While walking along the banks of a weed-choked stream, Anthony Zen noticed several things. In the far distance, an elderly man slowly made his way towards the stream, or at least it seemed he was making his way towards the stream. He moved so slowly that it was debatable whether he was actually moving or not. Dandelions were beginning to grow out of his shoes.

Beside the stream bank, a young couple played catch with their five year-old son. The father had a strong pitching arm, but the mother was a poor catcher. Each time she missed the young boy, he'd let out a yelp as he fell to the ground. Other than that, he was generally well behaved. The mother turned to Anthony and explained that her husband was throwing him too high; the sun was getting in her eyes, so she couldn't see him coming back down. Just then, her husband tossed the boy and caught her completely off guard. The young boy sailed over her head and landed amongst the cattails in the weed-choked stream.

The young couple searched frantically for their son, but he had become lost in the weeds. The mother called out to him. The father became quite upset; it was a lovely day, and he wasn't ready to go home yet. All the young couple's efforts were in vain. Their son remained hidden from them. Maybe he had grown tired of playing catch. After all, family outings are difficult to plan; not everyone has the same interests.

After watching the young couple search for their son for a few hours, Anthony decided to help out. He was reluctant at first. Time was flying. The elderly man had advanced three feet forward. The dandelions in his shoes were now in full flower. Soon Anthony's entire afternoon would be wasted. However, a series of events unfolded that caused Anthony to ignore the growth of dandelions in an old man's shoes.

Anthony had been the first to notice it. His alarm immediately caught the attention of the young couple, racing to his side. They had no idea what it was. They were terrified, but too curious to run. Whatever it was, it was racing through the cattails at great speed. Back and forth, back and forth it went - a zigzag pattern. Suddenly, exploding out of the water, it landed on the bank in front of them. The mother screamed, clenching her husband's arm.

"What is it?" her husband cried.

"It's a turtle," Anthony replied, knowing something about these sort of things.

The turtle was eccentric at best. It had a predilection for racing up and down the stream bank, chasing birds. It would rub up against their ankles and play with pieces of string. The young boy came out of hiding and began to pet the turtle. The turtle rolled over for him; it liked to have its plastron rubbed. The mother scolded her son for hiding in the cattails. She removed the mud from his ears and nostrils. The young boy expressed interest in playing something other than catch.

It was the perfect family portrait: a young couple, their mud-covered offspring, and their playful pet turtle. Anthony decided to leave them in their moment of happiness. As he turned to go, however, he felt the turtle brushing up against the back of his leg. The turtle's gentle motion filled Anthony with a secret longing. Instinctively, he turned around. He was shocked at the vision which stood before him.

She had skin whiter than well-kept teeth, hair and eyes darker than the mole on Anthony's belly. Every detail was enhanced by the fact that she was completely naked. The young couple watched in amazement. The mother covered her son's eyes. The elderly man was still approaching in the distance. The dandelions in his shoes were beginning to sprout seeds. The turtle was nowhere to be seen.

Anthony couldn't resist the temptation. He leaned forward and kissed the naked beauty on her right shoulder.

"My, aren't you fresh," she stepped back.

"I'm sorry," Anthony quickly apologized, turning red, "I've forgotten my manners."

The naked beauty noticed that Anthony wasn't wearing any pants.

"You're a strange one," she laughed, brushing a colourful fly from her left breast.

"I find you rather interesting," Anthony quickly admitted to her, "would you like to go out for coffee with me?"

She suddenly became quite serious.

"There's something I must tell you."

"What is it?" Anthony felt defeated already.

She seemed unable to face him. Sighing, with Anthony hanging on her every word, she summoned the courage to speak.

"Between the hours of 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, I am a turtle."

"Well," Anthony paused to ponder the situation, "could I see you sometime after 6:00 pm then?"

"It isn't easy for me - being a turtle throughout the day," she began, "I can't expect anyone else to cope with it. Relationships have never worked for me."

Anthony thought about things carefully. He was genuinely interested in her. He wondered how they could make things work. How would his friends react when they found out he was dating a turtle? They'd probably think he'd gotten too mellow. Yet, it would be an interesting challenge, and it would make for good conversation.

"Yes, relationships are a tricky business," Anthony began, hoping to reach some common ground with her. "They're rather like dragging a sack of potatoes to the top of a flight of stairs, opening the sack, and letting the potatoes roll down the steps. Some potatoes roll all the way to the bottom; some only make it half way, and some never leave the bag. And then some of them ..." Anthony paused and shook his head, "Come to think of it, that's a bad example."

Anthony realized that the naked beauty had ignored everything he'd said. She'd been staring at the elderly man who was still slowly, but surely, approaching the stream. Tears ran down her delicate cheeks. She ran to the elderly man and threw her arms around him. With great affection and care, she clipped the dandelions which were growing up from his shoes.

The young couple left with their son. Anthony decided to leave as well. He turned and looked back one last time. She was still embracing the elderly man, as the sun sank behind them. Anthony didn't know why she had left him for the elderly man. Perhaps he was a turtle in a past life. Regardless, as far as Anthony was concerned, little had changed. His potatoes weren't rolling, and the dandelions kept growing.