Spawn

I have a little pond at home which serves as the perennial source of water for my flowers throughout the year. There are also many small fish in the pond which make a routine show of underwater ballet in the morning sun everyday. They have become so used to my harmless presence that they have given up their habit of deep diving the moment they sense my footstep. So, it is peaceful co-existence now...fish, flowers and me.

One fine morning, as I bent to collect water from my pond, I saw a strange thing. A long beaded thread like thing, black in colour, each bead about 1 mm in diameter. I tried to touch it with the bucket but it was so slippery. I could not get it out of the water, so I left it there. On further analysis, I came to the conclusion that it must be fish spawn! 

There's a friend in my office who recently built a small pond in his house. He bought small fish and put in his pond but all of them died, thereby losing a small sum and a little bit of his enthusiasm in the process. So, I told him about the myriad fish in my pond and the danger of overpopulation leading to survival of the fittest and the recent phenomenon of the new spawn and the possibility of more congestion in the pond. Finally, I promised him that the next time I saw  a similar  black beaded thread like structure I would give him a long piece and and there would be ample fish in his pond.

So, my earnest friend has been waiting for almost a year now. The beaded thread never showed up again. I was beginning to doubt myself. I even thought of catching some fish and giving him but I have no experience in that line.

But, lo and behold...this morning again I saw the black beaded thread like structure, the object I have been waiting for almost a year now but the beads are of a smaller size. I was so excited, no matter what the size was. Finally, I would be able to fulfil my promise to my friend!

So, I took a container to collect the spawn. But, as I traced the line further, it led to the belly of a big fat frog which was hiding quietly in the shallow steps of the pond. I was startled. For one year, my friend and I have been waiting for this phenomenon and it turned out to be frog spawn. Am I so poor in the knowledge of even the little ecosphere around me?

My friend does not know it yet and is still waiting. Now, how do I break the news to him?! Well, all that glitters is not gold and not only fish but frogs also live in the pond. The lesson learnt is to always look deeper than the surface...not too late, I hope!