Once upon an October morning, she left the hospital room and walked to the parking grounds where her car was. The air was cold, and the neighborhood was too quiet. At half past six, she was surprised there wasn't anyone around. "Hmmm... people in this place are late risers, huh!" she thought as she strolled further on the steep downhill road.
As her feet navigated the way, her mind was wandering elsewhere too. Her old man was to go under the knife soon, and she couldn't help but worry. "There could be complications, but we will do our best to minimize or mitigate them," the attending physician reassured her the night before.
Shaking the nagging feeling of 'what-ifs' away, she went on, and somewhere down the road, she met a gorgeous dog walking cautiously on the barrier. What a delight to meet a four-legged soul on such an empty street!
"Oh, well, hello there," her usual greeting. The furry friend just stared, so she walked past him and proceeded to the curve where her sharp eyes noticed what she thought to be a large empty shell lying on the gutter.
Only it wasn't just a shell. It turned out to be the largest snail she'd seen in her lifetime! "Whoa!" she couldn't help but exclaim excitedly under her breath. "Where could you have come from?" she muttered, looking around the area. It was as if she could find answers to the burgeoning questions in her mind.
Well, it rained the previous night, and the surroundings were wet, so it was its chance to be out and about to savor all the goodness it could get.
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She stood there in awe, still respecting the big creature's space as it paused from crawling as if sensing her presence. She took a few pics, thanked it for the gift of wonder in such an unexpected place, and went on her way.
When she returned, the big guy was nowhere in sight. Maybe it ventured into the unknown, and who knows, it surprised another weary soul on that same day.
Note: Google Lens identified the creature as a Giant African Snail.
All pictures are my own. 30032025/08:50ph