"'Tortoise and the Hare!' So this time it was a turtle that pulled your leg?" Coffee the Crow tried to smother a guffaw and almost fell out of the tree..
Quasi the turtle poked his head out of the water, as if to say, "
THIS time?"
I didn't know animals like to laugh and have fun, I thought they just ate, fled predators, and spent their time keeping the laws of nature to stay alive as long as they could.
I really didn't know they had humor or personalities or...had problems with stress. But I found out. Coffee the Crow reminded me of the time with the carp Cherry Fin.
At that time, there were quite a few carp in Duck Pond, most of them plain carp. Most people called them brownish gray, except for the areas where sand or dirt had collected, and these they'd say were tan. I liked to think of Carp when the sun angled just right and they looked purple with armor of scales bordered in gold so called them my "Royal Guard".
But I must say, even then, the lone bright orange carp--Cherry Fin--did stand out among all of them. When that one swirled deep in the water even if you couldn't see the rest of its body, you could see its flashing red side.
"Cherry Fin," I'd asked one day, "you move so smoothly. I know all the carp in the pond envy you, not just for your color, but for the beautiful way you swim. How do you stay so relaxed?"
The carp paused at the bottom of the pond then seemed to reply: "I go to the pool for a daily swim, and it gets rid of all my stress. You oughta try it, June."
I stood on the edge of that pond, thinking, "Carp...swim...seriously?... CHERRY FIN!" But by the time I looked up, that orange comma was clear across to the other side of the pond.
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