by Chen Jiatong
Egg slowly withdrew his flipper, grinning in satisfaction.
Fred scurried toward the sea, turning back to holler, “You blasted seal! I won’t let you get away with this again!” With that, he dove into the water, leaving behind a small trail of snow-white foam floating on the surface. Dilah and Egg looked at each other.
“Every. Single. Time,” Egg said, grinning.
They continued along the coastline. The winter sun was low in the sky now, but it was holding itself above the horizon for a little longer with each passing day. Spring was on its way: The air was warming up, the icebergs were melting, and flocks of seabirds filled the air.
At last, a huge green rock loomed out against the golden sand.
“That’s him!” Egg said under his breath.
“Really?” Dilah cocked his head. He couldn’t see it! The rock was a crude half sphere, glowing bright green in the sun as if covered with seaweed or moss. But as they drew closer, he started to pick out distinctly unrocklike details. For instance, the bottom of the rock was scalloped like the hemline of a skirt, and there were peculiar zigzags and crisscrosses etched on the surface, like the paths and passageways of a labyrinth. What’s more, a circle of strange lacelike symbols traced the lower part of the rock. Egg had been right: They really did resemble the symbols on the moonstone’s leather parcel!
“Grandpa Turtle!” Egg called.
“Hmm … hello?” an old hoarse voice grumbled from the rock. At the same time, a head, four flippers, and a tail slowly poked out.
The turtle’s skin was pale green and heavily wrinkled, his face a web of creases. His eyelids drooped halfway down and there were heavy bags beneath his bulging eyes. His cheeks sagged like curtains as he raised his head and stared listlessly down his beak at the two uninvited guests.
“Grandpa Turtle, it’s me, Egg!”
“Egg? I haven’t heard of you …” He squinted. “Are you a walrus?” He reached into his shell and pulled out a pair of delicate gold-rimmed glasses. He put on the glasses and scrutinized Egg.
Egg had just started explaining who he was when Grandpa Turtle interrupted him. “Ah, yes, you’re that seal pup who’s always asking me strange questions … I’m sorry, I’m not as young as I used to be—my eyesight’s going, my memory’s going, my mind wanders …” he said, drawing out each word. “I saw your parents not that long ago …”
“Oh? How are they?” Egg asked with concern.
“They’ve seen better days. They asked after you,” the old turtle said. Then he frowned. “Hey, how’d you know I was here, anyway?”
“I ran into Fred on the way. He said you were here searching for rare—”
“Pink pearls? Hmph! That rascal told me he’d found some on the ocean floor nearby. I’ve been searching and searching, and nothing! Zip! Zilch! Nada!” His spectacles were all steamed up. “He also tricked me into giving him two swordfish for a white pearl. I promise you, one day he’s going to end up on a human’s dinner table!”
At the thought of Grandpa Turtle and Fred cheating each other, and each complaining about being cheated by the other, Dilah sniggered.
“Hmm … and who might you be?” The turtle’s glasses had cleared up. They magnified his round eyes as he peered down at Dilah.
“Grandpa Turtle,” said Egg, “this is my friend Dilah. We’d like to ask you some questions.”
“Oh? Ask me some questions? But I’m just an old turtle. My eyesight’s going, my memory’s going, my mind wanders. I don’t know anything …” Grandpa Turtle looked at Egg expectantly.
“Pah! There’s nothing in this world that Grandpa Turtle doesn’t know!” Egg smiled winningly. He’s certainly quick to lay on the sweet talk, thought Dilah.
“Everyone calls me a walking encyclopedia!” the turtle chuckled, his loose, wrinkly throat wobbling. “But I never share my knowledge for free …” He gave Egg a sidelong glance.
“Oh, of course,” Egg said. “What would you like?”
“Five tuna.” Suddenly, the old turtle doesn’t sound so feeble!
“That’s outrageous. I’ll catch you three,” Egg immediately countered.
The old sea turtle shook his wrinkled head in disappointment. “I’m just an old turtle. My eyesight’s going, my memory’s going, my mind wanders. I can’t afford to hand out my precious knowledge for a measly three tuna.”
“In this season, it’s hard to find tuna,” Egg pleaded.
“Oh, look at me, an old bag of bones!” Grandpa Turtle sighed. “All right, for your poor mother’s sake, how about four?” he proposed, narrowing his eyes.
Egg nodded.
“It’s a deal!” Grandpa Turtle boomed at the top of his lungs, instantly perking up. “So … what would you and this little fox like to ask me?” He watched Dilah with great interest, his neck outstretched, his voice low and gravelly.
Dilah glanced at Egg doubtfully. The seal nodded and Dilah took a deep breath. “I’d like you to help me figure out what these symbols mean.” He removed the parcel from his neck and opened it. In an instant, it was as if a blue fire had been lit upon the white sand, as the moonstone glittered in the last rays of the sun.
“Good heavens!” Grandpa Turtle gasped, his mouth agape. “That … that’s …” He stared in shock at the moonstone, its curved surface reflecting its own light.
“They call it the moonstone,” Dilah said.
“Moonstone? I’ve never seen such a gorgeous treasure … How many untold treasures are you Arctic foxes hiding?” the old sea turtle muttered, greedily eyeing the moonstone. “Anyway, you mentioned something about symbols …”
Dilah picked up the leather and held it close to Grandpa Turtle’s eyes.
“Hmm, let me have a look … ‘I was formed in the Arctic. I bring hope and guide the way … I shall follow my new master, in search of my other half’ …” Grandpa Turtle took his time reciting the poem, before apparently absorbing each of the symbols below it one by one.
“There’s a line below the riddle,” Dilah said. “It’s written in the same symbols that are on your shell. Can you read it?”
There was a moment of silence.
“Hmm … this is Classical Animalese.”
“Classical Animalese?” Dilah and Egg said in unison.
“Yes. It’s an ancient animal script. Almost all the animals who can read it are extinct,” he said, a little sadly. “Lucky for you, I’m still here. If my understanding is correct, it means: ‘When you’re lost, let the sky lead the way,’ ” the turtle slowly explained.
“ ‘When you’re lost, let the sky lead the way …’ ” Dilah repeated, frowning and gazing up at the darkening blue sky, as if it contained the answers.
“So then,” said the old turtle, “it seems that the rumor is true—the patron saint of the white foxes really did leave behind a treasure for his descendants. I can make out a little of the poem, but it’s hard to understand …” Grandpa Turtle was lost in thought, an inscrutable expression flitting across his face.
“What can you make out?” Dilah asked eagerly.
“Hmm … I’m afraid not, little fox. I’ve already answered your question.” The old turtle’s eyelids fluttered slightly and closed.
“Well then, thank you,” Dilah said, slightly disappointed.
“I’ll give you ten pieces of gold coral and fifty black pearls in exchange for the moonstone,” the turtle offered, motioning toward the stone with his front flipper, extending a single claw toward it …
Dilah snatched the stone out of reach. “No way. My mama gave this to me. It’s priceless.”
“Hmph, stubborn little fellow. I’m warning you, this stone will bring you danger—”
“I’m not afraid!”
“Ha! More fool you. Well then, make good use of this stone; it will change your fate,” Grandpa Turtle said, gazing at Dilah with surprisingly kind eyes. “I’ve spent long enough in the sun, and I’ve rested enough, and so I think it’s time for me to set out on another treasure hunt
.” He tucked his glasses into his shell and trudged toward the sea. “You can wait to give me those four tuna until you’ve had a chance to catch them, little seal, but beware: I’ll add interest … Also, Egg, if you have time, go see your parents. After all, they’re getting on in years.”
“I know. Thank you, Grandpa Turtle!” Egg said with a smile.
The huge old turtle crawled to the shore, cast a mysterious grin back at Dilah—the expression on his face unreadable—then slowly sank into the sea, vanishing into the vast waters.
“Dilah, what does the moonstone have to do with your patron saint?” Egg asked.
Dilah sat down, wrapping his large fluffy tail carefully around his paws. It was time to tell Egg everything—after all, he had proved himself a true friend. “Before she died, Mama told me that the moonstone could lead me to a great, secret treasure left by Ulla.”
“What’s the secret treasure?”
“I’m not sure. I guess it wouldn’t be a secret if everyone knew … but supposedly, it can turn animals into humans.”
“Turn animals into humans?!” Egg’s eyes grew large with excitement. But then he frowned. “So you plan to find the treasure and then turn into a human?”
Dilah remembered the human family he’d been watching, how varied and exciting and full of possibility their lives had appeared to be, and he nodded. “Yes, that’s my dream!”
“Wow!” Egg said admiringly … and maybe a little skeptically. “Based on what Grandpa Turtle said, have you figured out how the moonstone works?”
“ ‘When you’re lost, let the sky lead the way …’ Nope, I still have no idea,” Dilah sighed.
“Maybe try opening the parcel beneath the sky?” Egg suggested.
“Just now it was open beneath the sky, and nothing happened,” Dilah pointed out.
After a thoughtful pause, Egg spoke again. “Maybe we’re misinterpreting it? Like, maybe you’re supposed to throw it in the air, or place it under a particular part of the sky?”
Dilah shrugged. “Let’s try.” He tossed the moonstone in the air. It arced high and spun as it fell. It bumped onto Egg’s head, then rolled to the ground. Nothing special happened.
“Dilah, over here—try it over here!” The two friends tried over and over as the sun slunk into the sea, leaving a red halo on the horizon.
As night fell, they decided to rest. Stars dotted the sky, gazing down with twinkling, blinking eyes. The full moon rose, spilling bright light onto the earth. The sea was pitch-dark beneath the moonlight, rising and falling, wave after wave crashing onto the shore. One would wash over Dilah’s and Egg’s feet, then another, dissolving into snow-white foam with a splash. Scowling, Dilah sat on the beach, frustrated that they hadn’t figured out how to use the moonstone, even after consulting Grandpa Turtle. He felt guilty too—Egg had committed to paying four fish for the old turtle’s useless translation.
“Look, the moon tonight is so pretty!” said Egg, craning his neck.
“The moon!” Eureka! Dilah scrambled to his feet and gazed up at the mysterious moon.
Memories whirled in Dilah’s mind. I’m filled with sky and moon … when you’re lost, let the sky lead the way … “It’s the moonstone!” he cried.
“What? So what?” Egg looked confused.
“That’s how the moonstone works!” Dilah said, jumping up and down excitedly. “Moonlight!”
Dilah scrambled to unwrap the leather parcel, exposing the stone to the moonlight. They held their breath, eyes fixed on the moonstone. At first, nothing happened—but then, the small crescent moon in the center of the moonstone began glowing with a golden light.
“Look!” squeaked Egg excitedly.
Slowly, the moon symbol started to turn. It turned faster and faster until it was a spinning, blurry circle inside the blue crystal of the stone. And then it started to slow down, slower and slower, eventually drawing to a stop. The two ends of the crescent were pointing southeast, like a pair of arrows. A line of light beamed out from the stone, illuminating the path ahead, gently pulsing like a heartbeat.
“We did it! Ulla’s treasure is that way!” Dilah’s eyes glistened.
Egg cheered, clapping his flippers. “We did it! We did it!”
Dilah kept his eyes on the magical stone, his heart beating in time to its golden light. He’d risked his life for this stone, and now, at last, he’d come to understand its secret. As the sea breeze gently ruffled his snow-white fur, he gazed southeast.
“Egg, I’m one step closer to my dream,” Dilah said. “Thank you, my friend. I couldn’t have done it without your help. I’ll leave first thing tomorrow.”
“What? So soon!”
“Yes. I just hope the blue foxes think I’m dead and that the moonstone is lost forever in the sea, but if they catch my trail …” He shook his head. “My best chance is a long head start.”
“All right, all right.” Egg shook his fluffy little head in sadness. “I should go home to my parents—it sounds like they’re worried about me. It looks like it’s time for us to say goodbye …”
Dilah and Egg faced each other and the mood was suddenly somber. Now that he knew how to use the moonstone, Dilah should’ve been on top of the world … but how could he be happy at the thought of saying goodbye to Egg, the only friend he’d ever had? Part of him regretted that they’d figured out how to use the moonstone so quickly.
As the lonely waves washed over the rocks again and again, Dilah and Egg lay wordlessly on the beach, neither of them sleeping, neither of them talking. They simply lay down together and watched the stars. Perhaps this kind of silence was the only way they could think of to say goodbye.
Daylight broke to draw them from the night. The sharp, clear trills of seabirds rang out in the distance. The sky was a sad sort of pale blue streaked with faint white light, like something you’d find on an artist’s palette.
“You’d better hit the road, mate!” Egg said, a forced cheeriness in his voice. “And I’d better hit the waves.”
“Egg, I won’t forget you,” Dilah said, smiling. He lowered his head, suddenly bashful. “You know, last night, you also saw which way the moonstone pointed, didn’t you? In case … I mean … just in case you decide you’d also like to become human, you can find me by heading in that direction.” Even if there was only a glimmer of hope, he wanted to see Egg again.
Egg looked genuinely moved, his whiskers quivering. “OK, Dilah, I’ll follow you someday. We’ll meet again! Let’s swear on it!” Egg extended a large flipper.
Dilah’s furry paw reached out to touch the flipper for a moment, before Egg pulled it back and slapped it against Dilah’s raised paw in a high five.
The young seal slid into the sea until the water was just below his neck. He flipped over, his tail skimming the surface, creating a glittering spray.
“Be careful out there!” Dilah called out, following Egg with his eyes as he disappeared under the surface.
“You too!” Egg’s small head poked out of the water. He waved at Dilah, then turned and vanished into the blue.
Dilah quietly watched Egg disappear, his heart rising and falling like the surf. Since childhood, Dilah had followed his parents and stayed away from other foxes. He’d never had even one friend—until he’d met Egg, he hadn’t truly realized what friendship was. He hoped Egg would always be happy, whether or not he kept his promise and followed Dilah in the end. At least the little seal had his parents: He should appreciate them while he could. Dilah felt a pang in his heart at the thought of his own family.
He turned away from the sea and headed southeast, leaving clover-shaped prints on the sand. From now on, whatever difficulties came his way, he’d have to face them alone.
Dilah ran farther and farther away from the sea, the bright blue waves giving way to a plain covered in snow and ice. Rocks lay bare in the bitter wind. In the distance, snowcapped mountains towered up to the clouds. He shot across the barren land, the moonstone swaying to and fro around his neck. He
ran for days, hardly stopping to rest or eat what little food he found—a half-frozen lemming sustained him for part of the journey, but his stomach was soon painful with constant hunger. Eventually, he spotted a line of pine trees at the end of the snow field. These were the first plants he’d seen for ages. Filled with hope, he bounded toward them.
Dilah stood at the edge of the forest and sniffed, the cold wind slowly pushing him on. He ran. One tree, two trees, three trees … soon the slender trunks were whizzing by as Dilah bounded over softer earth, the sharp pine smell filling his nose as he crushed their needles under his paws. The old, soldier-like trees soared proudly into the clouds, their branches cloaked in thick snow. Dilah kicked playfully at the empty pine cones strewn around, his hunger temporarily forgotten.
In time, though, the cold and hunger wore away his resolve. His head was heavy, his stomach was growling, and his paws felt like they’d been weighed down with lead. Although squirrels and birds flitted in the trees, Dilah wasn’t sure he was fast or strong enough to catch one.
It wasn’t long before darkness fell again; soon, it was as though a black velvet curtain had been drawn across the sky. The stars and moon only shed the faintest of light, as if they too were exhausted. Dilah passed a tall, perfectly straight pine tree, noticing something unusual hanging from a broken branch. Was that a top hat? He frowned, then shivered with a mixture of fear and excitement. Humans must be near.
The more he walked along in the dark, the more he began to lose hope of ever finding food and shelter. But after a while, he saw a yellow light up ahead. He crept toward it. What could it be?
The light grew larger and took on a square shape. It was coming from an old stone cottage that stood alone in the forest, surrounded by silver trees. The walls were made of gray stone, and the roof was blanketed in thick snow. A thin curl of smoke rose from the chimney. A small shoveled path led from the cottage’s wooden door into the depths of the forest.