9. Pal Is Pretty Smart, Too

Chapter 9 Pal Is Pretty Smart, Too "Guys, come and see what Pal dug up!" Bradley said. Brian, Nate, and Lucy joined Bradley. They all peered into the hole Pal had dug. "It's a turtle!" Nate said. The turtle pulled its head and legs inside its shell. Bradley lifted the turtle out of the hole. He set it on the ground.

The turtle was round on top and about eight inches long. Its shell was dark brown with bright yellow markings. Pal was quivering and whimpering. "Where's the head?" Brian asked. "Inside the shell," Lucy said. "This is a box turtle. Part of the stomach shell can open and close, with a hinge like on a door. It pulls its head inside to hide." "Did it eat our strawberries?" Bradley asked. "I think so," Lucy said. "We had one in school back home. We fed it berries all the time. They have very long necks!" "And they live underground sometimes," Nate said. "I saw a movie about them on TV." "Why is he hiding his head?" Brian asked. "He's scared," Lucy said. "If we leave him alone, he'll stick his head out and start to walk." The kids sat silently and watched the box turtle. Bradley put his arm around Pal. After a few minutes the front of the turtle's chest shell began to open. First the nose peeked out. The shell opened more, and the head came out. "That is so cool!" Brian whispered.

"Look what he has in his mouth," Lucy said. The kids scooted closer to the turtle, causing it to hide its head again. "I saw a piece of strawberry," Bradley said. "This guy is our mystery berry biter!" "What should we do with him?" Nate asked. "We can't leave him here!" Brian said. "He'll eat everything!" "And if it's a mama turtle, she'll have babies and they'll eat everything, too!" Nate said. "Box turtles like to be near wet places like bogs or swamps," Lucy said. "Let's take it to the river," Bradley suggested.

Bradley, Brian, Nate, and Lucy left the garden. They headed across the field behind the Pintos' property. Lucy carried the box turtle. Pal trotted in front of them, sniffing the ground. Five minutes later they came to the river. Sunlight reflected off the surface, making the water look like golden coins. "Should we put him in the water?" Bradley asked. "Let's let the turtle decide," Lucy said. "We'll just leave him and see where he goes."

Lucy set the turtle on the muddy riverbank. After a moment, the turtle's head and legs appeared. It slowly walked away from the water and disappeared into a pile of leaves under an oak tree. "I hope he doesn't come back to eat more strawberries," Bradley said. "If he does, at least we'll know where to look for him," his brother said. "Now you can tell your father you saved his garden!" Lucy said. "I still want to make him strawberry jam," Bradley said. He sighed. "I guess we'll have to think of something else, though." The kids went back to the garden. They filled in the hole they had dug for the trap. They did the same with the one Pal had dug. Just then Bradley's dad pulled into the driveway. He came over to see what they were doing. Bradley told him about the box turtle that had been eating the strawberries. "We took him down by the river," he added. "I'm proud of you kids," Mr. Pinto said. "You did a great job on the weeding, too. How about

some ice cream?" "Yay!" Nate yelled. "My stomach loves you, Mr. Pinto."