I can see them mobilizing from across the room, rising out of the ground like the Undead from their graves. The other fish don’t even like to be touched by them, by the zombie snails. Their sudden appearance can only mean one thing, that death is somewhere nearby.
Five of them in a line on the glass as if mindlessly answering some chthonic Summons.
I rush to the aquarium to do a headcount, thinking “Not the dragonet! Not one of the blennies! Not the gobie!” At least all the main characters are still there.
I follow the snails’ trajectory and see Shrimpy up there in the corner with the body of one of the larger hermit crabs. He’s ripping and tearing with his cartoonishly tiny claws. Jeez, Shrimpy!
One thing this tiny little ecosystem has impressed upon me is that Nature is harsh, and EVERYONE is potentially someone else’s dinner if they let their guard down!
