PERIDOT POWER・まねっこ

Why are all the turtles looking at the small turtle Peri, I wondered one morning when I came to the pond.

Peri was only as big as a grape, but ohhhhh I get it now. There is an even smaller baby turtle, maybe as big as half a peanut, next to him, staring up at him. Everyone is wondering what he is going to do.

"You all alone, sweetie?" Peri asks.

But the baby turtle thinks Peri looka like Superman to her, so she only giggles and tries to touch him.

Peri sees he needs to get this baby turtle back to her mother. "Where be Mama?" Peri asks, trying to look like mother turtle.

"Ooh!" more giggling.

"I can't even talk to her! Now what?" Peri plops down with a frown.

The baby turtle also plops down next to Peri, wearing a big frown. Peri sees this, then jumps up with, "Got it!"

Peri walks in circles, while the baby turtle follows him. He stops and lifts his hands. The baby turtle copies him.

"Good girl!" Peri laughs. "Now do as I do!" He plops into the water and so does the baby turtle. Peri swims to the nearest shore, and the little one follows him, where the grateful mother turtle waits.

After this day, I say maybe we can call this turtle Peridot.

But he says "Peri" is okay for a while.

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甲羅干ししているカメたち、なんで、みんな小亀一匹をじっと見ているのかな。見てみると、小指の大きさの小亀の隣に爪より小さい子亀がいる。あ、おにいちゃん亀のことをスゴイと思っているけれど、お兄ちゃんの方は、親亀の所に、この子を返さなければならないと、考えている。

お兄ちゃんが腕を上げると、あの子も腕を上げた。お兄ちゃんがくるくる回ると、あの子もくるくる回った。おにいちゃんが、「これできる？」と、水に入って近くの岸に泳いだ。あの子もついてきた。もちろん、親亀が待っていた。

お兄ちゃん亀、えらいねと、思った。かんしん、かんしん。

「だれにだってできるよ」と、返事が聞こえたような気がした。

「まねっこぐらい」。