Lemon was a super fish, and by that, I mean he was invincible.

He came to me as a Christmas present from my darling adopted sister, Liana, my Senior year of high school. He stayed up with my for so many of my late French paper and watched me fall asleep as I tried to stay away and read for English. When I ventured away from home and moved into college, Lemon came along, too. He adjusted, alongside me, to the new surroundings and noises of a dorm room. Over Thanksgiving break, he survived for five days without food. I knew after that, he could do anything. That Christmas, I upgraded his fish tank as he had grown significantly over the year and I decided he deserved it. I left him in my mother and sister's care while I went to Florida for Spring break and they took care of him beautifully. I added a fake plant to his surroundings and he discovered thenew fun game of picking the bubbles off the leaves. Somehow he got a rip in his tail fin on journey back to school from Spring Break but it healed within a week. He was a super-fish, you know.

When summer came, Lemon even accompanied me up to Hanover, NH and grew to like the summer life at Dartmouth College. When the fall came, we were once again back to UMass. This past Thanksgiving I took him home with me- better not tempt fate twice, although I knew he could do it. Christmas break, too, he took the trip back home with me but instead of staying in my room like usual, I set him on a shelf in the dining room where everyone who walked by could say hello. He was such a social fish.

Now, just after having made the trip to home and back for Spring Break, he has met his Maker. I don't know why he jumped out of the bowl and I never will. All I know is that he was there last night and that I found him beside my bookshelf this afternoon. I hope the fall didn't hurt too much, little guy, and that you didn't suffer for too long in the open air. I loved having you around for the past 28 months. There's already a noticeable void on my bookshelf where you used to swim. I'll miss hearing you moving your rocks as I go to sleep. I'll miss seeing a flash of your shimmering orange color when I glance towards the window in the afternoon. You're going to be hard to replace.

RIP Lemon
(Jan 2005- 29 March 2007)