Barbara Woodward, 61, of Gloucester said she spotted her goldfish, which had last been seen in its tank at 11 p.m. the previous night, at 7 a.m. on the floor behind a chest in her home, The Sun reported Monday.

Woodward said she had trouble moving the chest and left the fish, named Ginger, where it was because she assumed it was dead.

However, she said she was shocked when she returned home at 8 p.m. to find Ginger alive and flapping around on the floor.

"I can't believe it. He looked lifeless and I had planned on burying him. It's a real Christmas miracle," she said.

A Gloucester veterinarian said goldfish usually die with minutes of leaving the water as they cannot breathe air.