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Left Behind
by:  Jenny Hill

I can't believe he left me here in this God forsaken place.  He didn't
even say goodbye.  It was like I woke up one morning and he was still
here taking care of my as he always did and the next day he was gone,
without a trace.  I was left here alone, to fend for myself, to die.

Okay, maybe that was a little harsh, at least he had enough sense to
leave me with someone or actually to have someone come around and get
me.  I should at least be a little thankful for that but why am I so
angry?  I just don't get it.  Maybe it's because he didn't have the decency
to tell me he was going without me.  I don't understand what happened
or what changed.  

I must say he was quite edgy that last night I saw him, muttering something
about old lives and new lives, past lives and future lives but he wasn't
making too much sense.  I just watched him to let him know I was listening.
I was listening.  I always listened to him when he talked.  I'm a good
listener and he knew that.  He would always tell me about his day and
what crazy thing happened to him.  I had to laugh at a few of those tales
myself. 

I never asked him to take me in.  I didn't even need his help.  I was
perfectly comfortable living in the wild but you know how it is when
you meet someone.  I'm not even sure if ii was he who found me or I that
found him.  All I know is that we've been together for as long as I can
remember and now he's gone. 

Even when that woman was in his life turning it upside down and then
leaving him in the end, I was there for him.  She was good at first but
that didn't seem to last.  They were two people wanting two different
things from one another and neither would give into the other in order
to change.  A compromise could not be met and I was there for him after
she left.  After she left he was depressed for a period of time.  I couldn't
even say how long it was.  I tried to cheer him up but there was only
so much I could do for my friend. 

That depression changed not long afterwards, maybe a year or two.  I
wasn't quite sure what caused the change until I saw the person responsible.
There was someone new in his life and the difference was like night and
day.  He became more confident, like he had a purpose in life and it
was finally worth living again.  

It wasn't a romantic coupling, just another person who understood him,
probably even better than that woman ever did.  A person who accepted
him as he was and didn't want to change him.  Sure he had his faults,
even I could see that but no one is flawless and that is what she wanted.
She wanted a person who was perfect, as perfect as she thought she was
but she wasn't all that perfect and I believe she realized that too late.

I am grateful for this person's influence on my friend's life and yet
I feel a slight hatred for it too.  That person is the reason my friend
has left me here or at least I think so.  That is what this woman, who
is me care taker now, keeps telling me.  Why does she insist on talking
to me like I'm a four-year-old?  I am a little more intelligent than
that. 

I will miss my friend greatly for as long as he is gone, maybe even longer.
I do wish him the best of luck in his journey with his new friend.  I
hope in the end, when his goal has been accomplished that he will return
to me and get me the hell out of this house because there are one too
many children here for my liking.  I almost got flushed down the toilet
yesterday.  Phew, that was a close one.  Lucky for me, their mother caught
them in the act and save my shell.  

So Stan, wherever you are, please hurry back because there is only so
much torture a turtle can take and this turtle is nearing its breaking
point.