Reading time: 9 minIn the depths of the ocean lived a large, old octopus named Tortella. With her long, strong arms, she could glide effortlessly through the water and reach any hiding place in the depths of the sea, no matter how remote.
Tortella was not bothered by the darkness in the deep sea. She was a good navigator and was not afraid of anything or anyone. Who would want to get too close to such a strong and majestic-looking octopus?
The other sea creatures rarely saw Tortella. They found their environment too dark, too cold, and too eerie. And although the other inhabitants rarely saw her, stories about her were told over and over again.
It was rumored that Tortella once devoured an entire pufferfish and that its sharp spines didn’t bother her at all. It was also said that she had effortlessly moved a huge boulder with her powerful arms to find a cave underneath.
But the story about Tortella’s hidden treasure was particularly popular. This story was told to the children by their parents at every opportunity. It was exciting and a bit scary at the same time.
Since everyone told the story a little differently, it still caused a sense of thrilling wonder. No one had ever seen the treasure, and none of the animals knew what Tortella kept in the big chest.
A small grouper speculated: “They could be pearls, as big as a sea urchin.” “Or she hides gemstones down there that glow in the dark!” whispered a starfish, while holding on to a rock for safety’s sake.
The children’s curiosity grew year after year. They were all keen to find out what Tortella was doing down there in the depths of the sea and why she guarded her treasure so closely. After all, she didn’t really have to worry about losing it.
“Who would want to mess with a giant octopus like her?” ‘Don’t even think about paying Tortella a visit,’ said an old anemone. She swayed gently in the sea current and then added, ”For Tortella, it’s easy to kill little fish like you.”
She said it in a whisper and created a frightening atmosphere. The dorsal fins of the small fish stood up because they were so scared.
Tortella didn’t notice any of this. She rarely left her cave. From time to time she was forced to look for food and go hunting.
Otherwise, she made herself comfortable and waited. She wasn’t quite sure for what. Over the decades, she had given up hope that someone would come to her in the depths of the sea.
Every day was the same, but Tortella didn’t mind the loneliness. Unsuspecting, she dozed on her treasure chest, which she had carefully guarded for over a hundred years.
Meanwhile, Elwi the seahorse set off into the depths of the sea early one morning. She was a brave girl and not afraid of the stories surrounding Tortella.
However, she had never managed to escape the group unnoticed. “If no one else dares to find out what Tortella is guarding down there, then I’ll be the one,” she bravely decided.
To be on the safe side, however, she had secured the support of a group of luminous jellyfish. After all, darkness was what worried her most. Late in the afternoon, Elwi set off towards the deep sea, surrounded by the glowing jellyfish.
Together they descended deeper and deeper into the depths of the sea. She knew that the jellyfish had a mild poison in their tentacles and that she could be safe in their presence.
When they finally arrived at the bottom of the sea, they searched the rocky outcrops together. But the search seemed futile at first. The stones and rocks all looked the same. They couldn’t find an entrance to Tortella’s cave anywhere.
But then Elwi heard an unfamiliar sound. “What’s that?” she wondered. Elwi suspected that the blowing and groaning was coming from the direction of the coral reef. In no time, the luminous jellyfish swarmed in all directions, illuminating the colorful reef in the most beautiful colors.
“It’s beautiful!” murmured Elwi. She was overwhelmed by the beautiful place, which otherwise seemed surrounded by darkness, dull and lonely. Then she was pulled out of her thoughts. Suddenly the jellyfish came towards her. ‘We found it, we found the cave,’ they shouted excitedly in unison.
Elwi summoned all her courage. “It’s now or never!” she decided and motioned for the luminous jellyfish to follow her into the cave. She was surprised to find that the inside of the cave was not as scary as she had imagined.
“So this is where Tortella lives and guards her secret,” thought Elwi. As the noise grew louder and louder, they cautiously peeked around the corner of the winding cave. There it was. A mighty purple octopus lying on a huge heavy chest, seemingly fast asleep and snoring loudly. “So this is Tortella,” Elwi whispered to the jellyfish.
In an instant, the old octopus’s eyes opened wide. Surprised by her little visitor and the glowing companion, she shook herself vigorously, causing her mighty arms to lash out in all directions. Elwi and the jellyfish carefully retreated a few steps.
“I’ve been waiting for years for curious visitors to come and see my treasure, and who do I find? A seahorse and a couple of luminous jellyfish! You must really be a brave child and apparently you don’t know the meaning of fear.”
Tortella circled the intruders and nudged a few of the luminous jellyfish one by one. They began to tremble and shiver and would have fled the cave as quickly as possible. “Don’t worry,” said Elwi in a calm voice. “I’m sure nothing will happen to us.”
“I see,” grumbled Tortella. ‘So you come here, wake me up out of my sleep, and think you can just look at my treasure and maybe even take it with you?’ She waited for the stranger’s reaction, frowning.
Tortella didn’t let on that she just wanted to test Elwi and her companion. Meanwhile, the little seahorse was frantically trying to think of what to say to the octopus. To be honest, she hadn’t had any specific plan. She was just curious and wanted to find out if the many stories about the treasure and the old octopus were true.
“It was my idea alone,” Elwi stuttered somewhat nervously. ”I persuaded the luminous jellyfish to come with me because I couldn’t find my way well enough in the dark.”
Tortella’s facial features brightened. Now she gently laid her arms on the chest. “It’s true. I’m guarding a treasure,” she said softly. “But you won’t find what you’re probably looking for.” A disappointed murmur could be heard from the luminous jellyfish, but Elwi was not discouraged by this and approached the large chest with excitement.
With an elegant movement, Tortella opened the chest. Now Elwi could take a look inside. And indeed. There was neither gold nor precious stones and certainly no pearls in it. Instead, there were some old, yellowed parchment scrolls and a huge conch shell horn inside.
Elwi stepped closer to the chest and looked at the old conch shell horn and the parchment scrolls. “So this is the treasure?” she asked quietly, a little disappointed.
Tortella nodded and looked at the little seahorse with her wise eyes. “You expected something else, didn’t you? There is no gold, no precious stones, no pearls in this chest, but there is hope. The maps show the way that everyone must go to find what they really need. And the horn calls those who need this help to me in this cave.”
Elwi was ashamed. Like everyone else, she had assumed a sparkling, magnificent treasure. She had always thought that treasures had to shine and sparkle. But this treasure, which helped those who really needed it, was much more precious than anything she could have imagined.
“So the treasure isn’t yours alone? We all thought that you were guarding it so you wouldn’t have to share it.”
Tortella smiled gently and gently put one of her big arms around the delicate Elwi. “Sometimes what we guard is not meant for ourselves, but for those who need it most.”
Elwi nodded and said goodbye to Tortella. Together with the luminous jellyfish, she swam back home. They had previously imagined how they would tell the others about their discoveries. But now everything was different. Elwi didn’t want to tell anyone. She was sure that whoever really needed the treasure one day would find it.
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