Eating Clouds
It was early morning when Splinter led his four young sons through the cold dark sewers. The small turtles were tired and in need of a decent nap but they were also in need of a new home. The turtles were growing fast and the small alcove in the sewer Splinter had found after being mutated was no longer suitable for them, and, he decided, they needed something further away from the human world.
As they made their way through the tunnels, they passed by a grate where a small amount of sunshine could be seen peeking in. Splinter felt a tug on his kimono and looked down to see the chocolate-eyed turtle with the gap in his teeth smile up at him. He raised his arms and looked up at the grate in anticipation.
"Up?" He asked. Splinter looked down at the turtle curiously. He bent down and picked up the little turtle tot and was about to continue walking when the turtle pointed to the grate. "Wat dat?" He asked.
Splinter smiled at the little turtle. Of course this one would want to know about the light. This particular turtle seemed curious about every little thing and, from the moment he was mutated he seemed to learn fast and wanted to know what everything was. Splinter walked over to the grate and let the turtle look out. The turtle looked at Splinter and smiled as he pointed to the sun's light in the sky.
"It is the sun." Splinter explained. The turtle blinked up at him while his brothers crowded around them, also wanting to see. "The sun gives our world light, warmth and helps everything in the world grow." He told the chocolate-eyed turtle. He put him down and was just about to pick up the next one when he had an idea.
"Come with me my sons." He told them. He led them through the sewer and eventually they came to a ladder and, after Splinter poked his head out of the man hole cover and was sure no one was around, he picked up his sons and proceeded to lead them out carefully and quietly through the hole and they walked quickly across the street to a park where, in a large clump of bushes, the five of them hid.
He pointed to the dawning sky, where in the distance, the sun could be seen raising high above the city. The bright yellow glow lit up the morning sky and cast a brilliant hue that shone bright in the white of the clouds. His sons ooohed and aaahed as they watched the sunrise.
Once again the chocolate-eyed turtle pointed to the sky. "Wat wite?" He asked pointing to the clouds.
Splinter smiled again as each turtle turned and looked at him waiting for an explanation. "Those are called clouds." He told them. "They bring rain, and snow and give coolness against the heat of the sun.
After an hour of sitting in the grass, Splinter decided he needed to get his sons back to the sewer before the city became busy with the morning's rush of busy people. He picked up his small sons and quickly made their way back to the man hole cover where they had come out of.
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5 days Later.
Splinter finished making making dinner and called his sons to the table. He had finally found a place where he felt they would be safe for as long as necessary and began to make a home for his sons. At night, while his sons slept, he would go to the surface and find what he could to furnish their new home and make it as comfortable as possible.
He would make his way to the junk yard and scavenge around in an attempt to find anything that would make life a little easier as well as run to the back of the food stores and try to find food for his little ones to eat other then worms and algae. While he was usually successful at the junk yard, at the markets, not so much.
But this night was different. Splinter had managed to find some tossed out expired food in a dumpster behind a small grocery store. Packages of noodles and canned vegetables were discarded carelessly and although he found many were opened , few had not opened. But still it was a find and it would satisfy his sons hunger nicely. He also managed to find a tasty treat for his little ones he was sure they would enjoy.
As they toddled over to the room where Splinter decided a kitchen could be nicely established, they each sat on the floor in a circle eager for the meal. Their eyes opened wide as Splinter handed each of them a bowl of noodles and peas.
"Eat everything and maybe you will all get a special treat afterwards." He told them with a twinkle in his eyes.
The four turtles dug into their meal with relish and within minutes were done. Splinter took their bowls and placed them on a counter by a wash basin he used to wash their few dishes. On the other side was a hot plate used for heating their food. Soon he would go out again and look for a stove and sink to install but for now, this would do.
"Are you ready for the treat?" He asked his sons as he opened the bag he used to gather supplies in. His four turtles nodded eagerly and watched in fascination as Splinter took out a bag filled with large white strangely shaped round balls. He placed one in front of each of his sons.
The youngest turtle whose bright baby blue eyes that always sparkled and made Splinter's heart soar no matter how sad he was over his past life looked up at him curiously. "Us eat cwods?" He asked.
Splinter looked curiously at the small turtle not understanding what he said. "cwods?" He wondered. He was just about to answer him when the green-eyed turtle took a nibble. "Cwods yummy!" He exclaimed and quickly devoured his.
"I wike cwods!" Said the bright blued-eyed turtle.
"We eat cwods!" Said the chocolate-eyed one." How cwods come fom sky?" He asked turning to Splinter.
Splinter let out a small chuckle as he finally realized what his sons were talking about. "Those are not CLOUDS my sons." He told them. "Those are called marshmallows."
"Mardmadows fom sky?" The smallest asked, pointing upwards.
"No my son." Splinter told him. He sat down and took a bite of his marshmallow. "These are from a place called a store." He smiled as he looked over the white cylindrical treat. Yes, they were spongy and he could see how his sons might think they resemble clouds but he figured that would be a story for another day.
For now, there were still other things he needed to still do, but first and foremost was giving his new children much deserved names.
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I thought of this after sitting out on our back porch and watched the sunset with my kids while eating marshmallows. My youngest wanted to know why God put marshmallows in the sky while the second oldest wanted to know how I got clouds for them to eat. My oldest insists clouds are God's cartoons. But that might be a story for another day. Hope you enjoyed the story and please RR. -Peace-