The Lesson
We raised the killifish from the time they were eggs. Day by day the hatchlings grew: eyes bulging, bellies plump and pink. Each day a different kid used tweezers to drop in the flakes, never more than the fish could eat at one time. Soon we could tell which was male and which was female and recognize each fish as an individual. Each had its own little quirks. One day Mr. McCravey poured a thick blue liquid into the tank and the fish slowly died. A girl in the back gasped: “Why are we doing this?” We turned and glared at her. She was new to this school and hadn’t yet learned not to ask questions.