daylia -

The answer to all this is quite simple really.

The trapped fish was in the bedroom(?). You heard it screaming for help before you were fully awake, but failed to take the appropriate action at the time. By the time you were fully awake, the poor fish was probably unconscious and unable to call you again.

Your resistance to leaving was simply your feeling of guilt at realizing, at a low or subconscious level, that you had failed to respond to something that needed your attention. This is similar to the "feeling of dread" people sometimes have after waking from a bad dream. They may be unable to recall the dream, or even that they were dreaming; but the feeling of "badness" may persist and can be quite strong.

Obviously you should immediately install a "call button" for that fish, so that in future emergencies the fish can broadcast a distinctive warning that "I'm stuck and I can't get up."

(And I'm sure you have rearranged the rocks for all of your fish to eliminate traps of the sort this one encountered(?))

John