The Chronicle of

Ancient Turtle

Age ago, when the world was dominant by turtles, there were three main clans if turtles, Mountain, Ice and Ocean. Each clan never travelled out of its territory, except those who chose path of wanderer. There was no real connection or relationship between clans. Only once had they all gathered, it was to perform a sacrifice to end the Great Darkness two thousand years ago. In the Book of Chronicle, there common inheritance from their ancestors, describing the event of the Great Darkness, written at that time, it stated that the event had a cyclic behavior; every two thousand years, the Darkness rose from the center of the Abandoned Desert. This year was the two thousandth year. The Mountain Clan decided to end the Darkness before it could spread. They decided to leave their home in the high mountain and marched toward the desert. The first problem they confronted was they didnt know where the center of the desert was. So they marched and marched, days after days. Until one day, they heard the sound of deep rumbling coming closer and closer from the east and the north. Then they came thousands of turtles. It was the Ice clan and the Ocean clan. All gathered to hinder the Darkness. Just like what it said in the Book. The atmosphere was tense, full of fear and doubt. To them, turtles from other clans like a myth and unrealistic than the Darkness. They were facing the same problem; where was the center of the desert. Each clan sent its leader to consult what to do. As the three leaders made their ways forward to meet one another. They could go only half way when the wind started to blow and shortly turned into tornado that carried all the turtles into the air and landed in several places. Suddenly. the wind stopped. The turtle found themselves mixed up among other clans, frightened. At the center of the tornado stood a turtle-like patch of light. It didnt seen like the Darkness at all, on the contrary it was like light, very bright light. But the Book said it was Darkness and so it was to them. Everything happened so quickly that panic spread over the crowd of weary turtles. Thought that there were exposed to the Darkness, they had to perform a sacrifice. With fear and panic, they decided to sacrifice the three leaders since there was no time to choose other turtles. The sorcerer and the warriors of each clan came forward while the crowd was circling the three leaders. There was no way out. The ritual has begun. In the deep forest hidden a cave where the Darkness slept for two thousand years, it was awake by the sound of riot on the other side of the world. It could perceive everything goes on in the world as if the world was its. Now was the time for its favorite show. It saw the three leaders were herd toward the center of the blood-thirst crowd. The frightened turtles were about to kill turtles that they trusted the most and chose to lead them. It could see the anger and vengeance rooted with the sense of betrayal in the leaders

Poor little turtle, the merciful Darkness was going to help thum. It gave them the power. The leaders could feel the power given to them and used it transformed themselves into Dragons. The three stroke back at the crowd which were sent them to death. At the center, still stood the light, doing nothing and protected by the furious leaders rampaging the crowd. So powerless, since it had only just revived into the world after the two thousand years it was defeated by the Darkness. And it would be again. The Darkness was ecstatic to see the sorcerers and the warriors rushing toward the Light with the purpose of destroying it since there was nothing to blame for the chaos and the vengeful dragons. When they reached the Light, it stood still until one of the sorcerers stabbed it as it finished the words of magic. Then the Light exploded, blinding all the turtles. When the Light disappeared, the dragons turned back into the turtles and tree started to grow all over the desert. There was loud cheer from the crowd celebrating the death of the Darkness. The ritual had ended. It was the Light that was sacrificed. The Darkness was pleased the Light was destroyed by the hand of the turtles. Next time it wouldnt have to do anything, just watch. It had planted it seeds among these turtles. Now that the show was over, it went back to sleep once again. The Darkness moved, the world moved. It had become part of the world and the world become a part of it. The Darkness never left. Irin Boonthanom Group 4