[Sangreaal]

I lost Autumn, the ochiba I loved so much, to a heron 4 days ago.

How that bird choked down 14" of FAT koi is beyond me, but gobble her up it did. I cried and cried picking up the few pearly belly scales left of her, as if somehow I could put her back together from the scant remains. She had been the Queen of the Pond and was loved by everyone that met her. (I think a koi is the only animal that can spit water on you and you'd be charmed to death! *smile*)

She was 8" when I got her in February--that's about an inch a month of growth--and she only got prettier in the new pond under the dappled sun. The ginrin of her crown beget a meandering of silver-blue stars down her spine, turning to gold atop her tail tube. Her blues, violets and golds intensified in color, and every scale had a perfect pearly luster. Her indigo netting was perfection. Her body filled out into a powerful structure and to me, she was beauty personified. Devastated is hardly strong enough of a word to describe losing her. I really REALLY loved that koi.

I know you all know what it's like to lose favorites in your collections. I'm not looking for pity here, I just want you all that have lost beloved koi know that I have joined your ranks and know exactly how you felt when it happened to you.

Marie----->who has been MIA for a while