in which turtle and little dude go to the seaside

[gentle_edgar]

After much discussion, they settled on the beach as a destination, agreeing that it had become a cliche for very good reason: namely, fewer biting insects, at least when the wind blew from the sea, as was usual. What they had forgotten while making the decision, however, was that the beach had other attractions, such as sun and surf, and that the consequence (or perhaps cause) of being a cliche was its popularity as a destination during the summer vacation.

The turtle and the little dude stood side by side at the edge of the beach, beach umbrella and blow-up ball in hand, and stared in horrified silence at the thousands of bodies strewn down the shore, stretching into the distant horizon.

And then they went home again. Perhaps they'd return in October. Perhaps, next time, they'd just stay home in the first place.