The next morning came and it was time for breakfast.

"This is going to be delicious." Mo smiled.

"Is it...?" Cherry asked based on what she knew on turtle's diet. "I mean... Can't these turtles eat pizza?"

"Oh, sometimes we do eat pizza, but not for breakfast." Franklin told her.

"Turtles eating pizza?" Junior looked at Cherry funny.

"Just thinking about some different turtles." Cherry said.

Junior let out a small giggle. Mr. and Mrs. Turtle decided to give the others some cereal without bugs, but of course, Franklin and Harriet enjoyed the bugs.

"Harriet, please don't play with your food." Mrs. Turtle told her daughter.

"Yeah, it's for eating, not for playing." Cherry added.

Harriet soon ate up and finished, giving her bowl to the sink after she was done.

"I can't believe all the bugs in this cereal." Mrs. Turtle said as she took the bowl.

"I don't think there's enough." Franklin smiled as he ate another bug out of his bowl.

"I think there is." Mo said.

"Would monsieur like some more?" Mr. Turtle asked his son with a French accent.

"Yes, please." Franklin smiled as he held out his bowl to eat more bugs.

Cherry cupped her mouth and soon ran out as she felt sick to her stomach.

"Now you know how Mo felt last night!" Patch told Cherry. "It's karma working its magic on you!"

"Karma doesn't exist!" Cherry cried back out.

"So, off to your aunt's for the day, Franklin?" Mrs. Turtle asked her son.

"Uh-huh, it's going to be fun." Franklin smiled.

"Are you including Sam in that fun?" Mrs. Turtle then asked.

"Which Sam are you referring to?" Junior asked.

"Lucy's goddaughter of course," Mrs. Turtle said. "You know, you weren't very nice to her last night."

"Well, she wasn't very nice to me." Franklin firmly defended.

"You just got off to a bad start," Mrs. Turtle replied. "Why not take some flowers?"

"That would be fine." Mo said.

"Flowers?!" Franklin groaned. "That's a girl thing!"

"Exactly," Mr. Turtle said before smirking towards his wife. "Girls always fall for flowers."

"Although we don't exactly know what flowers she likes." Mo said.

"Why don't you try these?" Mrs. Turtle offered as she brought out flowers from her vase. "They're nice and fresh. Franklin, Sam is your aunt's goddaughter, why don't you try being nice to her?"

Franklin knew he couldn't argue with his parents, so he decided to just suck it up. "Okay..." he then said as he took the flowers from his mother.

Harriet giggled to that. "Franklin look pretty!"

"Yes, he does." Cherry smirked as she soon came back in.

"At least nobody will see me." Franklin muttered, referring to his friends.


They soon left the house to go to Lucy's place as promised.

'I'm sure this time will be better than last time.' Mo thought to herself.

Franklin was nervous to be seen with flowers, hoping his friends wouldn't see him.

"Oh, relax, Franklin, there's nothing wrong with holding flowers," Gloriosa smiled soothingly to the young turtle. "Besides, I doubt they'll make fun of you for that. You look like a gentleman."

Franklin frowned as he didn't believe that. "I hope they don't mind me missing our game today though..." he then said. "I kinda forgot about it."

"Family comes first." Timber advised.

They soon came into the house and didn't find Lucy, but saw that Sam was at a desk and staring at a globe in awe.

"Looks like someone has a taste for adventure." Cherry said.

Sam suddenly looked over and saw Franklin and the others. "Oh, it's only you..." she then said as she went back to work. "If those are for your aunt, she just went upstairs."

"Actually, they're for you." Franklin smiled as he came up to her.

"Really? That's almost sweet," Sam smiled back before looking suspicious. "Was this your idea?"

"He's just being nice." Patch assured her.

"You might wanna try it sometime," Cherry said only to get pulled away. "Dah!"

"If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." Mo told her.

Cherry simply pouted out of anger and impatience.

"My dad says girls always fall for flowers." Franklin told Sam.

"Oh, really? Well, not this girl!" Sam harrumphed. "Besides, I've got work to do."

"What kind of work?" Mo asked.

"Lucy asked me to catalog some things while we're here," Sam replied. "She brought these pots from India."

"From India?" Franklin replied. "That's pretty neat!"

"Yeah... I guess it's cool, but I'd rather be out exploring the world with your aunt," Sam said as she came out of the chair. "Instead of keeping track of some dusty old pots... That's why I talked my folks into letting me spend the summer with her. I spent all last night getting ready for a dig near the ocean..." she then made the globe spin with a disappointed frown. "But that fell through, and we came here instead... Some adventure."

"You never know, your adventure might come when you least expect it." Mo told Sam.

Sam just shrugged and collected some pots into a box.

"Woodland is a neat place, you know," Franklin told Sam. "I've had lots of adventures here."

"You have?" Sam asked out of disbelief.

"It's true." Junior smiled.

"Anyway, I don't even know why I'm talking to you," Sam crossed her arms. "Especially after the way you treated me last night."

"Well, you started it by scaring us." Franklin retorted.

"Ha! You said you weren't scared!" Sam smirked. "And at least I said I was sorry..."

Mo simply sighed as she knew where this would end up.

"That's what these were for..." Franklin told Sam, holding out the bouquet.

"Hi, Franklin~" Beaver's voice smirked.

"Oh, no..." Junior groaned.

Beaver, Bear, and Snail were all shown at the door.

"I hope we're not interrupting." Beaver smirked.

"Hey, he does have flowers." Bear smiled.

"This is not what it looks like!" Junior defended Franklin.

"He's right," Franklin added. "They're for my aunt!"

"And this must be her goddaughter," Beaver said, looking at Sam. "The scary monster."

"That's me, but you can call me Sam." The female turtle replied.

"Were you 'earsdropping'?" Junior pouted. "That's bad! My parents and big brother and sisters say earsdropping is a terrible habit!"

"And it is." Mo nodded firmly.

"It's also eavesdropping." Gloriosa whispered to Junior.

"Oh... Right... Sorry." Junior then said.

"Anyway, what happened, Franklin?" Bear asked his best friend. "We waited a whole hour for you!"

"I guess he had better things to do." Beaver smirked.

"I take back what I said last night, she seems to be kind of like Cera than Sam." Cherry told Atticus.

"Look... Uh... Beaver, plans came up," Atticus said. "Sometimes plans change for friends."

"So what's with the goofy costumes?" Sam asked Franklin's friends.

"Our costumes aren't goofy!" Bear glared.

"Yeah, can't you tell we're pirates?" Beaver added.

"I don't think she's used her imagination in a long time." Cherry told them.

"Not my fault I'm not a little kid." Sam defended.

Cherry just rolled her eyes to that.

"Pirates?" Lucy's voice asked before she appeared with a beard and a captain hat to look like an aggressive pirate. "Shiver me timbers! Who dares disturb the dark lair of Captain Silverbeard?" she asked before sliding down the banister while Beaver and Bear looked amazed at an adult playing pretend.

'Awesome.' Timber thought to himself.

Lucy soon brought out the mop handle to use as a cane.

"This is my Aunt Lucy," Franklin introduced. "These are my other friends: Bear and Beaver."

"Argh, the pleasure be all mine!" Lucy replied as she bowed and tipped her hat. "Now, what be the adventure today, me hearties?"

"We be goin' on a treasure hunt!" Beaver smiled.

Sam let out a very loud and bored yawn.

"Well, that was a little rude." Cherry glanced at her.

"Do you always make snide comments that don't matter to anyone?" Sam replied.

"You wantin' to join us, Missy?" Lucy asked her goddaughter. "It'll be a walk to the plank if ya don't!"

"Guess I'll take my chances with the sharks." Sam replied.

"Don't you know how to have fun with others?" Mo asked Sam, already knowing what that answer meant.

"Besides playing some dumb kid's game." Sam replied.

"Well, what if we went looking for real buried treasure?" Lucy suggested.

"Real treasure?" Junior smiled.

"No way..." Cherry said.

"I have something to prove it," Lucy said, taking a framed picture and blew the dust off. "Here it be: Turtle Lake. About a day's hike from here."

"Ooh." Junior smiled.

"A real live pirate map?!" Beaver gushed.

"Did you ever look for the treasure?" Sam asked out of interest.

"Aye, matey," Lucy smiled before frowning in her normal voice. "But I never found it... So! Who be with me?"

"Us!" Atticus, Mo, and Patch smiled back.

"Yeah!" Franklin and his friends added.

"Better than hanging around here." Sam rolled her aqua eyes.

"It's decided then, buckos," Lucy smirked. "We cast off tomorrow!" she then looked to Beaver, Bear, and Snail. "Come along, you three, we best be getting your parents' permission."

"Yes." Mo nodded in agreement.

Franklin looked at the map that his aunt gave him and Sam leaned next to him to look with him.

"Don't you wanna come with us?" Bear asked his best friend.

"Uh, it's okay..." Franklin said. "I'll see ya later."

"You sure?" Timber asked.

"What's the matter?" Sam smirked. "Don't you wanna play with your little pals?"

"No, I'd rather find out more about the treasure," Franklin said as he looked at the map. "And I think I know who might know the way."

"Really?" Mo asked. "Who?"

"Granny," Franklin smiled. "Come on, let's go see her."


They soon came to see the old turtle and she smiled at the picture after asking and greeting the others about them before getting to the point.

"I haven't seen this map in years," Granny smiled. "How did you know I made it?"

"I recognized your nice printing." Franklin smiled back to his grandmother.

"Who else would?" Cherry smirked.

"Did Aunt Lucy give this to you?" Granny asked Franklin.

"Uh-huh!" Franklin smiled. "She's taking us to Turtle Lake to look for the treasure."

"She... Is...?" Granny replied softly.

"Why'd you make this map for her?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, why did you bury it?" Franklin added.

"Oh, you kids don't wanna hear my old stories..." Granny smiled.

"Stories... From a grandparent...?" Cherry whispered, sounding emotional.

"Please tell us." Mo begged.

Franklin, Junior, and Sam soon sat down out of excitement.

"Yes, please, Granny, tell us a story!" Cherry said.

This made everybody stare at her.

"Uh, for the sake of the kids..." Cherry said flatly.

"Very well..." Granny replied before sighing sharply. "The story behind this map begins long before I made it, back when I was about Sam's age, I lived in Little Turtle Lake. I was born and raised there, in a small cabin by the water's edge. I spent mornings fishing with my father, and afternoons picking berries with my mother. Turtle Lake was a perfect place to grow up, especially in the summer, and I had the most perfect hiding place there. A secret place in the woods... I'd stay there for hours, hidden by thick and sweet honeysuckle. Everything just seemed so perfect. Heaven knows where I got the idea, but I hidden keepsakes, in an old tin box. Then I sealed the time capsule, and took it to my special hiding spot, and that's where I buried it."

"Whoa." The group smiled.

"You buried it?" Franklin asked his grandmother, wondering why she did that.

"Why?" Junior added.

"That's what you do with a time capsule," Sam told them. "You keep it for a long time, and then dig it up!"

"Ohh." Junior smiled.

"It helps show people what your life was like when you buried it." Granny smiled back.

"We have one at my school, and we're not going to open it for ten years!" Sam continued.

"So, what did you put in your time capsule, Granny?" Cherry asked, really invested with the story.

"Things my parents gave me, things I made..." Granny said softly. "It was a very long time ago, dear."

"So then we just have to unbury it." Mo said.

"You can try." Granny replied.

"Didn't you ever open it?" Gloriosa asked.

"No... I never got the chance..." Granny said before getting emotional and soft. "A few nights after I buried it, my parents let me sleep in their tent..."

"That was nice of them." Timber smiled.

"Yes... It was..." Granny replied in memory. "However, it was very hot that summer and very dry... They say a lightning storm started the fire. All I know is, I lost everything that night."

"That's terrible." Mo frowned.

Granny agreed, but looked to the sad faces and decided to cheer them up. "Yes, but as I said, it was a pretty long time ago, and here we are on such a fine summer day..." she then smiled as she stood up and looked out into the forest.

"Did you ever go back there, ma'am?" Gloriosa asked.

"Not right away," Granny said. "I went to stay at my aunt's from then on in Woodland. We visited the lake a year later, but nothing was the same. Without the usual landmarks, I couldn't find my secret hideaway. I haven't been back since, but Franklin's aunt was very interested when I lost my old time capsule."

"She seems like the adventure type." Atticus said.

"That must be why you gave her the map!" Patch said out of realization.

"So, what happened?" Franklin asked as his grandmother gave her the map back.

"Your father can tell you the rest," Granny suggested as she sounded exhausted. "The key to Turtle Lake..."

"Franklin's dad?" Cherry asked out of confusion. "He knows too?"

"Well, of course, he is my son after all." Granny smiled wearily.

"I guess that's a good point." Cherry said.

Granny soon carefully sat down in her chair.

"Um, are you okay, Miss?" Cherry asked out of concern.

"Oh, I'll be fine..." Granny smiled. "You all get out of here... Just... Tired from all this storytelling."

"Oh, okay." Mo said.

Franklin looked back to his grandmother as she sat down to quiet down a little and they left her alone, going back to his home.

"Say hi to Turtle Lake for me." Granny told them as she winded herself down.

"We will." Patch smiled.

They soon left as Granny soon fell asleep in her chair. Franklin gave her a kiss before leaving with the others. Once they were gone, Granny seemed to cry in her hands. Patch seemed to hear that and was confused as to why she was crying.


"Hello there." Mr. Turtle smiled to them once they came home.

"You got your photo album anywhere?" Cherry asked, feeling it might be important.

"Ah, yes, of course." Mr. Turtle nodded and went to get it.

"Great." Mo said.

They soon took a look at the photo album, seeing the many nostalgic photographs.

"That's Aunt Lucy?" Franklin asked, seeing a young turtle in an inner tube and swimming in the lake around Cherry, Atticus, and Mo's ages.

"She looks so young!" Sam added.

"We were both in our teens that summer we hiked out in the lake," Mr. Turtle smiled. "It's nice you're getting the chance to go up there," he then smirked to Franklin and Sam. "And nice to see you two on friendly terms."

"And nothing more." Junior added.

"Actually, we're more like fellow adventurers than friends," Sam told Mr. Turtle. "Oh! And thank you for the flowers, Mr. Turtle, they were lovely."

Franklin looked nervous as Sam brought that up.

"Is that Lucy looking for Granny's time capsule?" Mo asked for Franklin's sake as they saw a young turtle looking at the map and digging with a shovel only to look confused.

"That must be her." Atticus said.

"Yes, she must've gone over every square inch of those woods," Mr. Turtle nodded in memory. "She found lots of interesting old things, but not the time capsule."

"I bet that's where she got the idea to become an archaeologist." Sam smiled.

"You know, I'll bet you're right." Mr. Turtle smiled back.

"So, I guess that's where her special talent came from." Mo smiled back.

"Dad, do you know what Granny put in the time capsule?" Franklin wondered.

"She never said anything to me," Mr. Turtle replied. "I'm surprised she told you about it."

"Ooh, this is even more interesting." Cherry smiled.

"I wonder why Lucy would try so hard to find it?" Patch wondered.

"My guess? It wasn't what was in the box that intrigued her, as much as solving the mystery of where it went." Mr. Turtle suggested.

This got the kids excited as the telephone suddenly rang.

"Who could that be?" Mo asked.

Mr. Turtle decided to answer the phone. "Hello? We were just talking about you!"

"Hear that?" Sam beamed. "A mystery! I might get my big adventure after all!"

"You sure will." Mo smiled.

"You called Dr. Bear?" Mr. Turtle's voice asked which made everyone look curious. "We'll be right there."

"Sir?" Junior frowned.

"That was Aunt Lucy," Mr. Turtle said gravely. "Granny's taken ill."

"W-What?" Mo frowned.

"S-S-She is...?" Cherry asked, she could feel her heart sink in her chest.

"We have to go over..." Mr. Turtle frowned to them.

"We better hurry then." Gloriosa told them.

Junior closed the photo album and handed it to Mr. Turtle.

"Oh, thank you." Mr. Turtle said to him and put the book back before they left.


They soon came to see Granny again, but no one was more in a rush to go and see her than Franklin's father.

'This is more serious than the last time Rosie and I were here.' Junior thought to himself.

Beaver, Bear, and Snail seemed to be there as Mr. Turtle ran inside of the house.

"Um, hey, what're you doing here?" Cherry asked them.

"We were playing at Bear's place when Franklin's aunt called his mom." Beaver said.

"Oh! And we both got permission to go to Turtle Lake," Bear added. "Neat, huh?"

"That's great." Patch said.

"I don't think we're going anymore, Bear." Franklin frowned.

Sam sighed and rolled her eyes. "We're not going anywhere because Granny's sick."

Bear then made a face to mock her since she was being so rude. Mo simply sighed as that wasn't making the situation any better. Cherry seemed to be the most angry with Sam about saying what she said about Granny.


They soon went upstairs as Mr. Turtle ran to see his mother.

"You kids wait here for now." Mr. Turtle told the younger ones.

"Please..." Cherry begged emotionally. "Let me see her too!"

Atticus and the others had never seen Cherry like this. Mr. Turtle looked to her and soon let Cherry come inside as she looked emotional. The door was closed, but to a slight crack as the kids stayed in the hallway. Junior began to hope that Granny would get better. Gloriosa and Timber soon hugged Junior to comfort him.

"What happened?" Mr. Turtle asked Dr. Bear.

"I don't know, but she seems to have come down with a fever..." Dr. Bear replied.

Cherry frowned as that was severe.

"I'll do what I can, but nothing seems to bring the fever down." Dr. Bear said.

"How serious is it?" Cherry asked in a soft tone of voice.

"At Granny's age?" Dr. Bear replied. "She might only have a few days."

This caused Cherry to gasp. Soon, Lucy and Mr. Turtle left the room. Cherry stayed right where she was as she looked down to Granny.

"Is Granny going to be okay?" Franklin asked.

"We hope so, son." Mr. Turtle replied.

Mo frowned as she wished there was something she could do.

"Can we go and see her?" Franklin then asked.

"Mm-hmm." Dr. Bear smiled and nodded to her son's best friend.

"Okay, Franklin, but... Not for long." Mr. Turtle said.

The kids soon went in to see Granny. Cherry looked frozen in place and looked quite miserable, even if Granny wasn't her grandmother.

"Just Franklin, Bear," Dr. Bear told her son. "You and Beaver can visit later if you'd like."

"Aww, but what about Sam?" Bear complained.

"Inside voice, Bear..." Dr. Bear told him. "Granny needs peace and quiet now."

"She's right." Mo nodded.

"Come downstairs with us, and we'll find some cookies." Lucy smiled to Bear.

"Okay..." Bear replied before going downstairs with everyone else.

"Mm... Cookies..." Junior smiled.

"Sorry, Bear." Franklin frowned.

"He'll be okay, Franklin," Dr. Bear smiled. "You go on in, I'll be just across the hall."


Franklin soon went in to see Granny. Sam frowned to him and looked at Granny with him. Granny laid in her bed and looked absolutely miserable.

"Hi, Granny..." Franklin said softly. "Harriet sends kisses, and so does Mom. Everyone else is here... Even Snail! I sure wish there was something we could do."

"Mm... My time capsule..." Granny muttered, but didn't wake up. "Remember..."

Cherry was listening to all of this from the door.


"Dad!" Franklin called out as he felt inspired by what his grandmother said. "Aunt Lucy! Granny asked for her time capsule!"

"She did...?" Lucy replied from the porch with the others. "When?"

"Just now!" Sam replied. "In her sleep!"

"They're right." Cherry told them.

"Do you know where Granny put her time capsule, Aunt Lucy?" Franklin asked.

"No, Franklin, she never much liked talking about Turtle Lake," Lucy replied softly. "Although, she once mentioned something about a Turtle Talisman."

"Turtle Talisman?" Junior asked out of confusion.

"A talisman is like a charm with special powers, right?" Sam asked.

"Yes, our ancestors saw it as a turtle life force," Lucy informed with a smile. "It was said to strengthen that life force and protect us from harm."

"Ooh." Junior smiled.

"You mean, like with magic?" Franklin asked.

"Can't say I believe in hocus pocus myself." Mr. Turtle said.

"Hm... Maybe Granny wants this talisman because she thinks it might make her better?" Atticus suggested.

"Yeah." Mo smiled.

"We have to go to Turtle Lake and find it!" Franklin told the adults.

"I don't know, Franklin," Lucy told her nephew. "There's no guarantee we'll find the time capsule or the talisman."

"But, if there's a chance, then we have to at least try, right?" Franklin replied.

"That's right." Atticus nodded.

Mr. Turtle frowned this and while Lucy had also, she soon smiled and felt interested.

"Okay, let's go to Turtle Lake." Lucy decided.

"Wahoo!" Junior cheered.

The other kids cheered along with him in excitement.

"But you know, there might be another way to get a talisman." Lucy suggested.

"Yeah, maybe Mr. Mole has some at his store?" Bear replied.

Sam scoffed and rolled her eyes to that.

"He might." Mo agreed.

"No," Atticus shook his head. "You can't simply buy a talisman. They're very rare."

"You can't just buy a talisman at a store, you two," Lucy told them. "They're very rare. Remember Old Turtle?" she then asked her brother.

"You mean the witch who lives near Turtle Lake?" Mr. Turtle replied to his sister.

"She's a witch?" Beaver wondered.

"She's more of a... Mystic..." Lucy replied. "And if anyone has a talisman, she will. We can stop by on our way to the Lake. We'll meet back, first thing in the morning."

"Let's tell your mom, Bear!" Beaver told Bear before running with him.

"She doesn't waste a second, does she?" Gloriosa asked.

"She sure doesn't." Franklin replied.

"I need to check on Mom." Mr. Turtle said before going inside.

Cherry soon went to go and follow him.

"What's with Cherry?" Junior asked Atticus.

"I'm not sure... I think I should ask her when we're alone." Atticus suggested.

"Sam, we best get packing." Lucy told her goddaughter.

"It looks like our big adventure's back on, guys." Sam smiled to the others as she stopped for a moment as Lucy walked ahead.

"Sure looks like it." Atticus smiled back.

"Sam!" Lucy called.

"Hey, you might even get your chance to be a hero!" Sam told Franklin before going after her godmother.

"I don't wanna be a hero," Franklin sulked. "I just want my granny to get better."

"Well, you might get to be a hero while your granny gets better," Timber told him. "After all, The Turtle Talisman must have some magic left inside it."

They soon went home to go and get ready.

"Come on, Cherry." Patch told the perky goth.

Cherry looked back after she was told to let Mr. Turtle and Granny alone and soon followed them.


"So, Cherry, what was all of that about back in the cottage?" Junior asked as they left Granny's home.

"Uh... What?" Cherry asked, acting like nothing happened. She could tell Junior wasn't going to buy that act.

"Come on, Cherry, talk to us." Patch said.

"Is this about Aunt Dorothy?" Atticus asked.

Cherry looked over and soon walked a bit fast suddenly. Due to how fast she was going, that was her answer. Atticus soon went to chase after Cherry. Cherry kept trying to run to avoid talking about this, but unfortunately, she would have to.

"Stop, Cherry!" Atticus told her.

Cherry soon screeched to a halt and was surrounded by trees. "Ooh, why didn't I learn how to climb?" she then groaned.

"Finally." Atticus said.

Cherry yelped and soon went to hide.

"Gotcha." Atticus said before holding to her.

Cherry soon grunted and struggled as she couldn't even move.

"This is about your Aunt Dorothy, isn't it?" Atticus asked.

Cherry looked back to him before looking away.

"It is, isn't it...?" Atticus asked.

Cherry soon welled up with tears and cried out. "Where was I?!" she then cried out before hugging him and throwing a fit of tears. "Where was I?! Where was I...?" she asked through pain and sorrow.

Atticus soon comforted his best friend.

Cherry soon sat down once she was let go. "I should've gone with my mother..." she said about the older woman who was like a grandmother to her since she never knew her own grandparents. "Why didn't I go? I knew she was sick... I knew she was dying..."

Atticus frowned as he hated to see his best friend sad. Cherry soon let it out.

"I'm sorry..." Atticus told her, giving her a gentle pat on the back.

Cherry stared at the ground as she blamed herself for not being there when her Aunt Dorothy died. Atticus began to soothe her the best he could. Mo's panting was heard as she came over and saw Cherry crying. Atticus shushed Mo as he comforted Cherry as she let it all out as she hadn't at the funeral, trying to bottle up her feelings. Mo could now understand why Cherry was acting the way she was in Granny's house.