Epilogue

---

The curving edge of morning passed slowly over the sky. Waterfalls of orchids hung lazily within the branches of the tree at the edge of Orchid Pond. Below, lying on its side between two root-knees of the tree, lay a gallon glass jar. The mouth of the jar was crammed with bright green algae, and as the first rays of morning sun touched the jar, a tiny bright blue flame seemed to blossom and die in its depths, beneath the water. Again it appeared and died, sparkling high into the moist air over the pond.

Beneath the water, in the back of the jar, a crab was just finishing its breakfast. Twinkling, peacock-blue scales reflected the morning light as they clung gaily to its shell. Dangling from its outstretched pincers were long shreds of flesh from the blue tail of a guppy. It wiped the tail-shreds away with a scraping movement, and proceeded to sidestep its way under the algae and out of the jar.

High above, at the top of the flame tree, and exquisite orchid blossom broke loose and floated on the gentle breeze to land on the opposite side of the water, next to a submerged branch which had broken away from a tree in the winter's storm. Treading water, close to the wood, a glimmering, golden female guppy was hiding, the darker back portion of her body almost invisible against the shadows below. She straightened her body and strained against the current, and as she did so, a vent on the bottom side of her low-slung belly opened, and a miracle began to happen.

(c) 1993 Carson Clippard