The boy discovers a snail in the leaves along the trail. The snail sees the boy’s finger approach with what seems like lightning speed. Therefore it retracts its upper tentacles. The boy keeps trying to touch the snail’s eyes, the snail keeps retracting them. Neither the boy nor the snail acts out of malice. The boy thinks the snail looks funny when it does that. The snail tries to protect itself. It is not a conscious act, just a reflex. For both of them. Boys and snails have done this through all time. As have we.