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They Were Just Mutant Turtles Every child and poor adult knows and have heard about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. You'd have to be locked up in a confined room not to know about them. I knew about them ever since I was ten years old. They were my all-time favorite dudes. I was so infatuated with them, I'd even dressed up as April O'Neil in yellow outfits in hopes I'd get saved by my sewer-dwelling heroes. The kids at school always made fun of me whenever I'd correct them not to call me Anna, but April instead! I told them a few times that the Turtles were real and living under the streets of New York City. The teasing, the ever-lasting laughter in my ears! It was so horrible to think about but I knew they were real. Or there had to be something in those sewers that may resemble what I know and love to this very day. In college and living with a roommate, my TMNT fad started to fade. I was dating, doing tons of homework and never discussing about my childhood heroes. Time went on and I was finally growing up and doing more important things. It was the last day before Spring break. So far, I was free of any homework from my other classes, free to not have to suffer with stupid books and pointless studying. Then, my English class rolled around and two minutes before the bell rang, the instructor sprung it on all of us. "Class! I am giving you an assignment!" *GROAN* "1000 words or more, I want you to write about something remarkable that happened to you in your life. Past, present, old, recent, it doesn't matter. It has to be unforgettable, special, unusual, something you will remember in many years to come. This is not a drama class so it must be fact, not fiction. Is that understood? Also, this will be an oral reading so each of you must present your story in front of the class. That is all. Have a good Spring Break, everyone! Class dismissed." Have a good Spring Break! Hmph! How dare he have the gall to say that! Now, we were all stuck with a writing assignment! And of what? A remarkable thing?! What was this? College or grade school?! What's worth hearing about a remarkable thing, anyway? Others would be writing first dances, first kisses, when one of their siblings was born, when they went to Europe...those were all special things to talk about. The only remarkable thing that ever happened to me was....no, I couldn't talk about that. I made a promise that I wouldn't dare tell another living person. There had to be other things. I could write about the first time I rode in a hot air balloon. Yes, oh, that was such fun! To sit...in a balloon....for three hours....doing nothing....hmm, maybe not. By the third paragraph, I'd be putting my audience to sleep with a topic such as that! I stupidly waited it out. I'm one of the many students suffering from what has been called the procrastination-syndrome. I was great for doing that all through-out my schooling years. I enjoyed my sleeping in, staying up, going out, getting drunk, sleeping in other people's beds, and waking up with the worst hangovers in the world. Sunday night, I got back home late with someone passing by me with a wide grin. "So, what's your report about?" Report! Oh, no! I ran in and flew up the stairs passed everyone and up to my room. I totally forgot about it and now I had to think fast. Very fast. Um..yes, but what to write? I stared at the computer screen with it's small bit of text that I was typing out. Dare I tell my whole English class when...I couldn't! This was not going to be easy to write about something that happened years ago. I sat for a good long time, drumming my hands near the keyboard. Thinking, thinking. The report was due the next day and I was taking too much time on such a bizarre incident. One that I question if I was awake or dreaming when it occurred. I typed out a catchy title and stared at it. The Underground Sewer-dwellers "Already, they would start laughing." I mumbled to the words. "Anna? Are you finished yet?" "Just a second!" That's one of my roommates. Nice girl, but has a big mouth. I glanced around the small room and let out a sigh. Yes, if I had to convince my audience that I wasn't crazy and was telling the truth here, I'd have to start from the beginning of when it all happened. And where it all happened....I began remembering my past and most remarkable encounter.... It was a typical back east trip to with my high school Sophomore class. Parents accompanied us along as chaperones. They were too smart to hang around with us dumb kids that would crack jokes and burp at every swig of Coke at the dinner table. I was completely excited to go on this trip to see all the sights and relive the history of it all. Our group was taken by tour buses everywhere. Virginia, Pennsylvania, Amish Country, Washington D.C., and the last stop, Manhattan, New York. The first night we got there, we checked in to the Salisbury Inn. We ate dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe and attended a wonderful Broadway show. Tomorrow, we'd spend the day in town and then in the afternoon, get over to J.F.K. and fly back home. Two days and one night in the Big Apple. You don't see much in two days but you do remember what you experienced. Especially what happened to me. After the play ended, everyone was ready to turn in for the evening. But my night was just about to get started. We all had watched the cartoons. We all had seen the three movies. We also all knew about the comic books and where the Ninja Turtles dwelled. New York! We were staying in the state where our heroes lived and that made us all a very happy bunch of kids! For fun and sheer boredom, I rounded up a group of giggling girls and one boy to sneak out of our room to try and look for our favorite Turtles underground. We were all excited and shushing one another to stop laughing and snickering as we crept down the hotel halls and into the lobby. Luckily, no one saw us at the front desk so we dashed out into the street and down a dark alley. The city was still very much alive with busy streets of cars honking and people crossing crosswalks. We finally came upon a familiar N.Y.C. manhole on the ground, more giggling coming from all of us, except for the boy whom told us to be quiet. He and a few others knelt down and started to pry open the lid with their small, delicate hands. I stood and watched with arms crossed, wondering at that point if this was such a good idea. The cover was pulled away with a crackle, revealing nothing but pure darkness. I could feel myself beginning to shiver all over my body. The boy went down first, followed by us girls. None of us were giggling anymore. We were too frightened to even breathe incase we caught something! I climbed down the last ring and hit the concrete with both feet. We all clicked on our flashlights and shined them around the area. From the left to the right was nothing but endless passageways of large, circular tunnels with stagnant waters flowing out of them into the open space beside our feet. A slight cough and the whole room echoed loudly. I was deeply scared, petrified even. We started to walk forward and keep close together. The smell was so horrible, I had to plug my nose or else pass out on the floor. Every little noise or scrape sound made us jump in our spot and shine the light. This is when the trouble started and now, I was beginning to doubt if I would ever see daylight again. There was a large thump sound on the other side of the long hall, followed by massive running. The puddles splashed around whatever it was but we couldn't see a thing. All of us screamed and took off running in various directions. I ran and ran, looking up, left, right, and to the back of me. The screams started to fade as I realized I was getting further away from my group but I knew whomever was running was definitely after one or all of us. Turning a corner, I stopped dead in my tracks at the sight of four, short figures in the distance. Whether it was what we were looking for or not, I was too scared to question them. Screaming instead, I backed away and smacked head-first into the wall, dropping my flashlight and collapsing into a puddle of dirty water mixed with my own blood. I couldn't see a thing but could hear them sloshing over to where I laid face-down in the water. I felt one place a hand to my back and flip me over so that I wouldn't drown from snorting the disgusting water down my throat. I heard deep, husky voices being exchanged next. "What do we do?" "She hurt?" "Think so. Looks it." "Let's help her." Okay, that wasn't the most intelligent conversation I ever heard but I played along as one of them lifted my back and another lifted my legs to carry me in a stretcher position. I was taken to a small haven far away from the sounds of the flowing sewer water. Or sounds from even life itself. It was very dark still and I lost my flashlight. I heard the strike of a match and a candle being lit to give some light into the enormous room. I slowly opened my eyes, fluttering them a bit. "She's waking up!" One of them said sitting close to me. "She is?!" A second one joined his side, gazing down with awe. "Oh. Uh...hello." The other two in the back looked over, standing up to attention. The candle light cast a silhouette over their bodies and I couldn't make out their faces too well. All were shrouded in heavy rags with hoods draped over their heads. I could briefly see wide, expressive eyes staring with a soft, gentle look upon them. I didn't care how gentle they looked and sat up with a high-pitched scream. They all gasped and started to run away. I was shocked to see they were more scared of me than I was of them! They seemed harmless and wanting to help, But now, I frightened them off instead! I had to think fast before the last one vanished through the hole. "Oh, god! Stop, wait!" I quickly called out. "Wait..." I watched the last one turn around, followed by the others crowding in the entryway. "She can talk!" The one that had previously sat by me exclaimed to the three. "Sorry." I squeezed my eyes and groaned. Screaming causes a headache. Don't do that again. "I...I didn't mean to do that. I was just startled." There were four of them. I counted each one as they reentered cautiously. Their rags dragged the concrete floor with an almost hissing sound like a snake makes with it's tongue. With my luck, these creatures could very well be from that class of an animal. I finally stated my warm greeting. "So...um...hello." "Hello." The second one repeated as he inched closer. "Are you okay?" "I don't know. Who are you people? Where did you come from?" I glanced around nervously. "We...live down here." One of them said in the back. "And we are not 'people'...like you." I sat up and rose off what I realized was an old futon and looked around. The two that had kneeled by me walked closer, standing no taller than my shoulders. The other two crept over slowly and seemed to be staring with fascination to the way I appeared. At the moment, I suddenly felt like Dorothy in Munchkinland. "So, what are you, then?" One shrugged. "Don't know." He looked to the others. "Not sure." "Do you have names?" I felt like I asked a dumb question from the looks I got. "You know, what do you call yourselves?" The second one glanced to the first one. "He just said we don't know." "I meant a name of what you refer to yourselves as?" The four continued to stare, looking utterly confused. "Okay. I'm a human. That is my species. My name is Anna." A smiled appeared on the first one. "Anna? That's pretty." The others nodded to that. "Um, thanks! Wait, hold on." I backed away and lifted the candle to get a better look. Their skin was a olive green complexion with tiny bumps all over. I gasped and nearly dropped the candle. It had to be them! Or some form of them. "Do you guys know any type of martial arts?" "Martial arts?" The second asked with a frown. "What is martial arts?" "You mean you don't know ninjitsu?!" I exclaimed. "Uh....no." The second one mumbled, cowering to my tone. "What is it?" "And where's your sensei? Where's Splinter?" Again they gave me funny looks. "Who's Splinter?" I smacked my head with disbelief but from where I hit myself, I sent exploding pain to my forehead, letting out a cry. "Hey...don't do that! You'll hurt yourself!" "I already did." I moaned and sat back down on the futon with a thud. I looked up to them, seeing 'worry' etch on each of their faces. "Let me get this straight, you don't know people, you don't know martial arts, you never heard of someone named Splinter and..." I sighed and shook my head. "...you don't even know what you are." I waited for answers, getting nothing but them looking around the room. "Do you even know how old you are?" "I do!" The second one exclaimed. "I'm 7 years old! We all are!" My eyes widened as I sat up again. "Seven? You're only 7 years old?" They nodded. Lucky 7. That explained it. Sort of. "But you guys never saw a rat roaming around here?" "Oh, we see lots of rats!" The third one smiled. "Lots and lots of rats!" "How about a four-foot tall rat?" I challenged. "Uh, some can get real big." He shrugged. "I heard they can get to be jumbo-size even. About two feet from the head to tip of the tail, 5 inches by height. Weight, quite possibly 15 pounds." "That's a big rat." I smiled to him. "You'd definitely be Donatello." "I'd be...who?" "Donatello." I repeated. I circled around to each one, pointing to the first. "Michaelangelo.." He frowned as I walked to the second one. "Leonardo." The one I dubbed Leonardo gave me a wrinkle to the nose. Finally, I reached the fourth whom pouted to me. "And Raphael." "Who the hell is Raphael?" "You are. Obviously." I chuckled. "Why'd you do that?" Leonardo asked, nose still wrinkled. "What are those names for?" "For you! You didn't have names before so I gave you some!" It only fogged his mind more and he chose not to argue. "Now, for your species, I really can't detect what you are with those rags on. If you don't mind taking them off for me-" "No." Leonardo mumbled. "We don't remove them." "At all?" My eyebrows lifted. They shook their heads no. "Look, I can tell you what you are if you'll just let me see yourselves. Your secret is safe with me." Leonardo looked to the three, then to me. "Promise?" "Scout's honor." I lifted three fingers. He frowned to it. "It means, I swear I won't tell another living soul about your existence." The four slowly and carefully lifted the rags off and dropped them to the ground. Lifting the candle higher, I walked around each of them, sizing from top to bottom. They wore no eye masks or no ninja garb like they're familiar knee and elbow pads. There were no scratches or no bruises that I could detect. Thanks to the disposal of the rags, I could clearly see they were of the reptilian species. Of the tortoise class to be exact with huge turtle shells strapped to the backs. I circled to glance at the pale plastron chest-plates, counting by twos, six plates down the front. Lifting Leonardo's arm, he jerked away from my grasp but I assured him it was okay. He relaxed as I lifted it back up and took the candle over. The arm was very thin and fragile with no muscle to it at all. There were two fingers and a thumb but they were short and thick with round claws on the end. "You are all turtles." I stated. "And the rarity of your type...um...smile for me, Leonardo." Leonardo squinted to that, doing nothing. "Just do this." I smiled to him and he got the message, smiling faintly and showing a small row of off-white teeth. "Just as I thought. You are all humanoid turtles." "What?" Raphael echoed. "Humanoid turtles?" Donatello repeated. "What's that?" Leonardo asked me. "You four are them! You're really them!" I shook my head with a hand clasping my cheek. "What? What? Who are we?" Michaelangelo said happily and glanced to Donatello whom shrugged. "You're the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!" I exclaimed with a laugh. Catching them stare at me wide-eyed, I sobered up. "No, wait. You're not teenagers and you're not ninjas." "Then, we're just mutant turtles?" Donatello asked. "Yes!" I said with a smile. "This is remarkable. You're not the famous turtles that everyone knows because those turtles are just comic book characters!" "Comics?" Raphael perked up. "I've read those in newspapers! Are we in the comics, too?" "Um, not exactly. It's more of a book format that you find in bookstores." I gestured. "The story is about four sewer-dwelling mutant turtles fighting crime, protecting the city, learning the secret art of ninjitsu from their sensei, Splinter, becoming friends with people named April O'Neil, Casey Jones, and fighting with their arch enemy called the Shredder, oh, there's so much of it to talk about!" "Sounds neat." Michaelangelo grinned. "It is! I'm a big fan of them!" I laughed, then suddenly, got very sad. "But...they're only stories. And you four are living down here...alone and away from any civilization." I looked to one another and then to the candle I was holding. The flame was getting lower and dimmer. "How have you survived down here by yourselves? And how...how did you become humanoid turtles?" "We don't know, Anna." Leonardo finally said after a long pause. "Until you showed up, we have wondered who and what we are, never knowing what a 'turtle' was before. Talking has been the hardest progress we've made so far. The newspapers that get thrown down here have helped up discover that there is life above us. People...as the articles read...are living in apartments, houses, and eating hot dogs on those busy streets. Gourmet restaurants bringing out new dishes per week, unusual sports are played in big green fields with huge H-shaped statues or diamond-designed markings. It all sounds like it would be a dream come true to see it all in bright, vivid colors. " "Yeah, instead of boring, black and white photos!" Michaelangelo added. "But, for you, it wouldn't be a dream come true." I said sadly. "I didn't mention why, in the comics, these super heroes live in the sewers. In their world, people reject them, call them freaks and would do terrible things to them if they were ever captured." I watched their eyes blink and mouths drop. "The Turtles are heroes to us, the readers, but to the people within the comics themselves, they are a threat to society." "So...in the real world..." Donatello started. "...and not being in a comic....what would you people do to humanoid turtles like us?" "They'd try to find out how you became that way..." I started, gazing to his worried expression. It was hard to say it but I did, in a mumble. "By dissection..." I closed my eyes and dropped my head, hearing gasps all around me. "Oh..." Donatello replied, turning to the others who were now looking scared. "Then, we will never go up there again. Ever." Leonardo stated. "But, how will you survive? How do you eat? Seven years..." I shook my head. "We search and find food down here, Anna. It's not a reliable source but it's better than nothing. A few times, we've gone up to dig in dumpsters in the alley ways to find something worth eating. That is how we survive." He was beginning to sound like the leader he was born to be. Had he known of that. He looked to me with a sigh. "You should go. Your friends and family are probably looking for you by now." "Yes, I guess you're right." I quietly said. I started to hand him back the candle. "Here, you will need this-" "No, keep it." He said. "We have others, and you've lost your...your..." "Flashlight." "Flashlight." He smiled. "Yes. The sewers are very dark so you will need to see your way out of here safely." "And here..." Donatello reached for a small book of matches on the ground and handed it to me. "Incase the wind blows it out." "Okay. And um..thanks, um...I guess." "For what?" Leonardo frowned. "For not letting me drown to death." I laughed. "Oh. You're welcome." He smiled again. I started to turn to walk out, then paused. "Donatello?" They all turned to me. "Uh, you..." I pointed to the one I named Donatello. He nodded his head and blinked. "If you ever find a computer and get internet access down here...look me up at Anna underscore Wilkins at Hotmail.com, okay?" "Hotmail?" "Yeah. Just remember that." It was worth a shot. He's got a lot to learn. They all do. I stepped out of the small tunnel and looked behind me for one last time. All four stood standing and watching me leave. One waved with a small smile as I turned and kept going, feeling myself getting choked up on the inside. It was a long trek back but I found my way back to the hotel to see a bunch of police cars swarming around the entrance. I was glad to see that all my friends were found and unharmed. The only thing I received was a good lecture and plenty of it. I never did tell anyone what I found down there, nor did I ever see those mutants again. Before going back to my hotel room, one of my friends asked if I did find anything while down there. All I said was..."Just some candles and a bunch of rags from some homeless bums. That's it." I slept at the keyboard silently, waking up to the sound of my email beeping and flashing. I opened my eyes and clicked to the window. There was one new message there. Opening up my Hotmail inbox, my eyes widened as I read the letter. To Anna_Wilkins, From Donatello_humanoid_turtle I gasped and felt my heart racing uncontrollably. They remembered me! Oh, lord, that Donatello mutant was a real genuis and got a computer hooked up just because he took my advice! I was so happy, I started to ramble off a quick reply just as footsteps were approaching my room. "Anna! You've been sitting there for over two hours! I need to use the computer!" I glanced to a P.S. at the bottom of the screen. "P.S. Leonardo asks as a reminder that you tell no one of us." Oh, as you wish, Leonardo. "Anna!" My roommate entered just as I minimized the letter. "I need you to hurry up! Aren't you done with that report yet?" I glanced to my report and highlighted what I had previously typed about The Underground Sewer-dwellers and erased it, starting over again. "Not quite. I just got an idea for a new topic." "Hot Air Balloons, My Greatest Adventure" By Anna Wilkins.
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