A Procession of Colorful Turtles (Part Two of Four)

A Procession of Colorful Turtles

Or a Dream Belonging to Paris

And Possibly Many Others

 

Jean and Jean-Paul were fishing for crocodiles on the banks of a beautiful river in a land that seemed very far away. To Jean’s mind, it was the Nile Valley in the days of the sibling gods Isis and Osiris, while Jean-Paul believed their surroundings were more like the Girwa River region in the Indian wilderness, but long before the union of radiant Lakshmi and the four-armed Lord Vishnu. Yet, the two were of one mind about the gravity of their enterprise and approached its dangers with caution and apposite respect.

 

So there, in the benevolent shade

Of the graceful papyrus reeds,

They stood in alliance,

 

Casting their line upstream,

And allowing the bait

 

To drift where it would

With the great river’s current.

 

Suddenly, there was a quarrel in the water,

And the boys were engaged in a fierce tug-of-war

With a creature of enormous strength and will.

 

However, the line quickly broke,

And the brothers were left

To ponder their defeat

And try again �"

 

And again and again,

As the day passed on

Without success.

 

Finally, Jean-Paul said, “Perhaps the problem is one of inertia - our refusal to give ground to something greater and stronger than us. Next time, we should try moving downstream and possibly farther out, allowing the creature’s mass and energy to work against him. More importantly, we will be able to get closer to him without him knowing that we are.”

 

Presently, another creature took the bait, and just as Jean-Paul had suggested, the boys waded gingerly downstream as they gathered in the line. But as they brought their quarry to heel, they saw that the beast with which they struggled was not a monster at all, but a rare form of the pygmy hog, one that was both beautiful to behold, and remarkably poised, given its unseemly and highly unexpected situation.

 

Indeed, its countenance fairly glistened

In the sunlight, as the boys appraised

Its mien and present disposition.

 

Oddly, it appeared to be well cared for,

And its ample snout projected a kind of nobility,

As Jean removed the hook from its wounded mouth.

 

"It’s almost as if he wanted to be captured," Jean gushed,

As he gazed, a little infatuated with the creature he beheld.

 

"But what shall we do with this little fellow? asked Jean-Paul.

 

"Why we shall keep him as our friend forever," Jean said,

As he gathered the pig and turned toward the bank.

 

But as he scanned the shoreline for his brother,

He saw that Jean-Paul now lay prostrate,

Breathing heavily among the papyri �"

 

His large eyes dilated and transfixed

On a procession of colorful turtles

 

That was entering the water

A few inches from his nose.

Jean released the pig at once

And tried to help Jean-Paul to his feet.

 

"You seem to be stuck where you are,”

He advised his strangely complacent brother.

 

"It may be that I am," Jean-Paul admitted,

"But it's not as if I’m stuck here for the long haul.

So, perhaps you should look after our new friend.”

 

-

 

But as Jean turned to regather the pig,

He saw only a violent swirl in the water,

 

And the wonderful creature

The boys had gained was no more.

 

"I saw what happened,” Jean-Paul scolded.

"You released our friend to the river,

And now I am stuck here forever.

 

I saw your sin, and so, I am doomed to share in it."