Lesson 4:Swimming Silently

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