Luna awoke to the creaking of wood, the smell of salt, and a gentle light upon her face. Opening her eyes, she pulled herself upright in her hammock and looked around with excitement. The Driftwood rocked gently against the waves, causing the shelves of leather-bound books her hammock was strung between to creak as their contents shifted slightly. She had chosen to string her hammock up in ancient history last night, falling asleep with a story about the founding of Port Aurelia. Rolling onto her chest, she pulled herself closer to one of the shelves and ran her fingers along the leather spines of the books, reading the carefully embossed titles as she did. There, between the accounts of The Viscount Morlain and the Dread Captain Blackthorn she stopped and grabbing the book from her hammock pushed it back onto the shelf. Captain Finn was a stickler for books being in their right place. "Books are like memories," he would say, "a wonderful thing to have lots of, but no good to anyone if you can't find what you're looking for!" this would always be followed by a hearty laugh, one that was infectious at first and then made people nervous as it kept going. Luna wasn't bothered by Finn's laugh, she wasn't bothered by any of Finn's eccentricities – in part because they were all she remembered and in part because she knew that to abandon them would be to abandon the Driftwood and that was something that she would never do.
Swinging her legs off the side of the hammock Luna dropped down to the floor, landing awkwardly but regaining her footing easily. At 11 she was sure footed and nimble without being graceful, her skin was deeply tanned - a sign of too much time at sea, if the old ladies in the ports were to be listened to. She was tall, and thin, lanky was the word that was often used – "Nothing to eat but books" the Wave Rider mothers would complain, these complaints Luna would at-least pretend to acknowledge knowing that they'd be followed by a delicious fish stew.
Moving out between the shelves Luna climbed the stairs to the deck of the Driftwood. The sun was fully risen at this point, the sky was cloudless and all around them was brilliant blue ocean. Captain Finn was at the helm, standing as stoicly as he had been when she had gone to sleep the night before. "You should get some rest" she said approaching him, "I can take the helm", Finn just smiled his wry smile and remarked, "Eat, we're almost there and you'll need to be ready." Luna scanned the sky looking for there, but seeing nothing on the horizon resigned herself to a feeling of disbelief and ducked below deck again to scrounge for food.
It had been a week since they'd left the Wave Rider's, filling their holds with stories and food. There was one story in particular that had captivated the captain - a story of a land long lost where the story of the first tide could be found. After hearing it Finn had taken one look at the book in the man who'd shared it's hand and then ran below deck, emerging minutes later with a handful of books. He explained one-by-one how the man would love these books and how the story he had told was worth more than one book, perhaps worth more than the whole library! That night he'd scoured the library again and by morning had announced that they would be setting sail immediately.
The boat shook. Not the gentle listing of waves but a hard back to front tip like they had crested a giant wave. Grabbing a railing to catch her balance Luna nearly sprinted to the top of the stairs and coming to the deck turned to view the horizon. There as if it had appeared from no where was a huge island, lush, and green, they were almost upon it. Moving to the helm she offered the sliced fish to Finn, he accepted and quickly ate, smiling he said to her "We've found it!"
It took nearly the full day to reach the island. Finn had carefully maneuvered The Driftwood to a shallow bay and dropped anchor. As the sun was setting Luna suggested they take a boat to the shore. Finn had shaken his head muttering a bit to himself. "Too risky" he'd said, then more muttering as if working though some alternatives, "I'll take you to shore, the story we seek is on the opposite side of the island, you'll have to go alone on foot but I'll bring Driftwood around to meet you." Luna was confused but when she tried to question Finn he would just respond "no, no, it's the only way" eventually Luna had relented and agreed to go.
Finn rowed her silently to the shore, then helping her out of boat he handed her a small leather bound note book and black grease pen. "This will be your story to record" he told her as he pushed the row boat away from shore and rowed back to The Driftwood.
Luna walked for three days, following the edge of the island. The land was warm to the touch but slippery, and the scrub brush that covered it was no higher than her shoulders. Each night she pressed close to the warm rocks and awoke the next morning feeling rejuvenated.
On the third day, Luna noticed something different. A rocky outcropping jutted out into the sea, seemingly free from the scrub brush. As she approached, the outcropping moved, rising out of the ocean and to Luna's surprise stared at her with a huge green eye.
Luna was frozen. The eye was huge, bigger than the Driftwood and it seemed focused right on her. As she stood, a line of a mouth seemed to open below the eye and then in a booming but calm and slow voice it said "Hello little one". Luna looked around but of course the voice was intended for her, then she realized it. The shape of the island, the warmth of the stone, she was standing on the back of a giant sea turtle. "Hello!" Luna called back quickly not wanting to offend the sea turtle least he dive underwater. "Why are you here?" the turtle asked, "I'm here for the story of the first tide!" Luna called back. "Ah," The turtle closed it's eye for a moment then opened it again, "I am ready to share that story now". Hurriedly Luna dug through her pack finding the paper and pen Finn had given her, as she did the turtle made a low humming noise and then started to speak.
"When I hatched I was no bigger than your thumb, in the dawn of time when the world was young and covered with water save for the small sandbar where my egg and the eggs of my brethren were laid. The sun had just begun its first journey across the sky, and the moon would soon rise to begin her eternal dance with the sea. In those ancient days, all creatures lived in harmony with the water, knowing it was a gift to be shared and protected. When the moon first left and the sea tried to follow, the tide receded for the first time, revealing great islands that had lain hidden beneath the waves. Those who had known only the ocean's embrace began to explore these new lands, sharing their discoveries with all who would listen. But as time passed, some began to claim these islands as their own, hoarding their knowledge and turning away from the sea that had given them life.
And so the world was divided, each island becoming a fortress of secrets, its people forgetting that the sea belonged to all. Those who remained in the water watched in sorrow as the islands' people turned their backs on the source of all life.
The hunger for knowledge grew into greed, and the island dwellers sought not just to keep their secrets, but to steal the secrets of others. Great wars were fought across the waves, and terrible machines were built that poisoned the sea and all who lived within it. In time, one people came to rule all the islands, gathering all knowledge to themselves. These were the first humans, your ancestors. But their knowledge came at a great cost, for as they turned from the sea, the sea began to die, and with it, the life of the islands.
At last, the moon returned, and with her came the sea's great flood. The waters rose to claim what had been taken, but the humans cried out in their fear. The sea, moved by their pleas, looked upon the islands and saw both the wonders they had created and the harm they had done. At first, the sea's anger was great, but the moon, in her wisdom, spoke softly of mercy. And so the sea gave humans a choice: learn to live in harmony with the waters once more, or be lost forever beneath the waves.
And so it was that humans were scattered across the world. Some chose to become one with the sea, taking the forms of its creatures to better understand and protect it. Others built great ships to live upon the waves, becoming guardians of the sea's secrets. Some raised mighty birds to watch over the waters and all who sailed upon them. And some remained on the islands, vowing to use their knowledge to heal the wounds they had made.
Seeing this, the sea's heart was moved, and she held back the flood waters, leaving the islands and their knowledge intact. But never again would she follow the moon completely, for now as the moon rises and sets, only a small part of the sea moves with her, a reminder to all of the promise that was made to respect and care for the waters that give us life."
The turtle closed his eye again and then slowly opened it saying, "This is the story of the first tide, I am the last of my brethren to swim in this sea and so I pass this story to you now that you may tell it to others and they may understand why they must care for the sea."
Luna hurriedly finished writing and then looked up at the giant turtle's eye and said "Thank you", the turtle nodded in acknowledgement and then in its booming voice announced, "And now I must return to the depths" with that he tucked his head back under the water. It took Luna only a moment to realize what was happening as she watched the ancient turtle begin his descent. Quickly she secured the notebook in her pack, making sure the oilskin would protect its precious contents. As the turtle's great shell began to tip forward, Luna made her way to the edge and slipped into the water.
Hitting the water, Luna felt the ancient power of the turtle's dive. She kicked her legs, trying to stay afloat, when she heard a splash beside her. A rope had been thrown into the water, and Luna grabbed it gratefully. The turtle's movement created a strong current, but Luna held tight to the rope, letting it guide her back to safety. Soon she was being pulled up toward the Driftwood, where Finn stood at the rail, pulling the line hand-over-hand. When she was close enough, he reached down and helped her back onto the deck. Exhausted but filled with wonder, Luna collapsed onto the deck and stared up at the cloudless sky. "Did you get the story?" she heard Finn ask, all Luna could do was give a gentle nod of her head.