At turtle school, Slupper learned how to be boring, dumb, and unhappy. Or, rather, that’s how he saw it. As always, the teacher ended her lesson with a cheerful promise.

“And remember class, if you work hard at school, you’ll end up lonely and abandoned when you’re old!”

She pressed a piece of seaweed and a little bell rang. Behind her hung a sponge creature. Her fins pushed the homework for next week into it. Once she finished writing—which took a while since, for was still a turtle—she took one last look at her class.

Forty turtles swam in four neat rows behind each other. Everyone used the shell of the student in front of them as a desk. This meant the turtles at the front were the smartest: the teacher thought they would remember everything and didn’t need a desk.

The classroom was made of polished white stone with square windows. Underwater these glassless windows weren’t needed for fresh air, of course. They served as entrances and exits.

The room also had a door. Another mystery, since you could never open it against the water pressure.

All the students wrote diligently in their sponge notebooks, except for Slupper. He played with the colorful coral along the wall. Sometimes I feel like a totally different animal than the other students, he thought.

He was the same age as his classmates, but his oversized shell meant no one else could sit near him. He also had brown-speckled fins like the others, but his were thicker and didn’t taper to points. Still, what really caused everyone to laugh at him, were two red stripes on his head.

“Well done, everyone,” said the teacher. “Tomorrow you’ll learn how to yell ’leave me alone’ in every language. You may go home—except you, Slupper.”

She pressed a different piece of seaweed and a second bell sounded. The others swam through the windows in a orderly line; Slupper shuffled over to his teacher as if his feet weighed a thousand pounds.

“Dear boy, why don’t you do your homework?”

“You always say that, if I do, I’ll end up completely alone when I’m old. Cut off from the rest of the world.”

“Yes! Wonderful, isn’t it? Nobody to disturb your deep thoughts! That’s what you’re working towards.”

“Well … um … what if I don’t want that?”

“To grow old?”

“No, to live alone in a cave for a thousand years.”

“Oh, but you’ll still be with us too. In our hearts. And in our minds. But eventually, like all turtles, you’ll have to find your own little spot.”

“Has no one ever been different?”

“Of course there’s been someone, but—”

Slupper’s orange eyes lit up. The teacher’s brown eyes narrowed and she turned away. Though they were the same height, her shell was much longer and he ducked quickly to avoid it. She scraped the sponge creatures off her chalkboard.

He crept around her stone desk. “Who? Does he live here?”

“Yes, but he’s an exception. He went to the meeting at Vensala, as the turtle representative. A sort of mascot.”

“As what? Turtles don’t sail, do they?”

“No, that means we sent him there to represent us. There he became part of the Companions.”

“What are Companions?”

A bubble stream left the teacher’s mouth. “You were daydreaming again during all those lessons, weren’t you?”

Slupper wisely kept quiet until she continued: “A group of kings, one for each animal species. Together they made agreements to end the First Conflict. That’s why we now live in peace.”

“Awesome! Can I meet him? Can I go with him?”

“I’m afraid there’s only room for one of each species among the Companions, child. Besides, he still prefers to be left alone in his cave by the Pillars of Gibra.”

Slupper shot up from the seafloor. As he swam away, he churned up mounds of mud that obscured his teacher’s view.

“Shouldn’t have said that,” she mumbled to herself. By the time the water cleared again, however, he was gone.

Not far from school sat the town square: the heart of Turtle Town. An enormous fountain stood there. This was just as baffling in an underwater city as the door.

A pole decorated with seaweed and symbols held up four wooden arrows. Each pointed down a different broad path, sometimes hundreds of kilometers long, with houses and smaller streets around it.

The young turtles mostly lived—along with tiny fish—around the square. Older turtles went … somewhere. Slupper never saw them return. “And DON’T you dare come looking for us!” they shouted at their farewells. As such, large parts of the city remained unexplored.

I don’t know where the Pillars are, Slupper thought. But something so tall should be easy to spot. He followed the northbound arrow. This was the only path that quickly ended in an underwater jungle.

A city full of mysteries already, dear reader, but it gets even stranger. The turtles have no idea their cute but odd little town may have the power to change the world. And if you’re smart, trust me, you hope they never discover this.

He liked to play in the jungle. He probably knew the trees as well as the spots on his fins. As usual, a friend waved at him from a treetop. Slupper spiraled upwards and landed next to him.

“Detention or something?”

“Socipi, listen to this! I have a new adventure! Turns out there’s a special, wise, magical turtle that lives around here somewhere.”

“Where?” Socipi reluctantly rolled onto his webbed fins. He shook the leaves off his shell and ate a few.

“In a cave by the Pillars of Gibra.”

“Never heard of them.”

“Surely, you know what a cave is?”

“Uh-huh, but not where those Pillars of Gibberish are.”

“Gibra. Even I know that was the Serpentsuper’s name.”

“That’s what I said.”

Slupper rammed his friend shell-to-shell. “We’ll find those Pillars! And then we ask how to meet other animals!”

“I don’t think a pillar answers back.”

“No, silly, we’ll ask the Companion!”

“A Companion? Here in town?” Socipi’s eyes shot open. He leaped up and spun in fast circles, as if expecting to spot the Companion immediately.

“Well, I don’t know that. Maybe the pillars are outside town.”

Socipi swam north, further away from the square and houses. He nodded his head forward. “Who knows, we’ve never been there before.”

Because we’re not allowed to, Slupper thought. But he didn’t want to ruin the fun. Besides, Socipi never listened anyway. He flapped his flippers faster to catch up. “Think we’ll be home by evening?”

“No, that’s the best part.”

He winked at Slupper and swam past him. Hundreds of bubbles rose as they drifted between the trees. Slupper looked back, but really didn’t hesitate much longer. With his friend, he raced deeper into the jungle.

The broad canopy hid more and more light and they had to be mindful not to crash into dark brown trunks. They couldn’t even see if it was night yet. That’s a good excuse to use if we’re late, Slupper thought.

Brightly colored flatfishes regularly swam by. It would stare with bulging eyes and then slip quickly between them.

Until one of the fish lingered.

The turtle friends were searching so intently that they didn’t even notice. They studied the crumbled houses and broken statues on the seafloor. Each time a piece of stone jutted out, or they glimpsed something long and pillar-like in the distance, their hopes soared and they swam even faster.

For hours they combed through the jungle—until it suddenly ended. The trees halted to make way for a ravine.

“Oh, thanks for the ride! Toodeloo!”

Slupper and Socipi crashed into each other from shock. An fish, striped orange and red, dove into the ravine underneath them.

“Hey! Hold on a minute! A favor for a favor.”

The fish spun around and slithered back, as if dodging invisible obstacles. Her voice was high-pitched and often slipped into a squeak.

“What do you want? I’ve got nothing.”

“Information. We’re looking for the Pillars of Gibra.”

“… why are you looking for those cursed things?” Her fins kept fluttering.

“It’s a long story. Do you know where they are or not?”

“Hmm, it’s a long story.”

“Very funny.”

“You’re funny! Oh wait, no, that was meant as an insult. Ah, why am I so bad at this.”

He frowned at the babbling fish, as his front flipper landed on her trembling head. “You know what, we’ll find them ourselves.”

“No! It’s dangerous. Sometimes I hear the Pillars talk in my sleep. They say mean things, like … like … like you must not find us and this plan must remain secret.”

“Those don’t sound mean or anything,” Socipi said. “What if their secret plan is something really nice?”

“Just tell us where they are!”

“Can’t do it. I’ll have to show you.”

Slupper looked at his one and only friend. Socipi yawned and gave a half-hearted shrug.

The fish shot off ahead of them, wiggling wildly. I hope other animal species are less tiring, he thought. After crossing the ravine, they reached a hill.

“The Pillars are just behind this.”

Slupper flew around it, but saw only a larger hill.

She giggled loudly. “Gets them every time! The Pillars are behind this hill alright, but you’ve got to pass sixty-two more hills first.”

“Hilarious. What do you mean gets them every time? Do animals search for the pillars often?”

“Oh yes, well, not super often, but coincidentally someone else came by this morning. He wore a black cape—which I thought strange underwater—so no idea what creature he was. But he liked my jokes.”

Socipi and Slupper bumped shells again, releasing twenty bubbles. “He’s in danger! A Companion’s in danger!”

“Whoa, no need to shout. I’m not deaf.”

“Are you insane? Anyone wearing a disguise must be up to no good! Take us to him. No more jokes!”

She sighed and swam on. Hill after hill shot by, growing in size. The turtles quickly lost count and hoped the cheerful fish knew the way.

It grew darker. The hills appeared increasingly rough, spiky, and black, making it hard to dodge them. Slupper had the faint sense that the seafloor sloped upwards.

“So … I’m Vivienne. And you are?”

“Not the time!”

“My, that’s a long name. Unique too. I can tell you’re a bit stressed.”

“You think?” Slupper talked louder and louder.

“Sometimes I think, yes. We could always meet up later if you want to chat about it. Ah, we’re here.”

Slupper craned his broad neck and saw a mountain whose peak broke the water’s surface. Atop it stood four white pillars, half-submerged.

He wanted to go on, but Vivienne tumbled into his path. His fin gently pushed her aside, but she swam against it with all her force.

“Such pretty eyes, you have. And what a strong shell. Are you sure you want to waste time with a masked man? We could do something else—”

“Yes. One hundred percent sure. I’m only looking for a cave.”

“Hmpf. In that case, the cave is just around the left corner here. Toodeloo!”

As she left, she pressed a leaf into his fin. How to find her I’m sure, he thought. He paid it no mind and turned the corner, behind Socipi.

A wide opening appeared, as if a great beast had taken a bite from the mountain. Without hesitation they stormed inside. Gray rocks shot past as they approached a growing pinprick of light at the end.

Slupper suddenly slowed and flattened his friend against the cave wall.

“Stop! We can’t just charge in. Someone so clever must have security. And we’re not strong enough to capture any big beast.”

“Now you’re scared or something? If he’s in danger we’d better help fast!”

Socipi raced towards a second opening, far deeper into the cave. Slupper cautiously followed, inspecting each rock. Both turtles froze when a low hum sent ripples down the tunnel.

“We could say it’s for research and that’s why we can’t be disturbed.”

The tail of a colossal turtle appeared in the opening. Slupper and Socipi flattened themselves against the ground.

“But then we’ll still get snoopers and gawkers. I think it best we keep the operation secret and set traps around the area.”

“No, I won’t hurt my own kind. Turtles are naturally nosy creatures.”

“Fine. Agreed. But if someone else finds it first, it’s your fault!”

A hard crack. Teeth dully clapped together. The turtle had to talk even louder to be heard over the chewing. “Are you certain no one saw you? Our security picks up young turtles.”

Slupper held his breath. Socipi pulled his entire body into his shell.

“I only met an erratic orange fish. She didn’t know who I was, I had my disguise on. Solomon, you have no idea if this security even works. Or how it works.”

“Curious. In that case it must be a false alarm.”

Slupper exhaled in relief and—

A turtle foot shot through the opening, larger than he’d ever seen, and yanked Socipi’s shell along. Slupper reached for his friend and tumbled through the opening too.

“Ah, two for the price of one.”

Slupper spun around and saw an enormous gray shark on the other side of the cave. A blindfold went on. The giant turtle picked up both of them and set them on a wooden table in the corner.

“For whom are you spying?”

“We’re not spies! We thought you were in danger!”

“A peculiar choice. To help a giant turtle bigger than four full-grown sharks put together.”

“We didn’t know that! We only found out about you this afternoon, esteemed Companion.”

Slupper felt a fin rubbing his shell. Not long after, the same fin stroked the red stripes on his forehead. The giant turtle did so three times, then took off the blindfolds.

“What are you doing? They’re spies, they’re lying.” The shark had finished eating and looked at Slupper with fiery eyes.

“No worries. I can feel their intentions are good.”

He escorted the shark out of the cave, whispering all the way. At the exit, they pressed their front fins together and moved them up and down three times. Some sort of Companion gesture?

The shark sped into the darkness.

Evening fell, and yet the cave bathed in bright light. Four glass squares on the wall shone yellow. How did he ever get fireflies to stay lit underwater?

Slupper crept towards them. He placed his foot on one, but immediately pulled back. Why’s the glass so hot?

Socipi had long since dug into the food—a large pile of seaweed with leaves arranged around it. The giant turtle returned and immediately pressed a dark circle on the wall. Two wooden doors slammed shut.

“My name is Solomon. The fact you entered my cave means you now have a duty of secrecy.”

“What?”

“No one can ever know who I am, that I’m here, or what’s discussed. That remains secret forever. Only then can I let you leave … alive.”

The last line wiped the grin off Socipi’s face. Slupper heard it too, but was too fascinated by the cave to react.

“I thought Companions were always kind beings,” Socipi whispered, “but this one’s the opposite.”

“Furthermore, I hear, see, and feel everything,” Solomon continued, plucking Socipi from the food. “The work of Companions is too important and must often be kept utterly secret. I could use your help on my mission. I can mentor you and teach the special qualities of this world.”

This caught Slupper’s attention. He turned and saw Solomon’s gigantic back. The edges were frayed and broken in places. Instead of a lovely spotted pattern, his fell was mostly filled with deep gashes. I’m glad I wasn’t born during the First Conflict, he thought.

With effort, he pulled away his gaze and recalled what Solomon said.

“You mean we’ll leave this city? Explore the world? Go on adventures together?”

“Patience. When the time comes, my boy, I’ll take you to Vensala. But, as I said, you must promise to keep everything secret. Even, I know it’s hard, from your parents.”

They nodded wildly, grins returning. Solomon looked satisfied as well.

“Any other questions?”

He walked to a second table on the other side of the cave. An unrolled map, mad of seaweed, was pinned to the wood in many places—using the nails of creatures long gone.

“Yes! What are these lamps? I don’t hear any buzzing fireflies.”

“If I knew, my child, we wouldn’t be here now. I just press a button and all the lamps turn on. They stay on forever unless I press the same button to turn them off again. Don’t worry about it. You’ll find stranger things here.”

“I once heard one of the gods swam among the fish as a dolphin,” Socipi said. “And if you touched him he’d heal all wounds. You mean those strange things or something?”

“First lesson: never end sentences with ‘or something’. Second lesson: I know nothing of the gods, but I’m learning more and more about this city in which we live.”

“Like what?”

“Our turtle town is not what you think it is.”

When Solomon looked at him like that, Slupper found him suspiciously similar to his teacher. But to his tales, he did want to pay close attention.

“Haven’t you ever wondered how all the houses were built? How an underwater jungle can exist?”

“So often, Mr. Solomon. But when I ask my teacher, she says no one knows, and that I should stop interrupting her with questions. All I heard is that the first turtles simply found it one day already—”

“—there, yes. I was there as a baby. What they don’t tell you is how we found it. I had only just crawled from my egg onto the beach. As the sole survivor of my brothers and sisters, I reached the sea in time. My parents caught me, but we had to hurry. Someone was after us.”

“Who?” Slupper and Socipi cried together.

“I don’t know. I only remember we swam for days, without seeing a single creature, until hundreds of lights greeted us. We cautiously swam closer and saw lovely tidy homes with lamps everywhere. It was gorgeous, yet also silent. The four big paths, which you know as busy shopping streets, were deserted. Objects were scattered around, still warm and intact.”

Slupper and his friend stared open-mouthed at the big map on the table. Solomon pointed to various spots, each marked with a red question mark.

“I found this map in a house. The whole world is on it—or what was known of it then. Some parts are missing, however, like this city. I believe one of the question marks points to it.”

“Why wouldn’t the original residents know where their own city lies?”

“Exactly! The right question! Fortunately, I also found a second map.”

Solomon opened a drawer under the table and took out a rolled up parchment. They recognized its design at once.

“Our city!”

Slupper searched for his house but couldn’t find it. The layout looked very similar to the city he knew, yet here and there were empty spaces or slightly different areas.

“Indeed, but this has unclear parts too. My theory? They didn’t have time to finish it, because they had to flee at once.”

“Maybe they were also scared of whatever was chasing your parents?”

“Could be … if it weren’t for the stack of clay tablets I found.”

“That’s strange. Clay dissolves when it touches water.”

“Precisely! You’re very good at this, Slupper.”

He walked to the other side of the cave and the turtles followed like faithful puppies. “For years I pondered it. Perhaps they wrote great secrets into the clay—but that proved utterly false. The tablets contained very mundane things. Like shopping lists and the number of soldiers in the army.”

“But if they had an army, why would they have fled?”

“You’re a natural talent, truly. It took me a large part of my life to realize that. They didn’t flee.”

“You mean other creatures still live in our homes or something? That’s pretty … creepy.”

Slupper sternly looked at his friend. Stop with all your ‘or somethings’, he thought. We need to seem smart.

Solomon continued unperturbed.

“No. That’s too hopeful. The real event became painfully clear when I sat in the Companion meeting. History books lay in the hall and, of course, I read them. I searched for the year when my parents and I discovered the city. I didn’t have to look long—that same year the Fearvolcano erupted, followed by an earthquake.”

“But that’s not so bad, right? Lava cools when it touches water.”

“Correct! So what’s the only explanation?”

He looked at Slupper, hopefully, and ignored Socipi altogether. Slupper had no answer.

“My theory? This was a prosperous island, but the natural disasters sank it to the seafloor.”

Slupper and Socipi blew bubbles from their mouths again. Their shells changed color: all the dark blue spots turned green. They stared wide-eyed at Solomon until Slupper twisted his neck.

“Why aren’t all the houses destroyed by lava then?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. There are so many strange, peculiar elements in this city. I almost started believing the gods lived here, but of course that can’t be.”

“Why not?”

“They say the gods caused natural disasters. Why would they destroy their own home?”

For the first time in a while, silence fell. “It’s late—your parents must be worried. I’m afraid I must send you home now. Your homework is: investigate. Look around for texts or objects left by the original residents. Third lesson: everything can be important information. Fourth lesson: be curious.”

“But why do we have to keep it secret? With more turtles we’d find things faster.”

“Yeah,” Socipi added. “Why can’t gallers—like the shark said—help?”

“Gawkers. Because,” Solomon hesitated for the first time, “the city is in danger. It’s unwise to cause panic, so it must stay secret.”

Solomon’s ragged shell got stuck on sharp rocks again. “Turtles must lay their eggs on land. But our city is drifting farther and farther away from the coast … too far. Now go.”

Socipi’s head drooped in disappointment. With a button press, Solomon opened the doors and waved his new turtle pupils away.

“Thank you, Mr. Solomon!” Slupper called back to the cave, but the doors closed immediately.

The ocean was black as soot. They had to find their way by the light of colorful coral.

“We have to tell mom and dad!” Socipi moved so erratically that he briefly seemed to turn into Vivienne the fish.

“No! Then you’ll ruin everything. A Companion is giving us a chance to learn from him. You could at least follow his first command.”

“Psh, you’re no fun. Always so obedient and friendly and wise. But you’re forgetting something.”

“I never forget anything.”

“Yes you are. If you follow his command and keep it all secret, then you’re ignoring your parents’ command. Your parents want you to be honest. To tell them everything, and be home on time. Why do you think a turtle you just met is more important than your own parents?”

Slupper tried to count the hills, but it was too dark.

“He’s a Companion! He brought peace, fought battles, did research for years. When I ask my parents why I have to go to school, they say just because.”

“They don’t know any better. Maybe we should invite them to Solomon’s for a nice chat or something.”

Slupper laughed at the thought. He pictured his stuffy, boring parents lounging around the rugged Solomon in his cave. They’d probably ask if he had any real original seaweed tea, only to disappointedly receive a pre-chewed leaf.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m not telling Solomon’s secret to anyone.”

They sped ahead for a while. The hills were small enough now to swim over them instead of around them. The jungle filled their horizon, with the vague shape of the ravine before it.

Slupper remembered Vivienne’s leaf. Subconsciously, he had clutched it in his fin this whole time, too curious to toss it away. He unfolded it. The symbols were hastily nibbled from the leaf and hard to decipher.

“Vivienne, somewhere between hill one and hill fifty. Consider yourself warned. T.B.C.”

Socipi read along over his shell. “Who’s T.B.C.?”

“It’s not a person. It means turn backside over. Flip it.”

Socipi snatched the leaf from his hand and turned it over. He released another bubble—his biggest yet. “I knew it!”

Solomon is not who you think he is.

Slupper shook his head. He wanted to tear up the leaf and throw it away—yet he held it tightly. “No way. This message is just another trick to get a date with me.”

“You and a hyperactive fish will never happen. She only pretended to like you to give us this info. You live a thousand years, she’ll be dead in two.”

“She’s not a hyperactive fish! And … and … I have a chance with her.” He didn’t want to comment on other species dying faster. Especially since he didn’t want to think about it.

Socipi turned his gaze from the leaf and laughed loudly. “You’re kidding, right? You like her? I couldn’t wait for her to leave. She was like an infinitely deflating balloon. A fart that—”

“That’s enough, Socipi. We’re clearly overdue. I’m scared too, but we have to go through the jungle. Together.”

Slupper led the way into the jungle. In daylight they still saw creatures passing by; now they only felt them. In fact, nighttime traffic through the jungle seemed busier than during the day.

Water rushed swiftly past their fins and they didn’t dare swim fast. All around, they heard shrimp scuttling over branches, fish crunching coral, and bass thrashing through piles of leaves. That was the only noise for a long time—until something jangled.

The sound came from ahead and grew louder. They couldn’t tell how close the danger was, since sound travelled much faster through water than air. They grabbed each other’s fins. Just then, when they desperately needed to, they felt no tree to hide behind.

Besides the jangling came another noise.

“Slupper! Where are you? Slupper? Come out!”

“Mom! I’m here!”

“What are you doing,” Socipi whispered, “I wanted to sneak by and lie in bed like nothing happened.”

“You still can,” he whispered back, “your parents aren’t here, I think.”

Socipi tried to vanish into the darkness, but was caught by a bright light. Beside Slupper’s mother swam his father, holding a lantern in his mouth. His teacher had joined the search too—but it didn’t end there.

Half the town had turned out looking for him. Turtles stared at them, from here all the way to where the jungle started.

His parents swam up to the them with one powerful flick of their fins.

“Socipi? You here too? Boys, the strange things you do sometimes.”

“Oh no, no, I’m Socipi’s twin brother. Easy mistake. I must be off!”

“You’re going nowhere! Your parents are worried sick. We’re taking you home. And then you can explain what you’re up to, out here at night!”

Slupper pressed against his mother’s warm fin, but Socipi remained hesitant. “I’m not going with you. I don’t know you at all! Help me! Rescue me from these strangers!”

“Come on now, no need for theatrics.”

“What? I’m not putting on a play or something.”

“See, it is you.”

Meanwhile, Slupper’s father had slipped around the trees. From the darkness behind, he firmly grabbed Socipi.

The turtle procession headed home. Once at the big square, it scattered. Slupper’s parents and his teacher carried him and Socipi down the left street. They swam past a never-ending row of blue-green houses with orange roofs.

Turning left, they continued down an identical street, past shiny pavement worn down by coral and broad marble steps with carved drawings.

Are they really drawings? Slupper questioned everything now. He wanted to keep looking, but the group swam swiftly over the steps and turned right down a narrow alley.

All lights were off, except for one house. All the doors and windows shut tight, except that one house. Its door had been ripped off long ago.

The group swam straight inside without knocking.

“Good gracious! Next time could you maybe not—wait—Socipi! You’re back!”

Socipi’s mother shot towards him and hugged him tightly. “We were so worried. I’m so glad you’re back safe and sound.”

“If you were that worried, why didn’t you come look for him?” the teacher sneered. “You didn’t even know he was lost in the jungle!”

“Oh, he’s often out late. He’s an adventurous boy. We trust he doesn’t get up to anything too crazy.”

“Ridiculous! He’s only twenty-five years old. He can only go out alone at night when he’s thirty-five and starts middle school.”

The teacher positioned herself in front of Socipi’s mother as if she were a student.

His mother was having none of it. “Next you’ll say he has to be sixty or something before he’s really an adult.”

So that’s where he gets it from. Slupper swam around a circular stone that was meant to be a flat table. The teacher impatiently swam back and forth, while Socipi’s mother spoke calmly.

“Children are smarter than you think. You need to trust them, not tie them down. Sooner or later they’ll break free anyway—and the tighter you tie them down, the more violently they’ll rebel.”

“So you put those strange ideas in Slupper’s head?”

“What strange ideas? Playing with friends?”

“He wants to stay with the colony forever. He wants to meet other animals on land. He wants to follow that weird Solomon!”

Socipi’s mother laughed and placed two tasty pieces of seaweed before the children on the table. Socipi immediately chompedchomping away, but Slupper had discovered drawings on the wall he recognized.

“Look at that! He’s not even reacting anymore. He must be terribly frightened by all the trouble out there.”

“Have you asked him yet?”

“… no, but that was my plan.”

“We were playing hide and seek in the jungle,” said Slupper. “Only Socipi hid so well I still hadn’t found him after searching for hours.”

“That’s all?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes, mom. From now on I’ll say when I’m playing hide and seek.”

Socipi had finished eating, but kept staring at the stone. He avoided every glance. Slupper recognized it: he was thinking hard.

Until he spoke. “Well … that’s not everything. I wasn’t hiding. I had gone looking for Solomon, that’s why Slupper couldn’t find me. I did meet him. He says we’re in great danger and there’s a secret hidden in the city!”

“Two weeks detention! That will teach you—”

Socipi’s mother pushed the teacher away. “This is my house, not your classroom!”

She turned to her son. “Thank you for your honesty. Just for that, you may keep meeting Solomon as far as I’m concerned. In fact, ask if we can help with anything.”

The teacher’s cheeks and neck turned red. She pushed off from the wall and sped out through the hole.

Slupper’s parents had watched silently and stiffly until mother spoke softly. “Come, let’s go home.”

He waved his friend goodbye. He hadn’t even left yet when mother pulled him close. “And no more playing hide and seek with him from now on. Or with anyone. From now on you’ll do two hours of homework in your room every evening.”

“But … but he’s my only friend! Can I play a different game in the jungle? Or just in the street?”

“Only if you promise to find other friends. Friends who do listen to the teacher!”

Slupper knew it was hopeless. Both getting permission for Solomon and finding new friends. He kept his mouth shut. Why did Socipi have to blab? he thought over and over.

The next day he obediently went to school, neatly copied the homework, and paid close attention. When the second bell rang, he obediently left the classroom with the other turtles.

His mother was waiting at the square. “There you are. Did you have a nice day?”

“Sure did. In fact, I made new friends and we’re going to play a new game in the jungle.”

“Oh, fun. What’s it called?”

“Uh—guessing drawings.”

A second group of school turtles slid past. In the chaos he slipped away, before his mother could ask more questions.

He swam back to the broad steps he saw the night before. The drawings were still at the bottom and he tried to memorize them. I should have done my homework, he thought. Then at least I’d have my own sponge creatures to copy them into.

After a while, the symbols were seared into his memory. Socipi already lay waiting at the jungle entrance. This time he sprang up as soon as Slupper appeared.

“Race you there!”

As if the angry teacher were chasing them, they raced to the Pillars of Gibra. Slupper looked back in surprise. He had a huge lead and sneakily searched for Vivienne. To his disappointment, no wiggling fish popped out between the hills.

Slupper rounded the corner and landed gracefully inside the cave. Solomon didn’t budge a fin. He kept staring at the entrance like a statue, his gigantic body tense.

A moment later, Socipi burst through the opening at high speed. He tumbled through and slammed into the back wall. Slupper helped him up. “What kept you—”

“Get out of my cave, Socipi.”

“But … but … you were going to mentor us both, right?”

“Yes. On one condition: you keep everything secret. And you didn’t.”

Socipi looked at Slupper and rammed him hard with his shell. “You’ve been tattling about me?”

“He hasn’t said a thing. You know I see, hear, and feel everything. I heard you freely talking to your parents and breaking the promise. Now leave. And never come back.”

“Oh, oh, so your stupid secret matters more than saving the city? Than caring for young turtles? You’re a lousy Companion!”

Socipi headbutted the wall, smashing one of the lamps. He left the cave dizzy and surrounded by bubbles. In the opening, he turned back to Slupper one last time.

“And you … goodie two-shoes … listen to your parents. Find new friends.”

Slupper sat on a Pillar of Gibra, half out of the water, watching Solomon swim back from land. He had seen it for years; he still wasn’t allowed to come along.

And so he waited on the Pillar, alone and undisturbed. If only Socipi were here, he thought. We’d climb to the top of this Gibra palace together.

“Did you find it?” he asked hopefully.

“I certainly did! Though some things don’t add up.”

“Is that why you returned so quickly?”

“Partly. But above all, I wanted to be back in time to celebrate your birthday! Slupper, my best pupil, you only turn adult once. You only turn forty-five once.”

After all these years, Slupper was the largest turtle in the whole group, even larger than Solomon. If something came at him from the darkness—a feeling he often had—he was no longer afraid. His shell was no longer smooth, but had two sharp ridges. They looked identical to the red stripes on his head.

“Socipi must be an adult by now too.”

“Lesson 460: never dwell in the past.”

“I know. But he’ll be wiser and calmer. Why did you never give him a second chance?”

Solomon climbed onto the pillar beside him. “I shouldn’t have given him a first chance. I should have seen it.”

“Seen what?”

“Lesson 461: you can discern someone’s personality from their shell, sometimes even their future. Of course it takes much practice. But it’s possible, on any turtle, if you look closely enough.”

“And what did you see on Socipi?”

“I didn’t see in him what I did see in you. Those two stripes on your head, and now those ridges on your back, signify cooperation and loyalty. Your shell has many brownish-red spots, indicating curiosity and speed. Yes, speed in moving, but also in thinking and solving mysteries.”

“Does it explain why I’m so large too?”

“No, but you’re not the only one. Through shell history, extraordinarily large figures regularly appear. Apparently long ago there, was a family of Ancient Turtles. You and I descend from them.”

Solomon smiled. “Maybe you even descend from that folk called the Alasti. Oh, what a splendid people they must have been. They could invent anything. Those lamps in my cave? They probably run on Electro. The gods’ light. No one knows the secret of how it worked, not anymore, but they did.”

Slupper gazed out over the sea. He often came with Solomon to the water’s surface. They’d against the magnificent pillars, stare at the sun and her glitters on the waves. It was always peaceful. No other creature ever passed by. Since Solomon had taken him on as pupil, he hadn’t even seen the masked shark. Now I’m the lonely turtle my teacher wanted to see, Slupper thought sadly. And now I am sure it does not make me happy.

“A fellow Companion had a dictionary. I found the meanings of all 99 drawings you’ve collected over the years. And you were right: we didn’t recognize them because it was NOT Ancient Dovish.”

“Fantastic! What do they say?”

“That’s the problem, my boy. They make no sense. Just random words. One fragment keeps repeating, but is never completed. The secret of world co—”

“World couriers, maybe? The first birds thought very highly of themselves.”

“I doubt it. Birds can’t build a city with their wings.”

Solomon stared at the horizon, his fin over his eyes. “We have little time left. The land that was once nearby is no more than a black speck. Soon no one will be able to lay eggs.”

“What do you suggest?”

Solomon tapped the pillar restlessly. He lowered himself and landed with a soft splash. Slupper startled when he suddenly felt a fin on his shoulder. He couldn’t even remember the last time someone had touched him.

“I have only one plan left. Your found carvings did confirm parts of a legend. It mentioned a people who held the answer to every problem. They had a book, called The Truth, which they hid well. The book was never found, because they fought a formidable foe. Some thought the answer was world cooperation, others world conquest. It’s very possible that—”

“—the legend is about the inhabitants of this city! So the book must lie in this city.”

“Precisely! I wanted to search for it long ago. But it was too dangerous and I lacked these symbols to chart the path. Now that you’re an adult you may finally join me in the Outer Rings.”

Slupper’s shell changed from brown to orange. “No one has ever returned from the Outer Rings. Are you certain we should search there? There are parts of the city I haven’t fully explored yet.”

“I have, my boy, I know the entire city like the back of my hand. If I had one. But nothing is known about the Outer Rings. Even the map in my cave has blank edges.”

“And that’s why there are question marks on the map. Of course! To keep the location of The Truth secret.”

“Exactly! That’s why you’re my pupil, not Socipi.”

Slupper fell silent. He had only seen Socipi twice since that one moment years ago. Both times Socipi looked angry and they fought. And then his family had left the city. I hope he found a nice spot in another underwater town.

Solomon dove underwater again. Slupper followed immediately.

“Where do we start?”

“The ravine behind the jungle. It leads to the closest entrance to the Outer Rings. Bring lots of food and digging tools. I still have weapons from the First Conflict.”

“Weapons? Lesson 34: violence is always wrong?”

“Yes, but self-defense isn’t. Outside this city are sea monsters that would happily devour us. Yes, even turtles of our size.”

They swam towards the jungle, in a wide circle around the city. Mother still wasn’t allowed to see them together. She thought Slupper was searching for a cave of his own, for when he was older.

As an adult, he realized how small the jungle actually was. As a child, he could drift for hours without reaching the end, but now it was a mere dot on the map. The ravine greeted him like a second home.

“Are you certain you want to do this?” Solomon looked more serious than usual. It was the first time he had asked this question.

“Yes. Well, as certain as you can be about anything. I want nothing more than to bring this city back to land. Then I can finally leave, travel the world and explore. With my—”

The word friends lay on his tongue, but he had no true companions anymore. The word family came after. But if they found out he had spoken with Solomon all these years, they would disown him at once.

Solomon pulled him from his thoughts and drew him into the ravine.

“In that case, follow me.”

His eyes had to adjust to the darkness, even more than his ears to the silence. The lack of glowing coral and brightly colored fish gave the ravine a lifeless look. The passage narrowed until it became a tunnel.

Solomon seemed to know the place and swam straight in. The tunnel was gigantic, much wider than the city’s streets. On either side lay old wreckage. Ships were flattened, swords and spears brutally bent.

He saw his pupil pause at each wreck.

“Yes, a great people like the Alasti had to defend themselves against invaders. These tunnels were for transporting goods. I understand why enemy armies would attack here.”

Something tapped the tunnel wall. It couldn’t be the water—it was too regular for that. It sounded as if someone were knocking. Slupper spun around, stirring up a whirlwind of broken items, but no fish was to be seen.

Oblivious, Solomon swam on until the next turn. He carefully peeked around the corner. In his fins he held the many symbols Slupper had collected, mumbling their translations. He nodded and drifted in his chosen direction.

Something tapped Slupper’s shell. He twisted his neck, but a soft fin pushed him back. His fins thrashed wildly but hit nothing. The orange fin now lay over his mouth—screaming was impossible. He prepared a headbutt, until he saw whose fin it was.

“Calm down,” Vivienne hissed. Her fin lowered slowly from his mouth. “I want to talk to you, without Solomon here.”

“Calm down? You’re telling me to calm down?” Slupper whispered. “What are you doing here?”

“I live here, remember?”

Yes, you’re still alive, Slupper thought. That’s not normal. How old is she now?

He didn’t say it aloud, knowing how mean it sounded. And especially because he was actually very happy to see her.

Vivienne rattled on: “No, of course not. You never stopped by. Didn’t even say hi when I swam by. Too bad, we could have had something really special.”

“Then come with us. We’re a team. Looking for The Truth!”

“A team? That’s the problem! How many times must I warn you?”

“I’ve been his pupil twenty years now and Solomon has been very good to me.”

“Because he needs you! He’s only using you for his little scheme.”

“I’m stronger than him. Come with us and warn me if Solomon does anything truly wrong.”

“He’s not who you think—”

Slupper forgot to whisper. “And you? No fish lives this long. You should have died ages ago.”

Vivienne’s mouth fell open. A stream of bubbles obscured her as if it were a magic trick. Slupper murmured every apology he could think of and tried to comfort her. Why do I keep doing this? he thought.

Solomon rushed around the corner back to them. “Why did you never tell me you have a girlfriend?”

“She’s NOT my girlfriend, she’s—”

Vivienne tapped Slupper aside. She was now much smaller than him, but still as quick and erratic as before. “Oh, so modest. Yes, we’ve had a relationship for ages. So I was delighted when he invited me on this adventure.”

Solomon looked sour. “Know what you’re getting into. It’s dangerous.”

“I know, sir. I’ve lived here all my life. That’s how I can tell you this entrance isn’t safe. You’d do much better taking the next turn to the Outer Ring. There are really NO sea monsters or flesh-eating plants that way, absolutely none, not a single danger at all.”

Slupper sighed. No Vivienne, I won’t send Solomon to his death, he thought.

“We’re taking this turn. I have faith in this turn.”

“Such a devious dilemma,” Solomon said. “One says this, the other says that, how can I ever choose?”

He kicked the wall. A muffled boom echoed, then a screeching sound filled the tunnel. Slupper covered his ears against the grating din, while Vivienne flattened herself to the wall. Solomon, however, put his ear to it, closed his eyes, and looked up cheerfully a few moments later.

“After this bend lies an entrance, and I sense no beasts nearby. Follow me.”

Slupper could only follow in surprise. At the end, they indeed found an entrance: white pillars holding up a dome. It was a nice change from the gray walls. Perfectly polished stones, even larger than himself, filled the spaces between pillars. The path stopped, but Solomon’s kick made another opening.

“It’s … not very scary here, actually,” Slupper mumbled. “It looks the same as the city, just with more plants and animals.”

“The Outer Ring was Alasti’s best defense. The only reason big scary beasts don’t come into our city is because weapons in this area keep them out. Weapons that will stop us too if we’re not careful.”

Vivienne laughed. “Oh, don’t be so negative, you gigantic tadpole! The faster we swim through, the safer we are. Maybe you should lead the way, Mr. Solomon. Straight ahead, nothing but straight ahead.”

They swam from the tunnels. By now it was evening, which made sticking to Solomon’s glowing shell a good idea. Just when the passed the opening, Vivienne braked.

“You know what? I know a little side path for tiny fish. I think I’ll head back into the tunnel, take that route, and meet you at the cave. Toodeloo!”

Slupper barely grabbed her tail. “But you said this entrance was safe.”

“Oh did I? You only hear what you want to. Listen to me for once, slow-slow Slupper, I’m the good one and he’s the bad one. See? See?”

She wiggled back to the opening, but slowed down when a large shadow fell over her.

“Watch out!”

Slupper jumped in front of her, but the shadow grew even larger than him and Solomon combined.

“New plan: swim!”

Vivienne grabbed his shell. Together they raced past Solomon. He looked back in surprise and immediately understood their fear.

A grayish-blue sea creature, with blazing red eyes and teeth longer than trees, reached for them. Its back bore hundreds of sharp spines and its fins effortlessly sliced through coral.

Mud spewed upwards like a volcano. They swam through the haze, while the shadow popped up left and right. A zooming sound rang out. An arrow raced towards Slupper. Vivienne threw herself to the right, forcing Slupper to turn too and barely dodge the arrowhead.

“We triggered their automatic bow and arrow,” Vivienne yelled.

Automatic, Slupper thought. Everything with the Alasti is automatic. How? Can I use it?

Something heavy scraped over sand. On the right. a gaping maw with greedy teeth appeared.

Another arrow zoomed through the water. Slupper used the confusion to dive behind a hill. The wheezing Solomon could only follow. He saw Slupper’s red stripes below and also hid behind the hill. Their lumbering pursuer swam over them.

“He’ll notice us again soon. What’s the plan?”

“If we knew where the bow and arrow is, we could lure the sea beast there.”

“Oh, well, how convenient. You happen to have a fish with you who knows that. Aren’t I valuable?”

“Less talk, more action!” Slupper composed himself. “I mean, dear Vivienne, you’re a treasure, we need your help.”

“The bow and arrow is above the opening from which we came. If we swim back at just the right time … we might, possibly, with a little luck, take out the monster.”

“Your pep talks could use some work. Solomon, agreed?”

“Agreed, but I’ll stay here. I’m not fast enough.”

Vivienne grabbed Slupper’s shell. They swam between the bright streaks of coral, like mice fleeing from a cat through a maze.

“Hey! Sea creature! We changed our minds. We think you’re so nice and want to be friends. Come on!”

Through the mud they saw little, but its shadow was unmistakable. Within a heartbeat it loomed on their left. A third arrow landed at their feet, leaving a trail of bubbles behind.

“Now! Follow those bubbles!”

Slupper spun around like a propeller, speeding up. The sea creature was distant, but had more speed than he did. Vivienne softly counted.

“… eighteen … nineteen … now, dive!”

Slupper stopped spinning and dove down. A fourth arrow stood ready, which he noticed was as large as he. A second later, the rattling catapult fired it off.

They didn’t dare look, but heard enough. The arrow sliced through something. A high-pitched scream filled the entire sea and shortly after the ground shuddered from a loud thud.

Hesitantly, they opened their eyes and saw only a shadow in the depths. The ocean was calm again, the water clear once more. They swam aside to avoid the bow and arrow and returned to the bright coral.

Laughing and smiling, they dove behind the hill.

Solomon was nowhere to be seen.

Vivienne rammed Slupper’s shell with maximum force. Of course, he barely felt any of that, while she seemed too angry to feel pain.

“Didn’t I tell you! We shouldn’t have left him alone! He went on by himself!”

“How dare you?” Slupper yelled. “He may be eaten! Kidnapped! Swept away by the currents!”

“How many more times will you give him the benefit of the doubt, limp-dimp Slupper? Again and again Solomon does sneaky strange things—and you defend him. Always. I just saved our lives and I get nothing.”

“That’s because … because …” He took her fin and looked deep in her eyes. “Because I expect that from you.”

Vivienne looked away. “You must choose. You can’t say you trust me, then ignore all I say. Either we stop Solomon together now, or I’m leaving you here alone. And I never want to see you again.”

At the last line, his shell turned green, then orange, then yellow, and eventually all the colors of the rainbow. I don’t want you to leave. The thought had sat in his mind for a long time, but only now revealed itself. With her gone, who would be his friend? How could he not grow old lonely and abandoned?

Still he remained silent, lost in these thoughts.

She turned and swam off. He heard sobbing, though the tears vanished immediately in the sea. Even if we find The Truth and save the town, he thought. What does that matter if that town spits me out?

He dove under her, until she could rest on his shell.

“If … if you explain why Solomon can’t be trusted, I’ll stand fully behind you.”

She laughed again and pressed herself against him. Just as quickly, she darted off again.

“No time to lose! I’ll explain on the way.”

“Why didn’t you explain back when we first met?”

“Solomon can hear, feel, see everything around him. If I had said it, he would have hurt me right away.”

Her fin pointed at a gray lump in the distance. No plant dared grow on it, leaving this part of the sea pitch black.

“I lived peacefully with my parents in the tunnels, until the day a gigantic turtle burst in. My parents tried to defend themselves, but were struck hard.”

“Are you certain that was … Solomon?” he asked in a trembling voice.

“Yes, a hundred percent and more. Listen. That Companion searched our house and stole our books. I secretly followed him and found his cave under the Pillars of Gibra.”

“How did he never notice you?”

“No idea.” Vivienne finally calmed down. “I only know I nearly died too. But something touched me and I felt strong again. So strong I seemed to stop aging. Since then I’ve wandered these lands looking for a way to get revenge. And now I have you!”

“Oh—so that was the only reason you acted so nice? Because you needed me for something?” Slupper felt betrayed. “Friend” seemed a grand word for “I’m only kind because I need you.”

Though hadn’t he done the exact same?

“Yes,” said Vivienne seriously. “Like friends need each other.”

“Friends? Or—”

“Friends, nothing more. Otherwise I would have come back sooner. I would have hid in your garden every day waiting for a chance to talk to you. Which I—erm—definitely did not do.”

They reached the hill. The current grew increasingly noticeable, warm water pulling them along whether they wanted to or not. They bumped into each other and, like one soft ball, tumbled through the bubbles and swung around hills.

A stone wall abruptly ended their journey in a painful way.

Don’t scream. Don’t scream. Don’t make a sound.

Slupper rubbed a small wound on his forehead, while Vivienne moaned and swam through the opening. They found a dead-end corridor, with a lamp working overtime on either side—the same as in Solomon’s cave.

“He’s not here. Just a pointless cave.”

“Hey, what happened to trusting me? Those lamps aren’t here for nothing. See what they highlight?”

“A gray wall?”

Vivienne swam closer and held her fin under a hidden notch. “What does this symbol look like?”

“All those other symbols I collected over twenty years.”

She swam to a lamp and tapped it three times. A hatch slid open, spewing an endless stream of bubbles.

“The corridor continues behind here. You just have to shove this rock aside—it’ll roll back itself. But I never got further, because the next chamber isn’t flooded. Somehow, it stayed filled with air all these years. I can’t go on.”

“Of course you can! I’ll just carry you!”

“I HAVE to stay in water at all times, slow-plow turtle. I’m a fish.”

“I won’t leave you behind. That’s not what friends do. I’ll smash the wall and let water flow into the chamber!”

“I don’t know about that. The Alasti must have had a reason to seal off that room.”

“Then we just have to be quick.”

He kicked the opening under the lamp. A crack appeared, but the wall stayed intact. He kicked a second time. The lamp sank down. A third kick left a wider crack and sped up the airflow.

On the fourth kick, however, nothing happened again. He kicked ten more times without result.

“Maybe this is a good time to remember you’re a turtle,” Vivienne whispered in his ear.

He immediately spun around and rammed the wall full force with his shell. The stones exploded and the wall crumbled. The lamp bounced on the ground and extinguished. Shards of glass flew in all directions, fortunately instantly slowed down by the water.

Air tried to escape but was pushed back by the flood of water. A layer of waves formed in the cave, while the current carried them into the new space.

The chamber was perfectly round. A deep groove scratched through the wall, interrupted in places by a lamp. Other grooves, thicker and slimy, criss-crossed the floor, as if a giant snail had traveled here. Left, right, and ahead, high openings led to other chambers.

“Which should we take?”

“I don’t know. Maybe there’s text with it—”

Footsteps sounded from the left chamber. He flattened himself against the wall, pulling Vivienne along. They waited until the noise stopped.

After a brief silence, they peeked around the corner, but saw only darkness.

“Odd,” Slupper whispered. “It suddenly went completely dark.”

“Uh—that’s not the chamber.”

Solomon stood in the opening and grabbed Vivienne. “What did you do? What did you do!? If the water touches the book, all will be lost!”

Slupper swam to Vivienne and pried her from Solomon’s grip.

“If I hadn’t done it, Vivienne would have had to stay behind. She’s part of the team.”

“Not anymore. She has been in this cave as often as we have—never.”

He let her go. Slupper rapidly returned Vivienne to the waves. “Still! She saved our lives, she can come. Besides, you said you would wait.”

Solomon chose a new room to explore.

“A big turtle like me makes for a tasty treat to monsters. I couldn’t wait longer. We must hurry if we want to save the book. Meanwhile you can think of a way to stop the water.”

“Do you think he still recognizes you from before?” Slupper whispered.

“When that thing touched me, I changed color too. And Solomon is obsessed with that book and only that book. What if it doesn’t even exist? What will he do then?”

“Best not to think about that.”

They had arrived at the fourth room already. All where the same—and lacking a book. Whereas their whole journey was littered with artifacts, these chambers contained absolutely nothing special. The fifth room didn’t bring salvation either.

“Slupper, are you sure you found all the drawings? You’re not keeping any information from me, are you?”

“I’m certain. But you said the drawings made no sense—”

“At first I thought it was nonsense, yes. But when I looked at them differently, they described the path to the book. At least, most of it.”

“And you couldn’t have shared that information with me?”

“No. You would have told that annoying fish right away. This book must not fall into the wrong hands. If it really has the secret to world conquest, our enemies must not find it! And if it’s world cooperation, we need it to finally establish world peace.”

But who are my enemies? Slupper thought. They swam into a sixth room. Vivienne noticed Slupper was no longer keeping pace. She waited for him, but he came to a full stop and looked up.

“I did forget one drawing,” he whispered, “the one in Socipi’s house. I saw it, that night we got lost, but never dared to go back.”

“Can you still remember what it looked like?”

“No, it’s just a vague blur.”

“Slupper—pick up the speed, boy. It’s your town too that depends on this mission.”

Solomon pushed him forward, already into the seventh room. This room was a dead end and only half-lit. One of the lamps was broken, another was gone. Judging by the bent piece of steel, it had been ripped from the wall with great force. The streaming water also quickly filled this room.

Solomon hurried to the wall. “Help me look. The book must be here somewhere.”

“Wouldn’t it be smarter if we split up? Then each of us could check out a different room—”

“No, this is the right place. The original inhabitants were smart, brilliant even! The exact route to the book was hidden in the drawings. The book is here.”

“How do you know that actually?”

“Are you doubting my reading skills now?”

“No, not that, I mean—how do you know the original inhabitants were brilliant?”

Solomon shouted. “Because I saw them myself, all right?”

“You … you are one of the original inhabitants?”

“No. I … I lied.”

He looked away. His shell briefly lost its glow, but he continued searching. “My great grandfather built this city. During my youth the city still stood above water. I remember little, but I do know who the original inhabitants were.”

The water passed the scratched line on the wall—and all lamps went dark. Slupper looked back: the same had happened to all the other chambers.

“Why did you never tell me? I had the right to know that!”

“Trivial matters, trivial matters. Find the book before it’s too late.”

“I’m not going anywhere until you tell the truth! Vivienne was right, you can’t be trusted. Socipi was right, secrets never lead to anything good.”

The water nearly reached the ceiling. The room was cracking. The current picked up speed and the trio got swept up in a whirlpool.

“I promise! I’ll tell you! But first we escape this very strong current!”

Solomon stopped talking and moving. He looked at Slupper. His low voice shot up.

“I remember now! The inhabitants of this city had discovered the secret of magical current! Electro they called it. A way to make things automatically glow or move.”

He swam to the only lamp still hanging on the wall. “These lamps use current to give light. And the drawings … they’re not drawings.”

“They’re grooves!” Slupper exclaimed. “Lines scratched to transport that current through the town, just like the lines supporting these lamps. But that means … "

Solomon laid both front fins on the wall. He spun around with the whirlpool until he suddenly grabbed one specific spot.

“Help! Flap your fins towards this spot.”

Slupper and Vivienne approached the spot, with difficulty, and moved until they couldn’t anymore. The whirlpool was winning.

Until a group of four lights turned on and the entire wall disappeared.

Water could finally flow away on all sides. The trio drifted calmly into the next room. It was much bigger than all previous ones, and in the middle, on a pedestal, stood the sought after book.

“Okay,” Vivienne said. “That whole current story, I don’t understand any of it.”

“What we just did,” Solomon had to pause for a moment, “is generate current. In the wall was a wheel. By sending water waves towards it, it started spinning, which put current on the wall, and thereby the door opened automatically.”

Slupper looked to the group of four lights that still burned dimly, his shell changing colors.

“Magnificent! How … how can that be? How can you, without touching anything, without doing anything, make things move?”

“Hopefully that’s in the book as well, my boy. Do you understand now why I so badly want to unravel the secrets of this town? If we can learn how current works, we can send our city back to land. We can build weapons that—trivial matters, trivial matters.”

Slupper couldn’t take his eyes off the lights, even as they extinguished. Vivienne swam circles around the book, while Solomon trudged towards it, exhausted.

“Did you never wonder why we walk? You and I are one of the few sea turtles that could walk on land for months, if we wanted. That’s because we directly descend from the original inhabitants—Primal Turtles.”

“Primal Turtles?” Slupper asked. “You mean the Ancient Turtles I read about?”

Vivienne immediately stopped swimming. “You mean … even bigger than you guys?”

“Much, much bigger. The houses in the city were meant for their young children. When a turtle turned older than ten, he was simply too big to live with others. They had to grow old alone in the wilderness.”

“Why didn’t they build bigger houses?”

“You still underestimate how big they were. Besides, they didn’t need houses for safety. The entire ocean feared the Primal Turtles. Oh, you should have seen them, my boy. Undefeatable. Proud. The only ones to oppose the gods. They say the Primal Turtles got their power and technology from the gods themselves.”

The water rose to the foot of the pedestal. Solomon quickly grabbed the book.

“You admitted it,” said Vivienne exaggeratedly loud. “You have constantly lied and withheld information. You said it yourself, this book must not fall into the wrong hands. Slupper should read it.”

Solomon pushed her aside as if she were an annoying fly.

“Unless you know a magical way out, the book will be lost to the water anyway. That’s Slupper’s fault. Someone has to read it now and remember the contents. I have the best memory.”

Even as Solomon started flipping through pages, Slupper jumped at him and laid his dripping fin on the pages.

“No! She’s right. I’m sorry to have to say this, but my trust in you is seriously damaged.”

He looked directly at Vivienne. “Such nice words he knows, don’t you think? All taught by me. I’m the only reason we’re standing here with this very valuable book. And now you decide not to trust me? Go away. I’m your Companion!”

Slupper recoiled. Vivienne pushed him towards Solomon and whispered encouragingly, but he remained silent. Disappointed, she swam away. Solomon was indeed their Companion. Wise, strong, protected by hundreds of laws, and not someone with whom he wanted to pick a fight.

The companion flipped and flipped through pages. As if, within a heartbeat, he read and understood every page. Was it world conquest? Or world cooperation? Whatever it was, the world would be different from now on.

Not much later he slammed the book shut and looked up as if seeing water for the first time.

“There’s nothing! This book is completely blank!”

Uh oh. Slupper dove away as the book flew through the room. Solomon stood threateningly before him, on his hind legs. I’ve never seen him do that, he thought, less and less impressed.

“Have you been here before? Did you switch out the book?”

Slupper had to distract him with something that sounded smart. Solomon was susceptible to that. “No. I know why the pages are blank.”

“Oh yeah? How can blank pages contain the truth?”

“Those Primal Turtles were brilliant, you said. What if they pretended to have the truth? They told everyone they had the key to world conquest. Every enemy wanted to read that secret. Subsequently, they reached the city and were immediately captured—or worse. It was a trap!”

“My people were a good people! Just, righteous, resolute. They were the largest animals to ever walk this planet—surpassing even the dinosaurs! They were born leaders. I refuse to believe that The Truth contained the secret to world domination. It contains the secret to world peace. I feel it.”

“Well … what’s the difference? If those Primal Turtles had conquered the whole world …”

Vivienne understood where he was going with this. “.. then there would also be world peace.”

Solomon opened his mouth to yell a response, but nothing came. It took a while to pull himself together. “Nonsense. You have turned against me, that’s it. I will uncover the real truth and the Primal Turtles will return and be in charge again.”

“Aha! So that’s what you want!” Vivienne spun towards Solomon, in a streak of bubbles, but Slupper held her back.

“You want that too. Everyone should want that.”

“Absolutely not. We want this city to drift closer to land again, and I want to explore the world.”

“Both are solved when the Primal Turtles return. They lift the city back up and restore it to full glory. Everyone is happy and cheerful.”

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice echoed through the chambers, and said: “But it doesn’t stop there, does it?”

The voice bounced off the walls of the room. Everyone searched for its creator. Slupper swam quickly through the opening, but the next room over was also empty. He heard stones shift; the group of four lights burned again.

He turned around and saw a turtle jump on top of Solomon, trying to tie him up.

“Socipi?”

“Ha, Slupper, I’ll be right there. I just have to—”

Loudly screaming, Solomon jumped up and threw Socipi against the wall behind him.

Slupper yelled. “Leave him alone!”

“Who? Solomon or Socipi?”

“… both!”

“What did I say,” said Vivienne, “you can’t do both.”

Slupper was no longer listening and hurried to Socipi. He scrambled up, although his shell was severely damaged from the blow. Small red spots appeared between the green streaks on his shell.

Solomon stormed at them. His fin hung threateningly in front of Socipi’s head.

“You switched it out, didn’t you? Didn’t you? You threw away the sacred book of Truth, purely to thwart me!”

“Why do you think I’m the devil or something? I would never destroy such a valuable treasure. I live here, in the outskirts. Since the day everyone laughed at me and labeled me a liar. My mother took me away. She said: come, they don’t deserve us, we should have left much sooner.”

The room went dead quiet. Slupper stood close to Socipi, but suddenly didn’t dare touch him, afraid of his own friend.

“My mom was right, seeing what you’ve become.”

Slupper didn’t know if he said it to Solomon or to him. Probably … both.

Socipi pushed the threatening fin aside. “No Solomon, I see right through you. First you want the Primal Turtles back. Then you want them to make weapons for you. And subsequently you want them to conquer the entire world, which they failed to do back then.”

“Is that true?” Slupper slowly slid away from Solomon.

Socipi whispered in his ear. “You know, Slupper. You know in your heart who you can trust. If we attack together, we can take him. By the way, you’ve really grown since I last saw you! You’re a big boy now, aren’t you? The last time I saw you, you were still only—”

“Oh stop it, you sound like my grandma.” The friends grinned at each other.

Solomon stomped away and already stood in the opening. “And now what? You threw everything away, every chance we had. How do you want to save the city now? In a few months, we’re so far from the coast that nobody can lay eggs anymore!”

“Yeah, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Socipi said. “Lots of eggs, so you could turn as many of them into Primal Turtles as possible, or something.”

“Nonsense! Listen to me, Slupper. Your friend has no clue what his words entail. Remember your lessons. Don’t let our species end!”

“Slupper, friend, don’t listen to him. We can leave. My parents are helping build Shellsong, closer to the coast.” He stepped closer. “Together. Away from the city. I’d even accept your hyperactive fish. Seriously, how did you ever meet? How is she still alive?”

“She is not my girlfriend.”

“He keeps fooling himself,” Vivienne whispered.

Slupper remained silent and moved no fin. His eyes darted back and forth between his friends—he dared think it again—and Solomon. Vivienne sighed and Socipi impatiently tapped the stones.

Until Slupper yelled deafeningly loud.

He ran at Solomon and headbutted him.

“Oh,” Socipi said. “Apparently we’re doing my plan. Aaaaaaah!”

Socipi and Vivienne did their best to support Slupper’s attack. Together, they managed to floor the Companion. Socipi bound his fins with clumps of seaweed extracted from the seafloor. Just to be sure, they even blindfolded him.

“I am a Companion! How dare you? If the Council of Kame hears about this, they will sentence you to death1”

“Fortunately, they’ll never hear any of it. We deliver you and you, voluntarily, cede your companionship to Slupper.”

“You’re designing your own demise. You’re obsessed with revenge. You don’t even consider the turtle town, the survival of your colony.”

“Oh no, I have a solution. However, I only wanted to mention it once you were disarmed. I’ve had twenty years—twenty years—to research this matter. And I am very good at breaking unnecessary rules.”

The four of them swam through the chambers, back to the entrance, while pushing Solomon ahead.

“You really have a plan?” Slupper asked. “Or was that bluff?”

“My old home contains the last drawings you need to actually reveal the Truth. The ones you never gave to Solomon.”

“How … how did you know I collected those carved symbols?”

Socipi laid his fin on Slupper’s shell. It was hard, now that the friends were wildly different sizes, yet it felt comfortable. “I was the shadow in your back, unseen. Never left ya, Slupper. And when I heard how you talked about me to Solomon …”

Socipi knew many shortcuts. In no time, they crossed the tunnels again and surfaced somewhere in the underwater jungle.

“Aren’t you … mad?” Slupper finally asked as they approached the town. “I … watched while your teacher took away your freedom and Solomon cast you aside.”

“Mad? Why would I be mad?” He smiled. “You didn’t invent the stupid rules. Growing up without school was way more fun! Besides … friends exist precisely to support you during the hard times. That is my Truth.”

They swam past the four signposts on the central square. All turtles stopped what they were doing and gazed at the gigantic shadows. “Now you, Slupper, should tell your parents the truth.”

Socipi left him, gripping Solomon tight. Slupper’s parents already awaited him, chatting with other turtle parents. He couldn’t read their faces, so he took Vivienne in his arms and headed for them with as much confidence as he could muster.

“Mom. Dad. I have to tell you something. All these past years, I didn’t play in the jungle with friends. I … had no friends. I received lessons from the old Companion, Solomon. I’m sorry. I should have—”

“But, my boy, we already knew that.” His parents showed a crooked smile. Vivienne laughed even harder. “We were so glad to see you happy, we didn’t want to ruin it. If you weren’t an adult now, we would be forced to give you house arrest. And two weeks of eating the nasty seaweed. But we’re just happy you finally told us.”

Today was a good day. So much weight fell off his shoulders, that his shell suddenly seemed to drop. Until he remembered how all of this started.

“We’re … we’re still in grave danger! The whole town is drifting away from the coast!”

“Oh. Sweetheart, that you could have said much sooner.”

Slupper led a panicked mass of turtles to the place that was supposed to solve everything.

They turned left at the square, over the wide stairs, right through the narrow alley, and straight into the only house that still had its lights on. And still had no door.

Socipi studied the wall. He supported his head with his fins. Solomon mumbled and kicked about, but the ropes stayed tight.

“Any wiser yet?”

“It doesn’t make sense,” Socipi said. “Each symbol means a different word, there’s no connection or something. Here, this circle with two turrets in the middle means city. But, a little further, the same symbol appears with an X through it—no city.”

He pointed at various symbols with all his limbs. “Here’s an arrow pointing up, combined with a weird stretched out circle, and an arrow scratched through it. An arrow to the right means movement, but this arrow points left, and I don’t understand the rest.”

“Hmm. City no city movement.”

Solomon groaned even louder than before. “I think he wants to say something.”

Everyone looked at Slupper, as if he were Solomon’s caretaker. He swam to his mentor and removed the large blindfold.

“Lesson 462: everything has a reason. Lesson 463: sometimes the answer is right in front of your nose, you just have to see it differently.”

Slupper jumped back to the wall. See it differently.

He swam half a circle until he hung upside down.

“There! The circle is a shell. And when you look at it upside down the arrow points the right way. And here, between city and no city is a spiral, or in other words—the city is not a city! Wait, that doesn’t make sense.”

All the creatures in the room now also lay upside down. Passersby thought they were doing a new sport. It didn’t take long before Socipi happily jumped from the wall.

“Yes it does! The city is not a city, it’s a turtle in motion! Wait, that also doesn’t make sense.”

Solomon sighed, long and deep, until bubbles filled the entire room and he had everyone’s attention. “That does make sense. I … hope you remember I gave you valuable information. I was a good mentor, right? For when you turn me over to the Companionship.”

Slupper nodded carefully. He remained his guide, all those years his only friend.

“This city is built on the back of the very first Primal Turtle, Abrahon. That’s why it’s in motion. I set it in motion to give you, Slupper, a reason to help me. If he walks back, will you let me go?”

“I know something better. Ask him to come up and make this beautiful city an island again.”

Solomon nodded and fell flat on the ground. Whispering, he seemed to massage the city. While his fins circled and slappend, he mumbled words like Abrahon and Midterra. For a while, nothing happened. Until they heard a hellish noise and the entire room tilted.

The floor pushed against their shells. At a rapid pace they, together with the entire city, were lifted up, as if they stood in a strong current that only went upwards. They stood stock still, and yet their world spun, swaying as if they stood on a ship.

Soon they felt the fresh outside air. The water swirled and flowed out of the houses, the streets, even the always full square, to drip down the Primal Turtle like waterfalls, back into the sea.

Even dinosaurs would bow to this creature. With the layer of seaweed washed away, Slupper clearly recognized he stood on the crooked green scales of a very old shell. At the edges, black petrified lava was caked on, so that Abrahon’s head could never come out again.

The inhabitants didn’t understand what was happening, but enjoyed the sun. Half the city gathered at the square to sunbathe on their bellies. The other half often had to return to the water.

Slupper now saw he was exceptional, but not alone. There were other descendants from the Primal Turtles, much larger than their neighbors. There were enough other turtles with his weird feet that worked better on land than in water. And now their city was an island again, that kind would only grow. Them on the island, the sea turtles around it.

Even the strict teacher gave her class the afternoon off. Vivienne, of course, had to stay wet and was thrown back into the water regularly. From that water, the Primal Turtle, and their city on its back, were only more impressive. Like a living cave radiating magic, whether you stood on it or swam under it.

Evening fell before Slupper finally spoke with Vivienne.

“So … what now? You completed your task. You stopped Solomon. Tomorrow we travel with him to the Council of Kame.”

“I would like to stay. Really. But you have to build an amazing colony here, above water.”

“But … what do I need an amazing colony for, if I don’t have you? To protect me from nasty Companions? I’ll stay underwater, if you want.”

“No no no. I have my own adventures, we’ll run into each other again.”

Vivienne enjoyed the red evening sun with her eyes closed. For the first time, she didn’t fidget and lay against Slupper.

“Adventures like?”

“A panda asked if I’d help wreck the secret cave that held the book. She wanted to make sure the secret of Electro stayed secret a while longer. An impatient panda, oddly enough, especially considering her powers.”

“So this is goodbye?”

“For now. But who knows, maybe I’ll grow as old as you. Toodeloo!”

She jumped back into the water. He waved her shadow under the surface goodbye.

For a while, he stared thoughtfully at the ripples, until a fin on his shoulder made him jump.

“Phew, I was afraid you were meditating or something.”

Socipi lay down next to him and sighed deeply, that famous smile in his eyes. Slupper shook his head in disbelief. His friend was an idiot—and it was the person with whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life.

“You did switch out the book, didn’t you? Just admit it. You hid the real book of The Truth somewhere.”

“No way! When I first came into that cave there was a book, with Meaning in the title or something, but it contained nothing magical. Still, it’s a shame I lost it. There was a funny story in it about a green egg, frayed and covered in seaweed. The very first turtle egg. It was the First Ice Age and Feria saw the egg wasn’t going to make it.”

“So?”

“The gods enchanted the egg to be super strong. A colossal demigod hatched from it, a turtle. Bigger than a thousand elephants stacked up. This demigod founded a city and grew ever stronger and more powerful, until the gods became afraid. Animal creatures could not be trusted with divine powers. Even the mighty apes of Apra were powerless against Primal Turtles.”

“Then what defeated them?”

“The world was no longer in balance, the Primal Turtles the primary foe in the First Conflict. What to do? The gods made a volcano erupt and sent some earthquakes to the island. And just like that—Abrahon sank to the bottom of the sea. The Primal Turtles defeated, seemingly.”

Socipi rolled on his back with a crooked smile. “I have no idea where anybody would get the inspiration for such a wild made-up story.”

Slupper entered the room, and the conversation stopped immediately. I should have sent Socipi himself, it’s his idea AND specialty to break rules, he thought. A large lion and grey owl looked up in shock.

“I trust you will make the right decision,” the Lion said.

The feline quickly left the room, while the owl frowned.

“It is forbidden to influence the judge of the Council of Kame right before the trial begins. Why does everyone try anyway?”

“I know, I know. But Solomon is a good being. He helped us, he taught me a lot. He was seduced by the thought of The Truth. But now that that’s over, I think he deserves a second chance.”

“It’s not my decision. All 666 members of the Council will vote. More than half have to be for it, only then can I spare Solomon.”

A stout owl stuck his head around the corner. “Honorable One, you are expected. Slupper, you come with me.”

The grey owl put on her grey Judge’s Crown. Slupper walked with the younger owl.

He had imagined a lot about the Council of Kame, but what he saw exceeded all his dreams. All animal species were represented by one companion, every vote was equally valuable. All kinds of rivers, trees, plants, and soil made sure each kind felt at home and could move around.

Slupper startled at a shark jumping right out of the water, while on the left a giraffe let a rabbit hop over her neck to a better spot. With every step, his feet touched a different plant. And wherever he looked, he saw other colors and other eyes.

It all culminated in one open space in the center. There stood the Wise Owl atop a wooden platform.

“We are gathered here today to judge the crimes of Solomon, first Companion of his kind. I call the first witness: Companion Akez.”

A shark swam towards the center. Facing the council, facing so many powerful beings waiting for his words, the big shark no longer seemed so scary.

“Wise Owl, I have little to report. I was indeed, twenty years ago, planning to search for The Truth together with him. I thought we would finally find the secret to world peace. But I saw he had other intentions, left, and never returned.”

“Why did you not warn us? Why did you not stop him?”

“I … I thought he would never find it anyway. That he would give up. I hoped he would come to his senses after I left him.”

“Thank you for your testimony. I call the second group of witnesses: Slupper and Socipi.”

Slupper shuffled to the center. Socipi cheerfully swam next to him. When his little river ended, he also climbed onto the hard floor.

“I understand Solomon tried to train and use you for his own plan. Socipi, would you say his actions were premeditated?”

Socipi looked confused. “That means on purpose,” Slupper whispered.

“Yes, I would say that. From day one we had to keep everything secret, because he was afraid someone else would find the book first. Then he endangered our city by making it drift away from land. All to convince me and Slupper to cooperate.”

“Then I know enough. You may leave.”

After a brief gesture with their fins, they walked away on their own paths.

“Is there anyone else who can or wants to defend Solomon?”

An eerie silence remained. The owl nodded.

“Esteemed Council of Kame. Solomon has been a trustworthy Companion for years. His intentions were good, perhaps, but his actions increasingly worse. Thanks to the heroic deeds of Slupper and Socipi it never got that far, though it could have ended terribly. In the absence of the gods, this time the Primal Turtles could have conquered the entire world. I therefore ask you: shall we give him a second chance? Everyone makes mistakes. And we need to show that the Companions stand strong.”

Murmuring arose and the owl raised her voice. “Or is this a bridge too far and will Solomon remain imprisoned for life? I ask you to vote. Raise your vote necklace for Solomon forgiven, otherwise you vote Solomon locked away.”

All members of the Council fell silent and stared straight ahead. It was forbidden to discuss your vote when the vote was officially requested. It was even forbidden to look at another’s vote before casting one yourself.

A large group immediately grabbed their vote necklace, in their mouth, beak, or claws. They were made from the rarest stones taken from the Diamond Path and shone magically in the sunlight.

The judge counted, but didn’t get past 290. Too few. She wanted to announce the result, when a wolf shouted through her.

“Of course they won’t forgive him for all deeds! That would send the wrong message: do whatever you want as Companion, you’ll be forgiven anyway. I have a better proposal. Solomon banished and his Companion position revoked.”

The owl nodded. “New vote. Hold your vote necklace up if you are for the new proposal, do nothing otherwise.”

A larger group now held up the necklace. Halfway through counting, the judge could stop. “That’s already 350, more than enough. Solomon is hereby stripped of his Companionship and banished from the waters around Garda, Origina and Aprania.”

She slapped her wing on a special wooden pillar. The vote had concluded. Her eyes peered through the audience until she found Slupper. “That means we have an empty spot. Slupper, I hereby offer you the Companionship.”

“Oh, well, that is a great honor. To be honest, though, I also committed major errors by blindly trusting Solomon. Socipi here, he handled perfectly.”

“In that case,” boomed an unknown female voice, “you can fulfill the position together.”

Everyone looked around, but no one saw who had spoken. The owl nodded profusely again. She was easily swayed by others, a rare treat for a leader, but thankfully quick in her decisions.

“Hereby I pronounce Socipi the Companion for the sea turtles and Slupper the Companion for the land turtles—which will henceforth be named tortoises. They are now officially seen as two different animal species. This session is adjourned.”

Everyone stood up at once and left the hall, chatting loudly. The lion Anniwe, however, held back the judge as she stepped off her pedestal.

“What’s the meaning of this? As supreme judge, you have to decide, not anyone shouting through you! Solomon is a god—and history teaches us that the world is better off without gods!”

The falcon Horus placed his enormous wings between them, afraid Anniwe would dare attack the Wise Owl.

“He is but a demigod,” Horus said. “Just like me and many other descendants of godlike creatures. The world should use our abilities, not banish them.”

The falcon’s eyes seemed to look right through the lion, as if to destroy him with his gaze.

Anniwe roared. “I won’t let this go so easily.”

And so it was that life continued …