The Quartet

“They can also be found on Delaware beaches, too,” Trainer Lucy Ortega of the Riverfront Aquarium in Wilmington, Delaware, said into her Bluetooth headset. It echoed with precision around the exhibit. The fourth grade class of students from John Martin Elementary school in Wilmington, Delaware showed huge eyes at the sandy exhibit with a small piece of water for the crabs to enjoy.

Fisher King looked over the board and reached for hatchling horseshoe crabs, only about the size of a quarter. He grabbed four and quickly opened his bag and zipped it. The eyes in the sky captured all of this activity.

“Some may live to twenty years depending on their health,” Lucy continued.

Godella Hankston brushed off her uniform and rose to her feet. She exited her tiny booth adjacent to the shark tank.

“Folks, Lucy, I hate to interrupt but we have an issue on our hands. Let’s see that bag, young man,” Godella commanded.

“Hold on, are you accusing one of my kids I’m chaperoning of stealing a crab?” Asked Sherri Nye.

“I caught it on footage ma’am.”

“Maybe you should review it. That’s Fisher. He’s a sweet boy who would never do anything like that.”

“If that’s the case, then he should be happy to remove his backpack for inspection,” Godella countered. She reached out a hand and gave a “gimme gesture.”

“Please give me the bag, young man. This can all be resolved if you just hand it over, son,” Godella reassured.

Fisher looked at Sherri. Even she yielded. “Give her the bag, Fish’,” she said, deflated.

The unzipping was like the sound of records scratching. Godella searched through the bag thoroughly. She combed through the little compartments and even dumped out the materials. A few folders and some notebooks toppled out in a tiny pile. Some pens and pencils followed. No horseshoe crabs, however.

“You should be ashamed of yourself accusing young, bright students of stealing from an exhibit. You see? You came up with nothing. You should be reprimanded for your poor performance of carrying out your duties today,” Sherri said.

“I know we have some rough patches but Godella is actually a good friend and one of the best security guards this place has ever known. So please, pardon me for this whole situation,” Lucy said.

“You did nothing, Miss Ortega,” Sherri mentioned.

“Please, call me Lucy,” she replied.

“Well Lucy, neither you nor that boy did anything wrong.” She then turned to Godella. “I’m not going to report you but remember to double check the tape before you go around blaming young children.”

“Understood, ma’am. Please pardon me. Enjoy the rest of the exhibits,” She tipped her hat and walked back to the bay of screens at the security booth.

The other children helped their fellow classmate collect his belongings. Fisher stood to his feet after kneeling to collect another pencil. He watched the six other students and Sherri follow Lucy along the Path of the Sea. It was a digital display that tracked their progress and sent messages to touch screen devices issued by the aquarium that enhanced the experience of the field trip.

“Now that that show is over, shall we move on to the last exhibit?” Lucy asked. The rest of the children nodded yes to her query. Sherri smiled and they all turned to walk down the path. A few adult horseshoe crabs floated in the water. Fisher looked around him before Godella got to her booth and withdrew the quartet of quarter-sized crabs from his pockets. Her inability to be thorough allowed Fisher to breathe another day and to never attempt to steal another thing, living or otherwise.

“C’mon, Fish’!” Sherri called. “After this, we can go to the gift shop.” Fisher took one last look at the crabs and then bolted towards the rest of the kids and his chaperone.