TORTLES

There was a time...when turtles and tortoises were one, and the waters of the Great Hanging 

Gardens, dipped into the hues of green,and into the glistening Tortle Lake. 

Tip Top was still a tyke when the first inklings of uu "Exile" loomed unnoticed by him and almost all the other tortles, who swelled happily together in the valley.

Tortles were laid back creatures. Blissful,  to take long walks amongst The Giant Mushroom Forest and then to dive into the cool, green lake,  to shed the heat and the dust of the long languid, summer days.

Tom  Tom  often rode on his Dad, Topsy's broad shell, for the last few yards,when his little legs gave way. The sight of young tortles resting on their Dad's or Mom's s shells, was very common occurrence in Tortle Garden.

It was called Tortle -Toting.

Tom Tom grew up alongside his best friend Shelby, a tortle who could disappear into his shell faster than any of his other pals. Shy Selby was nicknamed "Shel-bye"by the  village gang.He was more known by his shell, than his face.Tom  Tom only called him Shelby. When they parted he distinctly articulated. "Good bye Shelby"and watched that sweet smile spread across his face.

THE RACE

There were different stories about how the games began...how the first race was run. The old tortles often gathered to swap tales by moonlight,after the rest were asleep. The older a Tortle the less  he slept. With all their history it became too quiet in their shells. They craved an audience.Since some were over 100 years old, there were many stories to be shared on a warm starry night.

Older tortle's family members were  called Parents Plus.  It was too immodest to be called great...great...great grandpa or grandma. Modest they were, but orderly they were not. The tales were often told at the same time, words bumping into each other, bouncing off shells instead of ears. Each title swore he saw "The Race." "Tortles Honor".

Thunder Domes version was that it was a race to choose the first  Ancient Tortle King.

Stubby swore it was for the Hand of the Legendary Princess, the only unwrinkled tortle  ever to  live.

Snappy said, "Tortle Grass!" They all were gibberish. It happened on ...the day of the highest reported temperature of the century. The stones burned and the tortles hotfooted  it all the way to the lake. It wasnt a race at all!

Whatever tale was honorable or true...or if all were...races became part of the Tortle culture. And whenever tortles moved their legs feverishly and gasped for air...no matter ,their direction and goal was the same. Distance between them was created.

SHELBY

Shelby hated being so shy. He hated it more than the nickname it earned him. Tortles all had quick twitch neck muscles to get them out of danger... but it also got him out of so many mixed opportunities to enjoy comradery of the other Tortles.

He didn't know what he would do without Tom Tom, who patiently waited for him to repoke his head back out  and even talk to him when he shivered in his shell  when a pretty tortle went by...shivered and had to imagine her instead of enjoying the sight.

Together they tried to conquer his shyness. Tom Tom got his nickname by tapping on Shelby's shell to give him the all-clear...or alert him if wondrous sights. But anytime Shelby felt those Tortle eyes on him-'Snap' !...In went his head and another chance passed by his shell...Shel-bye.

Then came the Games. It was his first and seemed like his only  real opportunity to get involved with the other Tortles.  He was fast...maybe it was the quick twitch heredity,that also went to his legs. He could outpace Tom Tom easily, and with so much time alone, he trained.

He ran up the hills, braced himself against the trees, pushed against

 the logsm rocks or anything that didn't move.

It worked. His legs began to muscle up..as they thickened and became more defined, he ran faster and faster.  Nobody but Tom Tom knew.

"One more rep". Tom Tom  encouraged Shelby  as he stood on his shell. "Only one more push up!"

Shelby grunted and gave him two more.

"And that's after my big lunch,"Tom Tom joked.

After the workout, as they rested on fallen leaves, Tom Tom  nodded at the smile on Shelby's  face. "You're going to win a medal this year!"

"I won't be able to keep my neck out long enough to have them hang it." Shelby half laughed. Tom Tom did too... Friends share things!

TURTLES AND TORTOISES

The solar eclipse was called, "The Anger of the Sky Tortle". The Tortle moved steadily across the heavens, tending to the universe, dispensing stars and rainbows stored in his shell. On a rare day, as he moved very close to the sun,it's heat rays stung the Sky Tortle's ears in a. Demonstration of Solar Power.The Sky Tortle  annoyed by his disrespect,  simply spread his huge shell over the sun, blocking it's light, to allow all tortles below to understand the order of things, and to take a few moments to reflect on their own destinies. After each eclipse, it was a custom for tortles  to go down to the lake th join in a moment of Shared Reflection.

This year's reflection caused a refraction. Two groups formed quickly. The swimmers could not resist the chance to do a few more laps in the lake, while the racers were drawn to stockpiles, throwing and hoisting every size stone into the air.

The only reflection,  taken by Otto, the Giant Snapping Alligator Tortle,  who surfaced in the lakes center,disturbed by all the motion, looked around, took a huge breath of air, shook his moss covered body in disbelief, and sunk again, to his home on the lake's bottom.

Then things got UGLY. UGLY to Tortles was alot like Otis Snapping... Verbal assaults.

"You swimmers love to bathe in your own turds..."

"Gross, gross", the racers echoed. "Turds, turds, turdles..."

Angered the swimmers yelled back, "Tortle racers are a bunch of asses. Sweating in the sun, instead of cooling in the water...they chorused. Muscle heads, muscle heads, , "tort- asses, tort-asses."

Tom Tom and Shelby remained silent, caught the cross fire of angry looks and the sounds of fury. Visually distinguished by the size of their legs, each was needed to opposing warring, tribes. As Shelby was nudged away, Tom Tom instinctively said, "Good bye Shelby". Shelby could barely muster a smile. 

Repeated over and over again,  turdles became turtles, and tort-asses,  became tortoises, to appease the ears of the elders and the newest borne  tortles, and they soon knew the word tortles no more.

As time passed the existence of Tortles began to become a tale, like "The Race" and "The Games".

CAMPS

Tortoises racing on the land, turtles swimming in the lake. All training for the games. But never in the same events.No longer the same goals and direction. Parallel Universes. Divisional Distances.

 A Turtle and Tortoise, just being together became an unusual sight. The separate villages formed.  They trained together, ate together and lived together.

Tom Tom and Shelby still met at the wooded outskirts, which was always their special haven. They refused to give it up...but they met at night...neither wishing the hassle of coming up with defenses. Saying, "he's my friend"...didn't seem enough in these troubled times.

"We're the odd couple now..."Tom Tom said sadly.

"Before and after..."Shelby flexed his thickly muscled leg as he touched Tom Tom's webbed foot gently.

"I often wish that 'after' was 'before,'" Tom Tom extended their greeting by joining their other foot.

"And what's 'after, after'? Shelby asked, looking  skyward at the stars.

Tom Tom had no answer, as they both watched and hoped for a sign...They were looking in the wrong direction.

THE DECIDERS

THE old turtles competed with tales, not in races...due to this factor, both turtles and tortoises  let them be  the judges. Deciders of events. What events took place , their values, and the eventual outcome of the games.

Late that historical night...They met at the string of rocks...the courses constructed by tortoises to stage the land races.

"Look at the lanes. Those tortoises always want more events...100 yards...200 yards...relays...ridiculous events. Having tortoises pass a big leaf with their mouths..,"Tuckahoe said as he looked at a stone.

"Their final total will wash out." One eye squinted. "All the water sports!"

"We can't have that renegade group of of freaks win this year...it was too close the last time," Tuckahoe said...,as he pushed anther stone out of place.

They formed a turtle circle, their heads almost touching.

"We'd better do something while we still can." Big Harvey motioned the others closer. tortoises want more land games...I have one more for them..." He started sketching some thing in the sand.

THE  EXILE

There were so many more turtles than tortoises, waves and waves if the, their webbed feet squishing on the ground, as they  formed a bumpy, green, barrier to the tortoises at the Valley Pass.  Neither turtles nor tortoises would harm  one another...Inside they were still "Tortles".

THE herded tortoises stood still for many uncomfortable moment, til one finally, slowly turned,and walked through the Pass, away from the Turtle Valley. Soon a long procession formed, each tortoise following the others tail.

Tom Tom  watched helplessly, unable to move...til Shelby passed...he tapped the partially webbed foot on the familiar shell, and Shelby turned to gaze to him. They stared, each reluctant to release their bond... but the the other tortoises began pushing Shelby forward.

"Good bye Shelby." Tom Tom barely c ould utter the words.

Shelby nodded...and trudged away. Tom Tom knew that this time it was 'Shel-bye'.

 THE line faded as the light faded. Speed was no longer a factor, parallel distance was no longer a factor; this time it was durection...direction apart..."

OTTO

Time passed as it always does, and tortoises roamed to far flat plains and deserts. They lived longer lives than turtles mandnthu s had more time to tell tales of turtles and Turtle Valley to other creatures they encountered.

Some believed, and these soon found The Turtle Lake. The new predators drove turtles into the lake, taking over the Valley floor, turtles now spending almost all their time in the lake.

Force long period, Tales if the Races, and The Games,mwere told by other Turtles. But the only game played now was the Game of Survival.

Decades later, as Tom Tom swam in the congested water of the lake, he spied a group of teenage turtles circling and taunting old Otto, as he surfaced for air, totally covered with algae and moss, he snacked and snapped at the quick youngsters.

"Upstarts, out of my way...you Tortle rid raf.".

"Tortles. " One squealed. "Tortles-the old geezer doesn't  even know a turtle when he sees one."

"How can anything that looks like a decaying rock recognize a turtle?"another howled. 

"Maybe he can't say it right with that worm of a tongue?" A third said, pretending to be sympathetic, he said, "Let us be kind to the poor handicapped fellow!"

Jibes went on for a few more moments til Otto muttered one last snappy comment. "Tortle fools", as he started floating down his solitary lake bottom, home.

Tom Tom  turned and began breast stroking to the rocks that dotted the shallow waters of the lake. He felt especially filled. He wanted to dry and get a few more rays of warm light before sunset.

As he swam and gazed ahead, through his totally webbed feet, he thought of Shelby..of Their walks and their talks...he whacked his way through a sea of small fish, mumbling. "Otto was right! They were"...he reflected,`" No , we were... all Tortle fools!"

And as he stroked, seemingly alone, his image was seen far , far away on a distant sand dune.   FRIENDS FOREVER SHARE, EVEN IF IT'S ONLY

MEMORIES!

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