Hard Back Kevasi

                                                dedicated to my sister Britney Allen

            My siblings and I were raised somewhat like a pack of wolves. Our mothers and fathers would never leave the door open a crack just to let us breath fresh air. Once a year around Christmas we would spend hours at a time setting up the precious Christmas lights. Not all of our parents were like that when my twin brother and sister and I were the innocent age of 8 we learned how to cook meal 1, meal 2, and meal 3.

My sister was named Islah and my brother was named Luca and I was named after my great grandfather Brasi. Islah would spend hours outdoors baking with her toy oven while Luca would make dirt ghosts. They hated our first parents for keeping us sheltered they never got used to it. After they died in a fatal car crash they weren’t near as sentimental as I was.

Meanwhile, I would spend days in my bedrooms studying the animals that came upon my window. I would always open the window a crack and pick up this little pudgy green creature with purple eyes that would always visit me when the sun came up. I always thought it was to say “Good morning” so I replied with a simple “Hello”.

One day I decided to ask that nubby short guy that came to my house everyday other than Sundays to put paper in a box.

“Do you have an idea what this is”?

“Oh I see you’re quite interested in nature. Well that right there is called a golden coin turtle. Oh my you are one lucky little boy because that turtle right there is nearly extinct.” He replied with a mild country accent.

“Extinct?” I asked bluntly.

“ Yup that’s when the population of something is going down rapidly to the point where they no longer exist .Nowadays you won’t find one of those unless they’re held in captivity.” The turtle started to move to I set it down on the rocking chair and sat with it as I asked the seemingly smart guy questions.

“Why are they going extinct”? I asked with a curious look on my face.

“Well I am no scientist I’m just the old mailman”. He said vigorously. He walked quickly across the gate way and skidded off with his little blue vehicle.

Islah walked up almost immediately when the mailman left.

“Why were you speaking to that guy he just fat mailman jones?” I heard a little girl say. Islah had a look almost impossible to forget. She was short and thick she had a pin nose and lips plump and always red. Her hair always in a slicked back ponytail. She was adroit yet rebellious and quite a helper. I stared at her with beady eyes as she said

“Are you just going to sit there like if I did not just ask you a question”? I stared for a bit longer.

“Well you-.” She ran quickly up to her room as she heard our mother’s footsteps from down the hallway. My mother was dowdy and very lazy she was always lying in bed and when she came out of that bed it was something important. She scattered about the house looking for my brother Luca when she found me.

“What in the name of god are you doing out here go make meal 1.” She shouted stridently.

“Get that creature off of my chair or it won’t live to see another second.” I entered the house with my turtle I soon named Kevin. Luca was already making meal 1 so I ran up to my room to play with Kevin.  I found a brown blanket and wrapped him up with it and brought him to my bed. He was extremely thin so fed him some green grapes without the seeds. He chomped slowly and roughly.

I was up nearly all night thinking about how to help Kevin and his siblings get back together I even missed my evening nap. I don’t know what I would do without my brother and sister. They are extremely irksome but they make my life complete. Kevin crawled slowly about my bedroom.

As I was near a deep sleep I heard a zealous knock on my bedroom door this must be important I said to myself. This person was eager so I opened the door quickly. It was Luca. He was standing there thin and tall with brown hair in a laid swoop.

“Why are you just standing there come on there’s a creepy little green uhh weird thing you know just come look.” He snatched my wrists and basically dragged me downstairs. My heart nearly fell to my knees when I was my father holding an iron rod about to hit Kevin. My father was very obtuse, blunt and maybe even stupid. I jumped in the way of Kevin and my father hit my lower back. I was shook and laid there very still for about 10 seconds everything was silent and still. I was picked up with Kevin in my hands and was sent to my bed.

That day fat mailman jones came by so I was sitting waiting for him with Kevin.

“I am so sorry for what happened to your back and I wouldn’t mind taking you to the post office to check out our devices and study more on your little turtle.” he said. My eyes turned luminous as I struggled to get up.

“Yes I would most definitely enjoy that.” I stated nearly forcing my voice because of my injury. I accompanied him as we drove about 2 miles to the post office.

            When we got there I stepped out my back still in unpleasant pain I had the biggest smile across my face. We walked into the office and mailman jones told me I had 3 hours to use the computer. I sat Kevin down on the table and searched up

“Golden coin turtle,”  I was home schooled for my entire life so I learned how to read pretty slowly. I read “the golden coin turtle also known as the Chinese three-striped box turtle. It is the most endangered turtle species since 2003.

“Awe poor little Kevin you’re just a little baby. I just really hope you’re a boy and I don’t have to call u start calling you female names.” I murmured to myself. Kevin looked hungry to me so I stepped outside for a simple second and found 5 snails to feed to Kevin.  .

2 hours 56 minutes later

“Hey kid its time to go your parents are probably worried sick”. Mailman jones stated.

“My parents? No way there are so worried that I will become a loner they want me to experience more.” I said hesitantly.

“Well maybe you should. It does help when you experience things and I see you love nature.”

“I do! I said elated. We drove home and I walked up the gateway and opened the front door. It was around 2:30 p.m. and my mother of course was in bed while Islah and Luca played outside wildly. I ran up to my room and made a home for Kevin using my pillow case and rocks.

The day went by extremely slowly. Islah fell asleep for nap time and Luca didn’t because his dirt ghosts were arguing. Eventually everyone in the house got pretty used to Kevin. 

I’ve always had a passion for helping animals and when I found Kevin who knew he would have been through so much with me. I finally found out that was the last foster home I will be at until I am 18 and Kevin was with me. He was even by my side at the most important time of my life when I got a master’s degree in Marine Biology at Harvard. Until this day I thank old mailman jones I don’t know what I would have done without him. In my moments of pain and happiness for the past ten years Kevin has been there for me. He is really helping me get closer to fulfilling my dream of helping endangered creatures such as him. When people ask I often call Kevin and I Kevasi mostly because we both have hard backs and we are strong.