by Lisa Dunlop

Created on: April 27, 2008   Last Updated: October 30, 2010

I found a snail on my postbox the other day. He was making his way towards some bushes, and for a moment I considered just plucking him from the mail drop and carrying him to his goal. But he seemed so absorbed in his travels, I wondered if my assistance would offend him. There was a sense of pride in the snail's movements, and I was so intrigued by the courageous effort, I watched his entire journey.

The snail's pace was remarkable. He glided along peacefully and somewhat effortlessly. The wind blew and the clouds threatened us with rain, but the snail remained impassive. Slowly, but determinedly, he marched on towards the bushes. He drifted along the mailbox's rutted metal surface, climbing over the locks and rusty edges, driven all the while by his unyielding passion for food.

On the back of this little creature rested a shell, bulky and magnificent. How noble he looked carrying this awkward, swirling boulder. The shell was scratched and chipped from occasional slips and falls. It was tan and sprinkled with dark spots along the creases. As he made his way down the corner of the mailbox and onto the side of my house, the shell flopped slightly forward, but his grip was unaffected.
The snail's skin was a dull, brownish color; the texture was bumpy, veiled in slime, and as he moved it glittered in the light. Tentacles stuck out from his blockish head and stretched vigorously forward as if pulled by some magnetic force. At the tips were
small bulbs that encased his beady eyes. His mouth gaped open slightly and folded inwards as though at one time he may have had teeth. At the back, his long flattish body came to a subtle point and dragged along lazily.

The snail made his way down the side of my house and across my cement walkway. I watched, in awe, the determined creature force his way through nature and demand his right to feast on the plants at the side of my yard. A fierce wind blew against him and his tentacles quivered slightly. He continued to float gracefully over dirt and debris, and eventually he vanished into an abyss of leafs where he will gorge himself victoriously.

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