The Truth and the Turtle
Once there were many large brown turtles swimming in a brown, salty sea. Though warm, the sea stung their eyes and dried their skin. The sea was surrounded by desert sand. The only visitors the turtles had were great brown birds that journeyed far and rested at the sea.
The birds told the turtles of the bounty and excitement of the lands beyond the desert. They sung exotic songs and danced exotic dances. No one liked to listen to the birds. The turtles would dive deep in the brown sea until the squawks of the birds were buried in salt and water.
One year no birds came. The year after that was the same. Finally, on the cusp of another beautiful desert sunset, two great brown birds were seen on the horizon. The birds’ feathers were spotted black. Their beaks and eyes were dull with dust and blood.
There had been a terrible misfortune, they said. The lands across the desert were gray with ash and despair. Many were dead, they murmured.
“We will send our best, our brightest and our largest”, the turtles called to the retreating birds.
But they did not. They swam to the very bottom of the warm sea and closed their eyes against the salt. And waited.
