A Heavy Shell On The Yellow Lines
The heavy claw scraped against the hot asphalt as the massive turtle dragged a green nylon net across the double yellow lines. Cars slowed to a crawl in the opposite lane, their tires crunching over loose gravel at the edge of the two-lane road.
The turtle stretched its thick neck forward, pushing its ridged shell inch by inch toward the opposite shoulder. A tangled web of fishing mesh clung tightly to its dome, trailing several feet behind its spiked tail.
A gray crossover pulled onto the dusty shoulder nearby. A woman stepped out of the driver’s side, keeping her eyes fixed on the roadway as another vehicle rushed past the animal.
Cooling The Shell
She moved toward the center line, bending her knees and keeping her hands spread wide to assess the tangled netting. The reptile hissed softly, tucking its head partially into the dark folds of its skin.
Reaching into her vehicle, the woman grabbed a clear plastic bottle filled with cool drinking water. She knelt down beside the rough, mossy shell, tipping the bottle to let the stream pour directly over the turtle’s back.
Water cascaded over the dark ridges and dripped off the green webbing onto the sun-baked pavement. The turtle lifted its snout slightly into the falling spray, blinking against the bright sunlight as the dark scales absorbed the moisture.
Clearing The Tangled Mesh
The woman produced a pair of orange-handled craft scissors and pinched the top loop of the tight mesh between two fingers. She slid the blunt edge of the blade under the cord, cutting slowly to avoid touching the hard bone beneath.
Snap after snap, the green fibers gave way until the tight harness loosened around the shell. She gathered the tangled bundle into her fist and lifted the entire net away from the animal’s tail.
Stepping behind the turtle, she slid both hands under the thick edges of the lower shell, well away from the powerful beak. She lifted the heavy reptile off the road and walked carefully toward the grassy bank overlooking the lake.
Back To Deep Water
She set the turtle down at the edge of the tall grass, just feet from the calm water’s edge. The animal paused on the wet dirt, digging its front claws into the mud.
It pushed forward down the slope, dipping its snout beneath the clear surface of the lake. Tiny bubbles broke across the water as the turtle submerged its body, its webbed feet kicking steadily as it drifted out toward the center of the lake.
The woman walked back across the gravel toward her parked crossover. She opened the driver’s side door, pulled it shut, and shifted the car into gear, steering down the dirt road beneath the tall pine trees.
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