The Turtle

When I was ten, I found a turtle on the side of the road. Maybe it had crawled out of a ditch. I picked it up and took it home and kept it with me. It was a painter turtle. A couple days passed and I decided I would do the right thing and take it down to the lake, just like in some old Disney movie. My brothers and I went down to the beach. When I reached the water, I took the turtle out of my overalls where I was holding him. I put my face close to his and started saying my goodbyes. "Well Mr Turtle, I'm gonna miss you. I think you'll be a lot happier in the water than living with.." *SNAP* It's beak clamped down on my nose and held on. I didn't yell, nothing and my eyes filled up with tears. My brothers were close by and I knew I wouldn't be able to live this down if they noticed. After about thirty seconds, the turtle let go and retreated into his shell. I fought the urge to chuck it as far as I could. I calmly set it down on the water and it swam away. Walking back up the beach, my brother saw my wet eyes and thought I had been crying. He hugged me and said "It's really for the best little brother."