The girl who didn't know what to believe

tilted down and a human face peered out. “Hello,” it said, “We’re dressed like this because turtles are wonderful creatures that have been around on this earth for 250 million years, and because of us, they are in danger, and we need people to wake up to that now!” He spoke with a real passion that was infectious, or would have been to people who weren’t feeling very different at the moment and not believing anyone.

Meritxell was very interested in the idea of turtles, which she’d seen on TV and in books and in cartoons but never face-to-face so to speak, and she decided that talking to a man in a costume didn’t really count either. She listened to what he said, and wondered if any of it was true. “What do you mean, they’re in danger?” she asked. “I mean that we humans are burning so much coal and oil, that we’re causing global warming, and that’s going to change all sorts of things, and beautiful animals like turtles are going to be the first to suffer. The seas will rise and cover the beaches they use to lay their eggs on, and this may sound weird, but a warmer world will mean that most turtles are female, and that’s not good. And I could go on!”

Meritxell had no doubt at all that he could go on a lot.

She was just making a mental note to ask Merlin about what makes turtles female, when they were distracted by a chant that was coming nearer. “Hey! Wake up and hear the warning! Let’s all stop this global warming!” Like a wave, it flowed towards them, the turtles joined in, and then it passed. Meritxell was fascinated, and had also been thinking about what he said. “So how do you know any of that?” she asked. The turtle looked down and remembered he’d been talking to someone. “Don’t you read the papers?” he 41