22 THE HOPE

CHAPTER 22 THE HOPE Something big was bobbing along the choppy surface of the sea. It looked like a chunk of driftwood, but as Roz marched closer, she saw that it was a sea creature, slowly swimming against the current. The creature had a small head and long flippers and a large, streamlined shell. "Hello, sea turtle," said the robot. "My name is Roz!" "You should turn around," said the sea turtle. "The poison tide is near." "I appreciate the warning, but I am not an animal. I am a robot. The poison tide does not affect me." The sea turtle rolled his eyes and snapped, "Well, aren't you lucky? The rest of us are fighting for our lives, and you're just going for a pleasant stroll!" "Actually, I am going to stop the poison tide." "And how do you plan on doing that?"

"I am heading north in search of the Ancient Shark. I have heard that she is wise and powerful, and she will know what to do. Together, we will find a way." "With the Ancient Shark's help, you might have a shot," said the sea turtle, and his hard expression softened. "I'm sorry I snapped at you, Roz. These are tough times. Yesterday, I visited a beach where hundreds of sea turtles had laid thousands of eggs in the sand. And then the poison tide washed ashore. The grown turtles escaped, but none of the eggs survived." Roz's glowing eyes dimmed, and she said, "I am deeply sorry for your loss. I will do everything in my power to stop the poison tide." "So there's hope?" said the sea turtle.

"There is hope," said the robot. "Thank you, Roz. I'm going to tell the other sea turtles about you. We all need a little hope right now." With that, the robot and the turtle parted ways and continued through that shallow sea in opposite directions.