One of my responsibilities at work is to take care of the base swimming pools, of which there are three. Two of these are outdoor pools and only open during the summer. One of the outdoor pools is in need of serious repair, so much so that we wonder why they even open it every year. Regardless, we just do what we're told.
Also, at the end of the summer, they use this particular shoddy pool for other activities. The first one is a dog swim, where base residents can bring their favourite canines for a dip in the water. The second is a children's fishing day. They stock the pool with about a hundred fish and let the kids come and fish them out.
After all is said and done, there's a lot of dog hair and several uncaught fish still in the pool. That's where Johnny and I come in. Wednesday, we spent all morning catching fish and transporting them to the base pond. Johnny wanted to use bait and hooks and stuff, but I didn't want to hurt the fish, so I insisted we use nets. There were about fifty fish swimming around, and it took a while, but we eventually set them all free. It made me feel really good inside.
Then we finished draining the pools, and now all that's left is this.
There's something sad about an empty pool, like the end of innocence or growing older. I tried to explain this to Johnny, but he told me I was acting all goth, so I just let it go.
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