Trouble at Turtle Pond by Diana Renn

Author:Diana Renn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Regal House Publishing
Published: 2022-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

18

I dropped down and put my head close to the turtle. It was breathing! But it sat very, very still. “Don’t worry,” I told it. “I’m here to help. What happened to you?”

It didn’t mind-message me back. This had to be serious. I had no time to lose.

I scanned the turtle for other details and clues. Toward the back of the shell was a raised clump. I carefully touched it. Hardened glue. This turtle had once had a tracker.

The shell was notched in three places along the edge. I quickly figured out the place values. 1180! I closed my eyes and pictured the list of numbers Dr. Holmes had written out for me the day I met her. Turtle 1180 was one of the missing three females she wanted to find, the ones who had gone off the radar!

“You have to make it!” I pleaded. “Hang on! I’m going to help you!”

Luke came running over. Oh, no. Is it alive?”

“It’s a she. And, yes, but barely. But we have to take it to Dr. Holmes. Help me find a stretcher.” Luke looked around and grabbed a cardboard box lid lying on the sidewalk, some litter I must have missed on one of my patrols. “You hold the lid,” I said. “I’ll slide the turtle onto it.”

As Luke and I slowly rose to our feet, me holding the makeshift stretcher with the turtle balanced on it, a car slowly passed. I didn’t look up to see who it was. Slowly, I walked toward Dr. Holmes’s house, and Luke followed.

The car stopped, a door slammed, and Pia ran over to us. I glanced up. I almost didn’t recognize her out of uniform, in regular sweatpants and a bright red T-shirt.

“What happened?” she exclaimed, her hands flying to her mouth. “I was coming back from bharata natyam class, and I saw you guys.”

Mrs. Sharma and Arjun came running over too.

“Poor turtle!” said Arjun, tears filling his eyes. “Will it be okay?”

“I don’t know, Arjun,” I admitted. “We’re taking it to Dr. Holmes.”

Pia looked at her mom. “Can I go? Please?”

“All right,” said Mrs. Sharma. “Quickly, everyone, get in the car. I’ll drive you there.”

Dr. Holmes looked surprised to see us all at the door. But after one look at the hurt turtle, she led us into her garage. It was more lab than garage. Metal shelves were filled with various bottles and jars and tools, as well as turtle-tracking equipment. Chest waders and two wet suits hung from the ceiling. There were turtle tanks on tables in the middle of the room, bright heat lamps beaming down, timers softly ticking. Dr. Holmes set the turtle on a table. She snapped on rubber gloves.

“What happened to it?” Luke asked.

“Did an animal get to it?” asked Pia.

“Or a car?” I chimed in.

“Is it going to die?” asked Arjun, twisting his hands together.

“She’s lost her tracker. I can see where it was cut off. But the injury itself isn’t the work of a knife. Looks like some kind of machine damage.

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