Precious Wentletraps
I “May I Tell You a Story?” BY DICK DUERKSEN
28
June 2021 AdventistWorld.org
t was Sabbath, a hot day on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. We had attended church and eaten peanutbutter-and-jelly sandwiches Mom had packed for the trip. Not a long trip, just slightly more than an hour north from our home at Bella Vista Hospital on the hill above Mayagüez. Now we were living Mom’s favorite Sabbath afternoon dream. We were hunting for precious wentletrap shells in the tide pools near the fishing village of Isabela. Mom loved this place. Everything about it was special to her: the long rows of coconut palms bordering the beach; the hidden sandy coves where the sand was often covered with storm-tossed seashells; the tall black cliffs that fought majestically against the ocean. It was a magical place. Her favorites were the rough-edged rock formations that jutted out into the ever-pounding surf. That’s where we might find precious wentletraps. Epitonium scalare, she called them, referring to their Latin name. “Rare, delicate, about the size of a large peanut, crystal
white, exquisite, expensive.” Mom was a professional shell collector, loving shells like a teacher loves books. Each of her treasures was catalogued boldly according to its Latin name, with the common name typed in lowercase. She kept only the finest specimens. Her Epitonium scalare were kept in a special plastic box close beside her sewing machine. They were her favorites. *** Father had other Sabbath afternoon responsibilities, so Mom gathered me, my brother Jack, and Nurse Jeannie, and drove our old station wagon up the asphalt to Isabela, and down the dusty trail through the coconut plantation to the beach trail. “Be careful,” she warned us. “The tide is out, and the lava rocks that are exposed are sharper than knives. Keep your tennis shoes on and watch the waves.” Mom was always warning us about something, but we knew she was right about the rocks and the waves. The precious wentletraps would be found in the rocky shelves that stuck out Photo: Steve Jurvetson
