The Story of Shanks the Rusty

Crayfish

On a bright clear pleasant spring day in a north-

ern rural Indiana town, there was a young girl

named Cheyanne and she had a pet Rusty Cray-

fish named Shanks. Cheyanne was a bright

young girl who cared about animals.

Cheyanne one day realized that Shanks is

probably not happy living in a cage, so she

took him from her large light brown house

with clear white walls and long halls outside

to her large backyard and she walked to the

lake.

Out of Cheyenne's magnificent love and care

for animals, she let Shanks go in the large

murky green lake.

When Shanks was, let go, he said “goodbye” to

Cheyanne though she didn't hear or understand

him, and she walked away. As soon as Cheyanne

left Shanks then went to explore his new home.

Shanks soon found a den of another crayfish that

had gone away to the plant store to get food.

Shanks then began working on the den to make it

his and when the crayfish, named Noble, who

had lived there came back, Shanks refused to

give him is home back.

Shanks then set the den on fire and swam away.

Then the Fish Fire department patrol also known

as the FFDP were called, after they got there they

attempted to stop the fire, though it was too late,

the house was in ruins.

After Shanks got away, he searched and searched

for a new home, and this time he would keep it to

live in. Shanks swam and swam until he found

another den, this time there was a crayfish named

Max.

Shanks then broke in and forced Max out of his

home, Shanks then said, “This is my home now

don't come back.” Soon after Shanks went to the

plant store for food and he robbed it and took al-

most all of the food.

The inhabitants of the ecosystem that relied on

the store were furious and got together to see

how they could do with Shanks. Mayor catfish

otherwise known as Johnny stated that they

should ask him nicely to stop and return the food.

Max and his friend who was a turtle named Lo-

han asked Shanks, “can you please return the

food and let Max have his home back please?”

Shanks then replied, “Okay, here is the food that

is left, though no I will not let Max have his

home back.”

Max and Lohan were thankful that Shanks did at

least give back the food, though they were a little

disappointed when they found that a large

amount of it had already been eaten, though they

chose to overlook it.

A few days after that, Shanks went to the farm

where the food was being grown and took all of

it. After the mayor and the rest of the town found

out, they were furious.

The town then had a meeting regarding what

Shanks was doing and how to stop him. The

town talked about how Shanks was destroying

the ecosystem, taking all of their food and their

homes and leaving them with nothing. The town

also talked about how several of the inhabitants

have left in hopes to find a new home without an

invasive species like Shanks living there.

The town then talked and talked and came to an

agreement on yelling at Shanks.

Mayor Johnny, Max, Lohan and several other

town residents created an angry mob and gath-

ered around Shanks' home.

They had pitchforks and torches and requested

that Shanks stop what he is doing. Shanks then

came out and said, “Fine, I'll stop causing trou-

ble, leave me alone now.” After this remark, the

town then decided that he was telling the truth

and they left and went back to their normal lives.

For several weeks Shanks did not cause any trou-

ble, though then he decided to strike. Shanks then

went and ate all of the plants at the farm, as well

as at the store and left none for the residents of

the town. The town believed this was the last

straw, they would not deal with it anymore.

The town had one last meeting at the large white

clean town hall. The mayor then explained that

Shanks had to be taken care of now. He said if

they didn't then the ecosystem of their town

would die plants and food would not come back,

though if they got rid of shanks now, the plants

would grow back and the town would have food

again.

Max, Mayor Johnny, Lohan, and several other

town residents then went to Shanks house, once

they got there they knocked on the door fero-

ciously.

Shanks then opened the door, when he did sever-

al inhabitants of the town grabbed him and threw

him out of the lake. When Shanks was put out of

the lake he felt devastated.

Shanks then had nowhere to go so he slowly

walked back to Cheyanne's home. Shanks made

it back to her house after a few hours, once he

did he waited for hours and hours for Cheyanne

to come out.

After Cheyanne came out and saw Shanks she

was in shock. Cheyanne did not think Shanks

would come back, though she took Shanks back

inside her house.

Once Shanks was taken in her house she put him

into his cage.

Later on in school Cheyanne found out that it is

a good thing Shanks came back. In school Chey-

anne learned that Shanks is an invasive species,

which means that he will take over the lake and

cause the ecosystem to die by killing the plants

and other animals.

Cheyanne learned a valuable lesson, which will

help her from causing a problem in an ecosystem

in the future.