A Fish inside A Bulb

We sat there for a while, Sofia and I. The thick-humid air clung to our skin. Our noses were filled with the sweet, savoury smell of Ropa vieja flowing in from the street market outside our open windows. Our air conditioner had been broken for a while, which was no surprise given its rusted state. The loud whirring noise drove us crazy, so we thought it would be better just to get rid of the damn thing. However, that meant being stuck with the brutal force of summer in Havana.

It sat still - despite the burbling from the erratic swimming of the fish. Its scales were brilliant and shining within the clear blue-green water. It was an enigma, a marvel - hell - it could even be considered a miracle! No matter where the golden fish dashed or swam, the vintage bulb didn’t move an inch…

“Carlos…” Her soft voice interrupted my thoughts, “What do you think it is?”

I was speechless… I had no idea what it was; Sofia was the one who had brought it home. She and I were always interested in strange objects and trinkets, so much so that we centred our jobs around finding things that were supposed to be “lost.” But this - this was something else entirely. We had never seen anything like this out of all the peculiar shit we’ve seen over the years.

She was the one who brought it home, like she does with most things. I’m the analytical of the two of us. She brings us things that may pique our interest; goblets, ruins, treasures and places to explore. I usually would agree with her on what she brought to my desk, after all, we’re partners.

“I-I’m not sure Sofia, it looks like a fish in a lightbulb…”

“Well, should we try to sell it? I mean, if it doesn’t turn up much prophet we could always add it to our collection.” She said poking the lightbulb with her finger, causing it to roll in a circle till it came back to its original position. The water swished around, but the fish swam around unbothered.

“I’m not sure theres much love here mi calabacita. Any seller would think the fish or lightbulb is fake. It’s easy to just paint a fish, and maybe the bottom is a screw-on?”

“I don’t think it’s a screw-on. After all, look how big the fish is compared to the whole it would have to fit in!” The fish was a little bit smaller than half of the lightbulb. Small enough to swim around, but definitely not small enough to fit through the potential hole. That's what it was - definitely an enigma...