Among Animals – July 2026

The Red M

Jani stood on a flagstone facing the pond looking into the water. She thought about how often she had wronged a right, how easily she had justified it. She thought about Maria, about the ‘M’ she told Francisco to paint on her shell in red fingernail polish. She felt worse about doing that than any of the other injustices she had done to that turtle.

She could picture Maria struggling to survive on the lake shore without being noticed by predators, of the red M giving her position away. Jani felt horrible every time she thought about it. Her excuses, she knew, were shabby.

“You see,” Jani told Max and Francisco, “It wasn’t that I wanted a turtle to enhance the pond, I wanted to help those kids selling it to raise the money for the hair dryer and stuff they need to open up a beauty parlor.”

I could have just given them the money, Jani thought.

“When Maria kept trying to get out the door I thought she was looking for a mate. So, when we went to get fish food and I saw her perfect mate looking up at me from a plastic dishpan on the floor, I did the only natural thing and bought it.”

She shook her head.

“How was I supposed to know Maria would hate that turtle? That she would mercilessly attack it. I thought she would be delighted to have company.”

Francisco shifted his weight but said nothing. Max smoothed his feathers, trying to look smaller.

“When we didn’t see the other turtle anymore, I figured it had gone into hibernation early, and when it never returned, I felt … well, sleazy.”

Max and Francisco glanced at each from the corners of their eyes. They had not realized Jani felt bad about the second turtle. They should have confessed to giving it a ‘free ride’ down to the lake.

“You did the wrong thing in buying those illegal turtles, Jani, but don’t forget I’m the one who painted the M on Maria’s back. I can take responsibility for that.” Francisco said.

But the M was not the only reason Jani did not let Maria go free. She loved the small rituals. She looked forward to tossing Maria turtle food when she got up in the morning, to see how quick she was when she reached out with her long neck and grabbed it, how her thick tail acted as a rudder. She even loved how Elliot the cat seemed to get a wicked pleasure from playing games with her.

Jani had to be careful where she stepped when tending the garden lest she lose a strap from her huaraches…or maybe a toe. Maria kept the place alive. And a little dangerous. Without her, Aztec Studios risked becoming too safe, too predictable, too sticky sweet.

One morning Maria wasn’t to be found. That wasn’t unusual. But when another day passed, Jani became concerned.

“Have you seen Maria?” she asked Francisco.

“A couple of days ago I saw her at the front door,” Francisco said. “When I went to the store, I may have left the door open and she could have left.”

“My God!” Jani said in alarm. “She might have gotten run over by a car.”

“I don’t think so, Jefita,” Max squawked.

“And why not?” Jani replied.

“Somebody probably saw her when they were coming home from the store and carried her down to the lake.” Max turned one bright eye toward Francisco. “Isn’t that right Maestro?”

Francisco hesitated. “That might be right.”

“Thank you for being my conscience, Francisco. Thank you both for doing what was right,” Jani sighed in relief.

After a pause, she added, “I am concerned about the red you painted on her being visible to predators, though. That is the reason I did not take her down to the lake myself, and we certainly could not remove it with acetone as she would carry that smell forever!”

Francisco was aware Jani was trying to shift blame onto him, and he accepted it because he understood the burden was getting too heavy for her to carry alone. He knew when Jani’s guilt surfaced, she reached for an excuse. It was not like her to point a finger in blame. Jani had done an injustice to nature. He loved her anyway.

We invite original essays of up to 700 words for Among Animals. Tell us about the creatures who share our lives—wild or domestic— and the ways they challenge, comfort, and change us. Email submissions to editorelojodellago@gmail.com with the subject line: “Among Animals.”