As hard as I tried not to think about it I knew that some day the time would come when I would have to let Myrtle go. Just like we let go of our children when they grow up. It was the right thing to do. Things of nature belong to nature, out in the fresh air and the green grass creeping and crawling on mother earth.

I knew where she belonged, out there by the pond in the park. I took her to the park office. I talked to the people at the nature center, who informed me that Myrtle was more of a Harold, All along I thought Myrtle was a female. You've heard of the song " A Boy Named Sue ", well this is the story of a boy "Turtle Named Myrtle". It still wasn't going to be easy to give Myrtle up. I chose a beautiful path surrounded in blue forget me not. How appropriate... I knew I would never forget her... him and somehow I hope he was never going to forget me.

I had prepared him carefully with a thin streak of red nail polish on his shell. So I could distinguish him from the other turtles. well... I just couldn't let go completely. I wanted to come back and look for him. I watched him creep towards a nearby pond, where he swan into the water looking more like a red ribbon in the ripples of the pond.