The World Outside the Shell

Chapter 1

The morning sunrise was my first light on the day the wish of a man, who lived outside of time, became real.

The billowing clouds forming in the distance warned of an approaching storm.

I was behind a waterfall surrounded by an ancient structure, white stones, towering columns, and glittering jewels embedded in the walls.

The ancient building was on the side of a hill, in a forest, overlooking a clearing. I watched a group of people approach the clearing and stand below the towering ruins.

I could hear the conversation, but none of the words were familiar to my understanding of common speech. I noticed how one companion spoke in a musical tone different from the others.

The words left me in a loud shout of excitement “Is this a dream?” I looked to see if the outburst alerted the companions.

I called out. “Hi, I’m over here!”

No response.

I remained hidden behind the cascade of water.

The group set up camp in the afternoon on the dense forest floor, while two people approached the ruins and searched for a path; their body language with focused determination.

I watched multiple attempts to climb the hill failed with both losing their footing on the ruined stones of the building. The man and woman argued, pointing to the highest levels of the temple hill.

I tried to remember a time before the morning sun and drifted into a deep sleep.

The figure in the white robe stepped into view as the stones of the temple rumbled and shifted to create an opening under the cascade of water as he chanted in a low tone.

The flat stone area behind the waterfall supported a large round stone basin, a decorated object with the same interlocking gold and silver ring pattern. I climbed into the basin, which appeared from my perspective close to the ground, as a large container, positioned under the waterfall to catch the mist.

The sides were not much higher than my view, but it took a few tries to scale the carved edge until I scaled the stone edge and fell into the shallow water with a splash.

In a flash with a power I recognized as the lightning from a storm, I transported to another ring.

I considered the reverse direction and transported to a pool of water in another part of the temple near the forest floor, hidden behind a tall flowering plant with spiked thorns.

The spikes could not harm the shell, and I was grateful to be a turtle.

I watched as two men approached the flowering plant and began looking for something.

The men were equal in appearance, with pale long faces and long hair, but one had two large spears on his back, while the other had no visible weapons. The green robes were embroidered with the same gold and silver interlocking rings pattern as the man in the white robe, the man who chanted in a mysterious language near the waterfall.

I soon noticed a woman in a green robe, with long black hair tied in three braids. It was the sharp look in her eyes that pushed me back into the shadows.

The woman approached the waterfall with determination, scaled the heights with effortless grace, entered the ruined building set on a ledge on the side of the hill, and vanished.

In time, the woman returned and climbed down to the forest floor, holding a long golden staff.

I created the artifact in a past life and realized what she was doing in the forest. I shrunk back into the deepest branches of the flowering plant when she started a melodic chant, waving the staff at the base of the temple hill.

I remained hidden, and she returned to the camp.

The long day of new experiences was fading into a restless night, as the sounds of the forest became a distant whisper.

I was falling into a deep sleep and imagined floating in a shallow pool of water on a summer day.

I closed my eyes and soon realized I was a young man, standing in a room decorated with handmade furniture.

The space appeared to be a rural cottage without doors or windows.

The inside of the cottage was oval, with smooth walls and a round low-ceiling.

The rocking chair, the large table in a small kitchen, and the wood bed frame reminded me of the comforts of home.

I could feel the air turn into a heavy mist and returned to the form of a turtle. I rested in the shelter of the flowering plant.

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