Chapter 346: Millipede (4)
When the sun had set and darkness had blanketed the harbor, reducing all signs of human presence, I approached the bow and spoke to Geumdo.
"You remember what we talked about earlier, right? Let’s leave the harbor first, Geumdo."
-Bugururu.
Responding to my request, Geumdo slipped out of the harbor and headed toward the main stream of the Yangtze River.
Perhaps because it had been a while since moving like this, Geumdo seemed to be in a good mood, kicking up the water with powerful strokes of his legs.
Seeing Geumdo stretching his legs so freely in the cover of night made me think it was a good decision to set out at this time.
Of course, he could have moved during the day as well, but then Geumdo would have had to move more slowly to avoid drawing attention, and we wouldn’t have been able to enjoy this refreshing momentum.
Originally, turtles are creatures that tend to stay still in one place, but they also enjoy stretching their limbs while basking in the sun.
When I was young, I used to be so delighted watching turtles stretch their legs during sunbathing, thinking they looked like they were doing ballet.
Smiling at that memory, I noticed Geumdo's tail swaying lightly over the water behind us, as if he too was in a good mood after such a long, satisfying stretch.
"Geumdo, after we head a bit upstream, at the first fork in the river, take the left path. Then we head toward the first village we see. Ah, but don’t get too close to the village itself. Just stop nearby. I’ll let you know once I spot the lights."
-Buguru.