Best Cousins

     It was a warm spring day, the ground had thawed from the harsh winter, and birds were chirping happy to finally be home.  Tyler and I were sitting on an old rotted out tree stump trying to think of a fun game we could play.  We were both four, I always made fun of Ty, because he was a couple months younger than I.  He was so gullible I would tell him we were only a couple hours apart and he believed me, even though we celebrated my birthday in August and his in November.  He was two inches shorter than I, a complete cowboy spitting image of his father, he would always wear his chaps around so proud to call himself one.
I was a tom-girl, played with snakes and frogs, and always loved to be outside feeding with my dad.  My parents would always joke around saying they got the wrong baby in the hospital, because unlike the rest of my family I was super dark.  In the summertime they use to call me the black child.  My freckles would be glowing when I came inside after a hot summer day.  Ty and I were best cousins, not a care in the world, always by each others' sides.  Sitting on that old rotted out tree stump was our thing, his back yard was like our tree house to other kids.
     "I got it!!!", he exclaimed.
      Tyler usually said the same game ever time, so before he could open his mouth I said in a snotty voice,"No, we are not going to play cowboys and Indians, or cowboy and cow, or anything to do with cowboys.  We just played that yesterday."  i was so annoyed with his obsession with cowboys.
     Tyler looked at me like he was hurt by my accusation that he was going to say that, "Fine...  What do you want to play then?"
     I looked at him quizzically, "what happens if we make something?"
     He looks at me like he thinks I had to much to drink or inhaled to much smoke at a branding, but he went along with it anyways, "Like a turtle?"
    "Yes, like a turtle!!!  And then we can play a game where we save it from the dogs!"
     We both look at each other like we did when we thought of a good way to annoy his sisters, only this time it was better.  We ran into the house and grabbed a shoebox from Big R, lime green paint, newspaper from he week before, and glue.  We painted the shoebox, crumpled the newspaper into a ball, and rolled up another piece of newspaper.  We then glued the two pieces of newspaper together, and glued it to the side of the shoebox.  We drew two beady eyes with a pencil on the newspaper and half a circle for a mouth.  We did not put legs on him, because that is where we came in to save him form the two ferocious Border Collies.
     We both stare in amazement at this creature we had made,"Wow!", we both say in unison.  Our beautiful turtle with bright green paint splashed here and there, leaving parts of the shoebox showing it was a size 9 shoe, and its head filled with the latest happenings in town.  "Eddie the amazing turtle.", Ty blurts out.
  We look at each other, our toothy grins, excitement in our eyes.  Ty and me always knew exactly what each other was thinking, all we did was look at each other.  Looking back on it now it is simply amazing how much we could say without even talking to each other, it was eerily normal to us.
  "Eddie Hank" I proclaimed proudly.  Hank was not just some name I had thought up, but of course after Hank the Cow Dog, our favorite book.
     We ran outside, the dogs following us.  We grabbed a side of Eddie Hank and counted slowly as we turned in a circle, "one...two...THREE!" We threw it as far as our little arms could.  The dogs sprinted, with their tongues hanging out, drips of slobber dropping from their mouths to the ground with every stride they took.  They started to fight over who got Eddie Hank.
     "NO!!!" Ty and I screamed and ran to rescue Eddie Hank our turtle.  By the time we got there Eddie Hank's head was ripped into tiny pieces.
     "Bad dogs!  you were not suppose to kill him!"  Tyler screamed with tears forming in his eyes.  "How could you Patches and Scruff!"
     I was speechless Eddie Hank was not suppose to get hurt.  Even though it was only a shoebox and newspaper print it meant so much more to us.  We looked at each other in despair, not knowing what to do next whether to punish the dogs or cry.  Tyler holding the remnants of what was once Eddie Hank, came over to me and hugged me putting Eddie Hank in between us.
     "We can not just throw him away.  He does not deserve that."
     Tyler responds, "I agree let's bury him.  We will even make him a pretty headstone." 
     He hands me what was left of Eddie Hank and runs inside.  I wait patiently silently scolding Patches and Scruff.  How could they, he was just an innocent turtle, a tear trickles down my rosy-freckled cheeks.  I vowed to myself never ever will I forgive those damned dogs.  Tyler comes running out with a red little shovel from his Bob the Builder set and the glue we had used earlier to make poor Eddie Hank.
     He starts to dig a hole in his mom's flower bed right beside her pretty red tulips, bits of dirt landing on the soft delicate petals tearing one of them off.  It takes him about ten minutes, we are silent, tears running down our faces.  I silently hand him the remains of Eddie Hank.  He sets him in the three foot grave, and hands me a handful of dirt, I softly throw it on top of Eddie Hank.  We then get on our hands and knees and started to cover him up with one handful of dirt after another.  After we had covered him up we decided we would say a few things about him and a prayer.
     Tyler monotonously announces as we had seen in the western movies our parents watch, "We are gathered here today for our beloved Eddie Hank.  Eddie Hank was the best turtle there was.  He was fun to with that green paint and glue.  Do you have anything to say?"
     I look at his grave and start crying, "Because of you I want another turtle and I promise you I will not let anything happen to him.  You were truly amazing and have touched mine and Ty's life, you will be missed."
     With that, Ty said a prayer,"God please take good care of Eddie Hank, he was so young when he went to heaven with you.  Take care of him up there for us.  Amen."
     "Amen.  Ty, do you ever wonder what he will do up there?"
     Ty ponders this thought for a moment, then in the most grown up voice he could muster he says, "I believe he will hangout with his parents on a summer's day on a log...  Dog free!!!"  He smiles a little smile and I smile back.
  We then grab two twigs, Ty puts one into the Earth where Eddie Hank's head should be buried, while I snap the other twig in half.  Ty then grabs grabs a half of the snapped twig and puts glue on one side of the twig.  He hands me the glue and I do the same.  We take our half twigs and stick it to the opposite sides of the stick in the ground.  We get up and dust our knees off, even though we our covered in dirt head to toe, as usual, and stare out the beautiful cross.  "The best headstone I have ever seen."  I exclaimed.  Ty smiles at me.
     We grab each others hands and turn around, by now it is noon.  "What is for lunch?"  I had just realized how hungry I was.
     "Macaroni and cheese!  Yum, my favorite", Ty responds.
     We skip off into the house.  Two carefree best cousins leaving behind our first experience with losing one of our pets.