“Can you describe your life as a hermit? Asked Jerry, the ABC reporter from Darwin
“Wet and wonderful” said Max without even pausing to think about it.
“Say some more. Your experiences are going to be on the front page of Saturday’s NT News”
“I live on the beach, down a hole in the cold dark sand with a lump of sand that creates a trap door and disguises my house from enemies. I love going down my hole. Its cool buried in the sand and I save a huge amount of money on air conditioning. Just imagine if I was a crab, in a house, in the “Build up to the Wet”, I’d be dripping with salty tears, my flesh and shell would be stuck together like glue and my little legs would have no energy at all, they’d be wobbly and useless like jelly. Sorry about the diversion. Being a hermit crab, I make sure I have no neighbours. My house is on an upper ledge of the terraced sand ridges, near a small rock pool where I can exercise and get breakfast without being spotted by Harry the hermit crab who lives 2 terraces up”
“Isn’t that a bit of a lonely life” interrupted Jerry.
“Well yes, but no. There is a difference between being lonely and being alone. I am alone in the crab world but I pretend to have a relationship with the inmates of my rock pool. There’s Sally, the star fish and Tommy the tadpole, although whether he will still like me when he’s a frog, who knows. Sally and I hang out every morning for breakfast. I swim around catching flies and bits of plankton that fly in on the wind and Sally just sits and breathes in all the goodness from the water around her. Then she helps me with my exercise regime. I climb out of the pool sideways like all crabs do, run around the rim of the pool and then slide down into the water landing between her fingers. I have to be very precise and deliberate else I end up sitting on her”
“I thought hermits had no friends at all”
“Do you call make believe animals, friends? These are like my toys, like Thomas the Tank Engine or Noddy and Big Ears. Please stop interrupting me, my brain goes sideways just like my legs."
Late in the afternoon, when the humidity has dropped and the sun has started to sink down under the sea, I leave my hole and cautiously crawl towards the sea. I love playing in the shallows. Love having a bit of a surf. On my back, I use my shell as a surf board and after the last 6 weeks of practice I can ride the waves without rolling onto my tummy. It sure takes some muscle control, sometimes my tummy is so sore I can hardly eat. After my swim, it’s dark and safe to get back home. But just in case, I angle away from my hole for a bit and then dog leg, sideways of course, up to the terraces.
“Hey, I’ve just thought of a headline for the paper. How about “Mad Max goes troppo?”
“Perfect” says Jerry. “How about a photo of you surfing on your back?”
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3 comments:
Kerry says:
Basing your story around life as a hermit crab is way out of left field, Sue. Nice idea. And to have the hermit crab being interviewed by the local press turns the idea of 'being a hermit' on its head.
I was so 'not connected' to the possibility of Max being a hermit crab that I missed the transition from 'being a beach bum' to 'imagining being a crab' to 'becoming a hermit crab'. Maybe some more clues earlier on would have helped my confusion.
I loved the image of Max being assisted by Sally the starfish with his exercise regime. But, perhaps in the nature of hermits, he denies her reality when the journalist questions him. I was disappointed for Sally.
Maybe everything is explained by Max's admission that his 'brain goes sideways just like his legs'.
I can just picture Max surfing upside-down as the sun goes down and then ducking and weaving his way back to his home. Nice picture.
I got a quirky little insight into Max's world.
Jenny says:
Very whimsical, Sue, I really like this take on the prompt.
I got a bit confused by the punctuation towards the end - I think there may have been some quote marks missing - but otherwise it flowed really well.
I loved the description of sliding into the pool and trying not to squash the starfish!
Heather says:
Sue, you are SO not capable of having a first person character who is REALLY a hermit!!! - I loved your amiable, gregarious, whimsical character and this interpretation of the prompt.
I would have liked to see that gregarious nature consistent throughout (so, no "pretend" relationships or "make believe" friends). He could be just a groovy social guy who happens to be labelled a HERMIT crab.
Re our distinction TIME - I got confused by - 1st the interview, then 2nd the afternoon surfing, then 3rd back to the interview again. ????
I enjoyed the dialogue but was distracted all through by the punctuation.
(I notice I'm still smiling.)
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