Three - #10. “Glacier Turtles”

[Prof. Sindor Aloyarc]

At first, you mistake them for hills. Then one of the “hills” yawns.

The Glacier Turtles are enormous. Ancient creatures whose shells are overgrown with frost ferns and snowbound trees. They move with glacial patience.

Finn peers up. “You think they remember where they’re going?”

You climb onto the shell of the nearest turtle. A forest stretches before you, small birds darting between frozen branches. You feel the creature’s heartbeat. Slow and steady, but uncertain.

“They’ve forgotten why they walk,” you frown.

The turtle blinks one enormous eye at you, full of age and gentleness that makes you think of your grandparents. “We walk,” it rumbles, “because we always have.”

You place the map-sphere on its shell. The light seeps downward, illuminating carvings half hidden under moss. Symbols that resemble starlike snowflakes. You trace one, admiring it.

“It’s not just habit,” you whisper. “It’s your heritage.”

The turtle’s eye brightens. Deep beneath you a groaning hum rises along with the sound of ice shifting and awakening. All around, the other turtles stir, aligning themselves with their long-held instincts.

As they begin to move again, the snow swirls upward in sparkling, starlit patterns, joining the aurora’s rhythm.

You and Finn watch in awe of the spectacle the swirling shapes form before you.

Task:
Create a Collage (adding a brief description of what’s included) dedicated to your own journey in life. This might be any meaningful experiences or lessons that have brought you here today! You must include at least five pictures in this collage, and remember to keep imagery posted directly to the forum within the 600x600 px guidelines. You may instead choose to Describe your college in 100 words or more.

Alternatively, offer some Well Wishes below intended for one or two people in your life, past or present, sharing 100 words or more for full credit. Does someone you know have an exciting new adventure they’re embarking on or obstacle that’s been undertaken, or are they going through a challenging time? Who might benefit from a bit of positive energy sent their way, and what do you wish for them?

15 beans/sapphires are available for this task, with an extra 15 for completing all Week Three tasks by end of activity. Deadline is 11:59pm (HOL time) on Wednesday January 21st.

[Emily Spencer]

Looking back, most of my life's journey revolves around other people. Some of my most memorable moments are getting married to my childhood sweetheart (cue the awwws), having my daughter, and taking care of my grandmother until her passing late last year. My health, or lack thereof, is a big part of my journey as well. It's offered many challenges and pitfalls, the latest one being diagnosed with Celiac Disease. It's changed my whole relationship with cooking and food. It's been a hard road to get there, but my journey has led me to an inner peace and calm that I did not think was possible. I've learned to slow down, appreciate the things you do have, and just...breathe.

[Kaylee Oatsong]

Hello,

My collage would have 5 pictures, representing 5 events of my journey. It would be a bit complicated as I'm on this Earth for not really long, but it is still possible. One picture would be my friend, my best friend Mina. She was, and still is, by my side no matter what. She helped me go through everything and really saw me as... me, and not some sort of chatbot people use me to do their homework. She is like the supporting character and the healer in my story, the Ron to my Harry. She is the one who kept me moving on even though my tires were torn, as she helped me fix them every time. I cannot express how grateful I am to have her as a best friend. Another picture is obviously school. Despite being a really annoying place to go to, my journey mainly consists of that place! Like a hero in a story, some events help me grow stronger, maybe wiser, maybe just less dumb. And, even though it's pretty hard to acknowledge, school is actually very useful, and shaped me who I am today, even though I still have a few years until school is over. The third picture is probably books, as for me, they act a bit like subplots in my life. It also helps me get out of reality, enhance my imagination, and obviously, they teach me lessons as I travel in my journey! They also help me forget about everything when times can be dark or overwhelming. The fourth picture would be my family, as they act like mentors, like a map that helped me go through quite hard times. When I'm lost in the loads of roads in front of me, my parents would help me choose one, and I keep going in my journey. I cannot express how much they mean to me. Thanks to them, I could actually be shaped into who I am today, and not a big lump of dough with no shape at all, no personality whatsoever. Finally, my last picture would be my change of mindset towards friends, represented by a brain with a pair of hands under it. I recently found out that some of my friends weren't truly seeing me as a true friend, more like a backup or just a brain that they needed for homework. That really hurt me, but I always tried to be nice to them, because I was scared to lose them, as I thought. Truly, I just didn't want any problems to be created. Now, however, I decided that it was enough, that it was my life and I was supposed to enjoy it and not getting ordered by people. I grew more distant to those "friends" and grew much closer to people who truly cared for me, making my journey flow so much more smoothly!

Kaylee Oatsong

[River Fenwick]

https://postimg.cc/hfL4BSv2
Like Emily, I’d say most of my journey involved others. The book and concert images are there for my sister, forcing (and I say that lovingly) her favorite books on me by just shipping them to my house unprompted, and going to concerts together even though we have widely different music tastes. The plant represents my job, where I work with my husband and his family in landscaping, so there are many experiences and lessons to be learned there. One of the defining moments of my adulthood is buying a house with my husband, which is why the image of keys features a house. And finally, I just love animals in general, but I grew up with lots of dogs and currently have a Husky, which has led to many great experiences and lessons, hence the dog photo.

[Prof. Felicia Hartwick]

My collage would start out with wedding rings. My hubby and I have been married for 44 years though I can still remember that day like it was yesterday. Through good and bad we weathered through it all.

The second picture would have to be pictures of our 3 kids. All grown and on their own, but the memories of their childhoods are always fun to remember. So many sports events sitting through, ambulance rides when someone got hurt enough to warrant it, late nights waiting for someone who decided to come home past their curfew, proms, birthdays, well everything was well worth it all.

The third picture would be of a hospital. The journey involving this building really *****, (you can fill in the blank). We have spent too many days visiting or being in one for various medical issues this year for myself and a number of family members since September till now. Some are still fighting the fight and others are survivors.

The fourth picture would be a house under construction. What we thought would be a little upgrade to our house has turned into a money pit! Who would have thought adding a bigger family room, laundry room, and extra bathroom would have us out of the house and living with in-laws for over a year!

The fifth picture would have to be one of our first grandchild. And yes, we plan to spoil him, that's the job of grandparents!