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Silence: Except for the dribbling of the aquarium. It was a pleasant but not quite musical sound. There were plenty of fish in there, maybe two dozen, tiny and tipped and striped with blues, yellows, orange, red. Their fins flapped and rippled slowly as they hovered over the gravel at the bottom. They always seemed to intend to go somewhere, with those eyes wide open, but they would only dart and glide to the flickering shade of some plastic treasure chest or plant. Fish really are magnificent creatures. Only when you watch them for a while do you really get a sense of it. Such graceful efficiency. People are much more awkward, even out of the water- gangly, fragile. There is just no comparison. And when a human panics, it screams, face contorted, arms and limbs flail. When a fish panics, it quietly gives a flick of the tail and darts off, expressionless. But there was nothing to cause the fish to panic just then. One of them could have gotten up and tapped on the glass, but no one did. It was a big glass tank. They were all tired. It was hard to concentrate on anything. It was going to be a long morning and a long day. The couches were soft and comfortable. Not like at home, but nice just the same. It would have felt good to get out of the suits and ties each of them were wearing. The owner would be back just now. They agreed on it and then they told him. It would be better that the casket be closed.