**BREAKING: Tortoise on the Lam!**
In a daring escape that has left animal lovers agog, a feisty tortoise named Shelly made a break for it from her cozy home in the quaint English town of Littleton, only to be discovered two weeks later in the most unlikely of places: outside an ice cream parlor, a whopping 2.9 miles from her relieved family’s residence!
According to eyewitnesses, Shelly, estimated to be around 30 years young (or at least that’s what she claimed), made her great escape on the evening of Tuesday, March 21st, leaving her family in a frantic search.
“We were having a family dinner when we realized Shelly was missing,” said a flabbergasted Mrs. Johnson, Shelly’s owner. “We turned the house upside down, but she was nowhere to be found! We thought she might have just poked her head out of her shell and taken a little snooze, but nope! She was long gone!”
As the search party combed the streets, Shelly was busy living her best life, allegedly sampling the local flora and fauna, and possibly even sneaking in a few laps around the nearby park.
Meanwhile, in a bizarre twist, local ice cream vendor, Mr. Scoop, reported that Shelly was discovered outside his shop, licking her lips and eyeing the colorful array of frozen treats in the window.
“I was scooping ice cream like it was going out of style when I saw this tiny, shell-shocked tortoise staring up at me,” Mr. Scoop exclaimed. “At first, I thought she was just a stray looking for a sweet fix, but then I spotted her little identification tag and thought, ‘Blimey! This tortoise is on the run!'”
Shelly was reunited with her overjoyed family, who were relieved to have their beloved pet back home safe and sound.
As for Shelly, she’s learned a valuable lesson: when life gives you lemons, make lemonade; but when life gives you ice cream, make a beeline for the nearest shop!
**UPDATE**: The tortoise’s family has since set up a “Tortoise-Proof” fence around their home and has vowed to keep a closer eye on their shell-shy friend. Shelly, on the other hand, has reportedly been banned from all ice cream shops in the area.
