Crabs and shells
Look Nelly come and look! Tom shouted at Nelly who was making sand castles on the beach. She didn't want to get up, yet she knew it must be something interesting as Tom is her brother. And rarely he bothered Nelly, and he is the best brother she could have. She, went to tom and kneeled near him as he is.
"What is it Tom?"
"The shells, look at the shells, they are walking!"
Nelly bend down to look at what he is pointing. There was a shell indeed. And indeed it was moving. But how? She was as suprised as Tom to see the walking shells. She kept her elbows on the ground to reach more closer to the moving shell and noticed tiny feet protruding out to the ground. Now that is interesting! She expected feet like a slug, but these are not sluggy at all. More like a beetle or a crab. That is it! They are exactly like a crab. Maybe it is a crab.
Then suddenly it hit her. That is a crab! Who has taken the shelter of a shell. She had seen it on a TV documentary. Never thought she would see it real.
Tom was suprised of her sisters knowledge. Well that solves the mistery. Shell moves because of the crab. Maybe it ate the slug, or maybe it is a dead shell that it took over, whatever happened now it is the crabs home. This is a tiny crab. When it becomes bigger it will move to a bigger shell.
The turtle beach
They were at the turtle beach for the vacation. The coral reef which was the home to the turtles did reach beyond the sea and into the beach. Clearly visible rock made it harder for the waves to erode it with its full ferocious power. Hence baby slaps to the shore. Unlike anywhere else the sand was red and rich in grains. The mangroves marked the end of the land. There were less hotels, and beachfront private gardens, hence turtles did not yet, wanted to move their breeding grounds. For generations they have been coming back here for the purpose of laying eggs.
Sally and Tom were excited to see them in action. Maybe tonight. Maybe tonight they will come and we will get our chance to dig a hole for them. While Tom was busy digging holes, Nelly did continue with her castles. She was a quite girl, at home, in school, even on a trip. She either needed only a book or a lump of clay for keep herself busy. And books, that is where all her knowledge came from. She knew everything about them, turtles. She knew turtles are innocent and, that they are silent. She wondered how a person could live all their lives in silence. And often she knew she was labelled as silent. Maybe, I was a turtle in last life. While she was day dreaming about the local hatchery she went with papa yesterday, Tom came with a bucket full of wet sand. He wanted to build a castle of his own.
Nelly? Will our castle will be there by tomorrow? I mean will they be washed away to the ses by tomorrow?
I know what you mean silly. Let me think.
She looked back at the waves. They were a good ten yards away from the waves.
I think it will last atleast a couple of days. Unless it rains tonight, or a turtle destroy it.
Oh, I thought it will be there next year when we come back. Papa said he will come back next year.
No Tom. It would not. I am sure a big wave come tonight and wash this away. Why do you think there are no plants this part of the beach. Can you see, the waves have crashed even there. That is why the sand is still wet. I am sure of it.
Then I am not going to build a castle what is the point. I will grow bigger and make houses like Pa does. It will last forever.
Nelly smiled at her brother. She knew houses that Papa build do not last longer either. Yet she didn't want to break her little brothers heart more. So she asked him to help her with her own castle. They waited few more hours on the beach Until it was dark and went back to the banglow.
That night Nelly kept awake reading her books, while her little brother was soundly sleeping like a crab inside a shell. Maybe he was exhausted from the afternoon on the beach. It was almost midnight when her father knocked on the door, with a torch in his hand. The turtles have arrived, and they waddled in the night like a group of scouts on a mission.
And they spotted the turtle who had dug a hole. She was laying eggs! A whole lot of them. They sat on the sand and waited until she finished, and slowly began to cover her eggs with sand. She was silent the whole time, just like it was a sacred affair. Just like she crawled to the sea, a long time ago for the first time as a newborn She began crawling back. Trusting the nature to protect her eggs and offspring. Nelly followed her all the way, passed the sand castle into the sea. They marked her breeding ground with a flag and fitted a cage to protect it from predetors. Nelly helped father to clean the surroundings.
When they returned that 🌙night there was enough moonlight, it looked more like a dream than reality. She knew she would never forget that day ever, and the eyes of the mama turtle, was all that she could think of until she fell asleep.
The red Turtle (Film)
The Red Turtle is a 2016 animated fantasy drama a silent film directed by Michaël Dudok de Wit, known for its stunning visuals and poetic storytelling. The film follows a man shipwrecked on a remote island who encounters a giant red turtle. Their interactions and the man's journey of survival and acceptance are depicted without dialogue, relying on evocative imagery and sound design to convey the story's emotional depth. The Red Turtle explores themes of life, death, and the cyclical nature of existence, leaving a lasting impression on viewers with its minimalist yet profound narrative. The film is not action packed. But it will speak to similar silent hearts, just like an extraterestial observer to life.
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