The doctors throught it was kidney stones, too late to break them up so I have to wait and pass them, it hurts, 23 hours of screaming in the bathroom and finally it popped out. I wipe my eyes, straned from hours of tears, peering into the toilet bowl, and there he was, swimming scared frantically trying to climb up the smooth porcelain. I quickly pull him up toward me, so smooth, his shell seems to vibrate, first subtly, but as I softly stroke his back the vibrations becomes more pronounced.

He turns to look at me, as my tears of pain turn to joy, he slowly approaches my face, seemingly both hesitant and curious, his tiny, freshly formed pincers outstretched. I pull him closer to my face, and I swear there’s a matching tear in his eye, now near touching I feel… Pinch. I now know why I was placed on this earth, he needs me, but funny enough, I think I need him more!