Sandy Supposes....

Rescue Awry

         September 4th,2023 Blog Week Birthday Bastion Prompt: Choose a photo and start a blog. I opted for the turtle ** Image ID #2302830 Unavailable ** It's fate and who am I to ignore fate? The following is a true story and occurred this past Labour Day Weekend.

         Picture if you will a mother and daughter driving away from a pleasant, fun family reunion of intense nattering disguised as a baby shower. Okay, the mother is me and the driver is my eldest daughter. Basking in the afterglow only the togetherness sprinkled with newborn baby cuddles can inspire we travelled along a dirt-covered backroad.

         "What's that on the road?" queried Carrie,"Is it a turtle? I've never seen one on a road like this. I'm going to help it."

         Carrie braked her car and shifted it into park leaving the engine idling. Not taking her eyes off the creature beyond the vehicle's front end we both remarked on its impressive bulk. Reaching for a fleece blanket on the back seat Carrie swung open the door.

         I couldn't agree with her choice of turtle transport gear.

         "No, not that. You won't be able to feel the turtle. It's too long and floppy."

         "Okay," she replied abandoning her initial plan to instead root around in the hatchback for a pair of leather gloves.

         Did I mention I'd already warned her that the turtle might react to her intervention by biting and scratching? He had no idea he was about to be rescued and his saunter across the road interrupted for his own safety.

         Pulling on the gloves my daughter the newbie turtle-transplanter approached her endangered target. I remained sitting in the front passenger seat and thus enjoyed an unobstructed view of the rescue attempt. An SUV arrived from the opposite direction and braked to take in the unexpected show.

         Inhaling deeply and planting her feet behind the turtle's rear end, Carrie executed the stoop and scoop method of animal retrieval. Grinning, she turned to me with the rescuee held high and then dropped him.

         "Oops, I panicked. He wiggled. My bad."

         That poor creature out for a stroll minding his own turtle business. What could he be thinking? Did the sudden lift and loss of footing startle him? Did his stomach lurch like mine does when hurtling through space on a roller coaster?

         Determined to carry out her good deed my daughter again grabbed and hoisted. Intent on keeping her grip she began to walk towards the shoulder of the road. With her destination within reach Carrie's shoulders relaxed. Operation escort-the-turtle-off-the-road-for-his-own-good seemed destined for success. Carrie stepped as quickly as one can holding a shelled animal at arm's length.

         As I held my breath and noted Carrie's progress the entire rescue skewed sideways. With what she later described as "I screamed like a girl", Carrie threw her arms up in a sudden, dramatic, devastating move. I'm sure my mouth dropped open in disbelief as the turtle launched like a missile into the air. His body hurled in an airborne arc and disappeared in the ditch.

         Carrie's empty hands swung back to her side. She stumbled back towards her car shaking her head.

         "He didn't turtle, he didn't turtle," she muttered. "He wiggled again. I couldn't help it. He'll be okay. He's off the road now."

         I replied, "Not if he landed on his back. He'll be stuck."

         "What do you mean? Can't he roll over?"

         I shook my head and stated I didn't think he could, but perhaps if he landed on a slope he might right himself. Carrie strode to the ditch, but could not see her recent rescuee in the tangle of overgrown weeds and young trees.

         I attempted to bring a bit of brevity to this unexpected outcome.

         "The poor fella didn't wear a helmet and I don't remember him strapped into a parachute, but perhaps he tucked and rolled."

         I confess when Carrie first tossed the turtle we both reacted by laughing and so too did the witness-driver. It was absurd and not something we had ever experienced before. As we sobered Carrie lamented that she'd saved the turtle from a probable crushing death by car and had most likely killed him instead. Did she kill him with kindness?

Later that evening as she shared this mishap Carrie again said, "He didn't turtle."

         Not that she professes to be an expert, but my daughter intent on performing a good deed expected the turtle to retract his head and limbs when she hoisted him up to his eventual doom. We can only hope her next well-intentioned turtle relocation goes off without a hitch, or the rescuee is an experienced frequent flyer.775 words