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Episode
023 |
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“Some enchanted evening Emile, South Pacific Half-submerged in the aquarium,
the tiny little turtle stared up at Morgan with giant black eyes. Kneeling in front of the glass, he stared
at the turtle as if trying to ponder out what the little creature was
thinking. But it swam casually in
front of him as if devoid of conscious thought, living in the simple moment. Ignoring the other turtles, Morgan
looked up at the register guy. “I’ll
take him.” “Morgan, do you know how to take
care of a turtle?” Edgar asked, coming up to the counter, his shirt and
trench coat covered in dog fur. “I
mean, you do know that you can’t just tie it up to a post in the back yard.” The former knight stared in the
aquarium for a moment before looking up at the guy behind the counter. “What do I need for this little squirt?” The aquarium was half again as big
as Morgan. Filled with several bags of
multi-colored pebbles and an assortment of underwater and above-water toys,
as well as several technological necessities, it covered the entire counter. Next to it, the small turtle stared absently
at the aquarium from its little temporary plastic case. The kid ran the credit card as
Morgan flipped through a copy of ‘Turtles for Dummies’. “So that’s how you tell their gender,” he
remarked. He looked down at the little
turtle in the plastic case. “Roll
over, huh?” “How’re you going to get this out
to your car?” “I’m not sure it’ll fit in your
car,” Edgar said. “It’ll fit,” Morgan said certainly
as he accepted his card back. “We could call Roland and get him
to bring his truck,” “Or we could remember that Roland
never gets to hear about this, ever,” Morgan said, signing his receipt. He picked up the turtle’s case and pushed
it into Edgar’s hands. “You hold onto
him.” He looked at Walking like a pair of crabs
carrying a soda can, Everett and Morgan sidled laterally through the parking
lot with the aquarium in their hands.
Moving as casually as they could to keep from jostling the contents of
the large clear box, they were followed by Edgar who seemed utterly
preoccupied by entertaining the turtle. “Okay, watch it, watch it,” Morgan
said, holding his side of the bulky aquarium with one hand as he fished
through his pocket. He pulled out his
keys and clicked the doors unlocked.
As he regrasped the tank, Edgar rushed ahead and opened the backseat. Morgan and Everett turned nimbly and Edgar shut the door with pride,
then passed the turtle to Morgan.
“Good job, you two,” he pronounced. “Thanks,” Morgan said to the
both. He looked around the mall
parking lot, then back at “What’re you going to name him?” “I don’t know,” Morgan said. “Raphael’s taken. Maybe Ralph?” “I’ve heard worse names for pets,”
Edgar remarked, waving his pinky at the turtle Morgan was carrying. Inside, Morgan pushed through the door,
propping it open with his foot for Edgar and Everett. But as he was about to step away, a woman
came dashing through. In a black
t-shirt and blue jeans, she gave him a quick glance before walking quickly into
the mall. Shouldering a small bag, she
made a beeline into the center of the huge indoor space. “Which way’s the food court?” Morgan’s stopped cold. Morgan watched for a moment, then
turned away. “Shut up,” he grumbled. |
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