After an incident the other night, in which a testudine tail was knocked awry by a somewhat vigorous bleater and required immediate surgery with superglue, I decided that enough was enough.

While the turtle was in recovery, I brought in a mediator.

He was a man (I think. Could be wrong.) of wisdom and sagacity, having spent many months in the bottom of a box of sewing notions prior to surfacing at the Craft Council Seconds Sale one spring Saturday many years ago.Since then he has supervised several clay creations by Pete Sobol & Toby Rabinowitz that reside in the livingroom (and if ever creations were to be prone to shenanigans, it would have been they).

I do not know his name, but thought that since he and the sheep came from that same sale (different years), they might be able to come to some sort of understanding.

Anyway, he suggested that they try playing games together and asked John for an idea. This was (initially) moderately successful:

Thus endeth the Dungeons & Dragons Small, Harmless, Imaginary Lizards foray.

Then they tried some old childhood basics. Piggybacks.  Turtlebacks.

Once one pair gave it a go, everyone wanted in and it was a veritable congo line of turtle-riding sheep.

They tried it the other way.

It was far less dignified for all concerned.

For now we have a truce. Actually, the Dungeons & that-word-I’m-not-allowed-to-say-because-it-really-freaks-them-out thing worked out quite nicely. All I have to do is shake the dice jar and they immediately stop bickering.

Wonder how long it will last?

For the origins of the Sheep & Turtle Saga, check out these Sheep & Turtle Posts…..