The Smiling Fish

Most often than not, I end up not clicking pictures. I would end up eating the food or spend hours together brooding over a scene and the thought of an "instagram worthy" picture would not even cross my mind. The same happens when I'm travelling or visiting a place of interest. I tend to experience the place or the moment more through my eyes than through the camera lens. Not that I never click pictures... I do and I have a fair share of those too... but there are not as much photos as there could have been. 

That day I was visiting an aquatic museum. You know those kinds where you walk through the glass tunnels with the marine life swimming over your heads... yes, those ones.It was a surreal feeling. You very well know that you are not inside the sea, but that won't stop you from the feeling of being underwater. I feel, going alone to such places is a big perk because, that allows you to experience the place solely, while taking all its essence as it was meant to be.

So, there I was, engrossed and awestruck with the beauty and the grandeur of the sea. The shoal of fish were going on with their usual.Though it was a glass wall separating us, it felt as if either the fish were not able to see the other side or they simply ignored so many human beings being there. It must be the later reason because, everyday they witness the same scene. But it wasn't the same for me.  I was completely transfixed with the magic.

It was just the entrance section. After a long while of being there, I realized that the human faces around me has changed... probably multiple times now. I thought about moving to the next sections then. I decided to give a last glance around and be then on the move. That is when I noticed it. 

An adorable fish moved across twice. I felt as if it was looking at me. It had a smile too - or so it seemed to me. I was overwhelmed with joy. It was a funny feeling. It was as if the fish was playing hide and seek. It had that mischievous smile, like when you are hiding in plain sight and you want to test whether the seeker has taken notice of you or not.

I was intrigued by the playfulness of the fish. Thankfully, after a few moments, I remembered to click a picture of that scene. Well, the picture did not capture the entire event as I would have liked it to, but it did capture enough to rekindle my memory to that event of that day. That's what pictures are for right... just to rekindle the experience as a reminder that you have lived through such a moment.

I ended up spending a few more minutes there - until the smiling fish moved to the depths of the sea. With that amazing experience at the very beginning itself, I went ahead to explore the further sections of the aquarium. Every section had it's own marvel in place. Yes, I clicked a few pictures too, though they would probably not do enough justice to the beauty of the entire experience. What a bright beautiful day it was!

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