Tyco Turtle Becomes Gina’s Pet
By Benjamin Wey
Tyco Turtle was a unique turtle that spent the first 87 years of his life living on the islands of the Galapagos. In the wondrous island, he lived a happy life where he got along with most of the creatures there and where he was well fed. Over the years, he gained a respectable appearance among his peers, the other land turtles. Tyco Turtle weighed in nearly 700 lbs, and he measured about four feet long. But what truly gained everyone’s respect and served as his life long source of charm, was not the size of his shell, but his powerful beak-like jaws. No one knew exactly who or what Tyco Turtle was. He was not the typical Galapagos turtle as he looked like a nondescript breed. He had the tall height like the other large living land turtles, but the shell and jaws of snapper. It is because of this unique feature Tyco Turtle would attract the extra attention that he never liked. However, because he expects to live up to at least 180 years old, he accepted the idea that his distinct look would always be an issue.
* * *
Twelve days before his 88th birthday, Tyco Turtle thought about how joyous his life had been as he ate guava with the rest of the land turtles. He was thankful to be living in such a beautiful place, and grateful to be surrounded by plants and fruits that were so rich and fresh. He munched on the guava with a juice-smeared smile on his face as he watched the other land turtles sharing the same meal with him. However, he felt a cold shadow over him, as he was suddenly shaded.
A man in his late forties knelt down and looked at the back of Tyco Turtle’s head. He pulled out a measuring tape from his satchel to get the turtle’s numbers as he ate. The man then walked around Tyco Turtle and pulled out his magnifying glass to get a good look of his face.
“Interesting,” he said. “It doesn’t quite have the shell of your typical Galapagos land turtle, yet it certainly has the size,” The man thought about his words before coming to a realization. “Yet, its shell has spikes and raised plates. And it mouth…” The man then realized for the first time, he was looking at a rare turtle. It seemed to him that he had just discovered a mutated alligator snapping turtle that stood as tall as the Galapagos land turtles. The man smiled, as it appeared that Tyco Turtle looked up at him, moving his face away from the magnifying glass. But in reality, Tyco Turtle stared out to the sky beyond the human. A tear rolled down from the turtle’s eye as it realized this was going to be its last time under the blue skies. The man stood up and brushed off the remains of the Galapagos land off his knees. “Little one, I’d like to introduce myself. I am Dr. Goldman. And you will now be in good hands, my new little treasure.”
The next day when Tyco Turtle woke up, he opened his eyes to steel bars and an orange sky. It was then he realized that he was no longer in the Galapagos. He could not only see it, but he felt it— the feeling of new warm air. It was a different kind of heat, a kind of warmth that penetrated Tyco Turtle’s skin. It made him feely itchy and oily. It gave him a dirty feeling and a harsh realization that he might never see the Galapagos ever again.
Although he had always moved slowly most of the time in his life, Tyco Turtle walked over towards the bars rather sluggishly. It hurt him to move forward, and he didn’t know if it was his body adapting to the new air, or if it was the feeling of defeat that weighed him down. When he got to the bars, his jaws made contact with the steel, causing a clanking sound that echoed inside his metal box.
The sound had caught the attention of Dr. Goldman and his wife, as they both were lounging in their Malibu backyard. The couple hurried over to Tyco Turtle to remind themselves that they now held one of the most rare entities of the world in their own backyard. Mrs. Goldman got to the turtle before the doctor since it was the first time she would be seeing him. When her eyes had locked with the turtle’s, her first reaction was to scream. It wasn’t because she was horrified or shocked to have seen a giant alligator snapping turtle that resembled a plated dinosaur. Instead, the doctor’s wife screamed in disgust at how the turtle failed to measure to her standards of beauty. Dr. Goldman caught up to her and she immediately buried her face to his shoulders.
“Gerald, do you honestly believe that our sweet daughter would like this thing? It’s not even cute,” Mrs. Goldman said.
“Gilda, you said you didn’t want to spend so much on her, since we’ve already spent so much for this birthday party, so I still had to get our little sweetie something next to priceless. You know how important it is to us and her that she has an unforgettable twelfth birthday,” Dr. Goldman said.
“But do you really think she’d like it,” Mrs. Goldman asked. She tried looking at Tyco Turtle one more time, but then she realized that a second look would not change the turtle’s monstrosity. Dr. Goldman pulled away from her and knelt down before Tyco Turtle, filled with wonderment, just like his first encounter with him at the Galapagos.
“She’s turning twelve, honey. She’s maturing. It’s about time she learned to recognize beauty beyond what her eyes tell her,” said Dr. Goldman. “This one really is a true beauty. A priceless one as well.”
“Gerald, she’s turning twelve! Don’t be surprised if this makes her cry at the party. You’re only being selfish! This isn’t a gift to her. It’s more like a pathetic excuse for you to add on to your collection! She’ll never share the same interests as you!”
Mrs. Goldman stormed away from her husband and from what she thought was a monster. She walked off murmuring and disappointed in her husband’s financial inability to buy something special for their daughter who was growing to be a responsible and older female. Dr. Goldman stuck out his hand to Tyco Turtle, feeling the need to be touched, to be reminded that he had made a wise decision. However, without thought, Tyco Turtle’s jaws acted out before him, snapping at the human flesh. Luckily for Dr. Goldman, he had the bars to separate himself from the turtle. He got up slowly and walked away worried. Shocked by his own actions, Tyco Turtle started loosening his jaws around the metal bar. The taste of something not living was beginning to make him sick.
At the night of Gina Goldman’s twelfth birthday party, many of her friends and her parents’ friends attended. There were a variety of people at the event. Some of them being Gina’s friends, and most of them being Dr. Goldman’s colleagues. Gina’s father had somewhat become a celebrity in the Anthropology field, so he made a living selling his credible thoughts and actions. Before the party, he had hinted to some of the guests that he had brought something uncanny back from the Galapagos, just for his little girl. But now Gina’s father was having second thoughts about his gift.
Dr. Goldman’s friend, Ari approached the anthropologist with excitement. He had his arm around the doctor, and his voice was louder than the music. He asked the doctor about this extraordinary gift that no one can ever give to his daughters on their milestone birthdays. The doctor, feeling uneasy just felt more uncomfortable. He had spent the whole evening, wondering if he should abandon the idea of presenting the rare turtle to his lovely daughter. But the thought of him not having anything to present to Gina would be too humiliating. And now, with his friend Ari next to him, he now had another thing to worry about— living up to the excitement that he had built up for his colleagues.
His wife’s voice rang repeatedly in his head like the old grandfather clock he hated when he was a child. Mrs. Goldman’s voice haunted him all night. Her words reminded him of how selfish he had become, and how inconsiderate he had gotten be towards his daughter. He wanted it all to go away, his wife’s voice, the pressure from the colleagues, and the selfish attitude that he had acquired. He looked at his wife, and she noticed. She didn’t return his forced smile, nor did she shake her head in disgust and disappointment. When she had turned away from him, Dr. Goldman got up on stage and stopped the music.
“May I have everyone’s attention please,” he asked.
Everyone turned to him, and he found his daughter. His eyes met with hers, and she smiled. They both knew what time of the night it was. The moment where his eyes met with his daughter’s, he felt a sudden ease. It was as if the gift he was about to present was going to be appropriate.
An assistant, who was informed ahead of the moment, knew what he had to do. So he came in from the side of the stage, pushing a giant square-shaped object that was covered. Gina had made her way up to the stage as her father now stood next to the giant mystery. As she walked towards him, her father spoke in a calm manner.
“My daughter, you know that if I can give you the world, I would. But because you have been an amazing daughter— a unique child that has grown to be a beautiful and smart young lady, I decided to give you something just as one of a kind as you.”
When Gina had made it up to the stage, she looked at the covered object next to her father, and smiled. She turned to the crowd, and showed just how excited she was. She jumped to hug her father, and everyone applauded. After her father had let go of her, she asked for the microphone.
“First of all, I would like to thank my father for being willing to give me the world. Honestly, daddy, hearing that means a lot. But I’m older now, and I don’t need the world when I got you. I love you daddy, and I’m already thankful for your gift.”
Dr. Goldman was moved by his daughter’s words, and it showed as he was brought to tears. But before he can show her how moved he was, Gina revealed the gift. With one tug, she revealed her father’s gift to her. For a moment, there was silence in the room as everyone tried to understand what was in the cage. Then suddenly, everyone fell into a roaring ovation just as Gina hugged her father once more. Dr. Goldman turned to the crowd just as his daughter let go of him. At first, he was happy to see how joyous and impressed everyone was, but then he turned to his daughter who was already away from, standing in front of the cage. She immediately opened the cage to greet what was hers with her hand out. But then suddenly, her attention was turned to her father, who was now running to her.
Before she knew it, Tyco Turtle had unlocked his jaws as the smell of something organic— something living— something fresh, had entered before him. He had snapped at Gina’s hand, hoping to taste something sweet and fresh— something to remind him of his days at the islands he once lived in. His tongue searched for the sweet taste of ripe fruit as his jaws snapped and split opened the flesh before him. The bright liquid encouraged him, reminding him of the juices his mouth used to welcome, but the taste of salt from Gina’s skin and blood disappointed him— just like the moment he woke up and realized that he was no longer in the Galapagos.