Turtles Are My Friends

Entering a wide open and pitch-black sky, Charles left and locked the door behind him. His pace was slow as he walked down the driveway.

Out for his usual evening stroll, Charles smiled and waved at his neighbors. He mosied along, letting his thoughts drift until he spotted something moving off the shore of the community pond. He approached to get a better look and discovered a group of baby turtles emerging from the water.

They all looked up at him with their tiny black eyes and then slowly began turning around. A high-pitched bark erupted from behind Charles, so he looked over his shoulder and saw a dog running towards them.

He jumped up and scooped the turtles into his shirt. They cried out in pain while he laughed as they tucked their heads into their shells. “I just saved your lives, little guys.” His proud eyes crossed over the frightened testudines like they were trophies.

“I have to Instagram this when I get home,” Charles said to no one in particular.
In record time, he had run home and laid the turtles out in his backyard. “Are you guys nice?”
Unphased by his words, they remained hidden. “Wanna be my friends?”

One of the turtles popped its head out and started in the opposite direction. One after the other, they all emerged from their shells and slowly started following behind him.

“I can’t let you go back to the lake. It’s dangerous.”

“Okay,” He explained as he picked up the turtles and put them back into his shirt. “Let’s take you inside and find a better home.”

They softly fell into his bathtub, where they scrambled up the porcelain wall only to fall onto their backs. Pulling this and that out of his closet, he went on the hunt for different supplies. It wasn’t long before he had their new home stocked with lettuce and twigs. One by one, he took them over to their aquarium.

Once they sniffed the lettuce, it was over. Their little legs were squirming around before they could even touch the ground. As a group, they destroyed the lettuce, leaving only the twigs and dirt as leftovers. When they were done, they looked up at Charles for more. He couldn’t help himself after looking into their glistening black eyes. Luckily, some leftover apples were in the fridge, so he decided to cut them up and set them into the enclosure.

Then a loud bang jolted the entire building; Ashley was home. Despite their differences, Ashley and Charles had been together almost ten years. “Charles!” She shouted from the other room. “Why does it smell like fish in here?”
Her expression was blank as she laid her eyes on the terrarium.

“Sorry about that,” Charles acknowledged, waving his hands in front of the turtles. “I will light a candle and give these guys a little bath.”

“Are those?” Ashley’s voice had become a whisper, “turtles?”

“Oh yeah, I saved them from that Pitt the Robinson’s own.”

A shrill piercing scream hit Charles like lightning, “No, Please No.” Ashley took off on her heels and fled towards their bedroom. “No, please not again!” She cried out.

His arms wrapped around her, “what is going on?” He could feel her entire body shaking. “Close the door.” She ordered.

Charles closed the door while Ashley grabbed a towel and threw it in between the gap near the floorboards. “In case they try to crawl under.” She exclaimed in Charles’s face.

“Babe, are you scared of the turtles?”

“YES, I AM,” emphasizing the I as she spoke.

“I promise they aren’t going to hurt you.”

“No, you don’t understand. When I was young, a turtle attacked me.”

He took her hands in his, “this isn’t that turtle, Ashley.”

“I think I know what you need.”

Ashley shook her head, “not if you think it has anything to do with going over there and touching those turtles.” Her entire body shivered as she said the seven-letter word. Somehow his silence convinced her, though, because her following words were, “okay, I’ll try it.”

They tiptoed to the kitchen, where she began to shake again, “I don’t know if I can do this.”

With a soft touch, he pushed her forward until she was right in front of the terrarium.
“Babe, stop. I can’t do this.”

“It’s okay, just open your eyes,” Charles guided her.

“NO Way, this is all too much!” She stepped backward onto Charles’s foot. “Listen, you have to choose. The turtles or me?”

“Ashley, what are you talking about?” His voice began to plead.

“CHOOSE NOW.” She started backing away from the turtles and towards the door.

“Darling, stop think about what you’re doing.”

“No, you stop and think!” She screamed.

“Babe, please don’t do this.”

Then she was gone, and Charles was forced to make one of the most challenging choices of his entire life. He had to choose between the woman he loved and the turtles he loved. Unfortunately, you’ll never get to know what decision he made.