Don't Put Your Hands in the Water!!

by Debbie & Stan Hauter

Dateline 1998

With the large vat system for our fish collecting business being outside, the local keiki (kids) like to come by and look at the fish, but the "RULES" they have to abide by to do so are as follows:

1. If we are not at home, GO HOME!
2. If we are home, ASK if you can look at the fish!
3. DON'T step on any white pipes!
4. DON'T tease the fish because it's fun to watch them zoom around!
5. DON'T put ANYTHING in the water!
6. And especially, DON'T PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE WATER!!

One day when we were home, four of the smaller keiki came by and asked if they could look at the fish. We said yes and they went merrily on their way. It was about five minutes later that we heard a child excitedly crying and looked up to see him running by the window. We immediately jumped up and caught him halfway down the driveway. When we stopped him he turned around and was holding his finger. Looking closely I could see it was WET. There was no mark on his finger, but by the way he was holding it, something had happened! With the sniffles subsided I looked at him and asked, "You put your hand in the water, didn't you?" Reluctantly, staring at the ground, he nodded his head yes.

Well, the vat system was pretty empty at the time with the exception of four very large Hawaiian Black Triggers, and if you have ever had a Triggerfish, you know that they will bite at anything. The bottom of the vat is dark and it is hard to see them, soooo, when the little boy stuck his hand in the water to play, he got the surprise of his life when one of them nipped at his finger. He wasn't hurt at all, but it just scared him so bad he took off running.

The lesson learned from this was a good one, because after that whenever the keiki came over to look at the fish you can hear them telling the other keiki's, "DON'T PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE WATER!!"

ALOHA!

Debbie & Stan Hauter