El Carey

The fisherman beached the yola and jumped onto the shore. His son followed him, and both pulled the boat further up onto the sand. Cheito and his friends, Tino and Pepín, ran to the boat to see the catch. The fisherman and his son lifted the carey out of the boat and gently lay it on its back on the beach. They slowly walked off to a nearby palm tree. The Cheito, Tino and Pepín surrounded the sea turtle and silently stood watching as it opened and closed its bill, and slowly moved its fins as if attempting to right itself. The boy lay down next to the turtle. It was almost as long as he was tall. Its shell was a mottled green with sharp edges, its skin pebbled, and its large and expressive eyes were shedding large tears. The fisherman and his son stood up with freshly sharpened machetes and returned to the creature.

Jose M. Caldas, September 21, 2013.