TURTLE & LOTUS
Written by: ENBE 02.14.2025
The meeting:
Of all the eight auspicious symbols,
The oddity of the Turtle intrigued the Lotus, although not of the eight. Worthy of consideration.
Cleverness to the pond he’d call not of his own, eagerness to adapt and survive the unfamiliar waters;
The Turtle showcased a great connection to the Earth and Water for the Lotus.
One day, an unearthly Bird perched upon a lily pad yearning for a snack.
The unaware Lotus continued bloom, awaiting the Turtle. Slowly, the Bird grew closer and closer.
Identifying each petal and analyzing which should go first.
Peace? Prosperity? Fertility? Love? Discernment? Allure? Creativity?
Time grew short, the Bird became impatient. He quickly nipped a petal and flew off
Startled, the Lotus cried trying to figure out which petal disappeared before her.
Timely, the Turtle emerged in joy to experience the allure of the Lotus.
His love for the Lotus -he had not known for longer than a week but felt as he’d known forever- moved him faster towards the Lotus.
To the Turtle’s amazement, he discovered the Lotus in a disheveled state. Tears exuberantly flow from her stem
She is broken.
Unspoken words are shared with eyes nonexistent to the face
Identifying her body over time, noticing her bloom from close and afar
The Turtle became immediately aware of her missing petal
“Your love? Who has stolen it?”
asked the Turtle.
“An unearthly bird.”
replied the Lotus.
“With all of my might, I will return your petal to you.”
said the Turtle.
In silence, the two gazed: The Lotus in disbelief and the Turtle in concentration.
Instantaneously, a firefly lit above the Turtle’s head; he had an idea.
The Revenge:
Unknowing of the fact that lotus petals do not grow back (individually)
, the Turtle spent many nights attempting to regrow her single pedal.
As many nights as it took, the Lotus’s time grew weary.
She was going dormant as the days got colder. Day by day, she closed off and finally died.
Heartbroken, the Turtle attempted to find the unearthly Bird who took the Lotus’s petal away.
Escaping his typical environment, off he went.
Up mountains, through seas, underground, through trees.
He was persistent for weeks.
One day, he stumbled across a small cave filled with treasures and a sleeping bird.
Books, Gold, Fish, and Petals.
“I know that petal from anywhere.”
said the Turtle, “It’s of my Lotus.”
Angrily, the Turtle charged and snapped the neck of the Bird, killing him. Although successful in the fight, that will never replace the timely death of the Lotus.
The Turtle knew that.
He hung his head low and went back to the pond. For weeks, he repeated the cycle:
Up mountains, through seas, underground, through trees.
Once he returned to the pond, the seasons had changed.
The air filled with leftover water from the moon, and the sun glistened over all the living.
The Turtle noticed this beauty but chose to continue mourning his true beauty, the Lotus.
Surprisingly, in place of the Lotus, a new pod was growing.
“Could this be? Is that you?”
Asked the Turtle.
Every day and night, he would wait by the Lotus, hoping it was her. On the day of peak bloom, the Turtle was reunited with the Lotus again.
In a state of aporia, he asked, “How?”
The Lotus responded,
“I’m seasonal, so I always grow back.”
“I avenged you and killed the bird,”
said the Turtle.
“In life, we crave to avenge the wrongdoings one has inflicted onto the other; in reality, these feelings are seasonal.”
“No matter the time, season, or year, I will always be here,” said the Lotus.
The Turtle became erubescent and rested upon the lily of the Lotus.
As they watched the animals of the pond create their stories,
The Lotus and the Turtle embarked on their own.
-NB
Officially written by Nia Burston
