Coming into college, one thing that’s constantly discussed is dorm life.
Sharing a space with so many of your peers creates endless chances to make friends and to get into shenanigans. While that often can mean harmless ding-dong ditching and more, the pranks can sometimes become far more elaborate.
One stands out.
A normal Sunday on Jan. 18 turned extraordinary for first-years Julia Tilson and Lili Hacking when they returned to their room to find a mysterious new resident: a live fish in a tank, with no explanation except a note beside it.
The note detailed the fish’s supposed past, reading that he had immigrated from Canada, along with his hobbies, such as liking “long walks on the beach” and being a “good listener.” The note ended by sharing his care instructions.
After the initial shock, the roommates have settled into life as single parents, even naming the fish Goose.
“Goose has brought us together as roommates,” Hacking said.
The fish has also changed the habits of its new human overseers: they now sleep with the windows closed because he is a “fucking tropical fish and needs 70-degree water,” Tilson said passionately.
Nearly two weeks later, Tilson and Hacking still have no idea where the fish came from. But having accepted their new life, the pair has even started making plans for the upcoming block break.
This prank will undoubtedly become a defining moment of both Hacking and Tilson’s first year in the dorms, yet whether it is a positive or negative experience remains to be seen.
Goose was unavailable for comment because, well, Goose is a fish.