Franklin

A gift for being a friend.

I will try my hand at writing some pomes, er, poems just for you! You started a newspaper and wrote Poor Richard. So I guess you would like it, even if mine's kinda bad. We have something in common anyway. Neither of us went to school…

Water floods the floors

Water soddens the rugs

The couch drinks it all up

Table legs splinter and rot

Time soon to find a home

A new forever home yet again

This happened last year. It happened at least once that I remember. Father said it happened three times. Our lair now is high, and we got a drain thing to make the water go away before it washes in. I hope it stays that way.

Rain-rain falling fast

Rain-rain don't dare last

When rain falls I do too

There is nothing for me to do

And then I feel blue

Over my head rain falls hard

Down here I feel just like lard

Stuck between damp moldy walls

My spirit-like the rain-steadily falls

Boredome and fear reign over alls

I know alls is not a real word, but it was the only way to make it rhyme. Mikey is better at it, but his spelling is bad when he writes. My spelling is okay, but I don't have as many good rhymes.

Once we all were exploring

My brothers and me imploring

To extend the walk a little longer

We turned the corner when I saw

An enormous glittering waterfall

Ice hung down from ceiling to ground

As though another ice age came around

We stood and stared frozen in place

While Father watched small smile on his face

No matter how old I'll ever would get

I know in my heart I'll remember this yet

True story, but not as good as the experience itself. Pity. Will I ever get good at poetry? Or will I get gooder at math? Or science? I know it won't be art. What am I good at? Does it matter in the end? When we die, will it really matter if I'm great at science or terrible at drawing? Or will it start all over again? What if I come back as a human if that happens?

Wierd questions but they come to my mind more and more. About life and death and stuff. I don't know why.

Franklin,

I wish I had a ton of books, more and more than will fit in the lair. More than we would fit in my room at least. I would never share, except with Leo because he knows how to take care of books. Raphie and Mikey…..I am so tired of them defacing my books. Geesh.

Franklin

A pen! A really really nice pen!In the junkyard, just sitting there rusting! Raphie is right. Humans are really wasteful. Good thing for us, or we won't have nearly as much as we do. I guess we can be grateful for the fact that humans throw good stuff away then.

Also, I am grateful that the pen is not a ball point, so Father doesn't have to jurry rig it to be a fountain one. It's more like what Father makes with driftwood when he has time to make them, that is. In the winter, like now, it takes a lot of trips and foraging to junk yards and trash cans to find enough to eat and keep warm.

Today I got to go with Father to the junkyard. I have to where clothes when I go. Oops, I mean wear, not where. I have to wear more than the others because I get cold easier and still got my cold. My cold is mostly over, I think. All but this stupid cough.

I am glad I got to go. And when I found the pen, Father said I can have it. Goodie!

I wish Mikey was able to go, but he still has a feverish cold. That is one of the reasons I went instead of Leo. Father needs feverfew and other herb stuff, and he is teaching me to doctor with herbs and stuff. I need to learn what it looks like and how to best gather them, and dry them and all kinds of stuff. And there is this homeless guy that forages in upstate new york. He's a mute, means he can't talk, and seemed nice enough. So I guess Father came to trust him sorta. Father said he likes his sauce too much, and it made him a little crazy. I told Father that I never want any more soy sauce then. He laughed for some reason.

We separated for a little while when we got to the junk yard. Father left me in the book and papers trailer that is used to store such things, mostly to be sorted, I guess. Told me to be good and look here for anything for gifts for my brothers, since Christmas is coming. Mikey asked me to bring some newspapers, and there was a lot here. I filled a bagful, both for Mikey and whatever he is planning to make, and to get fires started in the living area. We burn em in a barrel with whatever wood we can find. There was also a ratty(oops) notebook just in case we ran low on paper again. How will I ever talk to you if we ran out of paper?

There was a puzzle book that I think might work. Or we can burn it.
Then Father came back, and we went walking around the rest of the yard.\

He let me keep some of the fun find we found. Q battered toaster he said I can take apart if I want! I just can't plug it in. And a light! YAY!

We found a newish blanket with only three holes. Some ragged clothes father wanted to try to do something with. Something about rugs.

We found some dented cans of food. Lucky! And we gathered bags and bags of empty cans. Father said there was a homeless guy who sells them, and is willing to repay any who leaves a bunch at this place with food that he leaves when he takes the cans away. This time, we found some bread and noodles. YAY!

We started back heavy laden, but very happy. I'm glad to be productive. When we got home. Father got glomped by the running green blur known as Mikey. Then Raphie barreled in to be cuddled too. Leo clung to Father, looking tired and grumpy. All of them looked tired and grumpy.

I went to run the food stuff the the kitchen area, and then I stood at the door and watched the rest. Father got the three to the couch. He checked Mikey for fever and shook his head with a sad face. He listened to Leo tell him what happened while we were away. Raphie was crawling over Mikey to get closer to Father. That was weird. Father must have thought so too, cause he checked him for fever. Raph gets more snuggly when he gets sick. I guess he's got the cold too. I hate colds.

I tried at last to sneak past them but after being outside so long, my coughs were loud again. See I knew what was coming next. And I was right. The three sick turtles had to drink nasty tea. Then we all were sent to bed. Mikey and Raphie had to take a nap, but I only had to lay down, and study/describe the feverfew in my notebook. I wrote to you first so you will know what is going on. And then I will write about the herb. But you come first, Franklin. Then I think I will take a nap too. I did a lot of walking today.

Donnie

Franklin,

Father ordered everybody but Leo and me to bed. Leo is a good son and brother. He tries hard but is not very patient. Still trying hard counts too.

I try hard to help Father too, but not as well. Father wants me to sit still all the time, because it is cold still, and I cough a lot still. I wish I can stop. So I sit with Mikey and amuse him. He needs me when Father has to go and see to Raph. Mikey doesn't like being alone when he is sick. The day is very long, and my head hurts, and my chest hurts. Father looks tired. I wish he didn't have to do so much. I wish we can go where he can get some help.

Mikey is super sick and feverish. He coughs a lot too. We are a pair right now. All in our big room, Mikey coughing, me coughing, and Raph throwing up. I'm glad Leo is not sick.

Raph is throwing up a lot. He is so feverish, his eyes are glassy. Father trots between Mikey's mat and Raph's in a distracted hurry. I bet he would move the two to his bed real soon, of they don't get better.

They are so much sicker than me, that Father ignores me a lot. But he does make me drink my tea. Good thing it's ginger now. He wanted me to eat more, but now the others distract him enough that he don't push as much as before. I guess there are some good to come outta this then!

I am starting to think that living in a sewer is not the healthiest place to live. It's only a theory, though, and I don't exactly have experience living anywhere else, you know. A monster has very few housing options. I will like to test the waters around our home soon. I don't know how, or what I would be looking for, but I am sure Father will know. Father knows everything that is worth knowing about.

Your friend

Donnie

Franklin,

I think I have perfected the art of being hidden in plain sight. Even when I am in the middle of the room now, nobody sees me. Got to go get more water for Father now. I wonder if he sees that I feel the pots and pitchers? Bet he thinks it's Leo.

Donnie

PS Thank you for being my friend, Franklin.