Shelley and Mo
Photo by Alexey Savchenko
Shelley and Mo, tiny slugs, best of friends,
sat chomping away on their crops,
when suddenly, Mo turned to Shelley and said,
“I think that I’ve just felt a DROP!”
Surely enough, drops poured down from the sky,
And the little slugs started to worry!
Shelley said, “This must be what they call RAIN.
We must find some shelter – let’s hurry!”
As they slid into a nearby farmer’s shed,
the two young slugs realised full-well:
the time was now ripe for these two slimy friends
to look for their own special SHELL.
Mo wanted a round one, with grey and white spirals,
like those of the other land snails’,
But Shelley’s shell had to be narrow and longish,
like that of a snail who could SAIL.
As soon as the rain stopped, they set off together,
braving through puddles and mud.
As they slid and slithered across, quite distracted,
a pebble rolled into them: THUD!
“OUCH!” They both shouted, but as they looked closer,
their mouths stretched out into a smile:
The pebble was really a SHELL, round and spiralled!
They hadn’t even walked a mile!
So Mo slithered right in, and POP – it was perfect!
The shape, the design, and the fit:
“I love it!” exclaimed Mo – “it’s just what I wanted!
I feel wonderful carrying it!”
With a shiny new shell on Mo’s slimy grey back,
the slug and SNAIL walked on together.
“We’ll find you the shell that you’re after, dear Shelley –
even if it takes forever!”
And slowly it did start to seem like FOREVER.
as they both continued to toil.
Deep down, Shelley knew there would be no good shells
hiding in the mud, grass or soil.
“Mo, we haven’t seen any shells that are narrow
and spiral from bottom to top.
Maybe we should turn back, just throw in the towel.
My search for a shell’s been a FLOP.”
As Shelley’s first teardrops had started to fall,
a bird who listened from its tree
swooped down and proclaimed to the two little friends,
“You two could use some help from ME!”
“When I built my own home from branches and twigs,
I learned how important it is
to settle for nothing but just the right fit.
You’ve just met a house-hunting WHIZ!”
Ali, the old bird, flew for miles with the slugs,
and led them close to the seashore.
With its keen beady eyes, the bird searched from the skies,
till at once, it declared: “SEARCH NO MORE!”
“I’ve found it! Down there, a SEA-SNAIL colony –
on that silver rock by the sea!
I’ll fly down and speak to the kindly sea-snails.
We’ll find you a shell that is free!”
The slug and the snail waited right by the shore,
until Ali started to yell:
“We’ve found one, we’ve got it! Long, slender, and EMPTY –
Shelley, my friend, here’s your shell!”
Shelley’s eyes SHONE as the shell touched the ground,
after all the long days they’d spent searching.
As soon as they saw it, the slug and snail knew
that this shell was truly worth earning.
So Shelley the slug slithered into its home,
Snug, cosy, and ever so STYLISH
“Thank you, Mo, thanks Ali, thank you sea-snails!
This shell was surely worth the mileage!”
With that, the SNAILS said their goodbyes to Ali
and started their long journey home.
How grateful they felt for all they had shared:
for all they’d learned and how they’d grown!
Back home, the elders in their snail colony
were PROUD as they could ever be.
Not only had both slugs transformed into snails,
they’d even ventured out to sea!
With their steady new homes on their sturdy young backs
Shelly and Mo joined the snails’ troop.
The eldest snail spoke with the highest RESPECT
to the littlest snails in the group.
“You’ve travelled far, and returned, missions accomplished;
you helped one another pull through.
You did not fear distance, nor difference. You braved on;
your friendship proved loyal and true.
Your new homes will now keep you safe and protected.
Welcome back, and WELL DONE, you two!
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A note to snail-lovers: Though Shelley and Mo had a great adventure, the snails out in our gardens don’t actually search for shells – they grow their own shells by secreting layers of a substance called ‘calcium carbonate’.
And chunky, slimy slugs? These often have a smaller, internal shell to protect them.
Now, since you’re not a slug or a snail, you can feel free to seek out your own way of expressing yourself, whether it means travelling far like Shelley or finding all you need close to home, like Mo. Whatever you choose, I hope that you have friends as loyal as these two buddies by your side!
