Isle of the Turtle Hermit
Prologue
The waters were murky and cold. It was only early August but the waters of the North Atlantic were chilly enough to create goose bumps even through the wet suit. The suit was made especially for her by the renowned A.A. company. It had cost her a little fortune but what else was she going to do with all the money she had. Being the richest woman in the world had its perks.
It was getting darker as she went deeper. Fortunately she was always prepared. 'I better light my flare now,' she thought as she reached back to grab one. Zane had warned her about these underwater caves. Lots of sharp turns and outcroppings. Many divers had came down here to try to do exactly what she was doing, and failed. There was no guarantee that she could do any better but it was a risk she was willing to take. Plus, she never liked to give up.
The special underwater flare helped...a little, but she was still straining to see. Slowly she moved forward with only a foot visible in front of her. The caves were endless it seemed. It would be easy to lose her way but she was careful to put markers every once in a while so she could always find her way back. A sudden dip in the ceiling forced her to go even deeper. She checked her air tank. Only 20 minutes left. Barely enough time for her to reach her destination and get back up to the surface.
She continued on, swimming a bit faster now as she neared her prize. It had taken her a long time to get to this point. She had spent hours, days in her library searching for clues often coming up with nothing. Other times dead ends. But this time she was sure this was the spot. She had a crude map of the caves drawn by a former diver and treasure hunter but it wasn't proving to be of much use especially when she could barely see her hand in front of her face.
Suddenly she heard a whoosh below her. She only paused for a second knowing she had a limited supply of oxygen left. Cautiously she took out her harpoon gun and swam forward. A dark shape lurked underneath her but how far and how dangerous she couldn't tell just yet. The flare she was holding would probably attract whatever was down there but she couldn't afford to let it go because then she wouldn't be able to see. With the gun in one arm and the flare in the other she moved as fast as she could.
Finally she made it to the opening. She spit out her mouthpiece and took in a deep breath. There wasn't much oxygen in that air pocket but enough to last a few minutes. She climbed out onto the ledge and took off her tank. The inscriptions on the wall were faint but she could still make out some of the symbols. Basically they told her to hang a left and keep on going. The pathway was extremely narrow; thank goodness she always kept up her delicate figure.
High above she saw a glint of light. That must be it, she thought as she looked around for a place to grab on. She climbed up the steep ledges carefully until she was eye to eye with the artifact. With a great big smile she took the bronze plate out of the wall and placed it in her trusty backpack. Seconds later the walls began to shake and without any further hesitation she climbed down. As she moved forward she began to feel more and more claustrophobic. Looking up she noticed that the ceiling was much lower than it was before. In fact, the ceiling was getting lower and lower as she continued on. She started to dash through the narrow pathway, her legs and arms getting scratched up badly. She could see the exit and she dived through. Moments later the whole path was gone...but at least she got it.
"You better be worth it," she said with a grin. With her scuba gear back on she dived underwater forgetting all about the 'thing' that was lurking there earlier. As she exited the caves she pulled out a little buoy and launched it towards the surface. The ship would come around to that spot so she could get in quickly.
Out of nowhere a dark shape swooped in front of her and swallowed the buoy. She reached back for the harpoon gun and steadied herself for a clear shot. Whatever it was, it was moving pretty fast, too fast for her to track it. She calmed her body and tried to feel for the pressure changes around her. She felt a slight nudge to her right indicating something was moving towards her from that direction. She aimed sightlessly and fired hoping to reach the intended target. Seconds later she heard a loud squeal and a splash of blood developed in front of her. Hopefully next time that thing would know to leave Bulma Briefs alone.
She made it to the surface with a minute left of air in her tank. Raising her arms out of the water she signaled for her ship. When they picked her up she put away her scuba gear and took a nice hot shower.
"So, find what you wanted, love?" asked Zane, the captain of the boat.
"Yes," she replied curtly. She walked to the closet, grabbed some fresh clothes, and walked back into the bathroom. His eyes never left her half- wet body although it was irritatingly wrapped up in a huge towel. He had tried to get his hands on her (literally) a few times but got turned down every freakin' time.
He peered into a nearby mirror and remarked to his vain ego, "I am a god." Not a flaw could be seen in his perfect skin and hair. He was beginning to suspect that maybe she was a lesbian. That would be the only excuse why she would be turning him down. A lonely, rich girl out at sea for months without male companionship...yup she must be one of those.
"Why are you still doing here?" she asked firmly as she stepped out all decked out in her usual outdoor outfit. Only thing missing was her trusty pistols which she quickly grabbed and placed in their spot along her thighs. 'Always be prepared,' was her motto.
"I just wanted to get a look at the thing we been searchin' for for the last 4 months. Is that so much to ask?" he said jovially. He tried to get near her but she backed away.
"Yes, it is. Now leave. I'm not paying you to keep me company," she stated flatly. He had seemed all right when she had first met him but these months at sea had changed him. Maybe his little willie wasn't getting enough circulation.
"Hey, love, you don't have to pay me for that. I'll do it for free," he said and then growled. Yes, he actually growled...at her...and frankly she was far from being interested.
She drew out her pistols and pointed at his head. "Leave. Now," was all she said and the look on her face said that she was not kidding.
"Hold it now, I'll leave. No need to get testy, now," he said with his hands in the air. "But word of advice, sweetheart, you'll never get a man with that attitude...or do you prefer the other side?"
She frowned. "What? Get out of here," she said trying to keep her voice down to a polite level. With a half-smile and a goofy wave he finally left. It was guys like him that made her think she would never find someone right for her. Every guy she'd met wanted only one thing or maybe sometimes two, her body or her money.
She put her pistols away and reached for her backpack. The plate was made of bronze possibly from the middle bronze age circa 1100 B.C. She couldn't be sure until she brought it back to her lab and have her technicians work on it. It would make a nice addition to her growing collection. She flipped it over. The back had unusual markings, a language she couldn't decipher off the top of her head. The only symbol she recognized was the word 'wish.'
'Hmm, did this artifact have wishing capabilities?' she thought. But there was not much she could do at the moment except speculate so she put it away and went out to get some fresh air. Soon she would be back home again at Capsule Mansion. She was often away for months at a time but every time she still felt a tinge of homesickness.
----------
An hour later...
The skies were clear and it was smooth sailing for the crew. She was lounging out on the deck with a nice cup of cocoa and a pair of shades imported from Italy when all of a sudden the boat rocked violently to one side. She lost her balance and fell to the floor siding towards the edge but at the last second she managed to grab the rail.
"Pirates!" someone yelled from high above.
'Pirates?' she thought. She got back onto her feet and looked across. There was another vessel next to hers and it was closing in fast. They were launching something at her ship. 'Maybe they're after the artifact,' she thought as she ran downstairs to her quarters. Quickly she grabbed her backpack and some ammo and dashed out. The ship rocked again but this time she could hear cracking sounds. They must have torn a hole in the side. If not, they were going to sooner or later with whatever it was they were throwing at her.
"Abandon ship!" a crewmate yelled at the top of his lungs then dove out into the sea.
'I hope he remembered to put on a life jacket,' she thought as she headed for the raft. It was hidden beneath the lounge deck and locked with a secret code only she knew. The others could use the lifeboats, if they were smart enough.
"Open sesame seeds," she said and a square panel slid open. It was also voice-activated so no one but her could open it. She pushed the red button which released her raft from the side of the ship but it was too late. Some of the 'pirates' landed on the boat.
"Hand over the artifact and no one gets hurt," one of the men said. She slowly rose with her hands in the air. By the sound of the clicks she imagined they were carrying semi-automatic weapons. She tilted her head to get a look at them and then her body followed.
One of them let out a sharp whistle. "She's a looker, ain't she," he crudely remarked. They had masks on their faces so she couldn't tell who was robbing her. "Now hand it over, nice and easy, girl."
She smirked and reached back into her pack. "You mean this?" she asked holding up the plate.
"You got the idea. Maybe if you're real nice we'll even let you go scot free," one of them said with a gruff laugh. She tilted her head and laughed with them. "What are you laughing for?"
"Oh, nothing, just this," she said and she tossed the plate overboard.
"What?!" they shouted. While they were distracted she pulled out her guns and started firing. A few ended up dead and the others scattered to find shelter. She rolled away from the barrage of bullets and found a safe spot for herself also. She took a deep breath then stood up and fired continuously from her twin weapons while running towards the other end of the ship. She paused there and waited looking for a way out. Suddenly she heard voices; they were coming her way. Swiftly she reached up and swung herself up and over to the roof. The men rounded the corner to find an empty spot. She aimed down and fired. Two more dead and only one more left to go.
"Ms. Briefs, I have to hand it to you, you're a very clever woman," said the leader who was now standing behind her with the gun pointed at her back. She laid her guns down on the ground and stood back up. "It's too bad you had to throw your only ticket of salvation into the sea because now I have no choice but to kill you."
She smirked. "That's easier said than done," she said and immediately ducked swinging her leg around to catch his knees. He grunted and lost his balance for a split second but enough time for her to reach up and elbow him in the arm causing him to lose his gun. Then she did a roundabout kick to his head knocking him close to unconsciousness.
She grabbed his hair and pulled him upward. "Looks like we have switched roles, ne? Now why don't you be a good boy and tell me who you're working for," she said keeping him in a tight grip.
"N-Never," he choked out. He squirmed a little trying to break free and she just gave him another knock in the stomach causing him to groan loudly.
"Next time I'll go even lower," she threatened and his face paled slightly.
"Okay, okay. His name is Morrigan. He deals in antiques, you know the black market stuff. That's all I know," he said.
"How can I get in contact with him?" she probed further. He was silent until she grabbed one of her pistols and aimed it at a sensitive area.
"Idon'tknow!" he yelled in a high voice. "I swear. We only talk to him through the cell phone. He usually contacts us, no questions asked, you know."
She decided to take his word on that. "Well, if he gets in touch with you tell him to stay out of my business or else," she said then with a swift punch she rendered him unconscious. She picked up her other pistol and jumped into her raft below. The plate was waiting for her right in the center of the raft, a perfect throw. Then she started up the motor and headed for shore.
When she reached the shoreline she left the raft where it was and made her way into the nearby town on foot. From there she hailed a cab and drove the rest of the way to her home.
"Welcome home, Ms. Briefs," her butler greeted her.
"It's nice to be home," she replied donning off her gear. The butler caught them in his arms and followed her to her bedroom. "Anything interesting at home?"
"No, no. It was business as usual. And how was your trip?" he asked. They had reached the door to her quarters which was situated in the west wing.
She turned her head around, grabbed her gear, and calmly said, "Oh, business as usual."
He nodded, "Ah, I see. Well, shall I make you some tea then?"
"You know I don't drink tea," she said leaning against the doorframe.
"Well, one never knows when one will change her mind?"
She smiled. "Coffee please, black with two sugars," she said and shut the door.
He walked off muttering, "It was worth a try."
-----------
Bulma was in her study trying to decipher the strange writings on the backside of the plate. There was a short knock at the door then soon after her butler walked in with her drink. He looked at the desk which at the moment was cluttered with papers and cleared some away to make room for the tray.
"Thank you, Hilary," she stated, her attention firmly concentrated on the textbook in front of her.
"Will that be all, Ms. Briefs?" he asked and she merely nodded. He took that as his sign to leave and so he did just that.
It was well into the night and she was still working on the symbols. Hilary poked his nosy head in every once in a while to ask how she was doing but the answer was always the same. She was fine. He worried too much, but ever since her father had passed away he had been her primary caregiver. Many times he treated her like his own daughter rather than a boss. She made a mental note to herself to do something nice for him soon.
"Any progress?" he asked. She looked up. He had this weird way of being there without her notice.
"Yes, some," she said and gestured him to enter. He was also a very curious person which sometimes can be annoying. "See this here, it says something like 'beware of the curse.' And down here it talks of an eternal dragon and one wish."
"Hmm, interesting," he said nodding his head as if he could read the symbols himself.
"Now I've been working on this section for the past hour and the only thing I can get out of it is the words 'turtle hermit' which doesn't make any sense."
Then something came to Hilary's mind. "You know my grandmother told me of an old legend long ago about a hermit that lived with a turtle. She picked it up during her trip around the Caribbean. She was an adventurer, sort of like you but not as dangerous. She visited so many exotic places like this one summer I actually went with her to Nica--"
She coughed loudly and deliberately.
"Well, anyways, to get back to my point, the legend went something like this. Long ago there used to be a guy called the turtle man because his back was shaped like a tortoise-shell. He was mocked daily by his people, even his own mother rejected him so he decided to go out into the world and find his kind of people or something like that. And during his journey a huge storm came out of nowhere and it sank his little boat, but fortunately he was able to get to a deserted island. He looked around and found there was plenty of food and water there so he decided to make that island his home and in time befriends a female turtle and they lived happily ever after," he said leaning back on the chair.
"Hmm," she said thinking hard. "Do you know what part of the Caribbean your grandmother heard that from?"
"Uh, no, unfortunately," he responded with a shrug.
"Guess I'll have to go there myself and find out," she said nonchalantly.
"So soon? You only just got back," he stated.
She didn't listen to him, as usual. "Book the earliest flight, first class, of course."
"Of course," he nodded and left the room sighing.
Talking of legends made her think and she reached for one of her many world mythology books. She looked up the name Morrigan.
"Morrigan, Celtic goddess of war," she read aloud, "often assumes the shape of a crow or a raven. How interesting. I have this feeling that this Morrigan is a she not a he." But only time would tell if she was correct or not. Also she would have to watch her back during her next trip. It seemed there was someone else interested in the legend of the turtle hermit.
------------ A/N: How do you like the story so far?
Prologue
The waters were murky and cold. It was only early August but the waters of the North Atlantic were chilly enough to create goose bumps even through the wet suit. The suit was made especially for her by the renowned A.A. company. It had cost her a little fortune but what else was she going to do with all the money she had. Being the richest woman in the world had its perks.
It was getting darker as she went deeper. Fortunately she was always prepared. 'I better light my flare now,' she thought as she reached back to grab one. Zane had warned her about these underwater caves. Lots of sharp turns and outcroppings. Many divers had came down here to try to do exactly what she was doing, and failed. There was no guarantee that she could do any better but it was a risk she was willing to take. Plus, she never liked to give up.
The special underwater flare helped...a little, but she was still straining to see. Slowly she moved forward with only a foot visible in front of her. The caves were endless it seemed. It would be easy to lose her way but she was careful to put markers every once in a while so she could always find her way back. A sudden dip in the ceiling forced her to go even deeper. She checked her air tank. Only 20 minutes left. Barely enough time for her to reach her destination and get back up to the surface.
She continued on, swimming a bit faster now as she neared her prize. It had taken her a long time to get to this point. She had spent hours, days in her library searching for clues often coming up with nothing. Other times dead ends. But this time she was sure this was the spot. She had a crude map of the caves drawn by a former diver and treasure hunter but it wasn't proving to be of much use especially when she could barely see her hand in front of her face.
Suddenly she heard a whoosh below her. She only paused for a second knowing she had a limited supply of oxygen left. Cautiously she took out her harpoon gun and swam forward. A dark shape lurked underneath her but how far and how dangerous she couldn't tell just yet. The flare she was holding would probably attract whatever was down there but she couldn't afford to let it go because then she wouldn't be able to see. With the gun in one arm and the flare in the other she moved as fast as she could.
Finally she made it to the opening. She spit out her mouthpiece and took in a deep breath. There wasn't much oxygen in that air pocket but enough to last a few minutes. She climbed out onto the ledge and took off her tank. The inscriptions on the wall were faint but she could still make out some of the symbols. Basically they told her to hang a left and keep on going. The pathway was extremely narrow; thank goodness she always kept up her delicate figure.
High above she saw a glint of light. That must be it, she thought as she looked around for a place to grab on. She climbed up the steep ledges carefully until she was eye to eye with the artifact. With a great big smile she took the bronze plate out of the wall and placed it in her trusty backpack. Seconds later the walls began to shake and without any further hesitation she climbed down. As she moved forward she began to feel more and more claustrophobic. Looking up she noticed that the ceiling was much lower than it was before. In fact, the ceiling was getting lower and lower as she continued on. She started to dash through the narrow pathway, her legs and arms getting scratched up badly. She could see the exit and she dived through. Moments later the whole path was gone...but at least she got it.
"You better be worth it," she said with a grin. With her scuba gear back on she dived underwater forgetting all about the 'thing' that was lurking there earlier. As she exited the caves she pulled out a little buoy and launched it towards the surface. The ship would come around to that spot so she could get in quickly.
Out of nowhere a dark shape swooped in front of her and swallowed the buoy. She reached back for the harpoon gun and steadied herself for a clear shot. Whatever it was, it was moving pretty fast, too fast for her to track it. She calmed her body and tried to feel for the pressure changes around her. She felt a slight nudge to her right indicating something was moving towards her from that direction. She aimed sightlessly and fired hoping to reach the intended target. Seconds later she heard a loud squeal and a splash of blood developed in front of her. Hopefully next time that thing would know to leave Bulma Briefs alone.
She made it to the surface with a minute left of air in her tank. Raising her arms out of the water she signaled for her ship. When they picked her up she put away her scuba gear and took a nice hot shower.
"So, find what you wanted, love?" asked Zane, the captain of the boat.
"Yes," she replied curtly. She walked to the closet, grabbed some fresh clothes, and walked back into the bathroom. His eyes never left her half- wet body although it was irritatingly wrapped up in a huge towel. He had tried to get his hands on her (literally) a few times but got turned down every freakin' time.
He peered into a nearby mirror and remarked to his vain ego, "I am a god." Not a flaw could be seen in his perfect skin and hair. He was beginning to suspect that maybe she was a lesbian. That would be the only excuse why she would be turning him down. A lonely, rich girl out at sea for months without male companionship...yup she must be one of those.
"Why are you still doing here?" she asked firmly as she stepped out all decked out in her usual outdoor outfit. Only thing missing was her trusty pistols which she quickly grabbed and placed in their spot along her thighs. 'Always be prepared,' was her motto.
"I just wanted to get a look at the thing we been searchin' for for the last 4 months. Is that so much to ask?" he said jovially. He tried to get near her but she backed away.
"Yes, it is. Now leave. I'm not paying you to keep me company," she stated flatly. He had seemed all right when she had first met him but these months at sea had changed him. Maybe his little willie wasn't getting enough circulation.
"Hey, love, you don't have to pay me for that. I'll do it for free," he said and then growled. Yes, he actually growled...at her...and frankly she was far from being interested.
She drew out her pistols and pointed at his head. "Leave. Now," was all she said and the look on her face said that she was not kidding.
"Hold it now, I'll leave. No need to get testy, now," he said with his hands in the air. "But word of advice, sweetheart, you'll never get a man with that attitude...or do you prefer the other side?"
She frowned. "What? Get out of here," she said trying to keep her voice down to a polite level. With a half-smile and a goofy wave he finally left. It was guys like him that made her think she would never find someone right for her. Every guy she'd met wanted only one thing or maybe sometimes two, her body or her money.
She put her pistols away and reached for her backpack. The plate was made of bronze possibly from the middle bronze age circa 1100 B.C. She couldn't be sure until she brought it back to her lab and have her technicians work on it. It would make a nice addition to her growing collection. She flipped it over. The back had unusual markings, a language she couldn't decipher off the top of her head. The only symbol she recognized was the word 'wish.'
'Hmm, did this artifact have wishing capabilities?' she thought. But there was not much she could do at the moment except speculate so she put it away and went out to get some fresh air. Soon she would be back home again at Capsule Mansion. She was often away for months at a time but every time she still felt a tinge of homesickness.
----------
An hour later...
The skies were clear and it was smooth sailing for the crew. She was lounging out on the deck with a nice cup of cocoa and a pair of shades imported from Italy when all of a sudden the boat rocked violently to one side. She lost her balance and fell to the floor siding towards the edge but at the last second she managed to grab the rail.
"Pirates!" someone yelled from high above.
'Pirates?' she thought. She got back onto her feet and looked across. There was another vessel next to hers and it was closing in fast. They were launching something at her ship. 'Maybe they're after the artifact,' she thought as she ran downstairs to her quarters. Quickly she grabbed her backpack and some ammo and dashed out. The ship rocked again but this time she could hear cracking sounds. They must have torn a hole in the side. If not, they were going to sooner or later with whatever it was they were throwing at her.
"Abandon ship!" a crewmate yelled at the top of his lungs then dove out into the sea.
'I hope he remembered to put on a life jacket,' she thought as she headed for the raft. It was hidden beneath the lounge deck and locked with a secret code only she knew. The others could use the lifeboats, if they were smart enough.
"Open sesame seeds," she said and a square panel slid open. It was also voice-activated so no one but her could open it. She pushed the red button which released her raft from the side of the ship but it was too late. Some of the 'pirates' landed on the boat.
"Hand over the artifact and no one gets hurt," one of the men said. She slowly rose with her hands in the air. By the sound of the clicks she imagined they were carrying semi-automatic weapons. She tilted her head to get a look at them and then her body followed.
One of them let out a sharp whistle. "She's a looker, ain't she," he crudely remarked. They had masks on their faces so she couldn't tell who was robbing her. "Now hand it over, nice and easy, girl."
She smirked and reached back into her pack. "You mean this?" she asked holding up the plate.
"You got the idea. Maybe if you're real nice we'll even let you go scot free," one of them said with a gruff laugh. She tilted her head and laughed with them. "What are you laughing for?"
"Oh, nothing, just this," she said and she tossed the plate overboard.
"What?!" they shouted. While they were distracted she pulled out her guns and started firing. A few ended up dead and the others scattered to find shelter. She rolled away from the barrage of bullets and found a safe spot for herself also. She took a deep breath then stood up and fired continuously from her twin weapons while running towards the other end of the ship. She paused there and waited looking for a way out. Suddenly she heard voices; they were coming her way. Swiftly she reached up and swung herself up and over to the roof. The men rounded the corner to find an empty spot. She aimed down and fired. Two more dead and only one more left to go.
"Ms. Briefs, I have to hand it to you, you're a very clever woman," said the leader who was now standing behind her with the gun pointed at her back. She laid her guns down on the ground and stood back up. "It's too bad you had to throw your only ticket of salvation into the sea because now I have no choice but to kill you."
She smirked. "That's easier said than done," she said and immediately ducked swinging her leg around to catch his knees. He grunted and lost his balance for a split second but enough time for her to reach up and elbow him in the arm causing him to lose his gun. Then she did a roundabout kick to his head knocking him close to unconsciousness.
She grabbed his hair and pulled him upward. "Looks like we have switched roles, ne? Now why don't you be a good boy and tell me who you're working for," she said keeping him in a tight grip.
"N-Never," he choked out. He squirmed a little trying to break free and she just gave him another knock in the stomach causing him to groan loudly.
"Next time I'll go even lower," she threatened and his face paled slightly.
"Okay, okay. His name is Morrigan. He deals in antiques, you know the black market stuff. That's all I know," he said.
"How can I get in contact with him?" she probed further. He was silent until she grabbed one of her pistols and aimed it at a sensitive area.
"Idon'tknow!" he yelled in a high voice. "I swear. We only talk to him through the cell phone. He usually contacts us, no questions asked, you know."
She decided to take his word on that. "Well, if he gets in touch with you tell him to stay out of my business or else," she said then with a swift punch she rendered him unconscious. She picked up her other pistol and jumped into her raft below. The plate was waiting for her right in the center of the raft, a perfect throw. Then she started up the motor and headed for shore.
When she reached the shoreline she left the raft where it was and made her way into the nearby town on foot. From there she hailed a cab and drove the rest of the way to her home.
"Welcome home, Ms. Briefs," her butler greeted her.
"It's nice to be home," she replied donning off her gear. The butler caught them in his arms and followed her to her bedroom. "Anything interesting at home?"
"No, no. It was business as usual. And how was your trip?" he asked. They had reached the door to her quarters which was situated in the west wing.
She turned her head around, grabbed her gear, and calmly said, "Oh, business as usual."
He nodded, "Ah, I see. Well, shall I make you some tea then?"
"You know I don't drink tea," she said leaning against the doorframe.
"Well, one never knows when one will change her mind?"
She smiled. "Coffee please, black with two sugars," she said and shut the door.
He walked off muttering, "It was worth a try."
-----------
Bulma was in her study trying to decipher the strange writings on the backside of the plate. There was a short knock at the door then soon after her butler walked in with her drink. He looked at the desk which at the moment was cluttered with papers and cleared some away to make room for the tray.
"Thank you, Hilary," she stated, her attention firmly concentrated on the textbook in front of her.
"Will that be all, Ms. Briefs?" he asked and she merely nodded. He took that as his sign to leave and so he did just that.
It was well into the night and she was still working on the symbols. Hilary poked his nosy head in every once in a while to ask how she was doing but the answer was always the same. She was fine. He worried too much, but ever since her father had passed away he had been her primary caregiver. Many times he treated her like his own daughter rather than a boss. She made a mental note to herself to do something nice for him soon.
"Any progress?" he asked. She looked up. He had this weird way of being there without her notice.
"Yes, some," she said and gestured him to enter. He was also a very curious person which sometimes can be annoying. "See this here, it says something like 'beware of the curse.' And down here it talks of an eternal dragon and one wish."
"Hmm, interesting," he said nodding his head as if he could read the symbols himself.
"Now I've been working on this section for the past hour and the only thing I can get out of it is the words 'turtle hermit' which doesn't make any sense."
Then something came to Hilary's mind. "You know my grandmother told me of an old legend long ago about a hermit that lived with a turtle. She picked it up during her trip around the Caribbean. She was an adventurer, sort of like you but not as dangerous. She visited so many exotic places like this one summer I actually went with her to Nica--"
She coughed loudly and deliberately.
"Well, anyways, to get back to my point, the legend went something like this. Long ago there used to be a guy called the turtle man because his back was shaped like a tortoise-shell. He was mocked daily by his people, even his own mother rejected him so he decided to go out into the world and find his kind of people or something like that. And during his journey a huge storm came out of nowhere and it sank his little boat, but fortunately he was able to get to a deserted island. He looked around and found there was plenty of food and water there so he decided to make that island his home and in time befriends a female turtle and they lived happily ever after," he said leaning back on the chair.
"Hmm," she said thinking hard. "Do you know what part of the Caribbean your grandmother heard that from?"
"Uh, no, unfortunately," he responded with a shrug.
"Guess I'll have to go there myself and find out," she said nonchalantly.
"So soon? You only just got back," he stated.
She didn't listen to him, as usual. "Book the earliest flight, first class, of course."
"Of course," he nodded and left the room sighing.
Talking of legends made her think and she reached for one of her many world mythology books. She looked up the name Morrigan.
"Morrigan, Celtic goddess of war," she read aloud, "often assumes the shape of a crow or a raven. How interesting. I have this feeling that this Morrigan is a she not a he." But only time would tell if she was correct or not. Also she would have to watch her back during her next trip. It seemed there was someone else interested in the legend of the turtle hermit.
------------ A/N: How do you like the story so far?