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The city of Chelon did not have earthquakes; it had hiccups. That’s because Chelon was built on the back of a Great Zaratan, a sea turtle the size of an island.
Life in Chelon was dictated by the Migration. When the turtle swam north, the city froze. When it swam south, the city sweltered. And when the turtle dove... well, everyone had to hold their breath.
Fortunately, the Zaratan hadn't dived in three hundred years. Until today.
Mayor Pym felt the lurch first. His coffee cup slid across the desk. Then, the warning bells rang—deep, resonant gongs attached to the turtle's shell.
"Dive stations!" Pym screamed, running to the window. The horizon, usually a steady line, was tilting.
The citizens of Chelon were prepared. Massive glass domes rose from the streets, sealing over the districts. Air pumps hummed to life.
Young Milo, a shell-scraper (a job that involved cleaning barnacles off the city's foundations), was caught outside the domes. He scrambled up the spinal ridge, clutching his scraper.
The water rushed up. It wasn't a wave; it was the world swallowing them. The sky vanished, replaced by a churning blue ceiling.
Milo held onto a dorsal spine. The pressure built. The light faded. Chelon was underwater.
But the turtle didn't just dive. It was swimming toward something. In the gloom of the deep ocean, bioluminescent lights appeared. A song echoed through the water—a low, mournful whale song.
Another Zaratan.
Milo watched, wide-eyed, as their turtle approached the other. They touched noses, a gesture of infinite gentleness that shook the city's foundations. It wasn't a disaster. It was a date.
For an hour, the two massive creatures danced in the deep. Then, with a powerful kick that sent Milo flying against the dome glass, their turtle surfaced.
The city breached the water, gasping and dripping. The domes retracted.
Mayor Pym wiped sweat from his brow. "Status report!"
"Minor structural damage to the East District," an aide reported. "And... sir? The turtle seems to be humming."
Milo, soaking wet but alive, grinned. "Let him hum. He's in love."