Thought and Memory - The key

One day, when walking in the beautiful gardens, she came to a fishpond, where golden and black carp seemed as sunset clouds against a chill sky. Something in the depths caught her eye, and as she stared, she saw it was a key, hard and black against the pebbles. She went to reach into the water, then paused as she saw how the carp nearest to her had scales of bronze and how, as it moved with the meerest flick of its tail, it seemed more than just a fish. It met her eye, and she saw it was daring her to try.