I watched my strange friends as we traversed the red sands of the beach. The left one, 'Max', and the right one, 'Jane' walked side by side. I laid my reptilian body on the head of the woman. Her blue hair made for an excellent bed to rest my glorious form upon.

I pondered while I slept. I did that a lot now, pondering. Ever since I had been able to now think clearly, I have pondered. Pond-ered. Poooondered. Pondeeeerred. Po... Ok, I'll stop.

The left giant named me Turtley the 18th, a name I felt distaste for during my less intelligent days. The 18th? That meant there were 17 before me! How could I share my name with the dozen-plus turtles before me? I didn't even know any of them! He called it the 'prestige', but I hated it! I was me, and there weren't any other me's in the world!

Then, there was all that crazy air strangeness and panicked screaming and dangerous skydiving. I had no clue what was going on, but I knew that comforting Max was the right way to go about it. He protected me from the metal squishers after all. I even found out he was reverent of the Almighty Turtle just like I am; so much in common.

Then there was that black lightning that stabbed me over and over again, especially once we crashed through the wall. I have no clue what it was, but that event led to me being able to think clearer and have more complex thought. I be a smart turtle now.

I loved my new and improved big brain, slowly feeling the bond between Max and I. He was my brother from another mother; a shelless friend. Nothing could separate us! Well, disregarding all the times that we were separated. Those don't count. We were together in spirit the entire time. Doors be damned!

Twice! Twice he left me on the other side of a door. Do I look like a velociraptor? I can't open doors! Wrong lineage pal! But, he gave me leaves as we traveled, so I allowed the slights he had pulled; measly jokes I'm sure.

Backtracking a bit, the void was wack. Max's hands shook while he held me; his fear evident. I couldn't see anything, only hear the voice of a preditor and curl up into my shell for safety. The void strangely lead to a planet where we did some wicked skydiving. I didn't know the name for it until Max commented on it while grumbling, but it was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. Flying through the sky like a bird? Yes please! And better yet, I didn't need to have those stuping fragile wings to do it!

The downside was that Max died from hitting the water while going too fast. Personally, I was able to slip into the water unharmed. Small mass yo. My moment of glory faded when I saw my new friend dispersing through the water. I got some of him in my mouth! Oddly, he tasted like chicken. I didn't know what chicken tasted like, but my improved brain made the connection anyway.

The ocean bit I slept through. My massive brain needed a ton of energy to keep going, and frankly, I was running low. I couldn't even find seaweed in the ocean. It was like a dessert. but really really wet, and salty, and cold, and empty.

I woke up when he placed me on his head once he spotted land. I was underwhelmed by the development. All I could see from there was a single measly tree. That was, like what, 10 snacks, at most?

My joy grew when I was able to see more and more land, finding hundreds of trees and even some grass. Max struggled to bring me to shore, so I made a note to repay him for that. While he was passed out, I helped him find some water. That was super nice of me, a real Type B personality there; taking one for the team! It was refreshing to have clean water fall on my back, washing away the slowly accumulating salt and sand.

Consciousness is odd.

I never realized how much I was missing when I was a regular turtle. The sensations, the experiences, the imagination. That was the best part of it all, the endless imagination that came along with thought.

I wished for even more friends to share the new special feelings I was feeling, and the Almighty Turtle answered my prayers. It was on that same island that we met the right giant, Jane. I bounced with joy at the thought of new friends. We'd play together and eat some leaves; Max... wasn't as happy as I was. I escaped from my cave and watched their interactions; excited for the future.

But he treated them so poorly. Was this how people were meant to be treated? My small library of memories said it wasn't, this was WRONG. Max was so nice to me, he saved me from death, and I saved him back. That was what friends did, help each other when in need. That was what they were supposed to do to other people. Without witness, without reward.

This group looked like they had just been through hell, yet Max continued to make it worse for them. He beat them unconscious and started to dig holes for them. I watched with horror as he slapped them awake and killed one of them. I won't be like that. EVER. Even so, I still loved Max, he was the one there for me the most; I couldn't leave him, so I needed to change him.

Max killed more, right in front of my eyes. He reveled in it, staring down at them like they were less than nothing. But after a while, he let Jane survive. He gave her a name, just like he had given me mine, and dug her out of the pit.

What followed was weeks of preparation for our great island escape. I spent some time hanging around Jane, trying to cheer her up and tell her that things would be ok. She just stared into the fire absentmindedly. She needed someone to talk to. Someone to listen to her sadness and comfort her. Unfortunately, I couldn't be that person, because I am a turtle, and turtles can't talk.

The time arrived when we left the island. It was an amazing feat. I prayed that we would make it to land again just like we had the first time.

And wouldn't you know it, a sea serpent rose out of the water and offered us a ride to land. I thought she was just your ordinary skyscraper-sized seas serpent, but she could talk! She spoke to me while she spoke to Max.

"I sense some intellect in you, little brother."

I was excited to find a new friend, "Hi! I'm Turtley the 18th wanna be friends?"

The serpent cast a mental smile on me, "Sure, we can be friends. My name is Uilo. I am a sea serpent."

"COOOOOL! I'm a turtle, it's even in my name too."

"You are an adorable little turtle, and one touched by the essence of creation, having received the gift of thought."

I had no clue what that means, but I guess it had something to do with that black lightning that kept stabbing us.

Our conversation then changed to more mundane things, like the meaning of life and the reason for existence; the things that come up in casual conversation. And boy did they make time fly. I found our trip suddenly stop when we arrived a bit away from the shoreline.

"This is where I take my leave, little brother. May your power grow, and your wisdom prosper."

"Bye!"

I waved one of my little arms and watched as she slithered into the water.

Max had grabbed what he called 'Mr. Axe' and approached Jane. No! You don't kill friends! I tried to run at them, but I was too slow. He raised the axe with the full intent to kill. I prayed to the Almighty that Jane would live, and Max stopped entirely.

I wondered why, when we were suddenly boarded by more people. More friends! Yay! Max stopped trying to kill Jane and everyone was happy.

I moved in front of Jane to walk to be with the new woman on the raft. She looked pretty and had a big smile on her face. It was only at the last second that I realized it was a bad smile, the kind that signified someone was not a good guy.

A saw a shadow of a foot raise over me. *Gulp*. I tried to dodge roll out of the way, throwing my tiny body, but I was too slow. I close my eyes and waited for the inevitable. The doom that was to come.

Suddenly, I felt warm hands wrap around me. Death had claimed my soul.

Turtle god?

I open my eyes to find that I was kept securely in Jane's hands. She held me with such care and consideration, like she was afraid my shell would crack at the slightest touch. She saved me, my little turtle self. Did she care for turtles like Max did?

I hope she isn't as fanatical as him though.

I saw Max continued to slaughter others just like him. I would have called it needless, but there was clearly a need here. The man and the woman needed neutralizing, but with the boy, Max went too far.

It was like watching him compress the sailor's chests to death. Though this time, his expression was filled with burning fury. I had never seen him angry before. Calm, scared, excited, aloof, all those emotional bits, but never anger. He killed others like a butcher cuts meat.

That poor child.

I knew they were bad guys, but couldn't he have just sent him away with a stern warning? Apparently not. I watched as he stabbed the boy's heart, just to make sure. Brutal.

The bodies were then rolled off our raft and into the ocean.

I watched Max struggle with something. I couldn't tell what it was, but he looked conflicted. He and Jane exchanged a few words and he reached out a hand for her; she took it, standing up and helping him fix the sail with a broad smile on her face.

I should become the Turtle pope at this point with how often my prayers work.

We made it to shore shortly after and made our way to Jane's house. It was an eye-opening experience. I got to see buildings I had never seen before. The architecture (like I'd know what that was, I'm a turtle) was amazing. To think that all this was built by hand completely blew my newly expanded brain.

Then we came to the dreaded door. The scene of my abandonment. All was well, Jane was sent through the metallic barrier and Max sat with me on a nearby bench, waiting in the shade for her to come back.

After a few dozen minutes, I felt us moving again, headed towards the door once more. This time, I was the one left at its entrance.

Max! Don't leave me! Where are you going!? I thought we were friends...

The door opened and I saw a smiling Jane. She looked around, evidently trying to find Max, but only found me. Her warm hands held me carefully as she drew me into her chest. We had been abandoned together, left behind by my supposed friend.

Jane sat in a wooden chair and started to quietly cry. I wanted to cry too, but my tears physically weren't influenced by my emotions. Even so, my pain was real. We found comfort in the fact that we had each other.

Jane took me as a sign that Max would return, she had caught on to his fanaticism. That knowledge didn't stop the pain of feeling like he didn't trust us. Jane's parents were hugging her and were embracing us in the tightest family hug.

Jane's parents thought her dead. She had shown up just as they were losing hope for her safe return. It was nice to see such pure love. It was a first for me. Max's love towards turtles was unhealthy, while Jane's attachment to Max was like a binding black tar, only getting stronger the more twisted it became.

A few hours later, Max knocked on the door and we went to greet him. Jane threw herself into his chest, crying about how he left us. I wanted to give him a piece of my mind too, but I was just a turtle, I couldn't talk.

They reconciled and Max spoke with Jane's parents. I just waited patiently for Max to be free once again. My stomach shell area felt a little cold without his warmth beneath it. They moved on from their chat and started to sleep. I claimed Max's chest, the warmest area to warm my blood.

In the morning, we set off, following a fairly detailed map of the area. This quest to reach my brothers and sisters was turning into quite a chore.

We first came across this blue ravine-looking thing and started to move through it. The dark made me shiver, it was just too cold. I would have started to get turtle hypothermia if I wasn't attached to Max's warm body.

He was like an unlimited power source, feeding me constant health. The area was filled with this fine dust as well, and it made Jane sick. Max was super worried for her and even started to carry her. Physical contact, one step in the right direction.

Then, like magic, a door appeared that ended up sucking Max into it. That was door number 2 that took my friend from me. Door were now public enemy number 1 for me, followed right behind by lacking leaf feeding.

I had felt a warm energy flow through me a while into the time that Max was gone and a few hours later from that, there was a warm energy that flowed through Jane and I, healing her completely. Jane was relieved and I had a few questions about it.

Max appeared before us and we continued the journey. We ended up in this insane poppy field that nearly killed Jane, but Max was able to save us all by running out at full speed. We sat around on the ground just outside the forest while making a new route plan.

Our new idea was to start walking on the beach and just go around all the dangerous bits.

All was going well until things took a strange turn when Jane and Max were arguing; he ran ahead and ate a funky-colored mushroom, going on a crazy trip that Jane had to work hard to get him out of. I just watched the whole thing, unable to do a thing. He was going crazy! He flung off his clothes and started screaming random sounds, waving his hands in front of his face over and over again. I was starting to get worried for him, Max was strong-willed, but this was just insane. Then, Max said something while looking at me that caused me great irritation, "You can talk!"

He was looking right at me, surprised by this new revelation.

I most certainly can't talk, I'm a turtle.