A Surprise for Snappy

 

Midge hurried around to the front yard and out the gate on her way to Booker-T's house next door. She ran around to his back door and crawled through the doogie door into the kitchen.

“Hey, Booker-T!” called Midge. “Where are you? Wake up!”

Booker-T entered the kitchen.

“Hi Midge,” said Booker-T. “What are you doing this morning?”

“Come on,” said Midge. “Come to my house. I have something to show you.”

“What happened?” asked Booker-T.

“There is a surprise at my house today,” said Midge.

“You have a surprise?” asked Booker-T. “I like surprises. Tell me what it is.”

“Come on and I will show you,” said Midge. “Come on, hurry.”

The two hurried out the door and ran to Midge's house and in the back yard, they crawled through the doggie door and hurried into the living room.

“Where is your surprise, Midge?” asked Booker-T looking around the room. “I don't see anything different.”

“Look inside Snappy's tank,” said Midge.

Booker-T jumped onto the chair and stood and looked into the tank.

“Hi Snappy,” said Booker-T. “What are you doing?”

“Hi Booker-T,” smiled Snappy. “Did Midge tell you?”

“She said there was a surprise,” said Booker-T. “But I don't see anything.”

“ Wait,” said Snappy as he crawled under the log in his tank.

In a few minutes, snappy crawled back out and following him was another tiny turtle.

“This is Pokey,” said Snappy. “He is my new friend.”

“Wow,” said Booker-T. “A new little turtle. Hi there Pokey.”

“Hi,” smiled Pokey. “What is your name?”

“I'm Booker-T,” said Booker-T. “I am a friend of Snappy and Midge.”

“Our owner found Pokey in the back yard last night,” said Midge. 'She brought him in and put him in the tank with Snappy.”

“It is nice in here,” said Pokey. “I was lonely outside. Snappy is real nice.”

“Now when we go have fun,” said Midge. “Snappy won't be here alone looking out the window for us to come home.”

“Wow, that is good,” said Booker-T. “Does Jake and Lucy know?”

“Not yet,” said Midge. “They should be here soon.”

“They will be surprised too,” smiled Booker-T.

“Hey guys,” said Jake as he and Lucy walked through the door. “We didn't see you outside so we came in.”

“What will we be surprised about?” asked Lucy. “We heard you talking as we came in.”

“Look in the tank,” said Midge. “Snappy now has a little friend. His name is Pokey.”

Jake pressed his nose against the glass and looked around the tank. “Where is he?” asked Jake.

Booker-T peaked over the top of the tank and didn't see Pokey. “I don't see him either,” said Booker-T.

“Is he hiding, Snappy?” asked Midge.

“I think he is bashful,” suggested Snappy.

“Will he come out so Jake and Lucy can meet him?” asked Booker-T.

“Hey Pokey,” said Midge as she tapped on the window of the tank. “Will you come out and meet our friends, Jake and Lucy.”

“It's okay, Pokey,” said Snappy. “They are all my friends and you will like them.”

“Pokey stuck his head out from under the log and looked around.

He saw 8 little eyes staring into the tank from outside.

“Come on out Pokey,” said Snappy.

Slowly Pokey crawled out from under the log and stood on the side of the little pond beside Snappy.

“Hi Pokey,” smiled Jake. “It is nice to meet you. It is so nice for Snappy to have a nice little friend he can play with.”

“Hi Pokey,” said Lucy. “Welcome to Snappy's home.”

“He is very nice,” said Pokey.

“You will like it here,” said Jake. “Midge and Snappy are fun.”

“We all have fun,” said Snappy. “I used to swim with them when I was at the pond.”

“What pond?” asked Pokey.

“At the park as a small pond and I use to live there,” said Snappy.

“How did you get in the tank here?” asked Pokey.

“My friends brought me here in a wagon and let our owner find me outside,” said Snappy. “She brought me in and made me a home in the tank.”

“It is nice in here,” said Pokey. “I like the little pond and the flowers.”

“Our owner made a nice home in the tank,” smiled Midge. “She is real nice human.”

“Is that her name?” asked Pokey.

“I think her niece calls her, aunt Julie,” said Midge. “She is a human and we are animals.”

“And Midge would like to be a human,” said Snappy.

“Why?” asked Pokey.

“She says they have lot of fun,” said Jake.

“Don't you have fun, Midge?” asked Pokey.

“I do,” said Midge. “But humans have a lot of fun things to do.”

“Humans also have to work,” said Jake. “I don't want to work.”

“I wish our owners could understand what we say,” said Midge. “Only you other animals understand what I say.”

“They take care of us good,” said Booker-T. “You will like it in your new home Pokey.”

“I think I will,” smiled Pokey.