Turtles

On sunny mornings as many as thirty turtles, some small, some large, some in between, bask on the bank of the pond just below our balcony. For several weeks now I’ve been trying to get a picture of them, but the creatures are skittish. One false move and they lurch into the pond. I sneak down to the lower level wearing my soft leather slippers, careful not to crack a twig, and snap them, but they don’t come out properly. Concealed in a hazy blur of digital film, they mock me.

Today it’s cloudy out. Grayish green. No turtles. So I settle for this pepper.