Green light

‘They are so slooow…’ Shouted the little kid. He picked up a tiny stick and tried to poke them to make them move.

‘Too slow!’

His mother rushed to him and scolded him, making sure he didn’t disturb the two creatures they met at the beach.

There were two turtles lying on the sandy beach stretching their necks back and forth while flickering light played with them leaving reflections from the water on their faces.

‘Sunny,’ he said.

‘Like in childhood,’ she sighed.

‘Yeah…’

A huge dragonfly dashed in and out and was lost again in her busy existence before they could even reflect on it.

‘When we were young, they didn’t have that bridge over there. In fact, they were just starting to build those bridges. Made this corner busier,’ She said.

‘Yes,’ he agreed, ‘They brought too much commotion and noise with them.’

‘Traffic,’ she corrected.

‘What?’

‘They call it traffic.’

‘Ah, yes. Loud. Meaningless.’

‘Oh Frank, you never learned to treat the world without judgment… Other life forms. Other speeds.’

‘Why should I? I’ll tell you what I see. What I see is that it is meaningless.

The ocean was always blue. But it was quieter. And cleaner.’

‘Yes, it was blue. When I was a little turtle, it seemed crystal blue, and sometimes even lighter than that, almost teal,’ smiled the other turtle.

‘Hm… Sometimes I still see those colors but rarely now. But I am still enjoying it the same.’

The ocean was glistening in the midday sun. Silent. Infinite. Indifferent to any life forms or speeds. Or thoughts that others had about it.

But even the ocean had its limits and with this shore where it ended, it stretched its arm into the land and formed an inlet, so big that it looked like a lake or river with the two banks. Only if you looked further far to your left, you could see an opening and a horizon line of water and sky, you knew it was an inlet and not a river or lake.

‘Are we old, Frank?’

‘We are. You know it. But I am not giving up. I made my statement, and I will make sure it stays.’

‘Frank, Frank, Frank. Nothing will stay when… after… we see the green light.’

‘My dignity will stay. Other turtles will always speak of Frank as a turtle who knew what he was doing. Who spoke what he was thinking. Acted fair and lived his life with dignity.’

She sighed again.

The sun was slowly leaving the position of two inches under the zenith but was still high, still about five inches above the horizon. Light breeze gave a sign of the approaching evening. A glistening face of the ocean started to get wrinkly.

‘Molly, don’t be sad. We will see it together. Remember? And it will meet us peacefully.’

‘I know, Frank. I know.’

The bridge was getting busier, indicating the rush hour soon. It was a modern bridge and tourists liked to take pictures of it in the background. Tourists like schools of fish came and went in waves. There were tourist seasons. And when they would leave, the bridge and the whole town looked relieved. As if they too got tired of noise and garish curiosity.

‘Perhaps we should go swim. Will you, my lady?’

‘I certainly will.’

She was happy to come back to routine, the conversation made her sad. Lately she was getting sad easily. She was only a year older than Frank. Sometimes she would think of all the life they had together. Of their children that all grew up and left. Then she would go further back in time to her childhood and remember her own parents. And the waves of the ocean then and the embrace of the hot sand after a swim. She felt it the same still like at childhood. Some things didn’t change and it gave her peace to know that.

They were swimming like they always did. Probably like they did when they were only few days old, and then when they were few decades old. They didn’t feel their age, they didn’t think much, they belonged there. It was their world. Their pace. The speed on the ground was different. And it was their speed too. Only different. They never questioned it, in fact they enjoyed both the land and the ocean. Small fish and seagulls can’t slow down. Fussy and bustling, they have minds too tiny to slow down and reflect on things. Frank and Molly were turtles.

‘We are lucky to live this life, Frank.’

‘We are.’

The sunset was majestic every evening. It changed stages from pale pink to golden. For years and years. But if you watched it every evening, you would know every time it was different. Never the same and always stunning.

‘I would stay like this forever,’ said Molly.

‘And sure, you will.’

‘Oh Frank, how glad I am to spend my life with you.’

The evening became cooler and even the bridge wasn’t that busy. The ocean was turning deep blue as the sun had already set. Two turtles were resting and as they closed their eyes that evening, they saw the ocean light up green. Molly would say it was the same crystal green color as it was when she was born.

***

Next morning was good for a swim. It wasn’t too hot. Light breeze and waves attracted families with kids and some beginner surfers.

‘Mom, mom!’

‘I told you not to poke the turtles!’

‘I didn’t, mom! Oh no… I think they died.’

‘They are just resting, Sweetie. Turtles have a very different speed of life. They must be just resting.’