Sawtooth Spire We were talking for a minute, then some guy tried to cut in

"an snell," she whispered in childish awe, unable to draw her gaze away long enough to notice her mother's shrug or indifference towards the mollusc. she then broke into a snorting giggle. "da sduff comin oud ids budt look likes thadey's snod when he go 'achooo!' " phaedra's belly jiggled with a peripheral chuckle at the images she conjured up in her imagination.
leaning low, the chld whispered-shouted (causing the snail to flinch) "HALLO VILL YOU BE BIDING ME DODAY?" demonstrating by clicking her teeth around air. she tilted her ear and waited patiently. no answer came. maybe its voice was too small for them to hear?
whatever the cost, feeling emboldened (death or glory etc) she extended her leg, resembling a cat reaching into a fishbowl, using her tippy-toes to tap at the volute shell. the mollusc immediately retracted into it; with surprise phaedra pulled back her leg and looked up to her mama for an explanation. "i scareded id?" though she supposed that didn't explain how it managed to retreat into itself. the child twisted her lips and lowered herself to her belly, softly speaking to the snail. "sorry ifs scareded you, i'm name is phaedwa and dis'ids mama." she introduced, hoping her apology would persuade it back out. 
alas, only its tentacles presenty waggled in view at its mantle. another thing then occurred to her: "id carry ids den on id back?" she asked astutely, mulling over how heavy that must be if snails were part rock like she surmised. to that end, being able to immediately retreat into your den at a moment's notice domiciled a great deal of envy in her. "well, snell, pleased do meed you, sowwy again for scarin' ..." she said glumly. she would have very much liked to have learned his or her name, but she had treated it with disrespect, and thus lost her opportunity. 
onto the next thing! she plounced into the puddle, digging through the shallow water and biting at her reflection in the water before losing interest and breezing back to her mother's flank. "off us go do vindhoe!!"