Chapter 4

As I looked over at the creature and I said mistakenly, ‘You’re a tortoise’
It said feeling insulted, ‘A tortoise, a tortoise, I’m a sea turtle, huh what do they teach in school these days, hum.
‘I’m sorry, but I’m only three I not started school yet,’
‘Yes of course you’re still only an infant, it replied.
‘No I am not an infant, I said feeling affronted.
‘You are an infant!!!!’
‘NOT I’m a child’
‘ARE’
‘NOT ‘
‘ARE’
‘NOT’
‘ARE’
‘I’M NOT I AM A CHILD OF THREE’
‘Okay you win you are a child and I don’t like been called a tortoise, tortoises live on land only and turtles live in the ocean only.
‘I am sorry I called you a tortoise so are we quits, I said.
‘Yes we quit and you can call me Arthur, Arthur the turtle said.
Arthur was a large green turtle and looked like he had lived a long time as he was very wrinkly round the neck, but he still looked very cute and handsome. Then it said surprisingly, ‘I suppose you want a lift to the shore?’
‘Well’ I said how far it is?’
‘Not far and I escorted another barrel of infa... I meant children? That’s what I’m doing all day; you think I had nothing better to do than to escort you children in barrels to Isola shores, moan, moan, moan.’
Oh I’m so sorry for been bother, were they my age?’ Arthur.’ I asked.
‘Actually there were three of them and ten years old, a lot older than you and after I took them as far as the North shore was soon found and they were are noisy lot too,’ Arthur said. What did you say your name was?’
‘I didn’t but my name is Isi’
‘Right this is far as I go.’ Arthur said. You should be found as most of the villager farmers’ fish in this area.’
‘Arthur don’t go, are you sure…?’ When I began to hear excited voices, I had been found.

One of the village females and two males carried my barrel to the beach and other villagers came running over to greet me. One of the females with red hair tied back in a pony tail lifted me out of the barrel and I felt very strange standing on the beach and the sun seemed a lot brighter. Then another female was talking to me and she had long black hair that covered the whole of her back and as she turned her head some strands of hair sometimes curled round her neck. As I could not understand her language I could not answer and she thought I was very shy. She saw the envelope that was pined to my chest and wanted to have a look at it, I did not want her to take it as it was the only thing left of my family and held onto it. She made a sign to say she only wanted to found find out who I was and that she did not want to take it off me.
I in the end agreed and give her the letter and she opened it and a picture fell out. I picked it up and it was a picture of my mom and dad and my older brother and sister. Mom was holding a baby in her arms that must have been me. There was a letter written in my language that the long haired female could not understand and so she indicated that she would ask one of the scientists to translate it and she took my hand and took me to a large research hut.

As we were making are way to the science hut, I noticed up at the north end of the shore a ancient artefact that look like a very large gong and an encasement that held it. I could see that the gong had engraved on it moon, stars and other things. I was so busy admiring the gong encasement that I did not noticed that someone was talking to me in my own language. Then he said ‘I see you are admiring our gong of wonder, it’s remarkable isn’t it.’
‘Yes.’ I said.
‘What’s your name, its Isi isn’t’ it!!’
‘Yes it is.’ I knew he read the names in the letter, mom wrote.
I only speak little of your language. So I not able to read the letter your mom wrote to you, but I am sure when you have leant to read, you be able to read it. As you are so young will soon learn our Isolan language.’ My name is Papu and the female in the pony tail is Soda and the female with long black hair is Vava. Here are some children want to play tag with them!'

I ran off with them and I noticed a boy my age I found that his name was Bem who and with him a boy who they called, Seven, who just came two year old he had brown hair and three females that I could not tell apart as they were triplets, had long blond hair and their names were City, Chi and Chika they were age seven. It did not take long before I joined them in a tag game and there were to me hundreds of us kids running around the village playing the tag game. But in fact there were over sixty kids in all ranging in the ages between two to thirteen. As I found out later, that those over thirteen, say fourteen and over were old enough to work with the adult villagers.
My life could not have been better, but there was something still missing my family and there was still the mystery of who was my ancestor born somewhere here on Isola.

To be continued