Custom Common Experiment #3485
Do you ever feel like a plastic bag,
Drifting through the wind,
Wanting to start again...
The 'Sky Squids' didn't always dance and thunder above the reef. For most of their little lives, the fish knew the surface to only bring human visitors. But the day those Sky Squids showed up changed their lives.
The first night was frightening to most. Thunderous booms sounded out and reached even to the second depth level of the corals. Nearly all the fish scattered and hid in their little homes. The lights themselves were only seen by a brave few, and they seemed to only watch for so long before they were overcome by the fear as well. As the sound ended, the fish of the reef began to gossip and talk of what had happened. The common word was that they hoped the "Sky Squids", as they quickly grew to be named, would never return.
They were wrong.
Soon it was a nightly occurrence. Soon the fear became less paralyzing. And since that first night, one little jellyfish discovered a grand new dream for her life: to join those wondrous creatures up in the sky!
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin,
Like a house of cards,
One blow from caving in...
She used to have an average jellyfish name. But as soon as word spread that she liked the Sky Squids, they all started to call her a thrill seeker. Before long, they just called her Thrill, and she was quite pleased with the nickname. Watching the Sky Squids was a thrill to her, so the name just seemed befitting. Thrill just loved how the Sky Squids would change their form and color; each night different from the previous. She would go to the surface of the water over the reef and try to reach up into the air, her longing growing with each passing occurrence.
Her obsession became so great that she would scour the reef in search of remnants of their dances. Unlike most jellyfish, Thrill had a little hole where she stored her treasures: things such as shells, tidbits from humans, and what she believed to be pieces of the Sky Squids. Her collection garnered her much attention... of a bad variety.
Do you ever feel already buried deep,
Six feet under scream,
But no one seems to hear a thing...
Thrill spent her days passing time until the Sky Squids would shine at night. She used the currents, tide, and sun to figure out when they would appear, but the rest of her time was spent merely glowing in her unique lovely way. It wasn't long before the Sky Squids seemed to be the only thing she even lived for! It wasn't intentional, but her life just pulled towards them like a magnet...
If she only realized just how much so.
The second fateful day of Thrill's life took her by surprise. Thrill was her usual wistful self as a group of humans explored the reef in their silly black bodysuits. They appeared to be no different than any other group of human visitors, so she paid them no mind. This was a bad decision though, since before she knew it, these humans revealed themselves to have certain plans for Thrill. After they took careful observation of her for quite some time, she was whisked away from her home and treasures- taken to some far off prison.
Do you know that there's still a chance for you,
Cause there's a spark in you...
The other fish called it an aquarium. They said humans made it to admire and adore them. The tank they placed Thrill into was a large outdoor reef that had glass all around it, so people could go underground and see in from the sides. The top was open to look down into as well, but clear wires were strung around to keep the seagulls from trying to eat any of the fishy residents (not that they ever did- why eat fish when you can have the humans' leftovers?).
Aquarium life wasn't so bad. The clear walls took some getting used to, since Thrill kept running into them, but the other fish were nice and friendly, and the reef was clear and lovely. Thrill was fast to make a new friend too! She'd been in the tank only a few minutes before she was approached by a Pinkolphie named Conroy. But he was definitely odd... considering he was blue instead of pink! "Back at the reef, they all made fun of me for being blue," he'd explained as he started her tour of the tank, which he'd insisted on, "but here I am accepted!"
"But SHOULDN'T you be pink?"
"Who cares? I am who I am!"
Thrill liked Conroy right away.
He showed her around and explained how everything worked in aquarium life, from feeding times to cleaning times to show times. Without his help, she would surely have been lost, so she was grateful for his kindness. And as her first day at her new home came to a close, Thrill discovered the icing on her cake. Just as the night grew dark and still, she looked up to see the Sky Squids... this time closer than ever before! This aquarium place must have been where they lived! She simply couldn't contain her excitement as she floated at the surface of the tank and sat in awe at how close she was to them. As Conroy looked up at her, he could barely tell where they ended and Thrill began.
"So, you like the fireworks?" he asked when their show finally ended.
"Fireworks?"
"Yeah, that's what they're called. Fireworks."
"Oh wow, I never knew that! I could see them from my home-- well, old home now. I used to love looking up at them. We called them Sky Squids, and I would spend my nights admiring them. I love them so much... it's actually my dream to join them in the sky someday! Silly, right?"Conroy was silent then, a sad look coming across his face. She was so happy, and he hated to burst her bubble, but he had to tell her. "Thrill, I'm sorry, but that can't happen. Fireworks are just lights created by humans... not living things. I'm afraid you could never join them in the sky."
And that is when Thrill's dream came crashing down from the very sky she'd been looking up at for so long.
You just gotta ignite the light,
And let it shine,
Just own the night,
Like the Fourth of July...
Knowing that everything had been for naught was hard for Thrill to accept. Losing her family, friends, and home was one thing... but now her dream too? The Sky Squids were right there. She could watch them all she wanted, but the truth would remain: they were nothing more than fireworks created by humans. She could never join them in the sky. She could never be just like them. Those cruel fish back at her old reef had been right to call her stupid.
Her new friends thought she was depressed because of leaving her old life behind. That made sense after all, since they had all gone through the same phase at some point or another. So, they all did their best to try and cheer her up. Most were extra friendly and tried to joke around and make her smile. But whenever they tried she would just mumble about her 'treasured dream' being taken away. Since she had mentioned her treasures to Conroy, they all assumed this was what she meant and they decided to try something a bit extreme for fish in an aquarium. With Conroy leading the 'operation', the fish, with a great deal of help from the sea gulls, pulled together a new treasure trove for Thrill. They collected whatever they could around the tank and surrounding grounds and brought it all together to surprise her. Most of it was what humans would call trash, but it was the thought that counted, right? It took nearly a week, but when it came time for the reveal, all the fish and gulls were quite excited to see Thrill's reaction.
Even though she was depressed, Thrill still always watched the fireworks at night, hoping for some glimmer of hope. So, before the fireworks went off, the fish gathered and called Thrill over to show off the surprise. Hidden in a hole in one rock of the tank, the treasures remained safe. A fish would stand watch whenever a human came, to make sure none of the caretakers tried to take away their hard work! But now it was time to show it off! As the leader of the effort, Conroy got the job of showing her the new trinkets.
"See, this is a bit of firework here. And this is a plastic sticker of a firework. Let's see... oh, this is called a phone charm. Humans use them when they aren't broken. And this is a bit of shiny glass..." he listed off each item and showed it to Thrill. Everyone was so proud that some even piped in and told of how they helped.
Thrill was overwhelmed. They were all so kind to her! They didn't call her names or stupid or crazy. They supported her and they barely even knew her! The looks on their faces showed they had enjoyed the project, and were really hoping it would make her feel better. It did a little, but not much.
"Thank you all so much for this... really, I don't know what I did to deserve such nice friends... but... But it wasn't losing my treasures that makes me so sad. I... I lost my dream. All I ever wanted was to be as carefree and happy as the Sky Squids. I wanted to be able to dance and be watched and loved like them. But... but they aren't real. It's all fake... a sham. I'm sorry everyone... but thank you again for the gifts."
Thrill turned around and swam deeper into the tank, glowing as she normally did. A moment later and she heard the thunderous booms of the fireworks above, but when she turned around, the happy faces that normally looked up were all smiling down at her. "Shouldn't you all be looking up?" she asked.
"Don't you get it, Thrill? You may never be able to dance in the sky like the fireworks, but you are the real deal. You are a real Sky Squid," Conroy piped up. "Why dream when, from where I am swimming, you're already much prettier than any firework?!"
All the fish nodded and egged Thrill on to change her colors and dance for them.
And whether they were just being nice or not, all Thrill could do was smile and dance her heart away, a perfect mirror of the sky above.
Cause baby you're a firework,
Come on show 'em what you're worth,
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y!
Profile by me,
Lexx.Overlay by
Plipkat. Mini-Thrills by 
Freya and Doomy. Pixel Thrill by ren.Aquarium from Subeta.net (altered by me,
Lexx). Background from webtreats ETC.Song lyrics are from "Firework" by Katy Perry.
Thank you,
Soph for letting me adopt Thrill! (May 17th 2011)
