Rest in peace, fellas!

Since it has been relatively light at 5:30 a.m. lately, when I send Hooch out for his a.m. urination, I go out too and water flowers. Every so often, I notice the fountain has been tipped over in the pond. This can happen when the mechanism needs to be cleaned out so it's not something that makes me suspicious. Yesterday morning, I went outside to find it tipped over and a big wet spot on the deck next to it. That made me suspicious. I uprighted the fountain and saw the three fellas swimming around. When I mentioned this to Big A, he figured some animal was bathing in it since it has been weeks since we've had much rain.

This morning, however, I go out with Hooch and again it's tipped over but there is a smaller wet spot on the deck. I upright the fountain and do my search for the boys. I can't see them. I go in and get a flashlight and still I can't find anyone. I go back in and inform the still snoozing Big A that when it gets lighter out, he may want to check on his fish because the fountain was tipped over and I can't find them. This causes Big A to get up right then and head out. He too doesn't see them. Ben, Franco and Thor are gone. Completely vanished. No carcass laying in the surrounding areas. Nothing. Vamoose.

Big A thinks a human came in and took them. I think they were eaten by some type of wildlife if such a thing is possible.

Here is my tribute and farewell to the three boys (going left to right):

Thor: You were the new guy this year but you blended in seamlessly. That is no small task since Ben and Franco tagteamed the poor new guy last summer. They picked on him so much that we believe that he chose to kill himself by jumping out of the pond the first chance he got. I admire your tenacity in such situations. The sad part is that you were just beginning to get comfortable with the daily 3:30 p.m. feedings that we didn't scare you anymore too. Your bright, sunny head will be missed.

Franco: Don't tell the other two but secretly, you were my favorite. You were always the one staring at my back when you wintered inside the house and I was on the computer. You were always the one giving me that puppy dog look, hoping I would give you a pinch of the dried blood worms. You know I couldn't resist that look and would eventually cave. You're the one I missed most once we moved you outside. I know you were happier being in the larger pond than in that aquarium with no sunken ship or bright pink rocks on the bottom but I think I'm allowed to be selfish for a moment. Sure I didn't approve of you and Ben's tough guy attitude with the new guy but I assume there most me some weird form of hierarchy in the fish world so I tried not to let it color my perception of you too much. I'll miss you the most.

Ben: Despite not being able to outsmart a raccoon or a human and possibly now meeting your maker, you are a true survivor. You outlived all of the other "12 for a dollar" fish that first winter we had a pond. It was fun watching you grow into the huge orange fish that you became over the past 3 summers. I apologize for all the times I teased you when you were pooping in the tank and taking that picture of you in the midst of it. I'm sure you wanted your privacy but there was just no place to go. You can blame your father for that one. Despite the pleas from my blog readers and occasional comments from myself, the decor in your winter home just never came about. I'm sorry that your life had to end the way that it did. You deserved going out in a better way like exploding from eating too many bloodworms.

It's a sad day.