Midori: Chapter Ten
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My earliest memories are of crawling out of the water. It was cold, and dark, and slimy, and I was hurting all over. All I wanted was to go back to where I was before. It was light, warm, and comfortable there, wherever there was.
I had no idea what was happening to me. All I knew was that I was changing, and that I didn't like it much. I was sore, cold, tired, and hungry. I didn't move until I felt the rats walking over me, then I knew I had to move. I didn't know why, just that I had to. I kept walking, on two legs, until I came across a warm pipe. I must have fallen asleep against it, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that I made that place my new home.
I lived off scavenged food. I tried storing it for awhile, but I gave that up. It either got spoiled or eaten by rats. No surprise that it wasn't long until I got sick.
My vision was blurry and I was weak. I couldn't keep anything I ate down. Something inside me told me that I would have to leave if I wanted to live. And I did, so I left.
I have no idea how long I traveled. I eventually came across an open drainage tunnel. Back then I was much too small to lift a man hole cover, and not quite tall enough to reach the street drains, even if I was well. Fortunately for me it was dark outside, and no one was around to see me climb out of the drain. I was in Central Park, although I didn't know it back then. I felt very afraid of the open spaces and hurried under some bushes. A smell caught my attention and I followed it to a hot dog vendor. I grabbed some food while his back was turned. I knew that no animal liked having food stolen from them, and I figured this human would be no different.
The Park is a big place, and I could hide well, but it still wasn't long until I had my first encounter with some humans.
Again, I was lured by the smell of food. I never found that food because I ended up running into someone. I sat there staring back at the small human; he couldn't have been any bigger than I was. He stared straight back at me, the same look of fear and curiosity on his face.
"Hi," he said to me.
"Hi," I mimicked. It just seemed the right thing to say.
He got on his hands and knees, coming closer to me. I backed away a little. "You a big turtle," he informed me.
I nodded slowly, still backing away.
"Don't go," he said. "I'm Timmy, what's your name?"
I opened my mouth and tried to think of the right response. Did I even have a name? I remember asking myself. Before I could answer, a larger human, who must have been the boy's mother, came around the trees. She took one look at me and screamed. She snatched up her struggling child and continued to scream. I heard other humans running towards us, and a sudden rush of adrenaline got me running in the opposite direction.
They never found me, of course, if they'd even come after me at all. It was then that I learned that I had to be more careful around humans. There was something about them that made me afraid. I wouldn't find out exactly what until a few days later.
All I had wanted was to get warm. It was such a nice day that I couldn't just stay in the shade. I needed to be out in the sun. I looked around and saw no one, and then I laid out in a sunny patch to gather up warmth. My sickness was still with me, leaving me weak, and the hot sun helped me feel much better. It was a bad idea, I fell asleep, I should have been more careful.
I awoke when I felt myself moving. "Hey, I think it's wakin' up," I heard someone say.
I started to panic. I was being carried. I struggled against my restraints, which turned out to be the arms of another human.
"Bloody Hell!" he screamed, dropping me. I fell hard on my shoulder and hit my beak against a rock. That's this scar here. Tall shadows loomed over me, three of them.
"What you think it is, bro?"
"Maybe that thing that woman said attacked her kid a few nights ago. Matches her description."
"And here I thought she was loony."
"How much you suppose it's worth?"
I got up to run but one of the men grabbed me. "Not so fast, freak."
There was something in his tone that really scared me. My instincts told me that he was going to hurt me, or maybe even kill me. I bit down hard on his hand. This time I was ready for the drop. I rolled up onto my feet and ran.
"Gah, damnit!"
"Gee, I didn't think turtles even had teeth."
As I ran my mind was trying to make sense of it all. I eventually came to the conclusion that humans were dangerous, and should be avoided at all costs.
I left the Park then, and ended up traveling among the alleyways. There were humans in the alleys, too, but they didn't seem to care about me. Hardly any gave me a second glance. And I really couldn't care less about them, as long as they didn't try and hurt me. The few who ever tried never did again. I can be vicious when I want to be.
I remember waking up one night and feeling a light weight over me. It turned out to be a blanket someone had thrown over me while I slept. I looked around and saw a human standing over me. I immediately moved back, and hit a brick wall.
"Don't be frightened," she said. "Here." She held out a cloth bag. I saw that there was food inside, but still, I didn't move. I had learned my lesson about humans. She seemed friendly enough, but there was something odd about her. I think it was her strange clothing, or maybe her accent. Still smiling, she stood back up. She turned and left, just disappearing.
I have no idea who that woman was, or why she wanted to help me, but I am grateful to her. Not just for the food. I used the bag to collect my food after that, and used the blanket for warmth and a disguise. I actually still have what's left of that blanket, and I still have the bag, which I've patched up.
A few months later I saw her again, and ended up following her into a small warehouse. She wasn't there when I went in, so I decided to try and find her. There were no other humans around, and the place was dirty. There was, however, a working water heater in one corner. I leaned up against it and fell asleep.
It wasn't so bad there. There were several restaurants in the neighborhood, and I learned their schedules. I still find it amazing what people will just throw away. I sometimes had to chase away trespassers, but not often.
I picked up a discarded newspaper one day and looked at it. I had never tried to read before, and it came as a shock that I could understand the printed words. Not all of them, of course, but I had a pretty good idea what they meant. It was like I had a skill I never knew I had. I knew how to talk, but reading was a whole new level, and I managed to teach myself to a degree.
One day I found a working radio and after much trial and error, and a few shocks, I figured out how to work it. My vocabulary increased slowly as I listened to it. After that I started talking to myself.
Don't look at me that way, who else do you think I had to talk to? I read the newspaper articles out loud. I wondered out loud. I should have been amazed, but I wasn't. It seemed to just come naturally.
Oh, that? That was from an accident I had years ago. I had noticed that some floorboards were changing colors. I went over to investigate and learned the hard way what rotted wood looked like. I fell, and got this cut, it came close to blinding me I suppose. I had also twisted my ankle so I just sat there in the basement of my warehouse for a few hours.
Looking up I realized that there was no way I would be able to jump up that high so I started looking for another exit. It was dark, and I got a few more bumps and cuts before I found a way out.
That one's from when I fell down on a board that had a nail in it.
Don't you dare feel sorry for me. I had some rough times but I managed to get through it all right.
I've never looked back on my life like this before. I'm actually surprised I managed to last as long as I did. Living on the streets wasn't easy. Especially by myself. I didn't have someone to look after me, and take care of me.
I don't mean to sound bitter, I really don't. I'm just a little jealous about what your family has here. I've never had the kind of closeness that you all seem to have. I'm afraid I've grown apathetic to the world around me. That's the word one of the soldiers used to describe my attitude. I just didn't care about anyone except myself.
I've never talked to anyone like this before. I don't think I've ever felt this comfortable with anyone in my entire life.
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