Douglas Brynes Helps Family of Turtles Cross the Road
Douglas Brynes was driving a back road in upstate New York when he saw the turtles.
The road was wet from rain and ran straight through low woods and fields that had not yet turned green. He was not driving fast. He never did on roads like that. He saw the big turtle first, stopped near the center of the road, its shell dark and worn. Then he saw the smaller ones behind it, moving slow and steady, crossing as if the road were only another stretch of earth.
Douglas pulled over and shut off the truck.
A car came fast from the south and passed before he could step out. It missed the turtle by little. Douglas felt the weight of that miss and stepped into the road. He held up his hand. The next car slowed and stopped.
He bent and picked up the large turtle. It was heavy and strong and pulled itself inward, as if the world had taught it to expect harm. Douglas carried it across the road and set it down in the grass, facing the trees. He waited until it began to move again.
The smaller turtles were harder. They were quick in their fear and went the wrong way at first. Douglas moved slowly and used his hands to guide them. He stood in the road when another car came. The drivers waited. Some looked away. One shook his head. None of it mattered.
When the last turtle reached the far side, Douglas stood alone on the road. The woods were quiet again. The rain had left the air clean. He felt tired but right, the way a man feels after doing what needed doing.
He drove on after that and did not think much about it. The turtles were across. That was enough.
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