snailly day

FYI, i kick snails.

Not for fun. I don't like stepping on them, but they always appear on the walkways to my apartment. so i kick them to the grass whenever i see them. i like to think of it as rough love, a not so gentle way to save their lives.

and that's what i did today, nothing out of usual. except it was still light out when i see "naily", so i bent down to take a closer look at her. the tenticles are the most curious sort of contact i ever had with a creature; you push back one of them, and the others reach out to feel u. couple mins later, i got bored, so i pick up naily and put her in the grass.

i got ready for gym and got on the walkway again. naily was on the walkway again. i bent down and was going to pick her up. and then i noticed:

she was right beside another snail. a crushed shell, hardly recognizable rigid black body. ants are traveling up and down, carrying curious looking parts from the corpse.

and Naily was touching the corpse. not with tentacles. with the front part of her body. a sucking motion that resemblence a french kiss.

and i stared at her. what is she doing, i wondered. did she know this particular snail? is she examing what death has done? does she realize the consequence of crossing the walkway now?

i can't leave her there. so i pull her up again. different from the first time, she has a big wet spot left under her. it's not the slimmy shinny trail, but water.

i like to think of it as tears.

and when i got back from the gym it was dark. i examine the walkway in hope of not finding more snail corpses. but i spot one. right next to the first corpse.

and that's what i am ever gonna say about that.