Aquarium

I bought a veil at the store. I carefully transferred it to my aquarium in an oxygenated bag. It swam majestically, gleaming with golden scales. Its fins waved gently like curtains stirred by the underwater wind. It examined its new home with curiosity. It explored every corner of its glassy world.

I cared for it. I fed it, changed the water, talked to it, finding a patient listener. After a month, it told me.

"Hello, guardian.

" I almost dropped the box of bloodworms in amazement.

"Why are you gaping so open-mouthed? Haven't you seen a talking goldfish or something?"

I slumped limply in my chair.

"Listen, I have a proposition for you. You will fulfill three of my wishes...

" "Wait. In the fairy tale, it was the other way around. "

I expressed my disagreement.

"Don't interrupt, man. You will fulfill three of my wishes, and in return, I will transport you to the world of your three greatest dreams.

" "Something's not right here." That fish was granting wishes.

"She was a materialist. Besides, I know what you'd wish for. A new car, a lottery win, and all the Miss Polonia around you."

I looked at her with interest. How could that damned thing know my thoughts?

"I'm a metaphysical fish. I can, even for a moment, make your dreams come true, what you long for, what you truly desire. What, is it standing?"

She poked her pectoral fin above the water.

"It is standing."

I sealed the deal with a touch of my finger.

"So what's your first wish?"

I asked, observing the golden oddity.

"You'll throw that tacky little castle out of my aquarium. In return, I want a stone grotto. I need solitude sometimes.

" "I'll do it!

" I shouted, putting on my shoes. However, the task proved more difficult than I thought. There were countless castles, but not a single cave. It wasn't until the fourth shop that I found what I was looking for. "She should like it," I thought, putting my purchase into a shopping bag.

Three hours later, I was triumphantly unpacking my purchase in front of the aquarium wall.

"It took you a long time,"

the golden one quipped.

"Don't whine, just tell me where to install it.

" "In the back corner and cover the inlet with plants. "

The little rascal directed. After a dozen or so minutes, I finished the upgrade. The skin on my hands wrinkled with water. I tilted my head and admired my work.

"Okay. Now it's your turn."

I began to demand revenge.

"Cool, cool. And where's the technical inspection?"

The finned one reprimanded me. She examined my work from all sides—from one side, the other, from above. Then she disappeared inside. Minutes passed, and my fish was gone.

"Hey! Did you fall asleep or something!"

I began to lose patience. She poked her head out from behind the curtain of plants.

"What's the big deal? This is going to be my home. Don't you remember how many faults you found in the apartment before you moved in? "

The she-devil was right. I remembered the fights with the administration.

"You're lucky. I have no objections. "

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, sit in the armchair. Now it's my turn. "

I obediently fell into the embrace of the furniture.

"Close your eyes and count to five."

I felt sleepy.

"One... two... three... four... five..."

A frosty wind blew against my cheeks. I opened my eyes. Snow was slowly swirling in the air in large flakes. It covered the roof of the inconspicuous cottage at the edge of the garden with a white blanket. My young body was covered in layers of homemade woolen clothing. I dived into the snow. Occasionally, only the large red pompom of my hat indicated my location. The silence that filled the yard was broken every now and then by my joyful, carefree laughter.

"Andrzej. Come home, enough of this nonsense."

Mom's head appeared in the hallway doorway.

"Wait. I'll just finish the eagle!"

I waved my limbs energetically. Then I rose cautiously, admiring my handiwork.

"Look, Mom, what an eagle!

" "Eagle? More like an eagle,"

she said with a laugh, cradling me in her arms.

"Come on, you'll freeze."

I obediently walked to the hallway, shaking kilograms of white fluff from my clothes.

The hallway. Grandma's kingdom. The stone pots held everything a kitchen might need. A wooden churn waited in the corner for a new batch of cream. The smells mingled, creating a strangely familiar, homely aroma. I opened the kitchen door. A wave of warmth emanating from the large bread oven hit me. In the stove, my great-grandmother was warming her rheumatism-wracked bones. The cats settled at her feet, purring lazily with contentment.

The oven, every week, bestowed upon us hot rectangular loaves of bread. They then landed under a duvet so they wouldn't cool too quickly. You could say the oven took up a significant portion of the tiny room. Wooden floor, wooden walls, wooden beams in the ceiling. A blade of hay stored above occasionally falls through the cracks. A circle of saints encased in paintings peers down at me from the walls. A tiny window, crossed by a wooden cross, barely dispels the gloom. Wooden beds, a wooden wardrobe, an oak table covered with a white linen tablecloth. A wooden kingdom with its own soul. Today, a spreading spruce tree has joined the crowd. It spreads the scent of pine needles around.

"Andrzej, it's time to dress the little green lady. It's not proper for her to stand so naked. "

Grandma Helenka winks at me.

"Sure, Grandma."

I get to work with enthusiasm. Paper chains, fabulously colorful straw birds, walnuts wrapped in tinsel, rosy apples, cookies in various shapes. My tiny hands hang it all on the thick branches.

"Grandma, it's beautiful, isn't it? Say it's beautiful."

I demand praise.

"Wonderful! I couldn't have done it better myself!"

She replies with feigned seriousness.

"And now it's time for what?

" "Stargazing!"

I exclaim, running toward the window. I press my nose to the glass and stare at a patch of sky visible between the branches of the apple trees. I peer so closely that my eyes begin to water. My ears register the pre-Christmas bustle, the sizzle of carp in the pan. My nose fills with the scents of stewed mushrooms, baked cake, and blueberry soup. Suddenly, a spark flashes above the tree branches. It fades, then reappears. I rub my eyes—it's here.

"Grandma! It's here! It's the first star! "

I'm shaking like crazy.

"So it's time to go to the table.

I feel very important. I'm the one who noticed the star. Everyone was waiting for my signal to begin the ceremony. The old oak table groans under the weight of food. The Christmas wafer is white on every plate. Wishes, breaking the wafer—I can't wait for the blueberry soup. I'll be able to admire my purple tongue in front of the mirror again. We finally sit down.

"Grandma. And why is that one plate empty?" I ask, curious.

"It's for a traveler. Maybe someone got lost in the snow, got cold. They'll see the light in the window, come, warm themselves, and eat Christmas Eve dinner with us,"

Grandma explains patiently. I imagine myself walking through the snowdrifts. Suddenly, in the distance, a light flickers on, then flickers off. Just like the star I've been waiting for.

"Time to see if there's anything under the tree."

My mother interrupts my thoughts. I jump up from the table, diving under the green branches. Something glints metallically. I touch the cold metal and pull it out from under the tree.

"Wow! Ice skates!"

My eyes can't get enough of the metal runners and the key-operated frogs.

"Mom, are they mine? Really mine?

" "Yours. Tomorrow, Dad will make you a slide on the river.

So much time until tomorrow." I'm bursting with impatience to try out my gift. But the emotions of the past few moments and the warmth of the stove are taking their toll. My eyelids are growing heavier, and I don't know when I'll end up under the down comforter.

I woke up in the armchair. Veil was looking intently in my direction.

"Did I keep my end of the bargain?"

she asked with a hint of apprehension.

"As if, my little one, as if. I haven't felt so carefree and safe in a long time. "

The next day, it was time for the second act of our agreement.

"What can I do for my little fish today?"

I asked sweetly, first thing in the morning.

"I want a mate. I'm bored alone. There's no one to even talk to.

" "What about me?

" "You don't count, you're far from a fish."

I marched to the store. After an hour, a robust male appeared in the aquarium next to my little fish. I went into the kitchen, leaving them alone.

"Did you bring me someone?"

I suddenly heard an angry voice.

"You wanted a male,"

I said, approaching the glass wall.

"Yes, but not like that. He's a jerk. I want a different one.

" "What am I supposed to do with it?

" "Sorry, that's your business,"

she replied, hiding in the cave. I marched back to the store. I returned laden with a new aquarium and the male in a nylon bag. Gravel, fixtures, and new plants completed the purchases.

I spent the rest of the day installing the new glass house, treating the water, and planting the vegetation. In the evening, the grumpy male wandered off to his new tank. I fell asleep hoping my fish would like his new mate.

"You know absolutely nothing about fish."

She greeted me this morning with a reproach.

"And what did this one do again?"

I asked with resignation in my voice.

"Or rather, what didn't he do? He's a erotomaniac with only one thing on his mind. And I'm not exactly a fish of easy virtue."

The male joined his predecessor. My capricious wife had rejected five more bachelors. The shopkeeper was looking at me with increasing suspicion.

"Sir, are you frying these fish for dinner or what?"

I didn't answer. I took the eighth suitor and trudged home. In the morning, the fish was beaming with happiness. It spread its fins like a bride's veil.

"You did a great job this time."

You could almost say it purred with satisfaction.

"I can fulfill my end of the bargain. Do you know what to do?

" "I know,"

I replied, sitting in the armchair and closing my eyes.

I felt the gentle, warm touch of the sun on my face. Its rays penetrated the treetops, covered with yellowing leaves. Every few seconds, one of them began its final dance in the wind before meeting Mother Earth. Our favorite bench stood at the end of the gravel path to the square in front of the fountain. Ours, meaning mine and my wife's. We came here whenever time and weather permitted. And lately, we haven't complained about the lack of time. Someone, looking from the sidelines, might have thought, "Just another pair of decrepit old men." Oh, how wrong they would be. It's true that our bodies weren't what they had been a dozen years ago. Wrinkles marked our faces, and our old bones demanded warmth. But our eyes betrayed what was hidden in our hearts. They constantly glowed with a warm, serene light. They seemed to say, "We are still young in spirit." The long years we spent together had forged a mystical bond. We didn't have to say a word to each other, and each knew what the other was thinking. Sometimes a single gesture, a single look, expressed more than all the words we could have uttered.

"Grandma, Grandpa."

We suddenly heard a joyful cry. Accompanied by the patter of tiny feet on the gravel. A smile spread across my face.

"Dawid, how did you find us?

" "Because I already know. If you're not home, you're here!"

the resolute five-year-old replies, settling onto my lap. Across the square, I spot my son and daughter-in-law. They wave greetings as they approach our park sanctuary. Dawid, meanwhile, had already rifled through my pockets. The little one knows I always hide treats for him there. I close my eyes with satisfaction. It was worth going through this life, even for one moment like this.

When I opened them again, I regretfully realized I'd returned to my apartment. The fish crouched against the glass wall, staring piercingly into my eyes.

"Thank you, my love." It was... it was wonderful, unforgettable.

I turned to her, my voice breaking with emotion.

"You gave me the meaning of life.

" "It wasn't me. It was your dreams. I only made them a reality,"

she replied, drifting off to her hiding place. For the next few days, I digested recent events. I began to look at life, at the people around me, differently. Something that had emerged from the recesses of my mind took root in my consciousness. Finally, I was ready for the final point of our agreement.

"Sorceress, what is your third wish?" "Oh, it's a small thing,"

she said with cunning in her voice, winking at me.

"You must promise never to sell my children. You may only give them to someone you deem worthy.

" "I promise."

I held up two fingers, not giving the wish any further thought.

"Then it's time to go. Get to your seat."

I obediently obeyed.

I felt the seat shake and vibrate. The roar of something powerful reached my ears. Yes, I can finally afford a bit of extravagance. I've treated myself to a flight on a passenger space shuttle. Finally, after years of work, I can afford it. The engines roar louder and louder. It feels like the fuselage will shatter into a thousand pieces from the constant vibrations. Some enormous force presses me back into the seat. I can't move my arm, not even a finger. I'm a block of concrete, weighing more and more. And suddenly, a miracle. The engines fall silent, and my body sheds hundreds of kilograms in an instant. I glide, unsteadily, toward the observation deck. What I see takes my breath away. The sky isn't black at all. It's a dark blue. I've never seen so many stars in my life. In an instant, I feel small, insignificant. At the same time, I understand that I am a part of everything around me. Even after death, my atoms will remain a part of this world. I drift back to my seat, lost in reflection on the passage of time.

I continue my reflections, returning to my living room furniture. My goldfish has made me realize the meaning of life. It has filled my heart with hope and encouragement. I gazed at it with admiration.

"You are a hundred times better than your predecessor.

" "Don't suck up to me, and remember your promise." From that moment on, I stop talking.

She waved her fin at me in a friendly way. I remembered. A third aquarium arrived, then another, and another. The fish kept growing. Now I have over a hundred.

I'm not complaining. On sunny days, the wall gleams with sunlight, rays reflected off their scales. So far, I've given gifts to five people. Have the offspring inherited their mother's abilities? I don't know. But observing the behavior of the recipients, I'm beginning to suspect they have. Sometimes at night, I think,

"God! If everyone had a fish like that, how much more beautiful life would be.