Turtles

We drove to the Great Barrier Reef where my dad pulled out the scuba equipment. "Do I know how to scuba-dive?"

"You actually don't. But now's a fine time to learn as long as you haven't forgotten how to breathe." I smiled as Donald helped me into a suit and quickly went through everything with me. I just kept nodding and asked the occasional question, but I seemed fine. It was then something hit me.

"We do this together. We get me walking and get out of here. He may have hurt us both, but let's step out of that shadow. Let's show him what we're made of and make him love us for us."

"Well, you at least. It may be creepy if he loved me."

"True- wait! Was that a yes?!"

He stuck his hand out. "Let's do this." I shook his hand.

I nearly fell over as it hit me like a train. "Sarah!" My dad grabbed onto me. "What happened?" I stared at Donald.

"Were we ever in a hospital together? And we said we'd step out of somebody's shadow, we'd make him love us."

"Yeah, we did. Wait, do you remember?!"

"It was just that. That just came to me this minute."

"Well, at least you're remembering things Sheila."

"Who were we talking about?" Donald opened and closed his mouth before turning to my dad. I stared at him for a moment. I had said he hurt us both, but what happened.

"Why did you hurt me?"

There was silence as everyone stood around. "Well, this is awkward. We'd best get going Junior."

"I'll tell you after we get done here. It's a pretty long story." I nodded and we jumped into the water. Rachel grappled Dad's arm and Molly quickly swam ahead of all of us.

"I'm Molly Lake, a professional historian on King Arthur. I've been here for a year trying to uncover the grave of his sort-of brother Kay. This friend of yours was my beau for four years, and then he dumps me like that! "

"It wasn't like that! We just went our separate ways and just weren't connecting anymore. It wasn't my fault."

"We were fine! It was you and your commitment issues! I said I loved you and you broke it off!"

Dad couldn't help but chuckle. "Still having trouble with girls I see."

"Just because I'm not like-"he cut himself off when he saw me and Grandpa.

Molly seemed to have had enough at this point. She gave a swift dismissal and exited.

"Good thing we didn't tell her about the location of Kay's tomb." Sallah sighed in relief. There was a pause and the door was thrown open.

"You now the location of Kay's tomb?!"

My memories were starting to come back to me. But how long until I had ones that were useful and helped me prove I could hold my own again.

We came up to an underground cavern. "Alright, Sarah you're staying here."

"What?! You drag me this far just to dump me here?!"

"You should be safe here. You can't remember anything."

"I know I've heard you say that sentence one too many times and I stopped listening a long time ago. And look, Kevin just joined us and he gets to go."

Kevin looked at him. "She does have a point."

"Don't get yourself in trouble." And he led the group to the tunnel ahead.

"Fine! Fine! You'll need me memory or not, so just give me a call!"

I sat in the sand and folded my arms in defeat and anger. This wasn't going to help me with my memory. They needed to be working with me on this, not just leaving me out in hopes of some sort of miracle. But I knew there was no way of convincing them that. I felt like I hardly knew them at all.

It was then a turtle climbed onto the beach and sat next to me. I felt another memory creep upon me as I stared at it.

I was little and standing with this man dressed in a fancy suit in a museum. "When are Mommy and Daddy coming back, Mr. Brody?"

"I have no clue, child. Now feel free to look around while I fix this exhibit." I walked around this huge room and came to a stop in front of a diorama of three turtles on a beach. "Mr. Brody!" He was next to me in an instant. "What are those?"

"Those are turtles. They're creatures that breathe an exemplarily amount of-"

"Is that the Mommy?"

"That is the female."

"But is that the Mommy?" He snorted.

"Yes. It is the 'Mommy'."

We both stared for a moment. "What would happen if she forgot everything? What if she couldn't remember her family or her friends?"

"Now, where did you think of that question?"

"I don't know. I just did."

"Well, I'd think being social creatures-"he then realized his audience. "I think the other turtles would take her and show her everything she loved to do and who she was. That way she could remember. They'd help her in every way."

"Wow. I hope if I'm ever like her that's how it would be."

I smiled to myself. I knew what I had to do. "Thank you, Mrs. Turtle!" I rose to my feet and took off for the cavern to confront them and tell them they had to include me and tell me who I was. And I knew part of who I was was an adventurer.

I came to another deep pool of water and outfitted my scuba gear. I dove under to find a long tunnel going down. As I swam I kept racking my brain trying to figure out if I could remember anything else.

I didn't hear the shark coming.