The Life Of Delinkas-True Story
R.I.P. (~06/1996-10/24/2006)

On a lone summer day at my 6th grade graduation carnival, I won a couple goldfish. Nothing special, just a couple tiny fish in a plastic bag awaiting a new home. Little did I know that in this bag of goldfish which I thought I would be lucky to have some of them last for a couple weeks, I had a very special goldfish.

Over the next several months, one by one the goldfish would pass away, each with parting words thanking my family for the beautiful tank we provided them. However, one goldfish, a very special goldfish, was still swimming around; even after seeing all his friends faced upside down. A couple days passed, then weeks, then months, and he kept truckin away. At that point I decided to name him Delinkas. How did that name come about? I honestly could not tell you. I do know though that I was in my beginning phase of making up random words and names for things such as fish or stuffed animals (this was pre-mesh days), so it was very likely that a couple random syllables put together by myself stuck together for no rhyme or reason. Anyway, that name stuck.

Later the next year, around April another carnival came around, where again, I won some more beautiful specimens of fished gold. Finally after some wait, Delinkas had some new friends, yet one by one they realized they were made for the big buckets and bags of water, not illustrious tanks with a light and fake seaweed. So sadly, one by one they parted ways with now Big brother Delinkas. Except it was a little different this time. There was an odd colored one; a pearl colored fish that somehow stuck around. We kept waiting for him to wave goodbye, but instead every morning he kept waving hello.

Time went by and Delinkas and the white colored fish (not to be confused with whitefish) continued to coexist in this beautiful artifical oceanic environment. So we kept on feeding them those colorful looking flakes, and every time they jumped with joy and excitement of what it might taste like today. At this point I realized, this guy was here for keeps and named him as well. His name would be Delinkas White. To go along with the theme, I amended Delinkas's name to Delinkas Gold. I took after the Chinese, how they put the person's last name first, like Ichiro Suzuki. They were from the Delinkas generation, yet in the Belson family.

And were they ever a part of the Belson family. Delinkas G and W kept getting so big, that we even found them a new home. A brand new tank with its own water filtration system, more rocks, more trees to play hide and seek in, and more love from us.

Delinkas Gold and Delinkas White became best friends. They were brothers from another mother. Yet on a cold cloudy day, tragedy struck. Delinkas White had a tumor. He had a trail of blood that led from his body to his tail. We did know what was wrong with him so we went to the fish doctor and got him some antibiotics. The whole time Delinkas Gold stood by him, giving him support whenever he needed, holding his fin when times got the toughest. However, they fought through and Delinkas White made a miraculous recovery!

But that moment of tribulation would not last long. In the Spring of 2005, Delinkas White tragically passed away. It was kept a secret from me for several months until I got home, as my parents did not want to upset me while I was away.
When I came home, I saw Delinkas Gold, wandering around his tank like a lost, lonely soul. He and I were both having trouble getting over the loss of Delinkas White. I even changed his name back to Delinkas, kinda like Madonna. Yet that still didn't help...

So a couple weeks later, I had an idea. I went to the fish store in my town and looked in the goldfish tank, and in all honesty, there was only one golden fish left swimming around. I had to take him!
So I took him home and put him in the tank with Delinkas. I named this one Delinkas Junior, because standing next to elder Delinkas he looked like his little son.
At first Delinkas did not embrace DJ (as he came to be known) too much. He knew no one could replace Delinkas White and became even more overwhelmed, as he did not want some little kid coming in his town, thinking he ran the show, and trying to eat his food.
Yet one day something happened, and they just clicked. You could see by the way they were swimming around together, rubbing against another, that Delinkas took a liking to Dj and took him under his wing, or his fin. So Delinkas Jr. kept growing, but Delinkas Sr. was at the age where his percentage of growth/year (%gpy) was lower than it had been.

Everything was going splendid in the world of the Delinkas tank, until yesterday, tragedy struck again, and Delinkas Junior was found in the morning in his parting position, upside down in the tank. It was a sad day, and the burial was later that afternoon.

However, something transformed in Delinkas overnight. He was not the same fish that was able to overcome pain and strife anymore. He had his heartbroken too many times, and was getting too old to go through the whole roller coaster ride of life with another fish. So the next day, Delinkas decided it would be his last. Without any warning, or symptoms, like the proud fish that his was, took his bows, and took off to a better place.

I only hope Delinkas is really in a better place now; with plenty of rocks and fake seaweed, and all the food in the world he could ask for. He was a great fish, and not only was like a brother to me as well, but was like a best friend. Anyone who had ever seen Delinkas, knew he was a great fish with such vigor for life and food and fun. I only wish he may rest in peace, and know that no fish will ever replace, the one and only...Delinkas.