A fish called Orange

This piece was first published in the Press & Journal newspaper on January 11th 2019

In a fish tank at Dingwall Heath Centre lives a goldfish named Orange. She, or is it he (can anyone tell?), is now at least fourteen years old. I know this because she was given to my daughter, along with a companion named Peach, for her ninth birthday. Orange and Peach were soon joined by my son’s fish, Apricot and finally, by the black and swishy-tailed Sharon. All four spent years amusing us as they swam in circles round their tank, which sat on a windowsill in the kitchen. One by one, the inevitable happened.