Tarnish: The Turtle (on courage, catering to children)

Near the river west of the ‘Mounty’ Mountains, ‘Tarnish’, the turtle resides under the ‘Turry’ tree. Day in and day out, he sits on the huge boulder beside the river, basking in the sun while the river flows by. He moves slowly, so are all the turtles. Tarnish knows no boundaries about his eternal wisdom. However, chaos surrounds him. The insensitive humans cause him worry every now and then. The river seems to be his only source of hope and love. The river too threatens him on stormy nights. In spite of this, Tarnish continuously gets inspired to be courageous overlooking the horizon the river vastly forms.

When the cold winds strike, Tarnish burrows himself into the earth.

Tarnish arises from hibernation to witness a shocking change, difficult for him to digest. A man bon-fires by the river-side which has been Tarnish’s home ever since he existed.

The man’s eyes lays on Tarnish’s shiny shell and catches him.

“Good Lord! Aha! I shan’t remain hungry now”, the man blinks at Tarnish.

The unflappable Tarnish comes up with a plan.

“My dear loving man, sure, you may devour me but your mighty self’s hunger won’t cease even after that. If you’ll allow me, I can help you get a good catch”, shoots out Tarnish, with a chuckle.

Amused by the proposition, the greedy man listens, “sure, go ahead!”

“My man, you see, the vast river provides plenty of fish and you already have the bonfire to roast them. I can get you fishing-net”, advises the wise turtle.

“Where is the fishing-net?” the man asks funnily.

“Well Sir, do you see the ‘Mounty’ Mountains on the other side of the river?” Tarnish questions cleverly.

“You say the fishing-net lies there”, the man laughs while tossing Tarnish. Eventually, he sets Tarnish down.

“Now, how’ll you bring it here?” the man enquires.

“I’ll swim across the river and bring it with me”, replies Tarnish.

“The fishing-net is very large compared to your tiny body. How do you propose to get it?” the man further questions.

“Dear Sir, as you know, the fishing-net is light-weight and easily foldable, I’ll manage to keep it over my shell”, sharp comes Tarnish’s response.

“Alright then”, the man agrees.

“Now Sir, help me get to the banks”, Tarnish plays his trick smartly.

The man leaves Tarnish at the banks.

“However, Sir, as you are aware I move slowly, I’ll take a while to get it for you. You may well take a nap as you look tired”, Tarnish suggests with a fake concern.

The man nods and lies down beside the fire.

Tarnish swims steadily towards the ‘Mounty’ Mountains and roots himself back into the earth to divert the cause of his worry.

After many days, Tarnish comes up again to sense his surroundings. It is a clear, sunny day today and he sees no sign of the man on the other side.

Happily, Tarnish swims back to his residing place, rather fervently.

He continues to bask in the sun lopping near his favorite boulder singing the song of life as the river stays calm and still.