I just stood there flat against the door, the five locks embedded into my back as I tried to become one with the wood. The creature, Mr. Orange-mask, pointed to the window, implying that I should open it. I shook my head furiously and mouthed "NO!"

He then started to plead with me verbally.

Wait, back it up. Did he just try to talk to me? I heard him and was amazed that I understood him. Okay, now I was really freaked out. Even after watching him and his compatriot 'talk' while they were scavenging, I figured they had their own language or something. They were turtles, for cry'n out loud. However, hearing Mr. Orange-mask beg me to open the window and using words that I could understand meant that they spoke English. I was dumb-founded.

Who would've thought?

Nevertheless, I kept thinking about those weapons and there was no way in Hades I was going to just waltz over there and throw the window wide open.

Therefore, I decided to try something.

I slapped my thighs; both of them, then shook my head. I figure if this humanoid turtle was truly sentient, he'd figure it out what I wanted him to do. He cocked his head to one side and – smiled! H'okay, so he had facial expressions as well. It seemed weird but also slightly comical. I had to grin just a little, if only because I couldn't help it.

Then, completely throwing me for a loop, Mr. Orange-mask removed his tools and dropped them. This bizarre creature had complied perfectly with what I wanted him to do. I could only imagine his buddy probably retrieved them, but I could care less at that point.

Then it was his turn. He pointed to the lock on the window and mouthed something that probably meant; "Now it's your turn."

Hmm... I felt it was debatable, but, okay, I could at least walk over there and maybe discuss it with him before committing myself. I had to giggle at the thought of 'discussing' anything with such a creature, but I considered myself a fair person. Consequently, knowing that the glass was rather thin and I didn't think it would be a problem to hear him – I decided to give him that much. I was certainly NOT going to let him in, not until I was sure his sole purpose for being there wasn't to silence me.

I walked slowly – and I do mean slowly – over to about three feet from the window. I grinned, albeit forcibly, and tried my best to portray a harmless middle-aged woman. However, I noticed that the closer I came to that window the wider the grin on the creature's face became. Right about then, it hit me. Considering this was the first time I'd ever seen anything like him before, for all I knew he could have been snarling at me, as if preparing to attack. Maybe getting this close wasn't such a good idea after all. Yet, I was already there so I made the best of it.

"So," I began calmly – I was always great at acting calm in the middle of chaos, except for when Brandi died, "ah, you have a name?"

"It's freezing out here, wanna let me in?" it asked.

Talk about getting to the point! Thinking rather clearly, all things considered, I asked, "What are you doing on my window sill? You could have gone back the way you came?"

"You seemed nice!" it explained.

"Your friend seemed pissed off that I noticed you!" I reasoned, folding my arms across my chest and trying to act nonchalant.

"Yeah, Raph's like that. I'm not. Can I come in?" he repeated his request.

I could tell his teeth were starting to chatter and I saw the wind pick up a little. There was always a bit of a breeze from about the third story on up.

I was debating.

"Why don't you just go back...?" However, I then stopped. The look he gave seemed so pathetic to me, as if he was a kid who'd not had much in the way of friends and was just trying to make one. All right, I'll admit it; I'm a sucker for kids - especially ones who seem down on their luck. I don't know how many times I've given my tip money to the busboy or to some runt selling shoelaces. I figure they weren't making much to begin. Maybe there was a whole house-full at home where they lived, all just trying to get by.

While I thought about this, I was hearing two sides of what I was going to do next. "Are you nuts?" was one commentary, while its opposite said, "How can you just leave him out there?" Yet I knew that if he intended to harm me this creature could have easily just broken the window with his fist and slipped right in. Moreover, I had this gut feeling he was just trying to be friendly.

Opening the window, I cautioned him, "My husband knows karate, so watch it!"

The creature sort of stared at me as if I had said something mildly amusing. That's what it looked like to me, anyway. There was a slight upturn of a smile on his face and, to be honest, it was rather cute. He then eased into the room cautiously, grinning at me.

"He lives here?" he asked as he eyed me.

"Yeah, he just – ah - stepped out to talk with the neighbors. Walls are paper thin so it won't take much for him to get back here, "I lied.

Then, startling me back a step or two, Mr. Red-mask climbed into my apartment as well. However, he was carrying the weapons Mr. Orange-mask had dropped earlier; spouting complaints while he considerately closed the window. I was impressed that they could get up to my apartment so easily. However, I was also a little nervous. Aside from having the strangest creatures I'd ever seen standing in my room, they were now currently armed, as well.

I was really starting to think that I was nuts about then.

"Mikey, just because they wave and smile doesn't mean a thing. You're crazy, you know that? Splinter's gonna have our shells for this." Mr. Red- mask scanned the room before giving me a visual once over, which forced me to take a defensive posture.

I glared back.

He smirked.

"Hey, Raph – when'd that ever stop you?" Mikey sniggered as he rubbed his arms to warm up.

Great. Now I had names to go with this weirdness - Mike, who wore the orange mask, and Raph, who wore red. Anyway, both of these creatures were now standing in my small apartment and both armed with weapons that I know I could name but my shocked neurons weren't quite up to speed yet.

Finally, I blurted out, "No funny business, okay? I won't put up with Jack so keep those things you're wearing right where they are and your hands where I can see 'em!"

"You gonna arrest us, lady?" Raph sneered. Yep, that was a sneer, all right, in contrast to the grin Mikey had given me earlier. It was rather unnerving, to be honest. Actually, Mike still had his smile on his face as he surveyed my humble abode.

"Gee, it's nice 'n warm in here. Didn't think these places had any heat; they always looked so run down on the outside." Mikey commented. "So you and your husband live here, huh?" he repeated his question.

"You can talk but you can't hear I take it?" I stated sarcastically. Blame my attitude on my once-happy-life-gone-down-the-tubes. Things like that can change a person; trust me on that one. Additionally, working for a diner that attracted a more surly type of clientele and it was easy to develop an attitude. I had a royal one that was certain.

Raph chuckled and slapped Mikey on the back - whoops, on the shell. Yep, they were turtles all right. I realized I hadn't been hallucinating about what they were or about their communicative skills.

"Ah, lady, I hate to break it to you, but you're a terrible liar." Mikey informed me. He stood there smiling slightly and somewhat amused.

"Oh, I let you in and now you're showing your gratitude by calling me a liar? Maybe you need to...." I blurted offensively, but he interrupted me.

Putting a hand up as if to stop me, Mikey explained, "Most wives wouldn't have locked their husbands' out." He nodded towards my apartment door that had all five bolts in place.

I looked back and realized what he meant. "Well...he always wants me to be careful. Likes to know nothing'll happen to me, you know..." I explained weakly, turning back to face him.

"Ah huh...yeah, okay, whatever. You have anything to eat?" Mikey asked.

Humph, kind of nervy of him. He didn't even know my name and was already asking for food. Yet, if they were scrounging for recyclables, then it was a good bet hunger was something with which they were quite familiar. I was never one to turn my back on another who was less fortunate than I was. I didn't have much but I was sure to them I had more than enough.

"I have some bread and peanut butter. Jam if you'd like, too." I offered finally.

"Cool!" Mikey chirped as he quickly went into the kitchen. "I don't mind helping myself; don't' want to be a bother...just show me..."

I quickly detoured him, taking his arm and turning him away from the kitchen, "My place, remember? Just you and...." I looked at his friend and asked, "What was your name again?"

"RAPH!" he said rather loudly, "Just in case you have a hard time hearing!" and he grinned. Yep that was a grin. Much better than the sneer, that was certain. He seemed to lean towards the sarcastic side, as well.

I've found that those who've had a tough life tend to be one of two types of people. The first group keeps to themselves and tries to forget the pain. The other group meets that pain head on and dares it to do anything about it! I think Raph was in that second group, right along with me.

"Well, Mikey, just you and Raph take a seat while I get the sandwiches ready, okay?" He obliged happily, both turtles grabbing a chair each and sitting down at my small table. I then went ahead and prepared the sandwiches, coupling the meager meal with a glass of milk for each of my guests. As I watched them devour their food, I asked them, "So, you live in the sewers?"

Raph kind of stopped his eating, looked over at Mikey, and then back at me, "Um, why'd you ask that?"

Mike paid no mind to my question, as he was more interested in his sandwich.

"I saw you come out of the manhole earlier." I fessed up.

"You were watching us that whole time?" Raph asked, surprised. He had stopped eating so I motioned that he should continue. He didn't. He waited for my response.

"Yeah, why?" I asked.

"Well, we're usually very careful about not being seen." Raph explained.

"I can understand why. Are you telling me that I'm the first human that's ever seen you?" I asked him from my small couch.

I had pulled up my loveseat up to the small table so I would be able to sit with them while they ate. The table only afforded two chairs, so it would have been difficult at best for me to be comfortable. I was sort of lounging a little, my feet up and tucked under me. I was nestled into the corner of the couch while I observed these fascinating creatures.

"No, but we don't necessarily try to make a friend a week, if you know what I mean. It's not like we can just walk into that diner you work at." Raph said with a flourish of his hands.

Okay, where in hell did he get that information? "What do you mean, where I work at? Have you been following me?"

Mike stopped eating at that point and had kind of a funny look on his face. He waited for Raph to answer, who didn't seem to want to.

"I asked you a question?" I reminded them.

"Yeah…and I'm considering a reply." Raph shot back. He seemed truly uncomfortable, like he had said more than he wanted to.

Finally, Mikey decided to do the honors, "This isn't the first time we've seen you. That's why I kind of know that your husband doesn't live here. Never has."

I challenged them on this as I stood up from the couch. With my hands on my hips, "What do you mean by that?" I asked. My head started to swim when it became apparent that they had known about me before this evening.

Mikey's eyes grew big for a moment when he realized I was getting a mite upset. Actually, I was getting mildly concerned. What purpose did it serve them to follow me; to know such intimate details about my life that they knew Jack never lived here? I was seriously considering running to my apartment door, unlock all five deadbolts, and run screaming down through the hallways.

Mikey licked his lips – or the front of his mouth, because I didn't really think he had any lips – and started to explain. "Ah, actually we…"

However, Raph cut him off. "We've seen you walk to your work, s'all. Sometimes..." and he looked at me cautiously as if he was choosing his words carefully, "we make sure you get there safely. That's all." He then seemed to be assessing my reaction with what he had just told me.

Overall, I was taking it rather well, considering I hadn't freaked out yet. I nixed running out of my apartment since I was sure they would be able to intercept me – considering how quickly they had scaled the outside wall to my window. "So, you were – what? Stalking me?" I asked.

"NO, not stalking – walking; kind of in the shadows. It's a bad part of town and, well, we do things like that. It's kind of a hobby of ours." Raph corrected. He plopped the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth and downed it quickly with the remaining swig of milk in his glass. "Trust me, lady, if we had wanted to hurt you, we wouldn't be sitting here in your apartment eating sandwiches." Raph exclaimed defensively. He then stood up, saying, "Well, we need to get going. Have a few more things to get before heading back 'ome." Raph explained. "Com'on, Mikey. Hurry it up."

"Ah, where is home, again, by the way?" I asked, curious.

Raph just grinned, "Your memory doesn't work very well, either, does it?"

"The sewers? "I asked, hoping for more information than that, wondering where exactly they lived down there. However, the derisive look from Raph told me that fact would not be forth coming. "Ah, yeah, the sewers. Riiight!" I nodded in acceptance. Remembering how tough they obviously had it, I offered, "H'okay, well, ah, do you want to take the rest of the bread? You're welcomed to it. I have another loaf somewhere. The peanut butter and jam, too, if ya want. I need to go shopping anyway."

I didn't wait for them to answer one way or the other. I just grabbed up the items and found a plastic bag in a cabinet to put them in. As I did all of this, Mikey's face brightened up like a Christmas tree, "Gee, Donny and Leo will be...." He started to say but then Raph struck him lightly alongside the head.

"You know, Mikey, you have one big mouth for a turtle!" he complained.

"Sorry." Mike replied as he rubbed his head and then addressed me, "We'd appreciate it, lady."

I caught the additional names and realized that there were obviously more at home evidently, maybe like the two in my apartment! I mumbled under my breath, "Okay, so now we have a Leo and a Donny." I reached inside a cabinet and pulled out the two bags of aluminum cans I had kept forgetting to take to the recycle bin. "Here, might as well take these, too. I'm sure you could use them."

Raph finally brightened then and grinned. He asked, "By the way, you know our names; but what's yours?"

I turned to them and said, "Mindy. Mindy Johnson." Then it was my turn to smile.

In fact, it was probably the first smile I had on my face in a very long time.