and Keisha got on. She looked at the alligators rolling in the grass. She watched them lying in their wallows and floating on the edge of the pond as if suspended. Every rescued alligator deserved a place like this.
Keisha leaned over to whisper in Daddy’s ear, “Can we visit Pumpkin-Petunia now?”
Daddy looked over at David, who was talking to a new group of visitors. He pointed to the back enclosure, the one behind the big fence. David gave him a thumbs-up. Daddy started off at a trot that joggled Keisha so much she had to grab his head.
“My eyes! I’m blind.” He turned around in a circle.
“Daddy!” Keisha giggled. “People are looking.”
“Oh, in that case.” Daddy went down on one knee so Keisha could climb off. “We don’t want anyone following us.” They walked around the corner of the enclosure. Several big pens had been set up, with high walls around the sides and back and the same wire fencing at the front. There were much larger alligators in the first and second pens. The third seemed to be empty, except for a little rustling grass near the back of the pen, where the uncut grass grew tall. That was where Keisha thought Pumpkin-Petunia might be hiding. She looked around the big pen and noticed it had its very own wallow.
“Can I take a picture of Pumpkin-Petunia and her wallow?” she asked. “To show Razi?”
“Sure.” Daddy handed Keisha his cell phone.
Keisha stood quietly, waiting for a glimpse of Pumpkin-Petunia, but her scaly friend didn’t want to be around humans at the moment. Keisha thought maybe she’d had enough of humans for a while. Though it was hard to say good-bye, Keisha felt so much better about her little alligator’s life now. Pumpkin-Petunia could be around other alligators—when she grew big enough, so they wouldn’t eat her. She would be in a large pen with grass and muddy places just like her native home.
It wasn’t a perfect happy-movie ending for Pumpkin-Petunia because she could never go back to the wild. But when Razi told the story, Pumpkin-Petunia would “and then” herself to a pretty good “the end” here at the Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary. And Keisha would even be able to visit her!
She settled for taking pictures of the big alligators and the wallows. As she was reviewing the pictures of the big muddy holes, she said, “Maybe I won’t show these to Razi. Maybe we’ll just keep these for reference.”
“Good point,” Daddy said. “Why give Razi more ideas than he already has?”
Chapter Twelve
Back home, Keisha watched Razi splashing in the bathtub and thought about what Carmen had said about alligators and how they didn’t stop growing big.
“Razi, did you know that a baby alligator will grow about a foot a year? Boy alligators grow up to fifteen feet, and girl alligators are around nine.”
“That’s past my eyebrows,” Razi said, sticking a clump of bubble-bath foam on his chin. “I want to get out now. Close your eyes, Keisha.”
Keisha closed her eyes. She was wondering how she could teach people that those cute little alligator hatchlings could grow big. She grabbed the bath towel and held it out to Razi, closing her eyes until she heard the water slosh.
“Razi, don’t forget to shake off before you step—”
Too late. Razi was climbing over the side of the tub. Keisha pressed her eyes closed again. Water flew everywhere. Razi must be dancing from foot to foot.
“Just put something on so I can see again!”
“It’s time to measure me. You can open your eyes.”Dressed in his pajama bottoms, Razi had pulled the towel around him like a superhero cape.
Keisha rub-a-dubbed Razi with the towel until Mama appeared in the bathroom doorway.
“Do you think you grow like a reed, Mr. Razi Carter? I just measured you a few days ago.”
“I grow like an alligator!” Razi said. “A foot a year.”
There was a place behind the bathroom door where the Carters kept a pencil record of the children as they grew. Mama
Keisha leaned over to whisper in Daddy’s ear, “Can we visit Pumpkin-Petunia now?”
Daddy looked over at David, who was talking to a new group of visitors. He pointed to the back enclosure, the one behind the big fence. David gave him a thumbs-up. Daddy started off at a trot that joggled Keisha so much she had to grab his head.
“My eyes! I’m blind.” He turned around in a circle.
“Daddy!” Keisha giggled. “People are looking.”
“Oh, in that case.” Daddy went down on one knee so Keisha could climb off. “We don’t want anyone following us.” They walked around the corner of the enclosure. Several big pens had been set up, with high walls around the sides and back and the same wire fencing at the front. There were much larger alligators in the first and second pens. The third seemed to be empty, except for a little rustling grass near the back of the pen, where the uncut grass grew tall. That was where Keisha thought Pumpkin-Petunia might be hiding. She looked around the big pen and noticed it had its very own wallow.
“Can I take a picture of Pumpkin-Petunia and her wallow?” she asked. “To show Razi?”
“Sure.” Daddy handed Keisha his cell phone.
Keisha stood quietly, waiting for a glimpse of Pumpkin-Petunia, but her scaly friend didn’t want to be around humans at the moment. Keisha thought maybe she’d had enough of humans for a while. Though it was hard to say good-bye, Keisha felt so much better about her little alligator’s life now. Pumpkin-Petunia could be around other alligators—when she grew big enough, so they wouldn’t eat her. She would be in a large pen with grass and muddy places just like her native home.
It wasn’t a perfect happy-movie ending for Pumpkin-Petunia because she could never go back to the wild. But when Razi told the story, Pumpkin-Petunia would “and then” herself to a pretty good “the end” here at the Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary. And Keisha would even be able to visit her!
She settled for taking pictures of the big alligators and the wallows. As she was reviewing the pictures of the big muddy holes, she said, “Maybe I won’t show these to Razi. Maybe we’ll just keep these for reference.”
“Good point,” Daddy said. “Why give Razi more ideas than he already has?”
Chapter Twelve
Back home, Keisha watched Razi splashing in the bathtub and thought about what Carmen had said about alligators and how they didn’t stop growing big.
“Razi, did you know that a baby alligator will grow about a foot a year? Boy alligators grow up to fifteen feet, and girl alligators are around nine.”
“That’s past my eyebrows,” Razi said, sticking a clump of bubble-bath foam on his chin. “I want to get out now. Close your eyes, Keisha.”
Keisha closed her eyes. She was wondering how she could teach people that those cute little alligator hatchlings could grow big. She grabbed the bath towel and held it out to Razi, closing her eyes until she heard the water slosh.
“Razi, don’t forget to shake off before you step—”
Too late. Razi was climbing over the side of the tub. Keisha pressed her eyes closed again. Water flew everywhere. Razi must be dancing from foot to foot.
“Just put something on so I can see again!”
“It’s time to measure me. You can open your eyes.”Dressed in his pajama bottoms, Razi had pulled the towel around him like a superhero cape.
Keisha rub-a-dubbed Razi with the towel until Mama appeared in the bathroom doorway.
“Do you think you grow like a reed, Mr. Razi Carter? I just measured you a few days ago.”
“I grow like an alligator!” Razi said. “A foot a year.”
There was a place behind the bathroom door where the Carters kept a pencil record of the children as they grew. Mama
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