The Gods of Song and Poetry

Chapter 26 - The Fellowship Of The Turtle

Chapter 26 - The Fellowship Of The Turtle

"Let it be known that Dame DJ has vanquished the evil Queen Pixie!"

DJ sat triumphantly on the turtle inner tube. The giant, green and brown beast had been a gift from someone when we first bought the pool. Nobody liked it because it had a large head and flippers that made it hard to get comfortable on, and had therefore languished in our pool shed until today. Someone found it and decided to resurrect the monstrosity.

A game had evolved over the course of the day which involved stealthily getting underneath the person on the turtle floaty, then flipping them off of it and getting on yourself before they could reclaim it. If you managed to do it, your "reign" began, and the other person's ended.

It was wonderful to relax with the girls after the emotional day yesterday. School had gone well after Mr. Parker's class. The girls demanded I sit with them at lunch, and it became clear that they saw me in a whole new light. For as long as I had known them, they had seen me as the big sister. I was the one who had a driver's license. I was the closest thing they had to a local rock star. I was the one with a job. I was the high school girl, afraid of nothing, while they were in middle school. I was the coolest thing ever.

Yesterday, they got to see that I was once a frightened little girl who needed the comfort of others. They had seen Kristy be my champion and protector, and took turns pledging that they would each be there for me, just like Kristy had been, if I ever needed them. It was touching to see how protective they were. I had taken a step off of my pedestal, but in exchange, I had become part of their little community.

The only one who remained more or less silent was Mey. She got a few sideways looks from the other girls throughout lunch, but they didn't push her. Kelly spent most of the conversation smiling at me and telling me how brave I had been. I tried to downplay it, and point out that other people have circumstances that are worse than mine were at the time I came out, but that didn't deter her.

Today, when they came over to swim, I was immediately treated as an equal. No longer was I the aloof outsider who was welcomed to join them. I was a member of the group itself. Their peek into my past made them feel more connected to me. I even caught them reciting their favorite lines from my poem once in a while...and teasing me with the more awkward lines about Miss Maloney.

A squeal and a splash signalled the end of Dame DJ's reign. "The dark DJ ages have ended! Let the Renaissance begin!" Kelly yelled from atop the turtle. Ever since I stumbled upon that nickname for her, she had been finding ways of reminding the girls about it. We rewarded her declaration with claps, cheers, and laughs.

DJ took her defeat well. She laughed her way to the edge of the pool and the phone controlling the speaker. Kristy and Mey were bringing out a pitcher of some sort of fruit drink and cups full of ice for everyone. Rizzy and Pixie were practicing falling backwards into the water for some reason. Shogun was messing around with the goggles and a snorkel, and I was sunning myself on a skinny, mattress-like floaty.

The end of summer was in the air. A cold, wet Wisconsin fall would soon be upon us. We had been gifted with warm weather for this time of year, but pool days were limited, so we were drawing this one out as long as we could. I was so relaxed as I lay on my floaty, listening to my friends around me - for although they were younger, they were starting to feel like my friends, too - I could have taken a nap.

That's when life changed.

From her perch on top of her turtley steed, Kelly was higher off the water than I was. She was lying face down and backwards on the turtle. Her knees were bent and her ankles were crossed, resting on the back of the turtle's head. Her stomach bridged the hole of the inner tube, and her chest was on the tail end. Her arms drooped over the side, hands lazily dangling in the water, and her chin rested on the tube itself.