The Fossilised Clam Begs to Differ

mmmmmso that's what he thinks does he. ppprp. he'd rather be a fossilised clammmmm, well i'm a fossilised clam.

let me tell you a bit about life as a fossilised clam mister lobster, it is hard and long and dull the life of a fossilised clammm.

i was once a fresh soft squishy clammm although i hardly rememmmmber. i lived inside my clammm shell it was made of clammshell. it was light.

i rolled around contentedly on the ocean floor doing what clammmmms do i can't even remmmmember what that was but i know things used to happen.

and then one day i found myself emmmbedded in a bed of silt i couldn't get free of the silt it was so heavy it got heavier and heavier. over centuries and eons it turned to stone under the sea.

i was really bored you just try it sommmmetimmmme mister lobster.

my shell protected me but i had zilch to eat. ppprp. and i couldn't mmmove.

it was a very long time before i noticed something happening to my shell bit by bit it was mmmmineralising yes that was what it did.

and as it mmmineralised it got heavier and heavier i suppose you think i wouldn't notice embedded in the rock but let me tell you yes i did. my optimistic view of life diminished.

time passes very slowly when you are a fossil, i would give anything to have your life mister lobster i would not fear a predator i would rejoice to think that i was soft enough to eat i would not fear the transmmmmogrifying fire. ppprp.

Sand by me.

Sand? Why did I pick sand? I don't know anything about sand. I don't even like sand. But let me think.........

Last weekend I was walking along the esplanade at Seacliff, looking at the heaps of sand the council had just dumped, and I remembered something I had read once about sand.

It was, that we are very lucky to be living in an age where there is sand. There hasn't always been sand. And one day there will be no sand again.

But I couldn't remember why it was true.

Then, three little grains of sand blew by me and spoke to me as in a dream:

First grain of sand: I am a coarse grain of sand. I measure 2 millimetres in diameter. I used to be bigger, but then I was known as gravel.

Second grain of sand: I am a medium grain of sand. I measure one millimetre in diameter. I am getting smaller all the time though.

Third grain of sand: I am a fine grain of sand. I measure .0625 millimetres in diameter. If I get any smaller I'll be silt.

Me: So?

The three grains of sand: Humans! They never get it. Let's roll!