The Snail Story

Being Invasive

Life as a Carthusian snail in Michigan is tough, we're considered an "invasive species" which means there's too many of us to a point we supposedly cause damage to humans. But I'm not looking to cause damage, I just want to make peace with everyone. Although trying to be nice to everyone gets me in trouble...
Not many humans like snails, especially the ones considered invasive, some humans walk by ignoring us or not seeing us. But most of them try to kill us, I've watched so many unlucky snails get killed by humans.

If a snail is spotted in human territory, they either get kidnapped and never seen again, or crushed... I lost friends to the feet of humans... I still remember my one friend Jerry, me and him were on this large rock called a sidewalk one day, when suddenly we felt some thumping, a human was coming. I crawled into a nearby bush as quick as I could to hide, Jerry tried to follow, but the sun started heating up the rock making him slower. The human got closer, I tried to help Jerry "No, save yourself!" He shouted as he pushed me away.

I hid in the bush watching as the human stopped behind Jerry, it knocked him off the edge of the sidewalk with the tip of its foot. I was frozen in fear, I didn't even think to cover my eyes when I watched that foot come down hard on Jerry... I heard his shell crush underneath the human's foot, I saw his insides squirt out from underneath the foot, the human turned its foot mashing Jerry's already flattened body into the rock. By the time the human was done, all that remained was shards of Jerry's shell and his guts, I couldn't move, I sat and cried as I watched ants clean up his remains. By the time I shed my last tear, I gathered up as many pieces of Jerry's shell as I could carry, I took them home and buried them.

My brother came to my side to comfort me, and even came to his funeral with me. My brother was always great, he got me out of trouble when I couldn't save myself, he's saved me from humans, snakes, frogs, spiders, even parasites when I came down sick. He knew I wanted to make peace with everyone, but he also knew that wasn't possible, he taught me what there was to being a snail. He raised me when our mother got killed ran over by this big robot monster called a car.

I still remember when my brother tricked a frog into eating a spider to save my shell. I was roaming around looking for a tasty plant, I had wandered to a place with giant plants called tomatoes, they were so tasty. Turned out the place was guarded by frogs and spiders, I started feeling a weird tingly feeling on my shell, a spider was crawling on me looking where to bite me. But thankfully my brother wasn't too far behind, he knocked a small clump of clay onto the spider's head knocking him unconscious, he then pushed me into a nearby hiding place and got behind the unconscious spider wiggling his shell. He was actually baiting a hungry frog he heard sooner then I did, I watched as the frog hopped towards him, I was scared he was gonna get eaten, but when the frog launched its tongue, it didn't get my brother, it got the unconscious spider instead, as the frog pulled the spider to its mouth, my brother slipped into the hiding place with me. We both watched as the frog ate the spider without even opening its eyes "Haha stupid frog" I chuckled.

"Shh, let's get home first, then we'll tease the frog" my brother whispered as we snuck away from the area. We got back home safely and settled down, as soon as we did, we laughed and laughed at how that frog ate the spider instead of us. I loved how we could laugh at home and not worry about danger, no human or other animal has ever gone to our home.

Until one day...