Once I had a frog in the pond. I called him Shitty-P, short for Shitty Prince Charming. Sun caught him in Art Park and brought him to me as a kind of Prince Charming lucky charm, but my luck only got worse so I let him go / kicked him out. Today I decided I wanted another, so we went back to the park to fetch a prince from this little overgrown bogspot, a glorified ditch really, where tons of frogs always are. We thought we would name him Better Adjective Prince Charming this time for good general loveluck. But no frogs were there at all, not even jumping to get away from our feet and poking sticks, it was dead quiet as if they were all holding their little collective froggy breath. I looked and looked. Then realized what was right before my eyes.

So big that I hadn't seen it, my brain just didn't compute, and old as dirt (wow).  And I sat down and leaned over the water and he swam up to me and stared into my eyes (I swear!), and when I leaned in more he craned his face toward me more, nose to nose like.

I didn't have my phone - these pics were taken by Sun's bf at a distance trying to get pics without my noticing and without scaring the turtle (who didn't look scared of jackshit, frankly).

I know all about turtles. And what they mean.