[Espy]

As a kid, I was allergic to all furry critters (and my dad still is), so we only had fish...

You know those feeder fish that are meant to be, well, fed to other fish and aquatic creatures? I won one of those at the school fair, then picked up a few friends for him at the pet store for a few cents each... I (read: my mom) managed to keep it alive for three years.

My parents were willing to spend the money to get these darn fish a big fish tank with an air and filtration system, and all, back when we weren't all that well off.

The longest-lived one, Peach, actually grew whiskers. She, um... died when my parents and I took a trip one time, because the filter system malfunctioned. I was pretty distraught for a long time.