Tiny Tenant

Jeremy, a short and curious blonde-haired 7-year-old boy, had a fascination with critters. He figured a bright shiny summer day like today would be great to get outside with his notebook, a smooth small journal with a black face, and fresh white pages to write on. Shuffling out into the yard, Jeremy spots a modestly small snail on a bush. His new little friend wiggles from one leaf to the other, munching on bits as he passes by. The snail, green in tint with a beautifully intricate brown shell, lifts its head towards Jeremy. Jeremy is thrilled to have caught the attention of his new pal, begins to write. "This snail loves to eat leaves!" "He saw I was looking at him!". Jeremy decides it's best to leave the snail to his business for now. He carts his book further into the backyard with him to note the butterflies and stick-bugs wandering around.

Jeremy's eyes, sparkling in amazement over all the life in his yard, trips over a sizeable brown duffle bag. Confused as to how the bag got in his yard; and who it might belong to. He zips open the bag, finding inside more money than he knew could exist. Jeremy being the meticulous boy he is. Writes this down in his little black book, he begins to wonder if he could build a house for his friend out of the money. Struggling while carrying over the duffle bag tosses it down next to the bush. He begins taking one stack after the other, locking them together until he's built a cozy little house inside the bag. "this will be perfect for him!" he thinks. Gently transferring the tiny snail to his new home Jeremy is satisfied and hopes his friend enjoys it as much as he does. He proudly draws out in his notebook a picture of the snail in his spacious green home.

Deciding it would be fun to check on his pal every day to see how he's adjusting to his home, Jeremy writes down each afternoon what the snail is doing. When it rains, Jeremy makes it a point to protect the snail by moving the bag under his patio cover. The snail, according to Jeremy, is happier than ever in his new home, although something is happening to the money. Each day, as he goes out to draw or write in his notebook, he notices the house is missing bits out of it. Realizing after weeks of tending to the snail, he has eaten almost half of the house. Out of fear, his friend would destroy his nicely built home; Jeremy decides the house would be better as food. He sets him back on the leaves of the bush. Taking money from the bag every week or so, leaving it near the snail so he can have a snack. A month goes by of Jeremy feeding his friend money out of the bag until one day it's empty.

With the duffle bag empty, Jeremy is devastated he can no longer care for his friend. Until an idea presents itself to him; he looks down at the notebook in his hands he's been using to document the snail's life. Tearing out pages of his favorite notebook, he notices the same problem arising after some time. Coming down to his final page, he graciously tears it out, leaving it on the ground next to his dear friend. Jeremy spends what he thinks is his last day with the snail, lamenting the times they spent together and the fun they've had. The next day he wakes up hopping out of bed, opening the back door with the dread of not seeing his pal; to his surprise, the snail's shell glistens in the morning sun snacking on leaves just as the first time they met. Overcome with joy, Jeremy sits down next to the bush, thinking of the rest of the summer he has to spend with his best friend.