Lesson 4:Swimming Silently

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

y Lorraine B. Francis
Illustrated by Pat and Robin DeWitt
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Long, long ago, Earth and its creatures began to die.
Litter covered both land and sea, and people poured
torrents of waste into the oceans. Pollutants rained from
the air into the water. Few people saw the dark path they
had set before them . . . and then a new sort of people
came into existence.
Malu
My name is Malu, and I know what it’s like to be a sea
turtle. I can hold my breath underwater for 20 minutes — far
longer than anyone else in my clan. Like the sea turtle, I take
a great gulp of air at the water’s surface and then dive down to
the reef. Twenty minutes is long enough for green turtles to
graze on the grasses of the Pacific Ocean where we live. Like
the turtle, when I’m almost out of air, I race back to the surface
for another breath.
Most times, I wear my air suit and flippers like everyone
else. Then I can stay down even longer. I swim with the turtles
past scurrying schools of fish. We swivel our flippers to turn
around and then pump them to speed ahead. Land people think
that sea turtles are slow because they only see them lumbering
across the sand. Sea turtles are much more accustomed to
moving through water. Underwater, they are fast, fast, fast!
Grandmother likes turtles for another reason. “The turtle
is older than the dinosaur,” she tells me. “It carries time upon
its back.”
2

We belong to the Sea
Turtle Clan, one of the few
clans that live in a village under
the ocean. Inside our domed
village shell we breathe, eat,
and sleep like land people.
Outside the shell — in the
ocean — we’re excellent
swimmers. We can talk to
sea turtles. That’s how our clan
got its name.
Grandmother is a Talker,
and so are many of my elders.
I can’t communicate with the
turtles. I hear the sounds of the
air bubbles slowly escaping their
mouths, but none of it sounds
like words or even transmissions.
Grandmother says my time will
come. “Your mother was a great
Talker,” she says confidently.
“Someday you will be, too.”
3

Last night, I had a strange dream about my mother.
She was swimming silently around the outside of the village.
She seemed more turtle than human. She stared into my eyes as
though trying to tell me an important message. “I don’t
understand,” I called to her. “I’m not a Talker!” She began
grinding and gnashing her teeth, the way turtles do when
they’re upset. The clamor grew louder until I woke up in my
nest in a sticky sweat.
Over breakfast, I told Grandmother about my dream.
“What did it mean Did Mother have an urgent message for
me What was she trying to say”
Grandmother’s brow pinched, as though she was
struggling with some internal conflict. I never knew my parents.
Maybe Grandmother would finally tell me about them!
Grandmother cleared her throat. “What you do is more
important than what you say,” she said wisely.
We finished our breakfast in silence.
4

She-turtle
Today I saw She-turtle — that’s what I call her anyway.
I went for a swim with Grandmother after breakfast to gather
some things for supper. I found myself swimming alone through
a bed of seaweed. The tall grassy strands clustered around me,
grabbing at my legs like octopus tentacles. I resisted the urge to
thrash my legs free. Kicking that fast would only attract sharks.
Forcing myself to move slowly, I shook off the weedy tangle and
freed myself. That’s when I saw her.
There is something special about She-turtle. She only
comes by every two or three years, which is how often sea turtles
lay eggs. I think the island nearby must be her nesting ground.
Her feeding grounds could be hundreds of miles away, which
would explain why I don’t see her very often. When I do
see her, it seems as though she’s made a point of
seeking me out.
5

She-turtle seemed
very different today, restless
somehow. Her huge dark eyes
stared into mine, willing me to
pay attention. I became very
still and stared back. The space
between us was so quiet, it
almost hummed. I never knew
silence could be like that, so full
of energy. I felt like I was about
to learn something profound
when I felt a prickly poke on
the bottom of my foot. I jerked
around to see Grandmother
holding a net bag full of spiny
sea urchins. When I turned back
around, She-turtle had vanished.
6

The Sea-Turtle Clan
This afternoon, the elders gathered for Meeting. I’m only
12, but Grandmother brought me along. She wants me to
understand the way the world works. “More children should
attend Meeting,” she said. “They’ll be elders someday, too.”
“Besides,” she added in a sing-song voice, “They’re serving
kelp cakes.” She knows I adore seaweed cakes, but I don’t need
to be coaxed. I like Meeting. It’s held at the top of the village,
just beneath the shell dome. I like to watch the light make
patterns on the shell and see all the underwater creatures go
swimming by.
Meeting follows the same routine. First, there are speeches
about our clan’s history. Today one of the elders talked about
how the Sea Turtle Clan came into being:
“Long ago, Earth and its creatures struggled to
survive amid the pollution that covered both land and sea.
Then, a small group of people began to study the sea turtle.
They realized the turtle had survived natural disasters over
millions of years. It was a great keeper of Earth’s history — but
now it was dying at the hands of humans.”
“For years, the turtles cried for help, but no one
listened. Bulldozers destroyed turtle nesting grounds to erect
extravagant homes. Plastics dumped into the oceans filled the
turtles’ bellies. They grew sick from chemicals and pollution.
People killed nesting turtles on beaches. They harvested so
many of their eggs that entire generations would never hatch.”
7

“Around the world, turtle watchers learned to listen to
the turtle cries. They became the founders of Sea Turtle Clan.
They told other land people that Earth was off-balance, warned
them that when the last turtle died, so would Earth itself.
Finally, leaders around the world responded. They cleaned the
ocean, land, and air of all pollution. They signed a pact to end
turtle hunting and egg harvesting forever.”
“Such is the legacy of Sea Turtle Clan.”
After the speech, Grandmother stood. She hardly ever
speaks in Meeting, so I put down my kelp cake to listen.
“The turtles perceive some sort of new threat,” said
Grandmother. The elders murmured, and several stirred in
their chairs. Grandmother continued.
“They do not understand this threat, but instinct makes
them uneasy,” she said.
More murmurs filled the room. Without consciously
making a decision to do so, I found myself standing, too.
“Why don’t we talk to the land people” I blurted.
“Maybe they can tell us something.” The room grew quiet
again, as the elders turned to stare at me. I glanced at
Grandmother for support, but she just looked at me with
a doleful expression. I didn’t understand her reaction. Until this
moment, Grandmother had always encouraged me to
participate in the world around me.
“We will continue this discussion next time,” one of the
elders declared.
9

Malu’s Origins
Grandmother and I left Meeting without talking.
The awkward silence swelled as we made our way back down
the hill. I had to say something to break up the uncomfortable
atmosphere that had developed between us.
“Grandmother, after Sea Turtle Clan moved
into the ocean, did any clan members ever
return to live on land”
10

Grandmother unfurrowed her brow and looked at me.
“Some lived on land for a while,” she answered, “but it made
more sense to stay in the ocean and live closer to the turtle.”
“But even turtles spend some time on land. She-turtles lay
their eggs on beaches,” I countered.
“Of course,” said Grandmother. “But once we were able to
talk with the turtle, we no longer needed to watch them from
afar. By that time, we had grown so accustomed to our ocean
home that none wanted to leave.” We reached our nest and
went inside.
“You’re kidding!” I said. “In the whole clan, over hundreds
of years, nobody ever wanted to return to land” Grandmother
looked at me sharply, then sighed.
“You need to hear something,” she said. “You are old
enough now, I think.”
Grandmother brewed a pot of tea and set two cups on the
table. After the tea was poured, she began to speak.
“Your mother was very willful, as many gifted children
are,” she said. “She began talking to turtles at a very young
age and often went exploring far from the village. After your
mother came of age, she began taking even longer trips from
home, during which she would visit land people.”
Grandmother continued, “In time, she fell in love with
an islander, and they got married. Your grandfather and I were
heartbroken. Your mother was a great Talker, and we had hoped
she would stay in the village. Our village needs gifted leaders.”
She looked at me closely as she said this.
11

I nodded. Is this why Grandmother takes me to Meeting
Does she think I could be a great leader someday
Grandmother gazed into her teacup. “One night, your
mother had a powerful dream, in which she dreamed that she
would not survive the birth of her child — a son. When she
awoke, she knew the dream had foretold the future, and she
knew what she had to do.”
I gulped, but could not speak. I nodded for her to go on.
“One moonlit night, your mother’s time had come.
She and her husband went to the island beach, which was
empty, except for one she-turtle who had crawled upon the
shore to lay her eggs. Side by side, the two mothers delivered
their young. The she-turtle dug a hole and laid her eggs inside
of it, and there on the sand your mother gave birth to you.
Your father named you Malu, meaning peace.”
“Before your mother died, she kissed you goodbye.
‘Let him go,’ she told your father. ‘He will come back to you
someday.’ Your mother spoke to the she-turtle for a long time.
When the turtle agreed to take you to our clan, your father
tied you to the turtle’s back. He held your mother as she lay
dying, and they watched the turtle carry you into the ocean.
You plunged into the water like a turtle hatchling.”
12

A flurry of thoughts stirred wildly inside of me.
“Maybe that’s why I can hold my breath for so long,” I said
weakly. I could feel a torrent of emotions starting to build up
inside of me — sadness, anger, loss, and confusion.
“I know this much,” Grandmother answered. “Your father
truly loved you, to give you up that way. He lost his beloved
wife and son, all in one night.”
At these words, my emotions reached the surface, and
I lashed out. “Where is my father” I demanded. “Is he
still alive”
“I only know what the she-turtle told me 12 years ago,”
said Grandmother quietly. “I haven’t seen or heard from
her since.”
I wondered about the she-turtle I saw today. Could it be
the same one that carried me from the beach to Sea Turtle
Clan I pushed away this thought for the time being, and
allowed my anger to flare again. “Why did you wait so long to
tell me about my parents How could you keep this from me
for so long”
I didn’t even give Grandmother time to answer. I rushed
out. I needed to swim.
14

Attack
I didn’t take time to grab flippers or an air suit. I dove
in the water and swam away from the village, away from
Grandmother, away from Sea Turtle Clan. I beat at the water
with my legs, kicking as hard as I could, letting the anger
pulse through me. I paid no attention to where I was going or
what I was doing. All I could think about was how the truth of
my parents had been hidden from me for so long. And then
it happened.
I saw a flash of silver out of the corner of my eye, then
I saw the dorsal fin and froze. I looked up in slow motion, and
my eyes met the cold eyes of a tiger shark swimming directly
toward me. I gasped, causing seawater to rush into my mouth
and nose, burning my throat. As I struggled to get away, the
shark circled around and sank its teeth into my leg. Pain roared
through me, and I let out a silent scream through the water.
I tasted more salt as seawater poured down my throat and into
my lungs. Then everything went dark.
I felt no pain, just a sense of calm. Somehow, She-turtle
faced me, and I became aware of a low, steady hum that acted
almost as a tether between us — and then she spoke. She-turtle
told me things, and I listened and understood — things about
my mother and father, and Grandmother, too. She also warned
me of a great danger that was coming.
15

The Warning
The next thing I knew, I was back in our nest.
Grandmother was treating a nasty wound on my leg.
“I dreamed I was a Talker,” I said groggily. Grandmother
looked up, startled. She quickly wiped at her tears.
“Tell me your dream, Malu,” she said in a choked voice.
I told her about my dream and how the silence of
turtles wasn’t just an empty void as it had always been before.
Instead, it was a steady, humming sound.
Grandmother smiled. “That was not a dream,” she said.
“You did speak with the turtle. She saved you from the shark
and brought you here to me, just as she did 12 years ago.”
So it was true. She-turtle had spoken to me as she had
once spoken to my mother. I had become a Talker. Suddenly,
I remembered more. “Grandmother, she gave me a warning!
The island people are planning to hunt turtles again!” I sat up
as the memory came flooding back. “My father wants to stop
them, but he cannot change their minds. He needs my help!”
16

Grandmother drew a sharp intake of breath. “So that is
why the turtles are so agitated,” she said.
“We have to do something!” I cried. “We must talk with
the land people — now!”
She frowned and shook her head. “We cannot act in haste.
Go to sleep, Malu, and I will sleep, too. We will contemplate
what to do, and in the morning, we will speak to the elders.”
With that, she bent down, kissed my forehead, and left.
17

A Leaving, a Return
I tossed restlessly in my nest, but I could not sleep.
At times it is good to think before you act, but some internal
instinct warned me that I needed to act quickly. I had to find my
father and help him stop the turtle hunt before it was too late.
As I gathered my things, I realized with determination
that this was the reason I had been brought to Sea Turtle Clan.
My mother and father had let me go so I could learn the ways
of the turtle. And now, as my mother had foretold on the day
of my birth, I would return to my father. I would teach the land
people the ways of the turtle, and my father and I would make
them see that if we lose the turtle, we lose Earth itself.
I stepped quietly to where Grandmother lay sleeping.
I closed my eyes and grew very still, reaching out to her using
that special connection that the people of Sea Turtle Clan
shared. Inside the steady humming that enveloped us, I sent her
a message:
Our people spoke to the land people long, long ago.
Now it is time to speak again. I am going now, but I will
return someday. I love you, Grandmother.
Grandmother stirred and then settled. In her sleep,
she smiled.
18

Responding
TARGET SKILL Story Structure Who are
the main characters in Swimming Silently
What is the story’s plot Copy and complete the
chart below.
Characters:
Setting: A domed
shell village under the
Pacific Ocean
Plot:
Write About It
Text to Self Write a brief fictional narrative in
which the main character has an unusual ability.
Before you begin, create a list of ideas for
possible plot conflicts in your story.
19

TARGET VOCABULARY
accustomed
clamor
clustered
coaxed
doleful
swiveled
torrent
transmissions
urgent
void
TARGET SKILL Story Structure Examine details
about characters, setting, and plot.
TARGET STRATEGY Monitor/Clarify As you read,
notice what isn’t making sense. Find ways to figure
out the parts that are confusing.
GENRE Science Fiction is a fantasy story whose plot
often depends on scientific ideas.
Write About It
In a famous quotation, Aung San Suu Kyi said,
“Please use your freedom to promote ours.”
What freedoms do you value most Why Write
a letter to the editor of a Burmese newspaper
explaining the freedoms you have and why they
are important to you.
20

Level: T
DRA: 44
Genre:
Science Fiction
Strategy:
Monitor/Clarify
Skill:
Story Structure
Word Count: 2,811
6.1.4
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
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