The Turtle Charm

Books, Books, and More Books

I had to talk Donnie into just giving me a pair of glasses. I really only needed them for reading and I tried the contacts thing, but I ended up hating them. 

I was finished with the book Barry lent to me, in a matter of a few days. It was just so fascinating to me, learning about the actual magic of this world. Unfortunately, I got immediately bored afterward, wanting more.

"Why, oh why does this happen once again?" I said, "This feeling as I part with another beauty bound in leather as I turn the last page of our time together..."

"If you keep reciting poetry in my lab, I'm going to ban you," said Donnie sighing. After Mikey, Donnie was the turtle I hung out with the most, often taking refuge in his lab whenever Leo got uncomfortably close to me.

"Sorry," I said, "It's just...so boring waiting for Barry to bring another book...I don't know what to do with myself half of the time..."

"Yeah, he doesn't pop on by too often...You could always go to the Mystic Library yourself. With your passion for books, It'll get you out of my lab...I mean out of the lair for a few hours at least."

My eye widened at the mention of 'Mystic Library' and I said jumping up, "I can't believe I didn't think of that! Don, you're a genius! Where is it?"

Sometime later, we were standing in a plain-old library much to my disappointment. Donnie browsed through a section on geology. "Umm...Is this it? I mean a library's a library, but I was expecting..." When he pulled a book off the shelf and opened it, we were sucked through a wormhole.

On the other end I found we were in a massive, glorious palace of books. "Oh my..." I began loudly, but Donnie hushed me until I was at an acceptable volume as I finished, "Shell, It's beautiful!"

He proceeded to indicate up to the ceiling where a flock of bats were eying me and whispered, "Hush bats. They'll take you to," the turtle shuddered, "The kiddie room if you're louder than a whisper...They're really strict here about the quiet rule."

He led me to a desk where a large bat woman sat stamping books. We had to climb all the way to her desktop to talk to her. She frowned at the sight of Donnie saying, "Donatello Hamato...To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" 

"Good afternoon, Linda. I hope you're doing well...This is my friend Valentina Tortuga. She's an avid reader with a great thirst for knowledge, so you'll love her..."

"A friend of yours?" Linda eyed me suspiciously, "What a...pleasure...Well, wait a moment before I get the paperwork for your library card..." Having read through and signed what was relatively similar to paperwork other libraries had, I was instructed to finish it by placing a print of my hand over the contract. A magical aura rose up and engulfed it, seeping into my skin. "Welcome to the Hidden Library community," said the librarian flatly, "And please. please try to behave yourself..."

As Donnie led me to some orbs, I asked, "So...What did you do to piss her off?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, stiffening "My brothers and I were not involved in an incident that may or may have not wreaked the library..."

"Oh, yeah. That'll do it..." I was surprised they weren't banned, but I figured I'd stop the interrogation there. Something told me the turtle wouldn't admit to it.

"Anyway, these," he said indicating the orbs, "Is how you figure out where a book you need is." He shook it, summoning a book titled 'Mystics for the Unmystical.' 

"Cool," I said as he handed it over to me. I thought 'mystical jewlery' and like Google, a whole list of books popped up.

"You really need to be more specific than that...You need to learn more about cursed earrings, right? So think cursed earrings."

I tried again and voila, the list narrowed. "Thanks, Don," I said, "As much as I like to read, I honestly never really got down good research skills, so I appreciate the tip."

"No probals," he said, "I don't like bragging, but I am a master researcher. I am the brains after all." I began to feel a prideful passion vibrating from the earring. As I felt the morphing process, I felt...smarter, like my brain was processing the world many times faster and more efficiently than it had ever done before. And, yeah, I think it's safe to say Donnie loves to brag.

Eyes wide, Donnie said, "Whoa, Valentina...Did you just...do the thing?"

"Indeed," I said taking on his speech pattern, "Your passion for learning and the pride you take in your work is strong within you, Donatello. I'm much the same way, finding myself in an urban fantasy world of sorts. I was dubious but now I want to know everything about this place. It's just so...fascinating."

At that moment, I morphed again, but it felt different like I had been enlightened in some way. In fact, my body seemed engulfed in a purple hue which seemed to detach itself and shrink into a small amethyst that floated right before my eyes for a second before zipping to where the emerald earring hung from my...human ear and attached itself.

I took a look at my hands holding the crystal orb, which was back to my normal hue and had five digits each instead of three. I dropped the orb, which thank goodness wasn't fragile, and saw my bare feet, which too had the same number of toes as before. I felt my face, finding I had the same human nose as before and my old eyebrows.

I still had the spikey shell and marks along my limbs and eyes but otherwise, "I...I'm a little bit of me again!" I said turning to Donnie who was grimacing, "What?"

"Um, it was one thing when you were more turtle-like...but we really do need to get you some people's clothes now. You just look too weird now that you're not green..."