'fungus?' i asked.
he nodded slowly . White Fungus. he put the fish on the table. the edge of the fin on its back was white. White Fungus, he said , isn't so bad. i'll cut it off and this fish will be fine. What can i do for you , mister?
I played with a cigarette and smiled at him. 'Like people, i said . the fish , i mean. they get things wrong with them
he held the fish against the wood and cut away the white edges of its fins. the fish was still.
Some thing you can fix , and some you can't , he said. he put some purple stuff on the cut edges of the fins, and put the fish into a small tank. it swam around peacefully.
the thin man dried his hands, sat down and stared at me. he had been good-looking once.