At the Dutch Day Fair
Toshiaki sat in the tulip cart and sighed. Yes, he brought back Shelley, mostly for the science fair. But there was room for his love in the mix of ambition.
The turtle was completely demolished by the electrical shock. The only thing left of Shelley was his sturdy shell.
He remembered the time when he first got his turtle. It was back in Japan. An elderly lady sat there on the street corner with a box of baby turtles. Little Toshiaki was much more kind and less manipulative. He became entranced as he watched the baby turtles crawl over each other for space. One baby turtle empowered the rest, and Toshiaki knew he wanted him. He paid the elderly lady and picked up the turtle. He thought for a moment for a name. Maybe he didn't want a Japanese name. He thought and looked at the shell of the turtle. Toshiaki knew he would name the turtle Shelley.
A few years later, when Toshiaki was halfway through his tenth year in life, his parents decided to move to America for new job opportunities. Toshiaki resented the idea. He wanted to stay where he was, a place familiar to him. They did move, and that place was New Holland, California. During the first month, Toshiaki was bullied for looking different and speaking differently. He absolutely detested the children at his school. Being the only Asian at his school was difficult. He then remembered the time when Shelley crawled on top of the other turtles. He became inspired and stood up for himself. The children no longer bullied him after that.
But then, he kept going. His innocent heart turned into a heart full of manipulation and deceitfulness. Shelley's death made it even worse. After that, Toshiaki's heart hardened to all things. He preyed on the naïve, like Bob, for his own good. He gained the reputation to be feared. Feared.
Toshiaki looked up and found his mother in the distance.
I am-a going to die-a tonight
His mother looked like she was about to explode. Her face was scarlet red and you could see the steam coming out of her ears.
((Imagine the dialogue in Japanese))
"You brought back an animal to life! Then that gamera-like beast stomped all over town! Just wait until your father gets back from his business trip!" Toshiaki's mother fumed.
A few workers that were cleaning the mess up gave strange looks to her.
Toshiaki cowered in fear. His mother was scary, but his father was hell itself.
Toshiaki's mother grabbed him by the ear and dragged him out. On the way out, he saw two workers haul a tall boy wrapped in streamers.
"Nassol?"
"Toshiaki, you are not allowed to speak!"
Toshiaki looked up at the star littered sky. He wished he could escape from this situation and be a star. Stars had no expectations, just shine. He looked down at Shelley's shell.
I guess you ah uh star, Shelley
Toshiaki smiled.
"Stop smiling! You are not allowed to smile!"