Turtle Island

I don’t remember climbing out of the sand. My brothers told me about how we hatched out of eggs and crawled towards the ocean, yet I can only take their word for it. All I have ever known is the ocean. My brothers meant everything to me, yet I am all alone now. How I wish they would join me. We would ride on each other's backs, and chase after the local fish. We grew up down there, deep below where I am now. I feel the waves upon my shell, calling out to me. Maybe my brothers are still down there, where we all grew up. I remember the fish shrinking over time, yet now I realize it was me who was getting larger. My siblings all grew up and carried on with their lives, yet I never stopped growing. As time passed everyone got smaller and smaller, and it became harder to stay in the deep ocean with them. One day the weight of the water forced my eyes closed, and all of the whispers of my friends and family faded away. When I awoke I felt waves of water on my sides, and an odd tickling sensation on my back. The waters beneath me prevented me from submerging myself once more. It was too strong, a seal I couldn’t break through. My head was still beneath the surface, where it still remains. I was fortunate, I suppose, as I could still catch food. Yet as the moon cycles continued I found it harder to look up. I am forced to stare down into the sea, down where I cannot go any more. 

I would swim around collecting food, pondering existence. Memories of the down below started to fade, and I am struggling to recall them now. However long I spent floating around mindlessly have not done me well. Even the larger creatures who were once dangerous, such as that big fish with the ferocious teeth and fins, are insignificant to someone of my size. Over time these weird brown things floated up to me. Some larger than others, and most of them seemed to be moving by constantly dipping something into the water. Others had big flaps on their top, often white. I am not sure what those are for. The tickling on my back increased as more of those alien objects approached me. The weight on my back gradually increased as well, these creatures seemed to be adding something onto me. At first everything was nice and light, yet as the moon cycles went on heavier and heavier things were becoming. I hoped the additional weight would help lower me back into the sea, yet that never happened. There must be something similar to currents above the water, though. As my back grew heavier and heavier, the more I began to sway from side to side. Eventually something landed in the water beside me. I soon learned that this creature, called a Human, took residence on my back. I found out shortly after that there were more of those Humans, all of them finding a home on me. There was an increase in those weird floating objects too. I noticed that the more of those Humans there were, the more floating things came up to me. They seemed to be carrying Humans to me, yet why I was chosen is still unclear. It was nice having them, for a while. Often they would jump in the water and swim with me. Yet they brought more than company with them. As more arrived, the dirtier the waters around me became. No matter how far I swam I couldn’t escape it. Some of the humans would often come and remove some of the stuff around me, yet it always came back. It drove my food away, which was the main issue. It wasn’t a new type of food, as everything that ate it seemed to vanish. I don’t know what it was though, yet I determined that it wasn’t good. With less food all I could do was drift around until something swam by. There is significantly less filth around me now, which I am thankful for. Eventually, those Humans began to diminish. I don’t know why or how everyone left, as very few of those floating things drew away from me. I believe that the decrease in them made the things on my back less stable, though I am unsure how. Several moons ago a large thing covered in sharp edges fell off me, lowering the weight on my back a bit. I imagine this long object is where those Humans lived, and I wonder if any more will fall off me. I hope none of the fish around me got crushed by the one that fell, yet all of them are too small for me to see now. When the Humans were living on me, I couldn’t bring myself to roll over. They were all so small and powerless, I felt I had to show them mercy. Yet now they’ve left me, as did my brothers all those moons ago. I am getting old. Being this large isn’t easy, and recently I haven’t been able to sustain myself. I have learned something after reflecting on my life, I have never once seen what is outside the water. I’ve heard tales of what lives in the sky, these tiny dots of light that stretch off forever. I want to see them, just once. My flippers are weak against the water, yet I push my way onto my back. I suddenly feel lighter as the things on my back all fall off at once, and it feels amazing. Despite whatever substance this is above the water clogging my mouth and suffocating me, I feel free. And up there, all of those stories were true. Thousands of dots of light color the sky. It’s incredible, the ocean has never had anything like this. Looking at them is as mesmerizing as it is a trap, I can’t look away. The infinity of it all is daunting, for once I feel small in my surroundings. One light shines out more than any of the others, calling me in. I can’t look away from it, and it grows closer. I don’t want to run from it either, it feels inviting. I am ready. The countless dots of light are incredible. I am ready to leave the ocean and join them. As I am lifted out of the water, I look back one more time at the sea. I have many good memories from there, yet I am ready to leave the waters and join the skies.