The Way Home

By JanePrince394

The shadows grew longer and finally the last rays of the sun kissed the clouds before disappearing. Suddenly, the light vanished, and the night claimed the world. That was not a place to spend the night, of course not... but home seemed very far away.

Especially for a poor little turtle named Totti. I know what you all have heard about turtles, but Totti's slowness was not due precisely to the weight of his shell, but to all the hours he had been up. He left school when the sun was still shining on his head and now he hid, leaving himself at the mercy of the forest.

Gone were the brown shoes that his mother had sewn him with so much love. They got stuck under a thick tree root and no matter how hard he tried, he could not get them out.

On his way, he was sure he could get home before his parents noticed his absence. But this being the first time he went alone, he could not find the way back for more than he remembered. All the trees looked similar and the sky that guided him in the afternoon, now shrouded in darkness, made him tremble. He did not know what he feared more... the unknown landscape that surrounded him or the idea of never returning home.

When he sat on a rock to rest, he heard a sound. Although at first, he did not know exactly what it might be, he quickly sharpened his ear and discovered that someone was approaching. He smiled, glad he was not completely alone in this situation. But he soon remembered his parents' advice to mistrust strangers. Without knowing the intentions of his visitor, and without much desire to discover them, Totti picked up a branch of the tree by his side and held it hard to defend himself if it was necessary. Totti was not sure if it would work, but he needed to be prepared.

The louder the footsteps became, the less Totti's hands remained calm. What if it was a bear or a huge buffalo having a bad day? Would a small turtle have a chance to win? And while he was pondering these questions, a fox with orange hair and coiled tail came out of the darkness, wearing denim overalls and a straw hat.

"Hey, child, where did you come from?" the fox asked surprised when he saw Totti with the branch held high, unable to take any step further. It was not normal at all for someone so small to wander through the woods in the middle of the night.

But he did not receive an answer because Totti was more focused trying not to faint than to formulate a sentence. Out of all the animals in the world, he had come across a fox. A fox! He had heard a lot about them, and most of the things were bad. Like, for example, that they were cheaters and cunning, that they did not wash their feet and that they used to steal from time to time.

"Are you okay?" the stranger insisted, but before Totti could answer, he recognized him. "Aren't you Totti, the son of Big Shell?"

"Do you know dad?" Totti asked, confused because he could not remember his face straight away. But it didn't take long. Almost immediately, Totti discovered the face was indeed familiar. The fox in front of him was the same one who sold wood to his family. Yes, he remembered. 

"If you know dad you should also know the way back," he said hoping the fox could be his guide. If he helped him, maybe he would arrive home before the sun rose again. "Do you think you can take me to him?"

Although Fabio did not like the idea at all because he was ready to go to bed, he decided that he should do the turtle the favour. But he wasn't going to walk through the forest in full moonlight. He was afraid to wake up with his feet swollen and unable to stand up the next day, something dreadful for a salesman like him. He would use a safer and faster method of transportation.

Fabio had a boat capable of crossing the river. The river divided the forest and ended at the town's entrance. Totti had no choice but to ride in that old boat even when he didn't like the idea at all. The water wasn't disgusting, but he heard once that the sharks liked to bath with the moon shining on their fins and he did not want to end as a shark sandwich if the boat turned over. Still, it was a better idea than walking for hours without knowing the right path.

The boat launched with Totti, Fabio with his sacks of yarn, and the twig that the little turtle had not released yet. At the beginning of the journey, they didn't talk much because Totti barely said a word when the fox asked him a question. After a while, Fabio concluded he did not want to talk at all and started to sew sacks to avoid wasting time.

Totti soon discovered how gifted he was and was amazed at how quickly and gracefully he was doing the job. Fabio took the needle, threaded it with ease, and patched anything in need of patching. How could he do this? Totti's mother was also masterful with the needle, but she used to lose patience because her sight was not good. But the fox seemed able to see the smallest ant in the world.

"Do you want to learn?" Fabio asked when he discovered the turtle's attention. Totti shook his head a couple of times before telling him that he preferred to watch instead of pricking a finger. The fox laughed and returned to his task. He explained the procedure and after listening for a while, the little turtle was convinced that in addition to being a good tailor, Fabio would also make a good teacher.

He didn't understand why his father, whenever he described foxes, always used bad words and never told him they were good with the yarn and with words. When Fabio once visited his house to offer some products, Totti's parents told him not to approach him. When he asked for a reason, they both answered that it was just a fox. And although at first, he was not happy with the answer, he obeyed.

This moment, listening to the explanations, Totti discovered that maybe they couldn't answer the question properly because they didn't know the answer themselves. He thought, perhaps, they had something in common. Maybe their parents had told them the same thing as his, and they just repeated without understanding.

"What do you do besides sewing?" Totti wanted to know, finally giving in to curiosity. He yearned to know who his reddish-haired companion really was. The fox adjusted his straw hat while his eyes alighted.

"I like to bake cookies and my mother makes a soup so delicious that there is no one in the world who can resist it," he told the little turtle with enthusiasm. "I'm also good at eating," he concluded.

Totti laughed loudly, but his smile disappeared when it was his time to tell about his talents because he didn't find anything to say. This was the reason he had left home. His list was blank.

This morning at school, everyone had been given the same physical test, but his classmates laughed at him for his slowness. Totti's eyes were filled with tears as he remembered the words of the other students, defeating him. So he left school without waiting for his father and ran without paying attention to where he was going. He did not want to be seen crying, for then, they would ask him what was wrong. He couldn't tell them he was hurt because he was so slow. That would be terrible. They were also turtles and they would probably start crying just like him.

While Totti was searching for his next answer, the boat shook with great force, like the leaves swaying with the wind, and the little turtle had to grasp for a hold to avoid falling overboard. The fox, who was distracted and busy, did not run with the same luck and fell right into the river.

It wouldn't have been a big problem if the water wouldn't have been deep, but it certainly was, and Fabio was not a good swimmer. He tried to stay on the surface, but the more he fought, the less he succeeded.

Totti held out his hand to help him, but the fox's weight outweighed him and he almost ended up in the river with him.

Frightened and without an inkling what to do, Totti had to find a quick way to help Fabio. It was not easy at first, but the ropes the fox used gave him an idea. He took a couple and threw them into the water to hold his partner afloat.

Totti was small, but he was also a persistent turtle who was determined to help anyone in need. Shaking his doubts, he pulled the end with all the strength he had and with much effort, his friend climbed out of the water. First the head, then the arms, and finally the feet, until all his wet and soft fur was finally by Totti's side.

Totti sighed in relief as he patted Fabio on the back, waiting for him to recover.

"Totti, you saved me!" the fox thanked him as he caught his breath. "You are a very smart and brave boy,", he said.

Smart and brave? Totti did not remember having these words on his list. He was slow. That's why he fled from school. It was the only word fitting him to his knowledge . But at this moment, Fabio made him feel like he was a hero.

And he really was, a little one, but a hero at the end.

All the way home, Fabio told him how he had saved him because Totti forgot the details with all the excitement involved. And he was really surprised at his courage! Not only did he risk falling into the water, he also resisted his friend's weight until he was safe.

Maybe Totti was listening to the wrong people. If he had paid more attention, he would also have heard about all the good sides he had.

When he finally returned home, he explained everything to his parents. He had really believed what they told him. He understood now that the voices of others could not define what he was. The things defining him were his manners.

Everyone in the town listened to this thanks to Fabio, who never got tired of telling them. He loved the story of the little turtle who saved him. And Totti's parents never rejected Fabio again as they discovered his big heart. They were grateful he brought their son back and also showed him his hidden courage.

Even if that meant he had to take a bath.