‘Where is he?’ Rupert was becoming hysterical.

‘I told you, he’s probably just hiding in the pirate ship, maybe he’s found some treasure.’

Hurry up Marc, she pleaded.

She could tell when Rupert was about to have one of his anxiety attacks, one of the many results of his Asperger’s.

Until now the fish had made a positive difference for Rupert, a calming, contemplative pet.

Then this morning she had found the goldfish floating at the top, on it’s side.

There were three pet shops that sold fish nearby. What was taking Marc so long?

She felt a rush of relief as she heard Marc return. ‘Come on,’ she said to Rupert, ‘let’s get breakfast. We’ll check after that.’

She gave a covert nod to Marc as she steered Rupert into the kitchen. Marc entered a moment later, giving her a discreet ‘thumbs-up’ sign.

‘Go and see if he’s come out yet,’ she suggested. Rupert headed out the room.

She breathed a sigh of relief and gave Marc a grateful kiss on the cheek. Crisis averted.

‘Mum!’ Rupert’s cried, ‘I think he’s been eaten by a bigger fish!’

Written as part of Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers. The challenge is to write a flash fiction story or poem in around 175 words, based on the weekly photo prompt. Thanks as always to the challenge host Priceless Joy. For more information visit HERE.

To read other stories based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.