Mary was a spitfire of energy, which more than made up for her small stature and sleight build. With sheer determination, she kept 4 kids, 3 dogs, 2 cats, a bird, a gerbil, fish, and a husband in one orderly household. She loved her animals, and her kids were always bringing something home to nurse back to health.
When her youngest daughter ran inside the house asking her to help the turtle in the middle of the road, she gathered her determination and a shovel to save the turtle from oncoming cars. Her daughter coaxed the turtle onto the shovel. Mary dragged the shovel and the turtle towards the sidewalk.
“We have to take Mr. Turtle home where he will be safe,” her daughter said with a worried look.
After a moment’s thought, Mary remembered the lake a quarter of a mile down the road. “Mr. Turtle will be safe at the lake,” she announced to her daughter as they started walking together. Every time she stopped to rest, the turtle walked off the shovel and back towards the road. Each time, she and her daughter had to put him back on the shovel and continued toward the lake. “He is a stubborn little thing, but we’ll get him to safety,” Mary smiled at her daughter. And on they went to the lake, and again the turtle moved off the shovel, and again they picked up the turtle.
Finally at the lake, she placed the turtle by the water, and each time the turtle would walk back towards the road. After the third attempt, filled with sheer exhaustion and frustration, she looked up and met the eyes of an old man sitting on a park bench. His eyes sparked with amusement as he laughed to himself.
“What’s so funny?” she said angrily.
“That ain’t never gonna work,” the old man said. All the while he was still laughing. “That ain’t no turtle, that’s a land tortoise.”