prize in an essay competition.

Nine-year-old Tse Minors wrote a winning essay entitled "Why my pet is special'' where she describes the death of her goldfish, Goldie, at the hands of a "murdering'' relative.

When the smiling little girl came to accept her new fish in a prize ceremony, she turned to her father and said: "I'm lucky, i'nit?'' Tse's entry was part of an Animal Awareness essay competition sponsored by the Mid Ocean News .

When asked why she chose to write about her goldfish, Tse replied: "That's my only pet I ever had...I left for seven days on a cruise and left Goldie with my cousin.

"I guess my cousin didn't feed my fish properly, because I came back and my pet was dead.

"I called her names because I was really mad because she didn't take care of my fish -- but I apologised later,'' she added.

The Saltus student said she was excited about her new fish -- which she said will also be named "Goldie''.

And Tse said the next time she goes on vacation, she will leave her pet with her "nana''.

Tse said she hopes to become a surgeon or a paediatrician when she grows up.

Despite her love for animals, she said she had no plans to become a veterinarian since "I wouldn't want to see them die from me''.

One of the essay judges, Royal Gazette writer Patricia Calnan, said Tse's essay was chosen "for its humour -- which contained elements of sadness''.

"We contacted the people at Pic-A-Pet, who were more than happy to donate a fish to make this little girl happy again,'' said Ms Calnan.

ESSAY GIFT -- Essay competition winner Tse Minors shows off her new goldfish as Mid Ocean News Editor Tim Hodgson and Royal Gazette Editor David L. White look on. See Friday's Mid Ocean News for the Animal Awareness Supplement containing the top essays.

AWARD AWD