Microstory 223: Social Piranha

I spent a lot of years trying to blend in with the group. Everyone in my school told me that we should stick together; that we were safer from our predators. But all they want to do all day is eat flesh. I’m not into that. Sure, I like to devour an entire cow now and again, but I mostly like berries. They say, “you’re a piranha! Piranhas don’t eat berries!” But I can’t listen to them. They’re so tasty, and they don’t try to run away from me. Little by little, I would stray from the school, until eventually I decided it was time to just go off on my own. Yes, it was dangerous, but I have to live my life, right? Even if I die at such a young age, at least I’ll know I didn’t compromise my personality. One day, I’m swimming along the river, minding my own business, when I see a berry I’ve never tried before. Yum. Then I see another one. Yum again. Pretty soon, I see tons of berries falling into the water. I make a little game out of it, trying to catch as many as I can before they float away. Eventually, though, the berries are gone. I look up and see a figure on the bank. It appears to be a little girl, but I’m a fish, and I don’t see so good. I do think, however, that she’s smiling at me. She lifts her arm up and throws a berry into the air. I race over and catch it in my mouth. I think she giggles at this, but I’m a fish, and I don’t hear so good. I see her reaching over to a bush, trying to get at a nice group of berries, and so I wait patiently. But then a terrible thing happens; she falls in. I instinctively swim over to her and open my mouth, but I manage to stop myself. No! I’m a vegetarian now! I don’t. Eat. Meat. But it’s so good, NO! Berries are my preference, and I’m not going back on that. I drift next to the little girl as she’s helplessly pulled along the current. She splashes and screams, and her family comes running. Unfortunately, they may be too late. My old school is speeding down the river, hungry for that human flesh. Her parents aren’t going to get to us in time. What am I going to do? I have no choice. Even though everyone is innocent in this scenario, the other piranhas are fish, and they’re less important than the girl. Somehow, I know this. I call upon the strength of the superberries I’ve been eating for years, and ferociously dig into my brethren, killing them all. The little girl thanks me as she’s finally taken from the water.