It did not seem too long ago that we chance upon you whilst browsing through one of the aquarium shops in Taman Cempaka. Come to think of it, it was strange. We had talked about geting some aquarium fish for some time then, but it was on that particular day, we had leisurely walked into this corner shop. You were alone in one small rectangular glass tank with a price tag of RM 15. U were only about the length of a hand palm, I dont remember whether you were the cheapest fish around but we made the decision then to bring you home.
Were you dazzling pretty? ..No. You were of a pale pinkish kind of color. When we brought you back, we had then spotted that you had a defective dorsal fin that must have been bent whilst you were being handled and transported. Also you had a tiny hole on your tail fin as well....goodness, we then realised that we had bought ourselves a "crippled" fish or one that has some form of a disability. Maybe that was why you were alone.... no one wanted you!!. You must have been a couple of months old then.
We furnished you a home, with the usual fancy accessories and bought some fish pellets. In the shortest time, you were active and respond to food eagerly. We had placed you in our 2nd lounge (our favourite place) in our old home. Slowly, your garden grew with artificial playthings and plants.. I really dont recall your garden much except that it has such a nice background color from the underwater poster that was glued to the backwall. I dont have a name for you but Liew mentioned that you are of Indonesian origin and your species is called "gar-lui". You have cousins of darker skin in Sabah/Sarawak but you were an albino compared to your cousins.
What will carry me to eternity were the precious hours I spent infront of you, playing with you.... yes playing and teasing you every evening. I was on this side and you were on the other side. I had stretched out my arms horizontally and made continuous circles clockwise/anticlockwise. You were watching intensely and all of a sudden, you showed you "understood"... for you were actively flapping your fins too. I had only remembered "training you" for a couple of weeks every evening doing numerous hand revolving movements such as moving my outstretched arms up and down, front and back and circling them ... over and over and over again!! Your eyes followed me from left to right and gradually, you stood at a corner of your aquarium staring at us in the kitchen. .Was pretty sure you could only see us with the corner of your eyes. We realised that you were a smart fella.... so we started tapping our fingers on the glass where you stood and walked our fingers across the glass. You trailed behind my fingers, drawn by my fingers and its clicking noise. Wow... oh wow... you followed our tapping and finger movements. Unbelievable.... totally unbelievable... what a discovery. Our Gar-lui can actually sway from left to right and right to left -- simply by following our fingers.
From then on, it was fun at every free opportunity. Our games got quicker with quicker movements and your responses became quicker and sharper, at times with more aggressive fin movements as well. This is COOL.... and it got so.oooo cool that we showed your talents to anyone that was in our home. Your reputation spread far...
In no time, siblings, cousins and children were stricken with total awe and admiration that we have a pet fish that displayed all the tricks as if it is a dog. Requests to show your abilities were repeated so often.
When did I start to stroke your head??? Well, when Liew cleaned your tank. When he drained almost 90% of the water, I would stroke your bald forehead gently whilst you lay quietly, awaiting for the fresh water to be splashed on your face. AND YOU LOVED THE GENTLE STROKES ON YOUR FOREHEAD. My God... you were astonishing!
When & how did I decide to stand infront of the tank to play with you, nearly every day for at least for half an hour??. What triggered the thought? I dont remember the details now. One thing for sure, playing with you was part of my daily exercise then, after a long day at the office.
Quite certain, it was around the time when my career hit a stagnant patch and I felt that I wasnt getting anywhere. Liew's business was still plowing along... nothing great then. My career was not down in the dumps but a great sense of "emptiness" was following me every day. Was it the start of hormonal changes of being around the 40s? Was it a yearning to try new things in life? Was I bored, was I not happy, was I insecure..........whatever it was that was going through me.... Gar-lui, you probably would have sensed it. Could it be your natural instinct (the unspoilt natural sense) that you tried to reach out to me to comfort me?? I will never know but at least, during the repeated exercises(for me) or the lessons (for you).. we touched each other's Lives.
What came after that, is a Tale that not many people would believe. It does not matter that not many believed every word of this story. What is important is that ... Gar-lui, you have enriched our lives by being a part of it!!. Liew told everyone that he was your keeper (responsible for feeding you) and I was your playmate. Gar-lui would allow Liew to stroke his forehead, in fact, he even trusted Liew to attend to him when he fell sick.
Treating a sick fish is no ordinary feat and it was not too long after that, we nearly lost Gar-lui and it was due to the kindness of our hearts.... How could kindness kill?? Yes - kindness and lack of contact nearly killed our Gar-lui friend.
In 1999, we all moved to the new house. We had a beautiful large pond of 20' x 40' koi pond in the garden. We decided to upgrade him from a tank to the vast space of a pond (although he has to live and play with new neighbours of over 10 koi fish). Afterall, he has grown bigger and wider and he certainly require a longer and wider pond to play in. Once in this "giant tank" by Gar-lui's standards, we were certain that he must be happy and hence thrive even better. We had observed him daily to ensure that he was well adjusted.... all seemed well.
Days & weeks passed and Liew noticed that he was listless, not swimming... just stationery continuously in one spot. From Liew's trained eye, he knew something was dramatically wrong. Immediately, Liew bought another simple rectangular tank 2' x 4', set it up with the basics. How strange... Liew threw the net in and he practically swam right in the net to be picked up. Oh my god... Gar-lui had thousands and thousands of "anchor worms" , embedded underneath his scales and gills. Poor fella... how can anyone said a fish do not have feelings?
Hospital treatment for Gar-lui started. In a tub of chlorinated water, borrowed my tweezers, Liew laid Gar-lui sideways on his palm. One by one, Liew "plucked" all the "anchor worms" from Gar-lui's body. It was so painful to see him suffering.... contrary to what we think that he should be happy in the big garden "mansion", he was miserable and it was killing him..... No Games, No Playing, No Human Contact!!! Both of our hearts were torn when we saw Gar-lui in such a condition. Hours went by, Gar-lui simply lying on Liew's palm, half submerged in water and quietly allowed Liew to treat him and save him. Perhaps, he was too weak to be naughty. I reckon we were fortunate to save him in the nick of time.
Gar-lui was relocated and placed in a new but spartan home. With a rocky sand bed and a whistling, whirling filter above his head working 24 hours a day....he slowly recovered and once again, he was back to his happy active self. Gar-lui did not want the "mansion pond" with the waterfall, surrounded by the bonzai's and under the fresh open sky... Gar-lui just wanted to be with his keeper and playmate. It did not matter that his home was only a simple 2 x 4' tank as long as there was his playmate to stroke his forehead frequently and his keeper to toss him food.
In the new but spartan tank as a home, Gar-lui displayed a vengeance against us for subjecting him to misery in the mansion pond. This was shown by his ever increasing aggressive splashes. Many a times, when I "irritated" him through twirling my arms, circling it faster and faster... it got him so mad that a quick, unexpected splash of his tail so hard that a big swoop of tank water would splattered onto my face, glasses and hair. Gar-lui do know how to show his temper!!. Kids were taken back by shock when a big splash of water would suddenly came down on them....usually happens when I show off his abilities.
Now, with his new found health, Gar-lui has developed strange and queer eating habits. Should we feed him with dried shrimps for a couple of days, he will stay off it as if on a hunger strike. Liew would then try to toss in something new, for instance peeled grapes. He would relished in it for another few days and back on hunger strike again. This kept on and on -- the start of a strange cuisine for Gar-lui. Anything edible.... ranging from strips of cooked beef, strips of cooked chicken, apples, leafy veg, live shrimps... the list is there and true!! But he fancies peeled grapes!!! Somewhere in one of Liew's collection on "Koi Garden and Ponds", fishes can be too fat and die of heart attack. Would you believe that?!
It is not a peculiar situation when our friends would not believe that the attention that he so demanded from both of us human beings. Who is now the master? Gar-lui grew to more than 12" long and has an 8" girth. Gar-lui gave us endless hours of joys, endless hours of talking about him and many proud moments of getting to put up the "Gar-lui Show" on many family days, festive days and visitors days.....
Did he show signs of slowing down?? No... probably now and then, when he turn off his food. Did he lose weight?? No!! Did he lose colour... slightly but then we thought, it is a sign of old age because he was coming to 10 years old.
The day came...Liew telephoned and said Gar-lui died. Took me by surprise for he seemed healthy. We had put him in a nice shoebox and buried him deep in our garden. We dont want a shallow grave for fear of our dogs. He deserved dignity!! We did not want to throw him in the drain ... that would be too horrific and cruel for some stray cat or animal to gore at him.
Gar-lui was laid down to sleep next to one of Liew's bonzai trees in the garden. We have no wish to find another replacement and we had nearly 60 koi near 50 goldfish passing through our ponds and garden since then, but Gar-lui's tank had not been used ever since. It has now been donated....
How do one describe the unique relationship between an extraordinary fish and 2 humans?? Was there a connection..... we believe so because we had nearly 8 years of living together. Did Gar-lui have love for us as much as we had love for him?? ... Definitely yes. How else would you have explained the bond and reciprocal action in response to our actions?. Did he enjoy the teasings, joy and fun from this playmate?....Definitely yes. How else would you explain the vibrant display of his fins.
I believe as I have been taught to believe in Daishonin's Buddhism that all Sentient and Insentient Life Forms possesses the 10 life conditions of states... ranging froma hellish state to the Ultimate Supreme Happiness of Buddhahood state. Gar-lui, although a fish had experienced the loneliness of being alone in the tank, to the pain of sickness, to the rapturous joy of being with his human keepers and eventually, when his Time is Due... to the peaceful sleep of Heavens.
To us... we will always remember him at his most glorious color.. a kind of pink, crimson look with a bright gold tinge of protruding forehead. A MOST HANDSOME FISH ... U will agree when you see his photos!!
Gar-lui... your human guardians love you forever and we dont believe that we can find another one similar to you!! I am sure you would not mind us showing off your poise and color, or your dignified self. (more photos coming up....) To our friends/siblings, if you do have Gar-lui's photo, post it here too... Thank you!!
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