Thursday arrived.
And with it came Animal Club.
This was significant.
Not because Animal Club was particularly unusual.
Normally it involved Mr Henley showing the children an animal, talking about how to care for it, and answering approximately forty-seven questions about its dietary preferences.
Last Thursday had been exception. It had been Barry’s first Animal Club and also the guinea pig fiasco… his primary involvement couldn’t be ruled out.
Nobody called it that officially.
Officially, it had been an “unexpectedly energetic Animal Club session involving two guinea pigs, some bedding and a temporary relocation of several classroom objects.”
Unofficially, everyone called it the guinea pig fiasco.
Even Mr Henley.
Especially Mr Henley.
He had not backed out of Animal Club.
This was impressive.
Mrs Abraham had wondered whether he might quietly hand in his resignation, move to Scotland and start a new career repairing clocks.
But no.
Mr Henley was still there.
And this week, he had clearly learned something.
He was being cautious.
Very cautious.
In fact, he had the look of a man who had spent the previous seven days planning for every possible thing a four-year-old could do to an animal.
Which, as it turned out, was still not enough.
Barry and Marmaduke were walking into school together.
“It’s Animal Club today,” Marmaduke said.
“I know.”
“Do you think there’ll be an animal?”
Barry looked at him.
“It is called Animal Club.”
“True.”
“Maybe a lion.”
“No.”
“A tiger?”
“No.”
“A dinosaur?”
“Barry, dinosaurs are extinct.”
“Some.”
“All.”
“Maybe a small one.”
Marmaduke considered this.
“What animal do you think we’ll have?”
Barry thought hard.
“A crocodile.”
“Why?”
“Because Mr Henley likes animals.”
“That doesn’t mean he keeps crocodiles at school.”
Barry shrugged.
“You don’t know.”
Marmaduke nodded.
That was true.
With Mr Henley, almost anything seemed possible.
Although after last week’s guinea pig incident, it was increasingly obvious that Mr Henley was reconsidering the meaning of the word “possible.”
At lunchtime, the children gathered for Animal Club.
Mr Henley stood at the front of the room.
There was no cage.
No box.
No basket.
No suspicious rustling.
No furry creature attempting to escape.
Barry looked disappointed.
Mr Henley smiled.
“Today we’re going to learn about tropical fish.”
Barry’s face changed immediately.
“Tropical fish?”
“Yes.”
“Are they tropical?”
“Yes.”
“Do they live in Barbados?”
“Some species can be found in waters around the Caribbean.”
Barry’s eyes widened.
“Like Barbados?”
“Yes.”
Marmaduke whispered:
“They’re holiday fish.”
Barry nodded.
“I like them already.”
Mr Henley looked around the room.
“Before we start, I want everyone to listen very carefully.”
Barry raised his hand.
“Yes, Barry?”
“Are we allowed to touch them?”
“No.”
Barry lowered his hand.
Mr Henley continued.
“We’re going to learn how to clean a tropical fish tank.”
There was a collective “oooh”.
Mr Henley had brought a small aquarium containing several brightly coloured tropical fish.
They darted around the tank.
Blue.
Orange.
Yellow.
Striped.
Small.
Very fast.
Barry pressed his face almost against the glass.
“Hello.”
One fish swam past.
Barry followed it with his nose.
“Where are you going?”
The fish, sensibly, did not answer.
“What’s that one called?” asked Marmaduke.
“That’s a neon tetra.”
“And that one?”
“Guppy.”
“And that one?”
“Platy.”
Barry pointed.
“That one is looking at me.”
“It probably isn’t,” said Mr Henley.
“It is.”
“Fish don’t really recognise you in that way.”
Barry frowned.
“He does.”
Mr Henley decided not to argue.
He had learned.
Mr Henley explained that fish tanks needed regular cleaning.
“You don’t simply empty everything out and scrub the whole tank,” he explained. “That can actually harm the biological balance the fish need.”
Barry nodded seriously.
Marmaduke nodded too.
Mr Henley explained about removing some water, cleaning equipment safely, checking the filter and making sure the replacement water was treated appropriately.
The children watched carefully.
It was genuinely interesting.
Even Barry was listening.
For almost three consecutive minutes.
Which was an excellent performance.
Then Mr Henley reached the part where the fish needed to be moved temporarily into a holding bucket.
He carefully transferred the fish.
The children gathered around.
The fish swam around in the bucket.
Mr Henley placed it securely on the table.
“Right,” he said. “Now we can clean the tank.”
Barry stared into the bucket.
The fish stared back.
There was a moment.
A very important moment.
A moment in which the universe appeared to whisper:
Don’t.
Barry heard something completely different.
Catch the fish.
His hand moved towards the bucket.
Marmaduke noticed.
“Barry.”
“What?”
“Don’t.”
“I wasn’t.”
“You were.”
“I was looking.”
“With your hand.”
Barry’s hand was now hovering over the water.
Mr Henley turned around.
“Barry.”
Barry froze.
“Yes?”
“Hands out.”
Barry slowly withdrew his hand.
“Okay.”
Mr Henley went back to the tank.
Barry looked at Marmaduke.
Marmaduke looked at Barry.
They had an entire conversation without speaking.
Barry’s face said:
I could catch one.
Marmaduke’s face said:
You absolutely cannot.
Barry’s face said:
But what if I did?
Marmaduke’s face said:
Then Mr Henley would probably turn into smoke.
Barry smiled.
Mr Henley began cleaning the tank.
He carefully removed algae from the glass.
He showed the children the filter.
He explained why fish needed clean, oxygenated water.
He talked about temperature.
He talked about water treatment.
He talked about the importance of not using ordinary tap water without preparing it properly.
The children listened.
Mostly.
Barry was still watching the bucket.
One of the fish swam close to the surface.
Barry leaned forward.
“Hello.”
The fish turned.
Barry smiled.
“He likes me.”
Marmaduke whispered:
“He doesn’t know you.”
“He does.”
“He’s a fish.”
“Fish know things.”
“Not that.”
Barry looked offended.
“Fish are clever.”
Mr Henley glanced over.
“Barry.”
“Yes?”
“Please don’t put your hands in the bucket.”
“I won’t.”
“Thank you.”
Mr Henley turned away.
Barry looked at Marmaduke.
Marmaduke shook his head.
“No.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You were going to.”
“No I wasn’t.”
“You were thinking it.”
Barry looked impressed.
“You can read my thoughts.”
“No.”
“You can.”
“I’ve just known you for ages.”
“Oh.”
The children were then allowed to help with some of the safer parts of the tank cleaning.
They took turns wiping the outside of the aquarium.
They watched Mr Henley clean the equipment.
They learned that looking after an aquarium was considerably more complicated than putting a fish in a bowl and remembering to feed it whenever you happened to notice it.
Barry listened carefully.
Then asked:
“Could you have a fish in a bowl?”
“You can keep some fish in suitable bowls or tanks, but it depends on the species and their needs.”
“Could you have one in a glass?”
“No.”
“A bucket?”
“No.”
“A swimming pool?”
“No.”
“A bath?”
“No.”
“Barbados?”
Marmaduke laughed.
Mr Henley sighed.
“Fish need appropriate environments.”
“What about a shark?”
“No.”
“A tiny shark?”
“No.”
“A baby shark?”
Mr Henley stared at him.
Barry smiled.
“Just asking.”
Eventually the tank was clean.
The children watched as Mr Henley carefully returned the fish.
They swam into their newly cleaned home.
Everyone clapped.
Except Barry.
Barry looked disappointed.
“You didn’t let me catch one.”
Mr Henley stared at him.
“Because you’re not supposed to catch them.”
“I could have been gentle.”
“You were reaching into the bucket.”
“I was investigating.”
“With your fingers.”
“Yes.”
“That is not investigating.”
“It is for me.”
Mr Henley took a breath.
“Barry, fish are not toys.”
Barry looked at the fish.
“I know.”
“They are living animals.”
“I know.”
“They need careful handling.”
“I know.”
“And you shouldn’t try to catch them because you’re curious.”
Barry nodded.
Then asked:
“Can I catch one when I’m bigger?”
“No.”
“How big?”
“No size.”
Barry frowned.
“That’s unfair.”
Mr Henley smiled.
“Life is full of disappointments.”
At the end of Animal Club, Mr Henley gathered everyone together.
“Who can tell me one thing they’ve learned today?”
Hands shot up.
“Fish need clean water!”
“Fish need oxygen!”
“You have to treat the water!”
“Different fish have different needs!”
Mr Henley nodded proudly.
“Excellent.”
Barry raised his hand.
Mr Henley hesitated.
“Yes, Barry?”
“You should never catch tropical fish in a bucket.”
Mr Henley looked genuinely surprised.
“Yes.”
Barry nodded.
“I learned that.”
“That is correct.”
Barry smiled.
“And I didn’t.”
Mr Henley looked at him.
“Didn’t what?”
“Catch one.”
There was a pause.
Marmaduke grinned.
Mr Henley stared at Barry.
“That’s true.”
“I was very good.”
“You were.”
“I nearly did.”
Mr Henley sighed.
“I know.”
“But I didn’t.”
“No.”
“So I did really well.”
Mr Henley looked around the room.
He considered the question.
Then smiled.
“Yes, Barry. You did.”
Barry beamed.
“Can I have a sticker?”
Mr Henley laughed.
“Maybe.”
After school, Barry and Marmaduke walked home together.
“Animal Club was brilliant,” said Marmaduke.
“Yes.”
“You nearly caught a fish.”
“I know.”
“You weren’t supposed to.”
“I know.”
“Why did you want to?”
Barry shrugged.
“I wanted to see if it felt slippery.”
Marmaduke thought about this.
“Probably.”
Barry nodded.
“Next week I won’t try to catch anything.”
Marmaduke looked impressed.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Promise?”
“Yes.”
“What if there’s a snake?”
Barry thought about it.
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“Whether it’s friendly.”
Marmaduke groaned.
“Barry!”
“What?”
“You just promised.”
“I said I wouldn’t catch anything.”
“Good.”
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t look.”
Marmaduke sighed.
“That sounds like trouble.”
Barry grinned.
“It usually is.”
Leave a comment