A Community at Loss, Our Little Mermaid Ariel Becomes Part of Our World
Peace, be still. It is with deep sorrow and a heavy heart that we come to you with the sadness that has fallen over Culpeper House. Ariel, our beloved pet fish in the hexagonal eighty-eight gallon tank, leaped to the end of her life, early Sunday morning.
Unable to divine the time of death, Culpeper House is deeply shocked and saddened by the bizarre events that have taken place. Ariel was two months new to our community.
Matt Pritchard, her long time caretaker, was the first to find Ariel on Sunday morning, “She was trying to make her way out of the door and on to the deck. ”
“Maybe she wanted to eat one of the tomatoes,” remarked Thom Skinner.
Dave, who at first was stunned to silence, is in denial. Seemingly concerned with the remaining two fish - who are currently being treated for cataract-like diseases- has been pacing and only now able to utter these words,
“What Fish? Holy Moses! I was just looking at Lucky and One Eye this morning and thinking that they were doing better. Looking better, y’know?”
The conciliator in the group of Oscars, Ariel was known for eating copious amounts of food and keeping the peace between Lucky and One-Eye - who are waging constant war against each other.
Ariel has been encapsulated in a ziploc bag and laid to rest in the Culpeper House climate-controlled mausoleum, aka our freezer.
“Even now in death she looks peaceful,” adds Thom.
It’s a hard lesson to learn about being content with what you have and staying where you are. It’s like a metaphor for when God puts you where you’re supposed to be and then you go messing with His will. It could end your life as you know it.
Puzzled with questions about why and how, the community is slowly coming together to refocus and turn to God for wisdom and understanding. Still, we know, that with every ending comes a new beginning.
Rest in peace, Ariel.
