone to mark the spot.

Eve’s parents decided against another dog. But though her young brother, Jeff, was uninterested in animals, Eve was allowed to have many other pets. None seemed to survive for very long. When they died Eve buried them in the backyard, too. In time there was quite a row of stones, even a cluster of pebbles for departed goldfish.

Most recently Eve came to have two kittens. When she got them she made a vow that these pets would survive. One was white with blue eyes and a pink nose. She named her Angel. The black one — a male with yellow eyes and black nose — she called Shadow.

Eve lavished so much care and affection on Angel and Shadow that she was quite certain she loved these pets more than the others. She was equally sure they loved her just as much. There was nothing she would not do for them. She fed them. Washed and groomed them. Talked to them. Petted them. Not only did they thrive, they grew to maturity.

But there were some problems with Angel.

Early on, the two cats had learned that their food was offered at five o’clock. Twenty minutes before the hour, the two could always be found sitting by their bowls, tails twitching as they waited impatiently for Eve to feed them. If Eve was tardy, Angel scolded her loudly. Once, when Eve was twenty minutes late, Angel nipped Eve’s hand as their bowls were being filled. That, despite an apology from Eve.

The cats had another eating habit that Eve attributed to a kind of “ladies first” politeness. That is, Shadow always waited for Angel to start before he began to eat.

Once — just as an experiment — Eve held Angel back in order to let Shadow eat first. A furious Angel scratched Eve and butted Shadow aside.

“I promise I won’t do that again,” Eve said, sucking the blood from her hand.

Then there was the time Eve purchased a catnip mouse for the cats.

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