Red was the first turtle to welcome us to our new home in 2014. It was strange really. Turtles cannot make any sound, cannot wag a tail, cannot smile (well, maybe a little), shake hands, or stand on their heads. Yet we did feel welcomed by Red. He just showed up at the back door one day and, instead of tucking his head safely inside his shell, he kept his eyes open. Charles gave him a nibble of cat food which he ate clumsily before heading back to some vague turtle home under a mass of azalea bushes.

As time passed, three other turtles came to visit. I took pictures of them and we noticed each had a distinct pattern on their shells, totally unique. Also, Charles marked each one’s back with a dab of paint. Thus we could easily recognize Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green. Of course they were always solo visitors. Occasionally we would see one of them on the edge of a lily bed or slowly crossing the driveway. Sometimes when we drove into the carport, there would be Red expectantly nudging around the cats’ feeding station.

Sometimes Charles or one of the children would set a turtle on the porch and we’d all watch his progress as he investigated everything. Red was the boldest and most curious one. He never hid in his shell but seemed to observe every chair leg, every shadow, every small cat food nibble, even bumping noses with Dinji the cat.

The mystery? Since Charles died in December, we have had no turtle sightings, not one. I kept watching for them in the spring. When I heard a rustle in the monkey grass, I looked eagerly for a turtle friend. When walking my “track,” (our driveway), I looked for them, knowing their shell patterns keep them camouflaged. Summer passed without a sign of Red, Blue, Green, or Yellow.

No, turtles are not cozy pets by any means. Yet I do kind of miss them. Did they all four pack up and leave? I guess I’ve never given turtles credit for being terribly smart. But they may have figured out that the gentle man who lived here and gave them nibbles of cat food is now gone.