Planting a Garden

Once upon a time, just the other day, there lived a family of five just down the street. Some days Momma stayed home, and some days Daddy stayed home. Every day Ava Anne, Savannah Lynn, and Hunter Thomas stayed home. Nothing extravagant ever seemed to happen. In fact, every day seemed almost the same as the day before. When Ava Anne, Savannah Lynn and Hunter Thomas awoke, they would tiptoe out of their bedrooms, down the hall, and to the kitchen. Momma or Daddy would be there or on the nearby couch, reading or eating or doing something uninteresting like sorting mail.

On this particular day, Momma and Daddy were both awake first. They tiptoed down the hall so as not to wake Ava Anne, Savannah Lynn, or Hunter Thomas. After full mugs of hot coffee and crunchy toast with butter and strawberry jam Momma slipped on her garden clogs and Daddy pulled on his brown leather cowboy boots.

The spring-time sun was shining just above the trees, birds were singing, and the grass was still wet with dew. Today was the day to plant the gardens. Momma cared for the gardens in the front of the house. They were mostly flower gardens with a few strawberry and rhubarb plants, too.

Daddy mostly cared for the gardens behind the house. Every year he planted a variety of vegetables. He also tended to several fruit trees around the yard. Today he had bags of seeds, fertilizer, and small flower plants.

Inside the house, Ava Anne had heard Momma and Daddy getting ready. She rubbed her eyes and rolled over to see if Savannah Lynn was awake.

“Savannah Lynn, wake up.” Ava Anne waited for Savannah Lynn’s response. “Savannah Lynn, let’s go out to the gardens with Momma and Daddy. They’re planting today.”

Savannah Lynn rubbed her sleepy eyes and yawned. “Ok.”

They quickly dressed in old jeans and shirts they could get dirty. Ava Anne pulled on rain boots and Savannah Lynn pulled on cowgirl boots. After eating toast with butter and jam they, too, went out to the gardens.

Savannah Lynn found Momma in the front. Momma was planting several flats of Zinnias in the soft, tilled soil.

“These will be pink and orange and red and yellow,” Momma told Savannah Lynn. “They will be tall and beautiful. Will you help me plant them?’

Savannah Lynn watched how Momma dug a hole with a small, handheld shovel and placed a single plant in the hole. Then she covered up the hole with dirt. Then she knelt down in the dirt and began planting.

In the vegetable garden, Daddy was showing Ava Anne how to plant seeds for corn. He had already dug five shallow trenches. He showed Ava Anne how far apart to drop each seed. As Ava Anne dropped the seeds Daddy followed behind her with a hoe to cover the seeds with dirt.

When they finished the corn rows Daddy said, “How about some pole beans? First, I need to pound these steaks in the ground. Then, we’ll attach some wire for the beans to grow on.”

Ava Anne always thought of eating juicy steak when Daddy talked about the steaks, or poles, he used in the garden. She giggled.

“What’s so funny?” Daddy asked.

“When you said ‘steaks’ I thought of eating venison steaks,” Ava Anne said.

Daddy grinned. “You sure are a funny one.”

Ava Anne looked at the flats of flower plants and searched for worms while Daddy pounded the steaks into the ground and strung up the wire. In no time, it seemed, the pole beans were in the ground and Daddy and Ava Anne were planting tomatoes. Ava Anne only liked garden-fresh, sun-warmed tomatoes.

By ten o’clock Daddy and Ava Anne had planted half of their huge vegetable garden. Momma and Savannah Lynn had planted all of the Zinnias and were weeding another small flower garden.

“How about a snack?” Momma asked as she and Savannah Lynn walked up to the vegetable garden.

“Yeah!” Ava Anne said. “I’m hungry!”

Daddy stood up with a trickle of sweat on his face. “I could go for something cold to drink.”

Momma looked around. “Looks like you two have gotten a lot done,” she said.

“We have,” Daddy said, “But we still have half the garden to go. Did you get the flowers planted?”

“We planted lots of flowers,” Savannah Lynn replied.

“We planted all the Zinnias and pulled some weeds, but we still have some flowers to plant in the side garden,” Momma said.

“Alright, let’s get a snack so we can get back to work,” Daddy said.

“Let’s go!” Savannah Lynn yelled as she grabbed Ava Anne’s hand and ran toward the house.

Momma and Daddy smiled. They loved spring-time gardening with their girls.

Butterfly House

Once upon a time, just the other day, there lived a family of five just down the street. Some days Momma stayed home, and some days Daddy stayed home. Every day Ava Anne, Savannah Lynn, and Hunter Thomas stayed home. Nothing extravagant ever seemed to happen. In fact, every day seemed almost the same as the day before. When Ava Anne, Savannah Lynn and Hunter Thomas awoke, they would tiptoe out of their bedrooms, down the hall, and to the kitchen. Momma or Daddy would be there or on the nearby couch, reading or eating or doing something uninteresting like sorting mail.

On this particular day, they were celebrating. It was the first day of spring. Everyone was awake and happily eating breakfast together. Today they were going to visit a butterfly house. Momma and Daddy had been talking about it for weeks, saying they would take Ava Anne, Savannah Lynn, and Hunter Thomas on the first day of spring.

Ava Anne had visited a butterfly house once before. She knew how magical it was to have butterflies landing on her arms and in her hair. She told Savannah Lynn and Hunter Thomas—who had never been to a butterfly house—how much they would love it.

“Is it time to go yet?” Savannah Lynn asked as she shoved the last bite of cereal in her mouth.

“In just a few minutes,” Momma replied. “You all need to finish your breakfast. Oh! I need to grab the camera, too.”

Daddy peered over his morning newspaper at Hunter Thomas.

“Are you ready to see those butterflies?” Daddy asked Hunter Thomas.

Hunter Thomas grinned and nodded.

“You know, there are birds, too. Maybe one of them will let you pet him,” Daddy said.

Hunter Thomas’s eyes grew bigger. He wondered what kinds of birds lived in the butterfly house.

“Ahw theh-ah wizards?” Hunter Thomas asked with wide eyes.

Daddy grinned and said, “No, I don’t think there are any lizards at the butterfly house, but you never know. We can certainly look for some.”

“Ok,” Momma said, “time to go!”

Ava Anne and Savannah Lynn had already taken their cereal bowls to the sink. Now they dashed toward the door. Hunter Thomas put down his spoon and ran to the door where his shoes were. He sat down and tried to stuff his feet into his new sandals.

“C’mon, Hunter Thomas, let’s go!” Ava Anne said impatiently.

Momma helped Hunter Thomas finish putting on his shoes, and the family of five was out the door. They climbed into their green minivan, buckled their seat belts, and off they went!

“How long will it take to get there?” Ava Anne asked.

“Oh, half an hour,” Daddy replied. “When the clock says ten o’clock, we should be there.”

“That’s kind of a long time,” Ava Anne said.

Momma put in their favorite music to pass the time more quickly. Sure enough, before they knew it, Daddy was pulling the minivan into the parking lot of the butterfly house.

“Ahw we he-ah?” Hunter Thomas asked.

“Yes!” Ava Anne answered.

She could hardly wait until Daddy had parked the minivan to unbuckle her seat belt. She and Savannah Lynn raced to the door before Momma could get Hunter Thomas out of his car seat.

Once inside, everyone received a large butterfly sticker to place on her shirt. This let the workers know they had paid to see the butterflies. They were also instructed not to touch the butterflies’ wings because this could harm them.

Finally, the family of five was allowed to slowly enter the butterfly house. They passed through two sets of doors designed to help keep the butterflies inside. Right inside the door was a large palm tree. The butterfly house warm and humid.

“Oh! Look at the waterfall,” Savannah Lynn said.

At the bottom of the small waterfall was a pool with many fish.

“Fish!” Hunter Thomas exclaimed. “Can we catch one?”

“No, the fish need to stay in the water to live,” Daddy said.

Just then a big, blue butterfly landed on the rocks between Ava Anne and Savannah Lynn. Momma had her camera ready and snapped a picture.

The family of five saw many more beautiful butterflies, and Momma snapped many more pictures. Without a doubt, everyone enjoyed the butterfly house. It was a magical first day of spring.

Frank the Repair Man

Once upon a time, just the other day, there lived a family of five just down the street. Some days Momma stayed home, and some days Daddy stayed home. Every day Ava Anne, Savannah Lynn, and Hunter Thomas stayed home. Nothing extravagant ever seemed to happen. In fact, every day seemed almost the same as the day before. When Ava Anne, Savannah Lynn and Hunter Thomas awoke, they would tiptoe out of their bedrooms, down the hall, and to the kitchen. Momma or Daddy would be there or on the nearby couch, reading or eating or doing something uninteresting like sorting mail.

On this particular day, Ava Anne awoke first. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and rolled over. The sun was shining it an early-morning sort of way. Ava Anne yawned and slid out of bed. She tiptoed down the hall and toward the kitchen. Daddy was on the couch reading when Ava Anne entered the room.

“Good morning, beautiful,” Daddy sad with a smile.

He put down his book and reached to give Ava Anne a hug.

“A repair man is supposed to be here soon to fix the sink. You may want to get dressed before he comes,” Daddy said.

Ava Anne nodded and yawned.

“I’m hungry,” Ava Anne said.

Ava Anne made a piece of toast with lots of butter and strawberry freezer jam Momma and Daddy had made in the summer. The toast crunched and crumbled in her mouth as she walked back to her bedroom to put on her clothes. As Ava Anne stood in front of the closet wondering what to wear, the doorbell rang. It was the repair man.

Ava Anne decided to play outside while the repair man fixed the sink. She always felt strange when people she did not know came to fix things. She always seemed to be in the way of their work. Ava Anne swallowed the last bite of toast and pulled out a striped shirt and jeans. She slid on her cowgirl boots and ran down the hall toward the kitchen.

“Dad, I’m going outside!” Ava Anne announced.

“Ok,” Daddy said in between discussing the sink with the repair man.

Ava Anne ran across the long back porch, jumped onto the grass, and stopped. What should I do? She thought. Climb a tree? Build a fort? Cats!

Ava Anne walked slowly around the house so as not to scare the cats. She was hoping to find at least one of them laying in the sun on the driveway. Sure enough, Ava Anne found Oreo sunning himself.

“Kitty, kitty, kitty,” Ava Anne called in a high pitched little voice.

Oreo looked up at her and rolled over on his back. He wanted a belly rub.

“Aw, you’re so cute,” Ava Anne crooned.

She sat down and rubbed Oreo’s black and white belly. He hopped up and walked all the way around Ava Anne, rubbing his side on hers as he walked. Ava Anne giggled. When Oreo found her hand again he licked it with his rough tongue.

“Oreo! You’re tongue is so scratchy!” Ava Anne exclaimed.

She knew Oreo was just loving her back, but his tongue did not always feel good on her hand.

Just then Ava Anne heard the door open. Oreo glanced up quickly at the sound. Out of the door walked the repair man. He saw Ava Anne and Oreo and walked right over.

“Good morning,” he said. “This cat just loves to have a belly rub. When I got out of my truck this morning he rolled over right in front of me.”

Ava Anne was unsure what to say. She did not know the repair man, but she guessed he was all right since Daddy had been talking to him in the house.

“Yeah, he likes that,” Ava Anne finally said.

Now Oreo was licking the repair man’s hand vigorously. He laughed.

“He sure is a friendly cat. Oh, my name’s Frank,” the repair man said.

“My name’s Ava Anne,” Ava Anne said.

“Well, I better be back to work. I’ve got a sink to fix.”

“Ok,” Ava Anne said.

Frank looked for something in his truck and then walked back up to the house. Ava Anne watched him. The door clicked shut. He’s nice. She thought. Lots of people don’t like cats, but he thinks they’re friendly. Ava Anne was glad Frank liked Oreo. He was a pretty nice guy after all. Maybe next time she would introduce him to Butterscotch.

Polnailish

Once upon a time, just the other day, there lived a family of five just down the street. Some days Momma stayed home, and some days Daddy stayed home. Every day Ava Anne, Savannah Lynn, and Hunter Thomas stayed home. Nothing extravagant ever seemed to happen. In fact, every day seemed almost the same as the day before. When Ava Anne, Savannah Lynn and Hunter Thomas awoke, they would tiptoe out of their bedrooms, down the hall, and to the kitchen. Momma or Daddy would be there or on the nearby couch, reading or eating or doing something uninteresting like sorting mail.

On this particular day, Savannah Lynn awakened first. Well, she thought, it’s no fun to be awake first because there’s no one to play with. So, Savannah Lynn rolled over and kissed her big sissy on the cheek. Then she waited and stared, with her face very close to Ava Anne’s.

After just a few moments, Ava Anne blinked open her eyes and scowled.

“Savannah Lynn, what are you doing?” She mumbled.

Savannah Lynn giggled. Her nose was almost touching Ava Anne’s face.

“Waiting for you to get up,” she said in a high pitched voice.

Ava Anne sighed a deep sigh.

“Fine. But let’s get dressed so we can go outside and play.”

“I’m going to where my favorite shirt,” Savannah Lynn said as she pulled out her dresser drawer.

“What’s your favorite shirt?” Ava Anne asked.

“My polnailish shirt,” Savannah Lynn replied.

Ava Anne twisted her face. “Your what shirt?”

“My polnailish shirt.”

Savannah Lynn dug through one very large drawer and finally came out with the shirt. It was a white turtleneck with a pink and red print. The print was of lipstick and nail polish.

“Savannah Lynn, that’s nail polish not polnailish,” Ava Anne said.

“Whatever,” replied Savannah Lynn.

When Ava Anne and Savannah Lynn were fully dressed, they tip toed down the hall and toward the kitchen where Momma was making blueberry muffins.

“Good morning, girls,” Momma said as she glanced up from her work.

“Mom,” Ava Anne said in a whiny voice, “Savannah Lynn keeps calling it polnailish. And it’s not polnailish it’s nail polish! Make her stop.”

Momma stared at Ava Anne for a moment and grinned; she looked at Savannah Lynn in her lipstick and polnailish print shirt.

“She can call it whatever she wants, Ava Anne,” Momma replied.

“But, Mom! It’s so annoying. Why can’t she just use the right words?”

By now, Savannah Lynn had grown tired of the conversation and was in the living room watching cartoons.

“Ava Anne, she’s only five years old and it’s cute. So let her say polnailish if she wants to, ok?” Momma said.

Momma was not in the mood for Ava Anne’s whining, nor was she in a hurry to turn her little five year old into a big girl.

“Ugh! Fine.” Ava Anne said as she quickly turned and left the kitchen.

“What do you want to play, Savannah Lynn?” Ava Anne asked.

“Want to paint my nails?” asked Savannah Lynn.

“I guess. What color nail polish do you want?”

“I want purple polnailish, please,” Savannah Lynn said with a smile.

“Ok. Purple nail polish.”

“Yep. Purple polnailish.”

“Whatever,” Ava Anne said.

“Polnailish,” Savannah Lynn replied.

Do You Want To Go Hunting With Me?

Once upon a time, just the other day, there lived a family of five just down the street. Some days Momma stayed home, and some days Daddy stayed home. Every day Ava Anne, Savannah Lynn, and Hunter Thomas stayed home. Nothing extravagant ever seemed to happen. In fact, every day seemed almost the same as the day before. When Ava Anne, Savannah Lynn and Hunter Thomas awoke, they would tiptoe out of their bedrooms, down the hall, and to the kitchen. Momma or Daddy would be there or on the nearby couch, reading or eating or doing something uninteresting like sorting mail.

On this particular day, Daddy was the very first person out of bed. He awakened so early it was still very dark outside. He tiptoed around his bedroom so as not to wake Momma. He pulled his clothes on and brushed his teeth very quietly. Then he tiptoed down the hall and into Ava Anne and Savannah Lynn’s room.

Both Ava Anne and Savannah Lynn were sleeping soundly. Daddy tiptoed to where Ava Anne was sleeping. He kissed her forehead and brushed her long hair out of her face.

“Do you want to go hunting with me?” Daddy whispered.

Ava Anne pulled herself out of a dream and blinked at Daddy. It was too early to smile, but she nodded and sat up.

“Ok, get dressed and come on out to the kitchen,” Daddy whispered again.

As Daddy tiptoed out of the dark room and into the dimly lit hallway, Ava Anne slowly crawled out of her warm bed. She loved hunting with Daddy, but she was not so fond of waking up in the middle of the night.

At last, Daddy and Ava Anne were ready. They had their camouflage clothes on, flashlights in their pockets, and snacks in their backpacks. Ava Anne climbed up into Daddy’s big truck and buckled her seat belt. She knew she had a while to sleep before they would get to the woods.

Daddy turned on some old country music and pulled out of the driveway. There were no others cars out on the country roads this time of night.

When Daddy pulled into the field an hour later, Ava Anne awoke. The truck bumped up and down, side to side as Daddy carefully drove to the back of a long field. He finally pulled to a stop near a small bridge that crossed a creek.

“Ok,” Daddy said, “let’s go.”

Ava Anne dug in her pocket to find her small flashlight. She climbed down from the truck and very quietly closed the door. If they slammed their doors, they might scare all the deer away.

Ava Anne waited for Daddy to hand her backpack to her. Daddy swung his own backpack over his shoulders, fit his folding stool over his right shoulder, and carried his bow in his left hand. With his one free hand, he turned on his small headlamp and started walking.

Ava Anne walked right behind and sometimes next to Daddy. It was a long walk over the creek, through another field, into a meadow, and into the dark woods. The woods always scared Ava Anne just a little, but she knew Daddy was right there with her.

Daddy walked carefully, trying not to crack any sticks or shuffle his feet. Seemingly little noises could easily alert the deer that danger was nearby. Ava Anne tried to walk quietly like Daddy. She slowly lifted and set down each foot, holding her breath at times.

Suddenly Daddy stopped. Ava Anne had been so focused on walking quietly that she had not noticed they were at the base of the old wooden tree stand. Daddy carefully tied his bow to a string that hung down from the tree stand.

“Ok, go ahead,” Daddy mouthed.

Ava Anne adjusted her backpack, put her flashlight in her pocket, and began climbing the old wooden ladder. Daddy was right behind her. When she reached the top, Daddy helped push her up onto the platform.

When they were both safely on the platform, Daddy set up his folding stool. Then, he picked up the string that was attached to the platform and began pulling up his bow. When it reached the top, he carefully lifted it over the edge and sat it down very quietly while he untied it. Ava Anne was amazed how quiet Daddy could be.

Daddy sat down on his folding stool with is back against the tree. He looked down at Ava Anne. She was already curled up next to the stool with her small camouflage blanket wrapped around her.

“Do you want any hot chocolate?” Daddy asked, barely in a whisper.

Ava Anne grinned as she looked up at Daddy. She nodded.

Daddy pulled a silver thermos out his backpack. He poured a steaming cup of hot chocolate and handed it to Ava Anne. Daddy always brought a thermos of hot chocolate, along with other snacks that were just for hunting.

Ava Anne sipped her hot chocolate and leaned against Daddy’s knee. This was going to be a great day in the woods. She just knew it.

Yoder is NOT stupid

Once upon a time, just the other day, there lived a family of five just down the street. Some days Momma stayed home, and some days Daddy stayed home. Every day Ava Anne, Savannah Lynn, and Hunter Thomas stayed home. Nothing extravagant ever seemed to happen. In fact, every day seemed almost the same as the day before. When Ava Anne, Savannah Lynn and Hunter Thomas awoke, they would tip-toe out of their bedrooms, down the hall, and to the kitchen. Momma or Daddy would be there or on the nearby couch, reading or eating or doing something uninteresting like sorting mail.

On this particular day, Savannah Lynn woke up first. She opened her eyes suddenly as she remembered that today was a special day. Today she was going to Aunt Lori and Uncle Micah’s house. Ava Anne was going to spend the day with her friend Emily, and Hunter Thomas was going to be with Momma and Daddy for a special day.

Savannah Lynn hopped out of bed, opened her bedroom door, and ran down the hall toward the kitchen. Momma was in the kitchen eating breakfast with Hunter Thomas.

“Good morning, Savannah Lynn,” Momma said. “How did you sleep?”

“Good,” Savannah Lynn said as she took a deep breath. “When do I get to go to Uncle Micah and Aunt Lori’s house?”

“We need to leave in about an hour,” Momma said. “So let’s get you something to eat and then you can get your clothes on.”

Savannah Lynn gobbled up toast with strawberry jam and then ran back to her bedroom to put her clothes on. Within a few minutes, she raced back out to the kitchen and announced that she was ready to go. Momma said she would take her to Aunt Lori and Uncle Micah’s “very soon.”

Finally, Savannah Lynn made it to Aunt Lori and Uncle Micah’s. The morning had seemed longer than any other morning she could remember. She and Momma were now walking up the steps to their house. They could hear Aunt Lori and Uncle Micah’s dog, Yoder, barking.

Momma knocked and Aunt Lori answered the door, opening it just a crack as she also held Yoder’s collar.

“Come in,” Aunt Lori smiled. “Sorry, Yoder thinks he needs to run out the door every time it opens.”

“Hi, Yoder!” Savannah Lynn squealed.

She loved dogs, especially Yoder. Yoder was big and fluffy and very gentle. He knew how to play with kids and not hurt them.

While Aunt Lori and Momma talked, Savannah Lynn played with Yoder. She was excited to have him all to herself today.

“Ok,” Momma said, “I’ll see you after dinner. I love you.”

Savannah Lynn ran to Momma, gave her a big hug, and ran back to play with Yoder. They were going to have a great day.

That evening, after many hours of playing games with Uncle Micah, taking Yoder on a walk, and making clay animals with Aunt Lori, Savannah Lynn sat on the couch next to Uncle Micah. Aunt Lori was sitting on the chair nearby, and Yoder was sleeping on the rug by their feet.

Just then, the doorbell rang and Yoder ran to the door. Savannah Lynn ran right behind him to open the door for Momma. Before Uncle Micah or Aunt Lori thought to warn Savannah Lynn that Yoder would try to escape, she opened the door, and Yoder dashed out.

“Oh, no!” Savannah Lynn exclaimed. Uncle Micah walked to the door with a scowl on his face. He stared out at the empty yard. Yoder was already out of sight.

“Yoder, you stupid, stupid dog. Stupid,” Uncle Micah said.

Savannah Lynn gasped. “Uncle Micah, you do not say stupid.”

Uncle Micah looked down at his little niece.

She continued, “Yoder is not stupid. You are hurting my feelings when you call him stupid. OK?”

Uncle Micah began to chuckle as he said, “You’re right, Savannah Lynn. I should not have call Yoder stupid. I should have said, ‘Yoder, that was very un-smart of you. That was not smart.””

“You really hurt my feelings when you call Yoder stupid. He is not stupid,” Savannah Lynn said again. “Ok, I gotta go! Bye!”

Savannah Lynn darted out the door and into Momma’s car.

Uncle Micah and Aunt Lori chuckled as they watched Savannah Lynn and Momma drive away.

“She is something else,” Uncle Micah said. “She sure knows what she thinks.”

“Yes,” Aunt Lori replied, “and she thinks ‘Yoder is not stupid.’”

The Very Large Turtle

Once upon a time, just the other day, there lived a family of five just down the street. Some days Momma stayed home, and some days Daddy stayed home. Every day Ava Anne, Savannah Lynn, and Hunter Thomas stayed home. Nothing extravagant ever seemed to happen. In fact, every day seemed almost the same as the day before. When Ava Anne, Savannah Lynn and Hunter Thomas awoke, they would tip-toe out of their bedrooms, down the hall, and to the kitchen. Momma or Daddy would be there or on the nearby couch, reading or eating or doing something uninteresting like sorting mail.

On this particular day, Savannah Lynn and Ava Anne had been awake for hours. They were playing outside in the warm, sunny day. They were swinging and running and playing all kinds of games in the yard.

As they were playing Tag Ava Anne tagged Savannah Lynn.

“You’re it!” She said with a gasp for air.

Ava Anne ran fast away from Savannah Lynn. She sprinted across the yard toward a large tree. Suddenly, mid chase, Ava Anne stopped. Savannah Lynn ran straight into her.

“You’re it!” She screamed.

“Look!” Ava Anne said, “It’s a turtle!”

Just a few feet away from where they were running there was a very large turtle. In fact, it was the largest turtle Ava Anne and Savannah Lynn had seen, except the old one at the zoo.

“Let’s keep him in the little pool!” Savannah Lynn suggested.

Ava Anne thought about it for a moment. She thought he might get out of the little pool. His shell was about as tall as the top of the pool.

“Well, we could put the pool in the garage and keep him in there,” Ava Anne finally said. “Let’s get it out of the barn and put some water in it.”

In no time at all Ava Anne and Savannah Lynn had found the kiddy pool, dragged it to the garage, and filled it with an inch or two of water.

“Now, how do we get the turtle in the pool?” Ava Anne asked. “I don’t think I can carry him.”

“Maybe we both can carry him,” Savannah Lynn said.

“Ok, let’s try it. You take that side of the shell and I’ll take this side.”

The girls were a little scared the turtle might be a snapping turtle, but they really wanted to keep him. Ava Anne knocked on his shell, and the turtle pulled his head inside. So, one on each side, they lifted him and slowly, slowly walked to the garage with the very large turtle between them.

“Put him down very gently,” Ava Anne instructed.

They had finally made it to the garage. They placed him very gently in the kiddy pool and watched. He did not do much. He moved his feet around a little and popped his head back out of his shell.

“Well, I guess we can just leave him here and check on him once in a while,” Ava Anne finally said.

“Yeah. I wish he could play with us,” said Savannah Lynn.

The girls continued playing outside, checking on the turtle every now and then. After dinner, Momma said they needed to say “good night” to the turtle and take a bath. They each patted him on the shell and said “good night.”

“See you in the morning,” Savannah Lynn said as she closed the garage door.

Next morning, Ava Anne awoke first. She rubbed her eyes and rolled over. Suddenly she remembered the turtle in the garage.

“Savannah Lynn!” Ava Anne exclaimed as she sat up. “The turtle!”

Savannah Lynn opened her eyes slowly. Then she remembered what Ava Anne was talking about. She sat up with a smile.

“Let’s go see him,” Savannah Lynn said.

The girls hopped out of their big bed, ran down the hall and toward the kitchen. Momma was on the nearby couch. She watched as they ran right past her and to the garage door. They flung open the door and ran over to the kiddy pool.

Savannah Lynn gasped. ”Oh, no!”

“He’s gone!” Ava Anne said.

Sure enough, their pet turtle had escaped. They were not sure how or where he had gone, but that very large turtle was nowhere to be found.

Momma came out of the house, walked over to the pool and looked puzzled.

“Maybe he just wanted to go home,” she suggested.

“But we were his new home,” Ava Anne said in a sad voice.

“Well,” said Momma, “Maybe he was hungry or he missed his family.”

Ava Anne and Savannah Lynn both sighed. They walked back into the house with their heads down.

“I guess we’ll have to find another pet today, Vannah,” Ava Anne said.

“Yeah,” replied Savannah Lynn. “Maybe today we can find an alligator! That would be way better than a turtle.”

“Yeah,” Ava Anne said, “an alligator.”