ship in a bottle
7
“Hello, is this Spencer?”
Spencer leaned back on his feet as he took up the phone. “Hi, Isabel.”
“You were supposed to come over today! Did you forget?”
“Oh boy, I almost forgot! I’ll be right over.”
With a word at his mother thrown over his shoulder, Spencer practically ran the short distance to Isabel’s house. Before he could even knock on the Apfelbaums’ front door, Isabel had already opened it and was tugging him inside by the wrist. “Come here, come here!”
Isabel led him upstairs. Spencer took note of the new addition in her room-a wide tank, sitting on top of her dresser. “We haven't fed him yet,” said Isabel, “so he’s not moving a lot right now.” The two of them stood on their toes and peered inside the glass.
The tank had been set up so that, on top of the gravel floor, there were about six inches of water on one side, and then a sloped area of gravel and larger rocks on the other side. Near the bright lamp in the corner, Spencer saw it: Isabel’s brand-new red-eared slider. It was tiny! It could easily fit in the palm of Spencer’s small hand. “Wo-o-o-o-ow,” Spencer breathed. Spotting a bit of leftover apple skin near the edge of the water, the turtle began chewing on it. “You’re so lucky, Isabel! You get to keep him in your room too.”
“We’re still thinking of a name for him,” Isabel said.
“What happened to that list we made the other day?” Spencer asked, surprised. He thought for sure that they’d come up with some good potential names.
“I dunno. None of them felt right, especially when we took him home and got a good look at him.”
They sat in deep thought for a moment. “Do you remember when we first met? You said I looked like a turtle. You could call it Spencer.”
Isabel laughed. “I’m not naming my turtle after you!”
“Why not?” asked Spencer.
“Spencer’s a human name. You can’t give a turtle a human name. I was thinking of Leonard Cohen.”
“Leonard Cohen is a human name,” Spencer pointed out, unimpressed.
“Well, I already know a Spencer, and that’s you.” Isabel tapped the glass, and the still-nameless turtle didn’t seem fazed.
“You can’t have too many Spencers.”
“And you can’t have too many Leonard Cohens.”
Spencer blinked, evidently convinced. “Hmmm,” he said, standing on his toes in order to get a better look into the tank. The red slider blinked languorously as it settled itself upon a softer bit of substrate in the corner of its habitat. “Okay then. Heya, Leonard Cohen. Where’s your Suzanne . . . ?”
Minutes later Isabel was hollering excitedly down the stairs for her father, asking if they could have a second turtle named Suzanne to keep Leonard Cohen company.
“One new pet turtle is enough, Isabel,” said Mr. Apfelbaum at the kitchen, obviously attempting to sound very stern, but a smile that was beginning to emerge around the corners of his mouth gave him away. “Speaking of which, why don’t you and Spencer go and feed Leonard Cohen, to celebrate his new name?” He took up a paper towel and handed Isabel a freshly-washed strawberry.
As Spencer was carefully placed the strawberry upon a soft patch of dirt by a rock, Isabel sighed, her nose nearly pressed to the glass. “Well, it was worth a shot.”
“Uh-huh,” Spencer said, somewhat noncommittally, before giving a gasp. “Whoa! He can open his mouth rea-a-a-a-ally wide!”
This particular drabble has been sitting around in my USB for some time now. I had meant to post their first meeting, but I haven't gotten around to finishing that up yet, so yes, when Spencer first meets Isabel she tells him that he looks like a turtle. If I can remember right it goes something like . . . Spencer: "I'm not a turtle, I'm Spencer!" Isabel: "I like turtles." Spencer: "Oh." Then, spoiler!, they make a sandcastle and become BFF's.
Notes:
“Hello, is this Spencer?”
Spencer leaned back on his feet as he took up the phone. “Hi, Isabel.”
“You were supposed to come over today! Did you forget?”
“Oh boy, I almost forgot! I’ll be right over.”
With a word at his mother thrown over his shoulder, Spencer practically ran the short distance to Isabel’s house. Before he could even knock on the Apfelbaums’ front door, Isabel had already opened it and was tugging him inside by the wrist. “Come here, come here!”
Isabel led him upstairs. Spencer took note of the new addition in her room-a wide tank, sitting on top of her dresser. “We haven't fed him yet,” said Isabel, “so he’s not moving a lot right now.” The two of them stood on their toes and peered inside the glass.
The tank had been set up so that, on top of the gravel floor, there were about six inches of water on one side, and then a sloped area of gravel and larger rocks on the other side. Near the bright lamp in the corner, Spencer saw it: Isabel’s brand-new red-eared slider. It was tiny! It could easily fit in the palm of Spencer’s small hand. “Wo-o-o-o-ow,” Spencer breathed. Spotting a bit of leftover apple skin near the edge of the water, the turtle began chewing on it. “You’re so lucky, Isabel! You get to keep him in your room too.”
“We’re still thinking of a name for him,” Isabel said.
“What happened to that list we made the other day?” Spencer asked, surprised. He thought for sure that they’d come up with some good potential names.
“I dunno. None of them felt right, especially when we took him home and got a good look at him.”
They sat in deep thought for a moment. “Do you remember when we first met? You said I looked like a turtle. You could call it Spencer.”
Isabel laughed. “I’m not naming my turtle after you!”
“Why not?” asked Spencer.
“Spencer’s a human name. You can’t give a turtle a human name. I was thinking of Leonard Cohen.”
“Leonard Cohen is a human name,” Spencer pointed out, unimpressed.
“Well, I already know a Spencer, and that’s you.” Isabel tapped the glass, and the still-nameless turtle didn’t seem fazed.
“You can’t have too many Spencers.”
“And you can’t have too many Leonard Cohens.”
Spencer blinked, evidently convinced. “Hmmm,” he said, standing on his toes in order to get a better look into the tank. The red slider blinked languorously as it settled itself upon a softer bit of substrate in the corner of its habitat. “Okay then. Heya, Leonard Cohen. Where’s your Suzanne . . . ?”
Minutes later Isabel was hollering excitedly down the stairs for her father, asking if they could have a second turtle named Suzanne to keep Leonard Cohen company.
“One new pet turtle is enough, Isabel,” said Mr. Apfelbaum at the kitchen, obviously attempting to sound very stern, but a smile that was beginning to emerge around the corners of his mouth gave him away. “Speaking of which, why don’t you and Spencer go and feed Leonard Cohen, to celebrate his new name?” He took up a paper towel and handed Isabel a freshly-washed strawberry.
As Spencer was carefully placed the strawberry upon a soft patch of dirt by a rock, Isabel sighed, her nose nearly pressed to the glass. “Well, it was worth a shot.”
“Uh-huh,” Spencer said, somewhat noncommittally, before giving a gasp. “Whoa! He can open his mouth rea-a-a-a-ally wide!”
This particular drabble has been sitting around in my USB for some time now. I had meant to post their first meeting, but I haven't gotten around to finishing that up yet, so yes, when Spencer first meets Isabel she tells him that he looks like a turtle. If I can remember right it goes something like . . . Spencer: "I'm not a turtle, I'm Spencer!" Isabel: "I like turtles." Spencer: "Oh." Then, spoiler!, they make a sandcastle and become BFF's.
Notes:
- I reckon that Isabel's right. You can't have too many Leonard Cohens.
- To help you understand exactly why these kids love turtles so much-and on a similar vein, Spencer's enthusiasm for Leonard Cohen's eating habits-I recommend having a look into this blog, Turtles Eating Things.