I observe

I can distinctly imagine my self at my neighbour’s house in Malaysia, staring at all the colossal cabinets and huge pieces of furniture around me, each one as tall as towers in a village of huts, so it felt to a young three year old. My eyes swept round the room and as blurry as my memory is, I believe the first object that made a big impression on me was the fish tank right in the corner of the room. At the time it seemed as large and as mysterious as the deep blue sea, with such peculiar looking fish, with all-seeing, beady eyes, following me around as I moved about.

I’d show those fish not to spook me. So I walked straight up to them, gave them a good telling off and for good measure I stuck my hand in and picked up the biggest, meanest, plus the most scariest one. The feeling I had next, is one I still recall to this day, one of absolute, gut-wrenching, slimifiying disgust. I still do not know why, but my reaction was a most peculiar one. I ate it.

The sensation felt like my tongue was burning in a hot pan of stir-fry, my gums were being attacked by a volley of bone-shaped arrows and my teeth, well my teeth were working away on their own accord like pistons on a late train to Oxford.

I left no trace of that heinous deed as I immediately replaced the late fish with a rubber one from my toybox.

I will never forget that taste.