DOWN

Billy poured a small bag of sand into the fish tank. He half-buried a toy treasure chest in the sand. Next, he placed a little beach chair, from his sister’s doll house, and a blue and white striped umbrella. Finally, he placed the little house he had made of yellow Lego bricks. He poured water into the tank, careful not to disturb the items in the sand. He could not wait to see his Sea-Monkeys born and to watch their adventures. He poured the packet he got in the mail into the water. In a few days, his Sea-Monkeys were hatched!

They looked nothing like the picture, but he was sure they would when they got a little older. A few days later, his sister came into his room. Becky saw the aquarium. “Billy,” she said, “That’s my chair! And that’s my umbrella! Mom! Billy stole my things!” “Shut up, stupid face,” Billy said to her. “Look at what’s inside!” She looked at the tiny creatures swimming around. “Gross,” she said, before leaving the room. After Becky left, Billy heard a tapping noise. At first, he couldn’t figure out where the sound was coming from. Then, he looked at the fish tank. One of the Sea-Monkeys was different. It had eyes like a person. It was tapping on the glass with a small fin (or was it a finger? God, it looked like a finger!). It looked directly at Billy. Billy felt dizzy. His head fell forward, over the tank. He felt a sensation, like falling. He was falling—into the water. His mind began to calm—to simplify. Swim. Eat. Shit. Sleep. Mate. These were his only thoughts.

Becky brought Mom into Billy’s room. “See,” she said, pointing at the aquarium. “They are so gross! Let’s flush them, Mom!”

(300 words)