T TURTLE

When we moved into our house, there was a notch at the bottom of the stockade fence. It was just the right size for a certain box turtle to crawl through. It was too perfect a portal not to have been carved for just that purpose. The turtle in question was about four or five inches in diameter. The letter “T” was painted on it’s shell in red, obviously an old marking. The paint job had split at the seams as the turtle grew. I called it “T Turtle” and allowed it free, unmolested range in and out and throughout my yard. I always kept a sharp eye out for T Turtle on lawn mowing day. Eventually, T Turtle moved on. I haven’t seen it for decades. Perhaps, the neighbors’ kid took T Turtle when they moved. Maybe, it was just a recurring dream I used to have.

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