Marta y La Tortuga

So I still need to go through my photos, all 400 of them, from this past Saturday so I can tell you all about Itálica and Matalascañas (a beach), but that is for tomorrow. Tonight, as I sit in my cozy little bed, procrastinating on homework that will eventually get done, I was thinking I needed to share with you the story of Marta y la tortuga (the turtle). So here we go...

Once upon a time in Sevilla there lived a little girl named Marta. She had short brown hair and soft brown eyes, and lived below Maria and the students. Marta was talkative and loved to talk mostly about her tortuga, or turtle as it is called in English. Marta loved her turtle and considered her as family. But one day, Marta's turtle past away. Marta thought her turtle was sick. She cried and cried until her Papa said, "Don't cry Marta, I will take your turtle to the vet. But it might take awhile."

So Marta was taken upstairs to Maria, who would watch Marta until her father came for her. Her father searched all day long for a turtle that would look just the same as Marta's old turtle. He searched in one part of town to the next, running along the Ramón y Cajal (a main street in Sevilla). But her father finally found a turtle, although it was a smaller than the one before.

Marta's father knew it would hurt Marta's feelings if she didn't have another turtle when he came to collect her, so he decided to create a story that would put a smile on Marta's round, rosy face.

Marta's father said he waited at the veterinarian's office for a long time. He waited and waited until the doctor was done with Marta's turtle. He said, "Your turtle was so sick he needed surgery, that is why she is so small. The doctor needed to cut off some of the shell to heal her."

Marta smiled and looked at her turtle like it was her baby sister coming home to play. And Marta and her turtle, named Gwen, lived happily ever after.

And just to say, that is a true story that happened this afternoon. It has been made ficticious but the facts are true. Marta is real. Her turtle did die. And her father did search all over Sevilla today looking for a new one. Marta really does think that her old turtle was sick and did believe the lie about the vet (she is also 8-years-old). I guess dad's are the same anywhere.

(This is a tribute to my parents.)
Ciao, Cati