Vincent’s First Interaction with Pond Scum

Belly face down, Vincent peeked over the edge of the embankment. The water was covered with a thin layer of yellowish-green frog slime, yet he could still see several tiny fish darting just below the surface. Grabbing a stick, from underneath the willow that wept around him, Vincent poked the slime hoping to tear it away from the fish. Instead the fish darted and the slime gathered up on the stick, clinging to anything that bothered to touch it. Standing up, Vincent brought the dripping gob of slime just underneath his nose and took a whiff. His face twisted inward from the pungent stench that crept upward from the slime. Throwing the stick forward, he watched it land on top of the gooey muck with a “plop” and slowly become slurped up by the scum.