Tom and the tortoise smugglers

The Wrong Vacation Tom pressed his nose against the window. He couldn't see what was outside, just felt the cool airplane window against his feverish forehead. “What a blue sky, what warmth! Didn't I say it was fantastic in Antalya?” His mother's voice made him wince.

Tom looked pained. For weeks, his parents had been trying to make this vacation in Türkiye, which he had no desire to go on, palatable to him. What his mother was now saying was just a continuation of the sentences from the travel brochures that he had heard too often.

Tom sighed. How did his mother even know how warm it was outside? The air conditioning was humming on the plane. Warmth and blue skies were all very well, but a vacation with his parents and their friends. What was that going to be for him? After all, he was already twelve years old and could take good care of himself. Tom thought of his friends with envy. Alex, for example, was at an adventure camp with other kids his age from Germany. That was what he had wished for. At least there he would have known someone to do things with from the start. But now, two long weeks here in Türkiye, alone among adults? “Tom, come on, stop dreaming. Do you see our suitcase over there on the conveyor belt? Help me put it on the luggage trolley, then we can leave the airport.” Tom sighed again. He'd been so lost in his gloomy thoughts that he'd hardly noticed how they'd gotten from the plane to the inside of the airport building. They had first queued for passport control and were now waiting with the other passengers on the flight from Frankfurt for their luggage. But Tom knew one thing for sure: this would continue for the whole vacation. Tom, do this, Tom, do that. His parents would order him around. If only they had at least booked a great vacation in an all-inclusive hotel, with a pool, a fun program, and enough freedom to escape adult supervision. Disgruntled, Tom followed his parents, who were now pushing a heavily laden luggage trolley towards the exit.

Full of envy, he looked at the other travelers being picked up at the airport exit. Taurus Travel, Lykia Leisure, Papatya Tours. Everything sounded adventurous and promising. But his parents didn't like package vacations.

A chic vacation in a five-star hotel? Not an option. His parents preferred individual vacations. Tom sighed even more deeply. They called it unique. Uncool would be a more appropriate term, he thought. It was already getting dark outside, even though it was only just after eight o'clock. In Germany in August, he might have just been on his way back from the swimming pool or from his friend Phil, Tom thought. At least it was warm in Türkiye, very warm in fact, even though it was evening. Of course, his parents and he didn't get on one of the comfortable buses in front of the airport building that were waiting to take vacationers from all kinds of countries from the airport to luxurious vacation resorts.

Instead, his father waved a cab over and said, in Turkish of course, because that was his mother tongue: “To the marina, please.” As soon as they stowed their bags and his rucksack in the cab's trunk, they set off at a brisk pace. Yes, their luggage comprised several bags, not fancy hard-shell suitcases like the other travelers had. There was no room for that on board a sailing yacht, his parents had said. That's why they had to pack everything they would need during the two weeks of their vacation in sports and travel bags. At least his beloved rucksack had found mercy in the eyes of his parents. Tom's father now explained to him and his mother that they would take a cab for about half an hour. Both spoke and understood very little Turkish. While Tom's father, who had got in at the front, talked to the driver in his mother tongue about the busy traffic and wondered about the many changes since his last visit to Türkiye, his mother marveled at the many people who were still out and about on foot in the dark. She regretted several times that the high mountains couldn’t be seen in the background because it was now completely dark. She raved to Tom about previous visits to Antalya when she had seen the mountains. Tom was already familiar with these stories and paid no attention to what his mother was saying. He preferred to continue with his doubts. He would have to spend the next two weeks crammed into a tiny space with four adults. A terrible idea. The glittering lights of the unknown world outside the cab sparkled ominously. Could a heavenly sign help him? Shooting stars, that would be it. They should bring luck. Tom thought desperately: If he could spot at least one tiny shooting star now, the vacation might turn out all right after all. But no matter how hard he stared upwards, no shooting star saved him.

At last it became quieter to the right and left of the road, fewer people crowded into the stores and restaurants near the beach, and the dark mountains seemed to move closer to the road. Now Tom could even see ships, large freighters moored in a harbor basin and illuminated by powerful spotlights. The cab passed a long line of parked trucks in front of the industrial port before they finally reached the marina. The marina where the sailboat they were to spend their vacation on was moored. The man at the barrier with the security sign on his shirt stopped them at the entrance to the marina. He wanted to know why they wanted to go to the marina. “We're expected on the Dolfin,” said his father. Then the barrier opened, and they could pass. Tom opened his eyes to make sure he missed nothing. So many ships were moored in the marina! Many sailboat masts rose high into the air, as far as seen at night, but there were also some large motor yachts. Unfortunately, the cab didn't go in their direction. If only his parents' friends had at least owned one of these modern motor yachts! But no, the cab slowly moved on to a jetty where the boats were obviously less long and the masts didn't rise so high into the air. That was what he had expected. Tom sighed deeply once again. It would have been too nice if they had gone to one of the luxury yachts. While Tom was still moaning to himself, the cab stopped and his father pulled the door open from the inside. As his mother got out, he saw Eda and Burhan, his parents' friends, hurrying towards them. “Hoş geldiniz, welcome!” they all shouted and greeted each other. Exuberant, Tom thought, too exuberant with kisses left and right and all that other grown-up fuss. “How are you all doing? How was the journey?” No one seemed to be interested in him.

Fortunately. Only a girl his age came by and grinned mockingly at him, which he could see even in the semi-darkness on the jetty. That too. Better to disappear quickly on the ship. But which one was that, exactly? His mother pressed his rucksack into his hand.

“Come on, the cab is going to leave.” Now, for the first time, he really got to see the sailing ship that his parents had been raving about for the last few weeks. Well, Tom just thought. It was a boat, a sailing boat. But even in the dim light of the jetty, the friends' ship looked as if it had been at sea for many years. It certainly didn't remind Tom of a sleek, racing sailboat. It looked older and clumsy, he thought. Reluctantly, Tom admitted to himself that the boat didn't look too bad. After all, the yacht floated, and that alone fascinated him. Was the boat only held on the surface by the lines? He would inspect further during the day.

There were sails. He could already see that, as well as an interior. A dinghy was lying upside down on the foredeck. Burhan showed Tom the best place to hold on to when he went on board. The boat swayed as precariously as the wooden plank he had to cross. Eda showed him the sleeping area. No, cabin was the name on board, his mother improved immediately. For such a small boat, this cabin was surprisingly spacious and even subdivided, so that Tom had his own little sleeping chamber. There wasn't much room. He had to fold up his legs and push them into his bunk. But it was a little piece of boat for him alone and that was all that mattered at that moment. He had had enough for the day. After his father had explained to him where the washrooms were on land, he just wanted to go to bed. Rarely, he fell asleep as quickly as he did that evening. Tom woke up when he could no longer ignore the loud voices near him. “Of course, a boat is cramped, but the water is the only way to reach some of the most beautiful bays and beaches by the sea,” Eda exclaimed. “I can't wait. Where are we going first?” His parents were talking to their friends. The four of them obviously had a lot to say to each other, and what they had to say, they told each other in a mixture of German and Turkish. Eda and Burhan had lived in Germany for a few years, so they understood what his mother was saying in German. Everyone warmly greeted Tom with a “Günaydın, good morning!”. “Slept well? We can finally have breakfast!” It was pretty crowded on the boat when Tom came back from the washroom and everyone was sitting outside around the table in the cockpit. Above all, it was already so hot in the morning that Tom's T-shirt was sticking to his body. Even in the shade provided by the bimini. Tom ate his honey bread slowly. He wasn't really hungry. Soon he was shifting restlessly back and forth. Nobody was interested in him anymore. Boats and Tortoises “We should make a list so that we forget nothing when we go shopping.” “Good idea! There's so much to see at the market that it's easy to forget the basics.” “How much diesel does the tank actually hold and how long will the water supply on board last?” The adults' sentences rushed past his ears. Tom looked around the small boat as best he could from his seat in the cockpit. There was no opportunity to walk around as long as the four adults took up almost all the space on the boat. Where there were no adults sitting, tripping hazards were present: lines and wires that Tom felt were stretched haphazardly in a criss-cross pattern serving no discernible purpose. There were devices at the steering wheel he didn't know. He would have liked to ask a few questions about the boat and how it was supposed to work with the sails and the engine, but his parents were so engrossed in talking to their friends that Tom didn't have time to speak. After a while, he therefore disembarked and look around the marina on his own. He now knew the way to the washrooms, but that couldn't be all the marina offered. No one held him back as he balanced over the gangway on land. As he left, he called out a quick “See you later!”, then ran in the direction where he thought the entrance to the marina was. Behind it were green lawns and even a few trees, a refreshing sight in the scorching heat of the sun. As he got closer to the trees, he saw a fenced-in area. The whole thing looked like an enclosure for animals. Curious, he headed straight for it. Sure enough, he quickly recognized which animals lived there. tortoises with brown shells were scurrying around in the enclosure. They were crowded around several food bowls that someone had filled with lettuce leaves and watermelon rinds. Tom watched the tortoises with fascination. He knew neighbors in Germany who had an old tortoise. It liked to escape in the summer and Tom had already helped to catch it again. But he had never seen so many tortoises in one place as in this enclosure. How had they got there? “Merhaba, hello!” called a voice behind him. Tom turned around and squinted into the sun. The girl from last night was standing in front of him. She was about his height and eyed him with the same mocking look as when they first met. “Where do all the tortoises come from?” Tom's curiosity was stronger than his annoyance at the condescending grin. “Helen and John are from England and live on a yacht in the marina. They created the enclosure because they had found an injured tortoise and wanted to nurse it back to health. Later, one thing led to another. If someone from the marina finds a tortoise, they bring it here. And that's what happened.” The girl stretched her chin towards the enclosure, where the tortoises were crawling around at a leisurely yet surprisingly determined pace. Small tortoises were running around, large and ponderous ones crawled alongside them. Tom could hardly get enough of all the shelly creatures. “And what are you doing here?” There was a human standing next to Tom, not a tortoise. It was only when he had spoken the words that he realized he hadn't even asked the girl her name. He would also have liked to know why she spoke German so well. To Tom's relief, she answered without mockery. “I spend my vacations here. My parents own a gulet and we live on it in the summer.” “A what? A gu...?” “A gulet is a big wooden boat, like that one over there.” She pointed with a laugh at the mighty, sturdy wooden boats at the other end of the marina. “Why don't you come and visit us and I'll show you our ship!” “Uh, what's your name, anyway?” The most important question had come back to him. “I'm Tom.” The girl laughed at him and raised her hand as if she was reporting to school.

“Aygül. But why are you called Tom? That's not a Turkish name and your father is Turkish, isn't he?” Tom didn't know whether you could tell from the tip of his nose, even here in Türkiye, that his father was Turkish. He didn't dare ask the girl about it, either. Instead, he hesitantly told her that Tom’s name was derived from Tonton. His parents had called him by this pet name when he was a child. Just in time before he started school, he had managed to change this embarrassing baby name to Tom. His parents were slow to get used to the new name, although Tonton and Tom sounded almost similar. For him, the call name Tom was an important step towards a name that none of his friends in Germany found funny. “My real name is Kerim. But now I have a question. Why do you speak German so well?” If the girl asked nosy questions, Tom could do the same. “I was born in Germany and went to elementary school there. It's obvious that I speak German and Turkish. Last night, I noted straight away that your mother is German and your father speaks perfect Turkish. My family moved to Antalya almost two years ago. It's great here!” Tom was not at all as sure as Aygül. But as he had nothing better to do anyway, he went with Aygül when she looked at him invitingly. Together they walked past the jetties with the sailing yachts and motorboats, behind which the large wooden ships were moored at the other end of the marina. On the way there, Aygül showed him one or two of the boats and told him what she knew about their owners. A sailing yacht on the jetty next to the mooring of the Dolfin was home to the English couple, who looked after the tortoises. Tom also learned that Aygül was almost thirteen years old, not much older than him. As he passed by, he waved to his parents. To his astonishment, they simply waved back and did not send a warning, as he had secretly feared.

Tom was even more surprised about something completely different. Although Aygül had looked at him so mockingly at first, everything seemed quite uncomplicated to him. She didn't giggle embarrassedly all the time, like the girls in his class in Germany. She laughed out loud when she thought something was funny. His hesitation, for example, when he talked about his baby name. Or as soon as he said something in Turkish. He knew himself that his Turkish wasn't particularly good, especially as his father never failed to point out to him that Tom could normally speak the language much better if only he ... That was always the point at which Tom switched off and stopped listening. His father had brought up the subject far too often for Tom's liking. Now it seemed normal to him to speak a mixture of German and Turkish and laugh about it with Aygül.

Tom had hardly noticed how they had almost circled the entire marina and finally stopped in front of a wooden boat with two masts. “That's where Ayşe Kaptan is,” said Aygül proudly. “Ayşe Kaptan?” Tom asked in amazement. “Yes, that's the name of our ship.” “A woman as captain? Ayşe is a woman's name and Kaptan means captain?” “Why not?” Aygül laughed again. “My Hala always loved ships. She was my father's sister and, unfortunately, died of cancer. That's why my father named this gulet after her.” Tom still felt surprised. Wasn't it always said that women had no say in Türkiye? Why was the ship named after a woman? Aygül was now standing right next to him and looking at him with a strange expression. Tom raised his eyebrows. What had contributed to Aygül's amusement this time? “You didn't think so, a woman as captain, did you? Wait until you've seen the inside of the ship!” Aygül took a step onto the wooden walkway that led from the seawall to the aft deck. The boardwalk was wider and longer than the one on the Dolfin, and it even had a narrow railing on one side. Nevertheless, it seemed less trustworthy to him, as the distance between the seawall and the ship was much greater and higher. You could have jumped onto the Dolfin from the jetty with a little momentum. “Come on!” Aygül pulled Tom along by the hand. He could barely keep up. But because Aygül just kept walking and didn't let go of his hand, he had no choice but to follow her. If she had given him time to think about it, he might have changed his mind. The solid shore was safer than the now dangerously swaying plank. He hesitated for a moment. “Where are you?” Tom hurried on. Better not to think and, above all, not to look down. The steps on the ship were easier than he had feared. And anyway, the big wooden ship was really cool, Tom realized when he reached the deck and looked around. The Ayşe Kaptan was much bigger than the Dolfin and so wide and long that he almost forgot he was on a boat. Right at the back of the aft deck, where they had boarded the gulet, a large table had been set up in the middle of the deck with plenty of seating around it. Tom thought it would be fun to sit and eat there with lots of people. Aygül tugged on his arm. “Come on, I want to introduce you to my parents.” They were busy adjusting some equipment on the bridge where the steering wheel was. Before Tom could say anything, Aygül spoke up with a twinkle in her eye. “My Anne is currently helping my Baba to update the chart plotter. Baba messes up the settings every time. That's why he prefers to give ...” Tom was confused for a moment. Just in time, he remembered Anne was the Turkish word for mother and Baba for father. But he couldn't answer his next question himself. “What is a chart plotter?” “It's something similar to a modern electronic nautical chart with a satellite connection,” Aygül replied. “My mother can explain it to you in more detail later. But first I'll introduce you to my parents.” She pointed at Tom, looked at her parents, and continued talking. “So, this is Tom.” Then she looked at Tom. “My parents have names too, of course. My Anne is called Dilek and my Baba is called Batu.” “Excuse me? Tom?” Aygül's father asked in German. “What kind of name is that? Not a Turkish one, anyway. I heard your parents are Turkish?” “My father is Turkish,” Tom explained. Word of his family's arrival had spread quickly. How many times would he have to explain where his name came from in the next two weeks, when he was already being asked about it several times on the second day of vacation? In Germany, he had had to explain how to spell his name often enough. Did the questions never stop? He tried to answer politely. Aygül's father just wanted to talk to him. “Besides, my name isn't Tom.” Aygül's parents looked at each other in amazement. Her mother asked: “Wait a minute, what's your name then?” Tom patiently explained to them how he got his nickname. “Hi, Kerim-Tonton-Tom!” Tom turned in surprise to the side from which this unfamiliar voice had come. “That's just Tayfun Amca, my uncle Tayfun,” said Aygül. Tom seemed surprised. Tayfun, the owner of the voice, was an adult, but looked like a student in his early twenties. Such a young uncle. How could that be? Tom didn't have time to ask questions. “Tayfun Amca, will you go for a ride with us in the dinghy?” Aygül asked her uncle in Turkish. “Please, please.” “Yeah, sure, I'd love to. Can you swim at all, Kerim-Tom?” Tom took a deep breath and wanted to blurt out his anger quickly. Who did this rather young uncle think he was? Of course Tom could swim, he had even been a lifeguard for a long time. Unfortunately, he couldn't think of a way to explain it in Turkish. Aygül giggled and struggled to hold back a loud laugh. In a hushed tone, she reassured Tom that Tayfun Amca was a constant source of annoyance for her, too. But because he couldn't think of a quick-witted answer, he walked after Aygül with a red head. She stopped at the small screen where her mother was adjusting something again. “Anne, please explain to Tom quickly what else this device can do.” “Gladly. As I mentioned before, this is a chart plotter with satellite reception. The small screen shows where our ship is currently located. There are no roads at sea, but you should know about the shipping lanes and the dangerous spots in the sea. The chart plotter helps to identify shallows and obstacles. I am glad that we have this device. This type of plotter is brand new.” It was all a completely new world for Tom. He had never thought about how to find the right path at sea before. He had seen a similar, smaller device on the Dolfin, he remembered. But no one there had taken the time to explain anything to him. Well, he had also been in a hurry to get away from the Dolfin and his parents. Aygül's mother took a breath. “Look, that little symbol on the display is our gulet. Over there it goes to the open sea and there ...” She didn't get any further because Aygül interrupted her. “Yes, thank you, dearest Anne. Tom knows roughly what it's about now. But Tayfun Amca doesn't like to wait, you know that.” Aygül's mother sighed theatrically and laughed immediately afterwards. “So Uncle Tayfun is more important to you than to me? Come on, you two, go and see him. And have fun!”  Tayfun was just about to get into the small dinghy that was moored next to the large gulet. Tom hadn't even noticed it before. The dinghy swayed even more precariously than the running board before, but Tayfun didn't seem to mind. He fiddled with the outboard motor, moving as surely as if nothing was wrong with the small boat rocking like crazy. Now Aygül climbed onto the small boat below them from the aft deck right next to the gangway to land with little effort. Tom carefully followed her. As soon as he had sat down in the boat, Tayfun started the engine by pulling firmly on the starter cord. At first, Tom clung tightly to the edge of the boat. Aygül casually grabbed the line that had attached the boat to the gulet. In the meantime, her father had untied her from the gulet and thrown it to her.

And now, as the little boat finally picked up a steady pace, Tom slowly relaxed. He liked this way of moving. Tayfun soon stepped on the gas and chugged with them along the edge of the harbor basin to the long outer wall that protected the marina and the large commercial port from the waves out at sea. In the wall's lee, but with the open sea in sight, the boat rocked steadily and gently. Before Tayfun took them back to the gulet, he sailed a wide arc through the marina. They also passed the jetty of the Dolfin. Tom waved vigorously. His father and Burhan could be seen on deck. They waved back in surprise, and his father shouted something that Tom couldn't understand over the chugging of the outboard motor. On the opposite side of the harbor basin, they noticed three children. A girl about Aygül's height was walking along the shore with two smaller boys. “They probably want to go swimming,” said Aygül. “There's a jetty over there. Are you wearing swimming trunks, Tom? Then we could even go for a swim right here from the boat.” Tom swallowed. Swimming trunks. Hmm, that wasn't what his shorts were for. He hadn't even thought about that when Tayfun had asked him about his swimming skills earlier.

Tayfun grinned to himself. “So nothing to do with swimming, just as I assumed.” Aygül reacted before Tom could take the remark the wrong way. “Never mind, we'll just swim later. The sea doesn't run away.” After the dinghy had docked at Ayşe Kaptan again, the three excursionists sat together on deck, drank black tea with lots of sugar from small glasses with Aygül's parents, and nibbled on delicious cookies. Tom felt comfortable in their company and was in no hurry to go back to his parents. “What are your plans? Are you going out on the Dolfin soon?” asked Aygül's father. Tom nodded his head slowly. “How about a ride on our gulet before you set off?” Surprised, Tom first looked at Aygül's father, then his gaze wandered to Aygül's mother and finally to Tayfun and Aygül. All four smiled at him. “That would be great!” he said.

They sat together on the wide deck of the Ayşe Kaptan for quite a while. Aygül and Tom made plans for the next day. They agreed to go swimming first thing in the morning.

As Tom walked back to the Dolfin, he hummed happily to himself: “Hadi bakalım, kolay gelsin. Come on, it's easy.” He hadn't been able to get the catchy tune out of his head since he'd heard it in passing from one boat that morning.

The Twins Aygül picked Tom up and together they went to the marina's swimming jetty. In the morning, they were the only ones swimming in the sea water.

On their way back, Aygül and he only took a quick look at the tortoises.

A test drive with the Dolfin was planned for the afternoon, which Tom didn't want to miss.

Aygül was in a hurry because she wanted to go shopping in town with her parents.

“I want to go to the tortoises later and help feed them. Surely you have time for that too? When will you be back?” asked Aygül. Tom wasn't sure, but as the Dolfin was on their way, he could ask his parents straight away. They seemed relaxed and didn't object to his plans. Burhan confirmed that the round trip on the Dolfin would not last until the evening. As Aygül's route from the gulet to the tortoises led past the Dolfin's mooring, she wanted to pick Tom up later. After swimming, Tom was hungry and, above all, thirsty. As he bit into a thick slice of watermelon, he watched as Eda and Burhan prepared the Dolfin's departure. Like him, his parents could only look on while the pair of friends worked here and there. “Now everything is ready for casting off. We can start the engine.” While Burhan was still talking, he bent down to turn the ignition key. It was almost like being in a car, Tom thought. Burhan turned the key again. Just like the first time, nothing happened. The engine remained silent. Burhan looked first at Eda and then at Tom's parents. He shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

“I don't understand that. When we drove out a few days ago, the engine started immediately.” “Yes,” Eda agreed. “You just checked everything the other day. What's going on?”  “Why don't we just sail?” asked Tom. Eda smiled at him. “Good idea, young man. But that's easier said than done. In the harbor it's tight, so the motor would be an excellent help.” “Of course, the Dolfin makes good progress out at sea under sail,” explained Burhan. “In the marina, the engine makes mooring and casting off easier. Above all, we need the engine if we want to be underway for longer in the next days. Then we can make progress even when there is hardly any wind and we still want to cover a certain distance.” Burhan tried to start the engine a few more times.

“None of this helps. We need to take a closer look. If we can't find a solution, I'll call a mechanic.” Burhan and Tom's father put their heads together, opened the hatch to the engine compartment and started talking shop. “Too-hom, are you coming?” Aygül's voice woke him from his heated slumber. Tom was amazed by how quickly the time had passed. As they walked to the tortoise enclosure, Tom told her about the engine problems. “No problem.

Why don't you come with us? My Anne has already suggested it and if she agrees, my Baba won't mind anyway.” Tom didn't know whether Aygül was serious.  Soon they arrived at the enclosure and Tom thought no more about Aygül's suggestion. Unlike in the morning, there were now several people at the fence. A man and a woman, apparently the Englishmen John and Helen that Aygül had told him about, were already handing out lettuce leaves and other greens. The tortoises were drawn to the feeding stations as if by a magnet.

“Ow,” Tom suddenly shouted. Who had stepped on his toes so roughly?

He looked to the side. A boy was standing there, smaller, younger, and lighter than him. How could this guy have kicked him so painfully?

Next to the boy stood a second boy, who could only be the twin brother of the first. It wasn't difficult to guess. They looked absolutely alike. Standing next to them was a taller girl, perhaps the same age as Aygül. Now Tom remembered where he had seen the three of them before. They had been walking along the shore when he had been in the dinghy with Aygül and Tayfun. Tom's toes still hurt, and he waited for the boy to apologize. He looked sheepishly in front of him, but said nothing. “Really, you could just apologize!” Tom wanted to scold him as best he could in Turkish. “For what?” the girl wanted to know and stood protectively in front of the boy. “Your brother really stomped on my toes,” Tom complained. “I'm sorry about that,” said the girl. She didn't look convinced. “I'm sure he didn't do it on purpose. Didn't you, Erkan?” She nodded at one boy and then pointed at the other. They both looked the same to Tom. “That's his twin brother, Serkan. They're both quite okay. Unfortunately, I have to look after my little brothers often because my parents both work during the day.” “What's your name?” Aygül asked curiously and immediately introduced herself. “I'm Aygül.” “My name is Perihan,” said the girl. “Do you also live on a boat?” Tom wanted to know. The twins' eyes widened and Perihan was startled: “No, no. We just go for a walk here sometimes because we like to look at the boats and go to the sea and swim. Of course, we also like to watch the tortoises! The security guards at the entrance already know us and let us into the marina, even though we don't have a boat.” “That's right,” said Aygül, “I've seen you a few times.” The twins paid no attention to the conversation. They gazed spellbound at the tortoises in the enclosure until their sister talked to them. “Come on, you two, we have to go shopping and prepare dinner.” She took Serkan by the hand and pulled him along. Erkan reluctantly followed, turned back to Aygül and Tom and shyly called out: “See you soon!” Like an echo, Serkan called after him even more quietly: “See you soon!” Aygül looked after them, but Tom finally wanted to help with the feeding. Aygül introduced him to Helen and John in a mixture of Turkish, German, and English words. Neither Aygül nor Tom spoke English well, while Helen and John only knew a few Turkish words. John also knew a few German words, but they weren't necessary. Aygül and Tom understood without words when John waved for them to come into the enclosure. They helped to better distribute the food and clean the enclosure.

“I think some tortoises have disappeared,” Aygül suddenly said. “What?” Tom looked around in amazement. He saw the same picture as before: tortoises of different sizes scurrying around. How did Aygül know how many there were? Before Tom could ask, Aygül continued talking. “People at the marina have been talking for a few days about the fact that there are fewer tortoises now than last week. But nobody really knows exactly how many tortoises are here.” John had apparently understood what Aygül and Tom were talking about. He tried to explain his plan for the next day in a mixture of English, German, and Turkish. “Helen suggests we count the tortoises so we can get a better overview.” “Counting?” asked Tom. “How is that supposed to work? If we could paint a number on each tortoise, then maybe. But otherwise?” “No, painting a number or a splash of color is not a good idea,” John said.

“Of course not. That would be cruelty to animals!” shouted Aygül indignantly. “Do you know what the sultans used to do with the tortoises? They used to put candles on the tortoises and they would walk around as living lights. So the tortoises with the candles,” explained John. “How did they attach the candles to the back of the animals?” asked Tom. “If the wax is hot enough, it's really easy. You drip a few drops of wax onto the tortoise's shell and press the candle firmly onto it. Of course, you wouldn't do that today. The tortoises would definitely find this procedure horrible.” “Yes, I can imagine that. But how can we count the tortoises without hurting them?” “There is one way, but we need your help.

We divide the enclosure into two parts. First, we'll move all the tortoises into one part. Then we proceed systematically. Everyone brings two tortoises or as many as they can carry into the other part, and we count them carefully. Will you be there tomorrow afternoon?” Aygül and Tom nodded eagerly. On the way back to their boats, they wondered what could have happened to the missing tortoises. “They climbed over the fence,” Tom suspected. “They have a good life in the enclosure. Why should they run away? There must be another reason.” “But it's not at all certain that there are any fewer tortoises than before.” They talked about the tortoises until they arrived at the Dolfin. There, Aygül waved goodbye to Tom and went on to her parents on the Ayşe Kaptan. When Tom saw that his father and Burhan were still working on the engine, he was surprised. His father only looked up briefly. “Unfortunately, we still haven't got the engine running.” His mother and her friend Eda were sitting on cushions on the foredeck. There was a breeze blowing in from the sea in the afternoon, which made the heat more bearable. Although the sun would soon set, the wind was almost as warm as the air from a hairdryer, Tom thought. He sat down with the two of them and his mother told him what had happened on board while he was with Aygül at the tortoises. It wouldn't be easy to get the engine repaired, she reported. Tom's father and Burhan had asked several people for help, but apparently the engine could not be repaired in the short term. Nobody knew when the Dolfin would be ready to sail again. “I'm so sorry.” Tom's mother looked at him regretfully.

Tom's thoughts were racing.

What happened to the tortoises interested him most. He didn't care about repairing the engine. He definitely didn't want to miss the tortoise count the next day. At least now he wouldn't have to come up with an excuse to stay in the marina.

Tom did his best not to look too relieved, because his mother looked genuinely disappointed. “Maybe we could,” she thought, “spend a few days in a hotel on the beach. A hotel with water slides and several pools. You'd like that, wouldn't you?” “Hmm,” Tom drawled. He couldn't say the wrong thing now!

As soon as they arrived in Antalya, he would have shouted yes enthusiastically at the prospect of a few days in a hotel. Now he thought that everything there would probably be as perfectly organized by the adults as his timetable at school. No, this offer came too late. He could do without a hotel now, just as he could do without the Dolfin's engine. He would much rather stay in the marina and perhaps take a trip on the gulet with Aygül's family. Tom's mother looked at him so expectantly that he had to say something.

“A hotel? Maybe later. I have an appointment tomorrow.” His mother rolled her eyes, but said nothing. Tom was relieved that he didn't have to give a new answer straight away. It gave him some time to think about his new plans. While the adults talked about the engine and a move to a hotel over dinner, Tom thought about what Aygül had said. Would her parents really agree to him going on the gulet with them? He absolutely had to talk to Aygül about it. Uproar in the Tortoise Enclosure “I thought you wanted to go to a cool hotel in an aqua park, like all your friends? You were always in our ears about that in Germany.” His mother gave Tom a sharp look. She had spent the entire morning trying to persuade him to spend a few days in a hotel, while the two men were increasingly desperate to find a solution for the engine. “Yes,” said Tom lamely. “But my friends are in much cooler countries.” He pointed vaguely at the surrounding boats. “Since we're here now, it wouldn't be a bad idea to stay in the marina for a few more days. I've also got an appointment with Aygül, we have to look after the tortoises.” “In this heat?” Eda wondered. “What's with you and the tortoises?” said his mother. “At least have a drink before you leave.” Tom only heard her with half an ear. He was already on the jetty. And glad that they still couldn't go out on the Dolfin. Aygül was already on her way. She was standing in the shade next to the washrooms and turned her head expectantly in his direction. “There you are at last!” she called out to him. “What's wrong? Why are you so impatient?” “Aren't you curious about counting the tortoises?” “Yes, but there's something else.” On their way to the enclosure, Tom told her about the engine and his parents' new plans. Even more people had gathered around the enclosure than the day before. Everyone wanted to help with the counting and people were talking about it in different languages. The twins and their sister were nowhere to be seen. Tom didn't miss them. Helen and John tried to make themselves heard. “You know what this is about,” said John. “We're going to divide the enclosure into two parts. First, we'll get all the tortoises into one part. Then we'll proceed systematically. Everyone brings two tortoises or as many as they can carry into the other part, and we keep a careful count. Who would like to keep the tally?” “Here,” a middle-aged man with glasses called out. He looked just like you would imagine an accountant to look. He would certainly pay close attention when counting. The counting could begin. It was not easy to lure the tortoises away from their favorite spots and steer them in a certain direction, everybody quickly realized. The area was not huge. The volunteers were even more amazed at how inventive the tortoises suddenly became at hiding. Probably none of them had ever sorted tortoises before and there was a lot of laughter. One particularly funny moment came when a woman cried out in horror. What was the problem? A tortoise was marching its horny claws unconcernedly over the woman's bare feet with glowing red toenails. The woman was offended because the laughter only intensified and no one thought it necessary to save her from the armored animal. After a while, the first part of their joint task was completed. All the tortoises ran around restlessly in one half of the enclosure. Now the actual counting began. One by one, all the helpers carried the tortoises to the other side, while the person wearing glasses diligently wrote the numbers. When all the tortoises had finally been moved to the other part of the enclosure, the human helpers were dripping with sweat. Just at the right moment, Aygül's parents appeared and brought water and glasses for all the thirsty ones. The tortoises, who could use the whole enclosure again after the count, were still scrambling around excitedly at first. They soon regained their usual calm and looked for cozy, shady spots after nibbling on a lettuce leaf or drinking water. “So we have thirteen large tortoises, eleven small tortoises and fifteen medium-sized tortoises,” the accountant now announced in an important voice. He really was the perfect choice for this position, as he had even estimated the tortoises by size and, therefore, roughly by age. In the meantime, Aygül informed Tom that the smallest tortoises had been born in the enclosure, which surprised Tom very much. The baby tortoises were barely bigger than a five-mark piece. So there were thirty-nine tortoises in total in the enclosure. John and Helen suggested that all the helpers should meet again in a week's time and count them again. In the meantime, everyone should keep an eye out for anything suspicious. People were having a lively conversation about whether the number of tortoises had really changed.

“Do you remember, there were more tortoises yesterday,” claimed a boy Tom didn't know. “When the vet was here the other day, she counted the big tortoises. How many were there again?” pondered a woman in a flowered beach dress. No one could say for sure. The number of tortoises had always fluctuated, according to some who had been in the marina for a while. As word had spread in the area that tortoises were being looked after in this place, some animals were handed in, while others seemed to disappear in strange ways. Tortoises were skilled escape artists. But the bars around the enclosure were so high and also so well anchored in the ground that even the largest tortoise could not escape under its own power. A new bilingual sign in Turkish and English cautioned against simply placing tortoises inside. John and Helen asked that they let Sea Cloud on their boat know in advance. Everyone agreed they would keep a closer eye on the tortoises over the next few days and report to Helen and John if they noticed anything unusual. No one could really imagine that someone was deliberately abducting tortoises. The whole thing seemed pretty strange to everybody. Tom grinned to himself. Something like a “Special Task Force Tortoise” had just appeared, his mother would say. She liked to watch crime series on TV. The next moment Tom winced, because he remembered he wanted to talk to his parents about his plans for the next few days. Why hadn't his parents come when so many other adults had joined in? Tom imagined that his mother was already looking for a hotel. Maybe the engine was even working again? This situation was serious. He had to do something. Tom made an appointment with Aygül for the evening on the gulet for a briefing. When Tom returned to the Dolfin, there was nothing new. The engine was still not running. Only the mood on board seemed to have dropped considerably, despite the heat.

His father seemed depressed. He had been looking forward to the trip on the Dolfin the most. “Can the engine be repaired soon?” Tom asked cautiously. “The mechanic was here. We checked everything and replaced some parts,” said Burhan. “It is now certain that we have to order a replacement part for the repair.” Tom was hopeful. His father had said nothing about a hotel. If they stayed in the marina for the next few days, Tom would be happy for the moment. He carefully tried to gauge his mother's mood. She was talking to Eda, and Tom heard her say: “Oh, a hotel would really only be a last resort.” Tom was relieved. Apparently, his mother also liked it in the marina. The reason for this was completely unclear to him, but the main thing was that she was now on his side. Even if she didn't know of his plans. He didn't know exactly how the vacation was going to go. When he went to the Ayşe Kaptan that evening, one thing was certain: Tom and his parents would also spend the next day in the marina.

Soon he was sitting on the wide deck of the gulet with Aygül and her parents. Tayfun wasn't there, he was visiting friends on another boat. Tom told them about the broken engine. “We want to sail from bay to bay on the Ayşe Kaptan for a few days the day after tomorrow,” said Aygül's mother. “Why don't you come with us?” Aygül's father nodded in agreement. “You see, we have plenty of room. We'd love for you to come with us.” Tom's face brightened.

So Aygül had been right. Her parents were inviting him. But instead of taking them up on their offer, he thought of something else. “What's going to happen to the tortoises?” “We still have a whole day in the marina tomorrow,” Aygül reassured him. “Do you want to spend your vacation counting tortoises every day? Sailing from bay to bay on the Ayşe Kaptan is great fun, you'll see. We'll take care of the tortoises tomorrow, and we'll definitely be back by the time the counting starts again. Helen and John and all the others are still there for the tortoises.” “That's right. Uh, and yes, I would totally love a ride.” Tom hoped that Aygül's parents weren't angry because he had thought of the tortoises first. He looked around. Three friendly faces were beaming at him. “A trip on a big wooden ship. That will be nice.” Now Tom was beaming as well. Together, they thought about what needed to be done before they left. First, of course, they needed the approval of Tom's parents. Aygül's parents would speak to Tom's parents and assure them they were happy to take Tom with them and that he was in excellent hands. Full of anticipation for the trip on the gulet, Tom later went back to the Dolfin. Hopefully, his parents would allow him to go on the trip. The next morning, Aygül and Tom met at the bathing jetty. “Have you asked your parents yet?” “No. I wanted to ask, honestly. But when I just started talking about a trip on the Ayşe Kaptan, my mother got all funny.” “Why is that?” Aygül was outraged. She felt attacked. “My mother says I can't just go with strangers. My father also said that he doesn't even know your family and that he's against it.” “Strange people? Well, listen!” “I wanted to explain to them they could easily meet your parents, but they didn't want to hear any of it.” Loud shouting interrupted Tom. “Merhaba, hello!” The twins had spotted them, and like their sister Perihan, waved to them from the water. To Tom's amazement, Erkan and Serkan swam well. He found it superfluous that the two of them immediately pointed their water pistols at him. He put on his diving mask and started snorkeling. There wasn't much to discover at the bathing spot, but Aygül told him how much fun it was to watch the fish in the clear water of the bays. “Have you ever swum in Çıralı?” asked Perihan. “That's where our grandparents live and where we learned to swim.” Aygül nodded. “Yes, of course I know the beach and I know how beautiful the water is in that area.” “Chi-, uh, what?” asked Tom. “Che-ra-le. Çıralı, that's the name of a village near the ruins of Olympos. When your parents finally say yes, you'll soon see it for yourself.” They had a lot of fun in the water until Tayfun came in the dinghy and picked Aygül and Tom up from the swimming spot. Tom knew by now that Tayfun was Aygül's father's much younger brother and that he spent a few days on the Ayşe Kaptan every summer. Aygül's older brother Selim was usually on board, too. Because he still had exams, he would only come to Antalya after Tom's departure. The mood on the Dolfin remained mediocre. The engine no longer made a sound and the spare part had been ordered. As it was delivered from France, they would have to wait several days for it. It was therefore impossible to travel on the Dolfin for the time being. Tom thought this was an excellent opportunity to talk about the invitation to the Ayşe Kaptan again. But, as in the morning, his parents immediately declined. Later, Tom and Aygül met the twins and their sister again at the tortoises. Aygül felt sorry for Perihan, who had to look after her little brothers so much. Tom preferred it when Erkan and Serkan were out of sight. He was still annoyed that Erkan (or was it Serkan?) had been so rude at the beginning. Aygül reminded Tom. “Talk to your parents at last. We want to leave tomorrow!” Tom nodded. He had no idea how he could convince his parents. But then Aygül's parents came by the Dolfin on their way back to Ayşe Kaptan from shopping and had a long chat with his parents and their friends. Suddenly, everything fell into place.

With no further persuasion on Tom's part, they agreed he should spend several days sailing along the coast with Aygül and her family on the Ayşe Kaptan. And he had racked his brains how he could achieve this! On the Sea Although Tom had slept badly, he was still in a great mood. In the evening, he had stayed with Aygül on the gulet for a long time after his parents had allowed him to go on the trip. Aygül's parents had reminded him what he should bring with him: mainly his swimming gear. “Nothing else?” Tom was puzzled. “Nothing else,” laughed Aygül's mother. “Yes, you still need something,” said Uncle Tayfun. Tom looked at him expectantly. “Don't forget to pack sturdy shoes. For the shore excursions! It's hard to climb rocks in slippers.” It was a good thing Tayfun had reminded him. It probably wouldn't have occurred to Tom that slippers weren't the most comfortable footwear everywhere. “One more thing,” Aygül's father remembered. “Think about sunglasses and headgear. You'll see that you need both even more on the water than on land. The light is so intense near the water that you can hardly see anything during the day without sunglasses.” “Yes, headgear is important,” Aygül's mother confirmed. “But don't forget that there's always wind on a boat, at least the airstream is blowing.” She laughed. “That means that a hat or cap flies off faster than you can stop it. How many times do you think one of us or one of our guests has lost a sun hat in this way? A strap under the chin may look strange, but it's very useful on board.” Tom hoped he would think of everything.

When he got back to the Dolfin, his parents interrogated him about the exact plans for the next few days. They asked him at least three times if he had packed everything. Later, when everyone went to bed, he lay down on deck because it was unbearably hot and stuffy inside. Outside, the air was more bearable, but it was loud. Music came from one corner of the marina, snoring from the other. Lights were on everywhere. A song was playing in Tom's head: “Hadi bakalım, kolay gelsin. Come on, it's easy.” Tom had been tossing and turning with his excitement for a long time. But when he woke up in the morning, he was immediately wide awake. The big day had arrived. He had to get through one last breakfast on board the Dolfin. It was like similar situations in which he had got his way. His mother tried to maintain normality, his father went into overdrive cares mode. Burhan and Eda looked at each other in amazement from time to time. “Don't forget to do this and that,” his father said again. Tom didn't listen. He was biting into his white bread spread thickly with honey and was already on the gulet in his thoughts. “Remember ...” his mother spoke up. “Tom?” she asked when he didn't answer straight away. Tom hadn't been listening, so he couldn't answer, because he hadn't even noticed the last-minute admonitions his parents wanted to give him. It was all about the usual things anyway: being polite, helping ... Nothing worth mentioning in Tom's opinion. To his surprise, Eda also got involved. “Sabine, you're really overdoing it now. Why don't you let the boy go? At least he has a friend of the same age on the gulet. He'll have much more fun than here with us boring adults.” Tom looked at her gratefully. He hadn't expected to find an ally in his mother's friend, of all people. So far, his conversations with her had been more like: “Don't touch that, don't do this, don't step there.” Maybe she was happy to get him off the boat? Tom pulled himself together. He had almost made it! Looking as uninvolved as possible, quickly swallowing the last bite, washing it down with a little Turkish tea (with three lumps of sugar in it, of course), grab his things and go. If only it had been that easy! His parents were obviously determined to accompany him to the gulet. Well, if there was no other way, he would survive their farewell scene. Tom picked up his rucksack and ran off the boat. “Stop,” his father shouted, “you should say goodbye.” “Bye and goodbye.” Tom casually waved his hand to Eda and Burhan on the Dolfin. When Tom and his parents were finally on their way to the gulet, Aygül and Tayfun were already coming towards them. “There you are at last,” laughed Tayfun. “We thought we were going to have to help you pack.” Tom blushed. Great, as if his parents weren't embarrassing enough. Now Tayfun was also annoying him in public. His parents simply walked on. Aygül gave him her usual mocking look. But Tom didn't care about their reactions. The main thing was that the sea voyage was finally really starting! On board the Ayşe Kaptan, his parents immediately started talking to Aygül's parents, while Aygül and Tayfun showed Tom where he would sleep for the next few nights. What a luxury compared to the Dolfin: he had his own little cabin to himself. The tiny window didn't give him a great panoramic view, but Tom could see the water outside, and that was cool enough. On the Dolfin, he'd settled into a much smaller space with even less visibility. Tom put his things on the bunk and went outside straight back to finally completely shake off his parents. Fortunately, they were about to say goodbye. Tom probably had Aygül's father to thank for that, because he was keen to leave. There was still time for last hugs and final admonitions, and then his parents were back on land. On board the Ayşe Kaptan, everyone helped to untie the lines and make sure that nothing unforeseen happened when they cast off. “Mooring and unmooring is difficult,” explained Aygül. “But we are a well-rehearsed team.” Tom felt helpless, because of course he had no idea what to do on board. Aygül seemed to read his mind. “Don't worry, there's plenty of work for you too! I'll show you what you can do.” Her father was at the helm and skillfully maneuvered the Ayşe Kaptan away from the quay wall and past the other boats. Tom waved back enthusiastically when he saw Erkan and Serkan waving their hands in the air far over on land and thus at a safe distance from him, while Perihan wanted to go on. Then others waved to them from the shore. Tom enjoyed the feeling of watching people and boats pass by and leaving the marina behind. By now, the sun was already high in the sky, and it was correspondingly hot. The gulet glided effortlessly in the harbor where the dinghy had already been swaying. As they left the harbor wall behind them, there were more waves and the wide gulet rocked gently. Only then did Tom realize he didn't know exactly where they were going. Until then, his primary concern had been getting on the gulet at all and then getting out of the harbor quickly. He hadn't had time for such trivial details as the destination. Curious, he now went to Tayfun, who had just taken over the helm from Aygül's father. He remembered that Aygül and Perihan had talked about a place with clear water. “When will we be in Jiraler?” Tayfun grimaced. “Where is that supposed to be? I've never heard of that place.” “He means Çıralı.” Aygül tried hard not to laugh out loud. “I see,” Tayfun grinned. “That'll take a few more days. Inspect the small screen. The chart plotter shows you the water and the coastline. We're here now.” He pointed to a point on the map near a small island. “Sıçan Adası,” Tom read and took a closer look at the screen. “And where are we going?” Tom still didn't know. “Look,” said Tayfun, now pointing out to sea instead of at the device. “Do you see that island over there? What does it remind you of?” “Hm, it looks like a triangle,” said Tom. “Like a figure in my math book. I didn't really want to be reminded of that.” Tayfun grinned again. “That's Sıçan Adası, the mouse island you've already seen on the chart plotter.” “Are we going there? Are there a lot of mice there?” “No, and I don't know,” Tayfun replied. “We only pass this island. It's not nice for boats to anchor there and it's also difficult to go ashore. Only people from Antalya who have little time and don't want to go far do that. The island is on their doorstep, so to speak. We'll be underway for a while before we anchor for the first time. Look at the map again.” Tayfun zoomed out of the small section. “Can you see the islands and the bays? The further away from Antalya we get, the more bays there are and the fewer other ships there are on the way. Our first destination is Kemer, where we will soon arrive. But we only want to stay there for a few hours. Aygül's parents want to say hello to friends who are also traveling on a gulet and usually anchor in the bay next to the marina in Kemer in the summer.” Tom was amazed. So it was also possible to meet on the water? The thought struck him as strange, and he was curious to see how such a meeting would go. After the Taurus Mountains had been close to the coast for a while, more houses became visible on land again. How could a highway run alongside these rocks? It certainly hadn't been easy to build the road. Tom narrowed his eyes. What he saw were not just houses, but huge hotel complexes. They were too far away to make out any details, but they looked like typical all-round entertainment luxury hotels. Something he had recently been asking the would have envied vacationers in it. “Here, why don't you take the binoculars? Then you won't have to wrinkle your forehead like that.” Aygül was now next to him and looked at him mockingly, although her forehead wasn't wrinkle-free either. But Tom kept that to himself and preferred to look into the binoculars. Tayfun now showed him the bay on the paper chart where they wanted to anchor first. It was not far away. Tayfun steered the gulet closer to the shore. There were lots of small boats there: motorboats, pulling colorful parachutes, windsurfers on their boards, even small sailboats whizzing back and forth at astonishing speed. “They're lasers,” Aygül explained to him. “They may be small, but they're great for sailing. Have you ever tried that?” “Not yet. It's definitely fun. But surfing wouldn't be bad either.” “Maybe we can try togetherb to make it appealing to my parents. You could take a surfboard with you on the Ayşe Kaptan and then whizz around in a bay.” Aygül looked longingly at the colorful surfers near the beach. While they watched the water sports enthusiasts, Aygül's father was already talking to his friends on the radio. The Ayşe Kaptan was now so close to Kemer that they could see the masts of the marina on the shore. Tayfun steered the gulet further into the neighboring bay. As they approached, Tom noticed several boats, including some large wooden vessels that appeared as sturdy as the Ayşe Kaptan, were already anchored there. They sailed close to one of these gulets, and Aygül waved excitedly to the people on the other boat. Her father, who had taken over the helm from Tayfun, turned so that the tip of the boat gradually pointed towards the sea and the rear part towards the beach at the end of the bay. Slowly, he let the boat glide backwards while Tayfun threw a line to the other ship. Then he ran forward to pass a line over there too. In this way, they were soon lying quietly next to the other boat. Thick plastic balls between the sides of the boat prevented the sides from rubbing against each other. “Let's go over there,” Aygül called out. “Is it that easy?” Tom wondered. “Sure, come with me!” Aygül skillfully climbed over the railing next door. Tom followed hesitantly and was immediately greeted cheerfully on the other gulet. Soon they were all drinking tea together.

Aygül and Tom chatted with the two children on board the neighboring boat. After a while, they couldn't stay in their seats any longer and walked over a long plank to the beach. There was just enough time for a short walk ashore before continuing their journey, while the adults on board drank their tea.

Visit to Alexander the Great When Aygül and Tom returned from their short walk, the adults were already waiting on the Ayşe Kaptan.

They wanted to continue sailing so that they wouldn't have to arrive at the anchorage for the night late in the evening. Tayfun showed Tom on the nautical chart where they wanted to spend the night in the bay of Phaselis. The journey there would take less than an hour, even at a leisurely speed, Tayfun said. The gulet rocked again as soon as they left the sheltered bay and reached the rocky cape at its end. Tom barely noticed the rocking. Perhaps he was becoming a sailor.

As soon as they had rounded the cape, hotels and vacation resorts could be seen on the shore again, lined up on the beach like a string. As the hotels became fewer because mountains interrupted the beach, a gulet came into view in a small, hidden bay. “Are we going there?” Tom shouted excitedly. “It almost looks like a pirate's lair.” “The bay is too narrow for several boats,” explained Tayfun. “we'll go a little further. During the day, there are lots of excursion boats from Kemer and Antalya in Phaselis. It's quiet there in the evening, only a few boats stay overnight. You'll see, it's a special place.” Tom was amazed as they approached. There were remains of walls and ruins everywhere. “Look, over there is the old war port,” explained Aygül, who, like Tayfun, had often been to Phaselis. “Nowadays, however, this bay is not so well protected from the wind and you have to be very careful when approaching. There are large stones and remains of the old fortifications under the water. It's quite dangerous for boats.

We drive to the other side of the headland. That used to be the trading port, and it's easier to anchor there,” added Tayfun.

One could also see the remains of the wall on the headland between the war port and the bay they were heading for. Tom grabbed the binoculars and took a closer look at the shore. The remains of the wall fascinated him. Who had lived here in the past? What did the ships that people traveled on back then look like? “Have you been paying attention to history?” Tayfun brought out the wise uncle. “Um, yeah, uh,” Tom squirmed. He found history pretty dull at school, which might have been related to the boring lessons with Mr. Mager. “But surely you've heard of Alexander the Great?” Tayfun continued. “Of Course” said Tom with conviction. The name sounded familiar to him. Perhaps he had once seen a program about him on television. He couldn't remember the details and did not know when or where this famous person had lived.

“Alexander the Great spent a few months here in Phaselis with his army in the winter before he moved further east. That was a long time ago, of course, over two thousand years ago. He was about the same age as I am now. Look, we're going to the bay where the trading port was back then.” Tayfun pointed to some darker patches of water. “This entrance is safer than the one at the port of war. But we still have to be careful so that the boat doesn't hit any rocks.” Tom was now very curious. Port of war, port of trade — that sounded incredibly exciting. Who had Alexander the Great waged war with and what had people traded with back then? How had the ships got to where they wanted to go in the past, with no engines or satellite devices? What would his friend Alex say when he told him later in Germany that he had visited his namesake Alexander the Great? While Tom was daydreaming, Aygül’s parents had already dropped the anchor and safely moored the gulet in the bay. History or not, that was the starting signal for Aygül and Tom to jump into the water quickly. It wasn't refreshing at a water temperature of twenty-seven degrees, but it was better than the sweltering heat of the air. The water was so clear that they could see the remains of the old walls underwater even without diving goggles. “When are we going ashore?” Tom wanted to know as Aygül and he swam back to the gulet. “Let's wait until it's not so oppressively hot.” So it wasn't until the evening that they got the dinghy ready and the four of them went ashore. Only Aygül's father remained on board. “To watch out,” he said. “To relax from the stress with us,” said Aygül's mother in the dinghy, smiling. Tom liked how often people laughed in this family. Just as the dinghy reached the shore, the parking attendant whistled. That was the signal for the tourists who had come to Phaselis from land to leave the museum grounds and head for the buses and cars in the parking lots. This gave the visitors from Ayşe Kaptan free rein. The guard was no longer to be seen and they could walk straight onto the old, wide boulevard or what was left of it. The large blocks of stone impressed Tom. How did they transport the large blocks of stone back then without machines? Aygül didn't stay on the wide path. She pointed to the dense bushes next to it. “Come this way, it's the way to the theater,” she called to Tom. The path became a beaten track and led up a hill. Thorny vines made progress difficult. At last, they saw the remains of the old amphitheater in front of them, half hidden by earth and vegetation. Aygül didn't stop for long. “Come on, we have a good view of the bay from up there.” Sure enough, Tom soon saw the gulet lying in the evening sun, with two smaller yachts hiding behind it. A motorboat was whizzing around on the sea outside.

Tom was amazed. Again he wondered what Phaselis must have looked like in the past, when the theater was not yet half hidden and the city was full of life. What had boys his age been doing back then? Did people perhaps alos keep tortoises in enclosures back then? “What's that noise?” asked Tom, startled. “Oh, it's just the cicadas. In Turkish they are called August beetles because they are loud this month. The males use the noise to attract the females. The noise is going to stop soon.” Reassured, Tom grew braver. Aygül and he took their time and squeezed even further through the dense undergrowth and over sharp rocks. Only after their legs were completely scratched did they turn back. Tayfun and Aygül's mother had preferred to sit in the shade on the old harbor road. Together, they returned to Ayşe Kaptan in the dinghy. After dinner, they all sat together on the aft deck and played cards. The ruins glistened in the moonlight. Tom felt a little eerie when he thought of all the people who had once lived here. Perhaps they still haunted the place, but who could say for sure? The laughter as they played together brought him back to the present. He only thought about his parents briefly before falling asleep. He assumed they were still at the marina. Tom imagined they were probably thinking about what groceries they wanted to buy tomorrow. How nice it was here on the Ayşe Kaptan with Aygül's cheerful family. Tom relaxed in his bunk, tucking the thin blanket into a corner. It was still oppressively hot down here, was his last thought before he soundly fell asleep. In his dreams, Alexander the Great and the city of Phaselis mingled with Olympos and ancient legends. Then Alexander's warships arrived to unearth previously undiscovered treasures, while firelight from a hole in the rock eerily illuminated the scene. Tom only woke up again when the ship's hull vibrated. Had they already set off? He rushed up on deck as quickly as possible. The anchor was indeed, and the ship was just picking up speed to leave the bay. “Where are we going? Are we going straight to Olympos?” Tom asked excitedly. “Look, can you see the three islands on the map?” It was Aygül who showed him the route. “They really are called that in Turkish: Üç Adalar, which means three islands. We'll soon be anchoring and having breakfast in their shelter. After that, we'll have plenty of time to swim and snorkel. Sometimes even sea turtles come to the islands. The waves are quite high there in the afternoon, but now in the morning the sea is so calm that we can anchor well.” When Tom looked towards the islands with his binoculars, he saw lots of birds flying wildly around. “Is that normal?” he asked in amazement. “Nobody lives on these islands. They are too small and are actually just rock. It's not interesting for humans, but the birds feel at home there. They have a huge fishing area right in front of their beaks,” explained Aygül's father. At that moment, they heard Aygül's mother calling. “Come quickly and look, there are dolphins!” Excitedly, the children dashed to the spot where her mother had just been busy clearing the ship. “Where are the dolphins? I can't see them!” shouted Aygül. “Look over in that direction,” said Tom, stretching out his arm. “Over there. I’ve just seen two dolphins appear.” He was proud that he had seen the dolphins before Aygül. They jumped out of the water, dived in, swam on and jumped out again at another spot. The dolphins were apparently just as happy to meet the boat as its passengers were. Aygül continued to stare in the direction Tom had showed with his hand. “Yes, now I've finally seen them.” “Really cool,” Tom marveled. “How elegant the dolphins look when they jump out of the water. It's a shame we don't have a camera to hand.” “Photographing them is quite difficult.” Aygül's mother continued to watch the animals with a big smile on her face. “We've tried several times. But you can only see a small section of the world in the viewfinder, and it's really very difficult to be in the right place at the right time, that is to say, to catch the dolphins just as they jump out of the water.” Slender dolphin bodies still appeared around the gulet and then were disappearing again. Tom suddenly understood why his parents had talked about dolphins playing around the ships. It really looked as if the little dolphins wanted to play hide and seek with the big gulet. They reached Üç Adalar in no time at all. Tom was now familiar with the anchor maneuver and knew how he could help. The dolphins were no longer to be seen. They were just as interested in the fish as the birds, Aygül's mother had said. The birds now flew around as if startled. They probably felt disturbed by the gulet. Once the Ayşe Kaptan was safely anchored, everyone enjoyed splashing around in the sea before settling down at the table on the aft deck for a big, cozy breakfast. Once again, everyone had helped to set the table. The birds calmed down. They now flew large circles instead of flapping as if startled. Tom wondered how their paths worked. The birds in the air reminded him of ants crawling on the ground, seemingly haphazardly and yet precisely on target. Suddenly, the birds were in an uproar again. The reason soon became clear. A motorboat, quite small compared to the Ayşe Kaptan, rattled past at great speed and then turned off towards the coast. Even on the wide, heavy gulet, they could feel the waves caused by the motorboat. The Ayşe Kaptan rocked so much that the dishes on the table rattled dangerously. Everyone looked at each other in amazement. “It's a good thing the glasses didn't tip over,” said Aygül's mother. Her father grumbled: “Impossible, these bullies. It really doesn't have to be like this. These guys disturb nature and people.” Soon afterwards, when they had weighed anchor and were heading back to the bay of Phaselis, another fast motorboat passed them, this time heading in the other direction. Was it the same boat? Aygül and Tom couldn't agree. Tom was sure that he had now only seen two men on board, whereas before, there had been three. The boat disappeared behind one island. The motorboat’s failure to reappear surprised Aygül. Tayfun also found it strange. “The motorboat appears to be anchored behind the island.” But they quickly forgot about the men and boats when they anchored again in the bay near the commercial port of Phaselis. Soon after, Aygül and Tom were back in the water. This time Tom had remembered to put on his diving goggles. It was unbelievable how good the visibility was while snorkeling. The enormous stone blocks of the old harbor fortifications were clearly visible, while smaller fish swam calmly in their lanes. Tom saw something glittering in the water behind one of the large stone blocks. He tried in vain to grasp the object and pull it out. Each time he tried, he ran into sharp shell edges and soon gave up.

Later, they set off again on a tour of the ruins after the day tourists had left the site. Tom remembered the glitter in the water and asked: “Can we find any treasures here? A box of gold pieces, perhaps? Then we'd all be rich!” “I'd like to be rich too,” laughed Tayfun. “But it's not that easy. For one thing, lots of people have already come up to look for valuable old coins. For another, it's forbidden to dig for treasure without permission.” “But what are treasures?” Aygül wanted to know. “There are so many old pieces of pottery lying around in some places, they're certainly not valuable.” “For archaeologists, everything they find at historical sites is important,” Tayfun replied seriously. “Of course, no one is allowed to take antique objects simply, even if they find them by chance. It’s forbidden by law,” added Aygül’s mother. “As Tayfun says, everything is important to the scientists, whether it's carved stones or metal objects. When we get back to Antalya, we can visit the museum. There are not only statues and coins on display but also pieces of jewelry, weapons and small figurines that were found here.” Tom nodded eagerly. “Despite the strict regulations, there are always people who want to circumvent them and look for valuable things,” said Tayfun. “In recent weeks, the newspapers have often reported that archaeological finds are being smuggled. Enthusiasts all over the world pay a lot of money for coins and other old stuff.” Tom and Aygül discussed what they would do if they discovered a treasure. Aygül insisted on reporting the find to the authorities and leaving it to the scientists. Tom, on the other hand, preferred to imagine how incredibly great it would be to find a treasure trove of coins and become rich and famous with it, laws or not. In the realm of legends The next morning, Tom woke up before the Ayşe Kaptan had set off. Their next destination was the beach at Çıralı, which Perihan, the twins' sister, had already mentioned. Tom did not know what to expect there, apart from the opportunity to swim and snorkel. On their way to the next anchorage, they quickly left the islands of Üç Adalar further out to sea. There was no boat to be seen there today.

On the land side, Tom saw a small bay with a stone building. It reminded him of a show mine that he had once visited with his parents in Germany. “Is this the bay we're anchoring in today?” “No.” Tayfun had been keeping an eye out for the fast boats from yesterday, but was now also looking towards the coast. “It's an abandoned mine. You can only see the remains of a conveyor belt and a storage building. Chrome used to be mined there. It was a valuable raw material. There were several such mines in Türkiye, but they have not been used for a long time.” “Not in use? Isn't there a boat there?” Tayfun took the binoculars, focused them, and looked in the direction Tom's arm was pointing. “You've got good eyes! There really is a small boat by the old mine.” “Let me see!” Aygül took the binoculars from Tayfun's hand. “The boat looks like the motorboat from yesterday.” Now it was Tom's turn to look through the binoculars. “Right, that could be the boat.” They looked at each other in amazement. Their suspicions were confirmed when the motorboat set off shortly afterwards and headed for Üç Adalar at breakneck speed. It must have been the loud, fast boat from yesterday. There were three men in it. They could see that clearly now. “Funny,” said Tayfun. “So the mine isn't completely abandoned after all.” But Aygül's already had her eyes on the long, almost deserted beach that stretched out in front of them. “That's Çıralı, further back at the end of the beach is an estuary. The ruins of the ancient city of Olympos lie half hidden under rocks and bushes. This stretch of coast is an insider tip for tourists who are looking for peace, lots of nature and are also interested in ancient history. We'll anchor in this area for two days, then we can show you a few particularly beautiful spots.”  “Yes,” Aygül called out, “you absolutely have to see the Chimera's fire.” Tom looked at her in amazement. He couldn't imagine what that meant. “Fire of the Chimera, what kind of fire is that? Please tell me more about it.” “Don't be impatient,” laughed Aygül. “We'll go there on foot tomorrow. The whole thing has something to do with the old Greek legends. Have you really not heard of the monster called the Chimera? I'll tell you more about it later.” Shortly afterwards, the gulet anchored in Ceneviz harbor, in a wild and romantic bay between towering mountains. Aygül's mother had said that the beach at Çıralı was too unprotected for the boat to stay there for any length of time. They couldn't see the ruins of Olympos from where they were now; Ayşe Kaptan was anchored at the foot of Musa Dağı, Moses' mountain. It rose so steeply next to the bay that you could barely see the summit, even if you put your head far back. Aygül and Tom swam to shore, but the sand was so hot that they couldn't take a step without shoes. So they soon returned to the gulet, had a cold drink and persuaded Tayfun to take them to the ruins of Olympos in the dinghy. It was too long to swim out of Ceneviz Bay and over to the estuary at the end of the beach, but they could get there in a few minutes by dinghy. Together, they pulled the boat onto the beach and walked inland into the shallow waters of the river.

Under the dense vegetation on the rocky side of the estuary, the ruins of the old town were more foreboding than visible. Despite the heat, Tom suddenly felt a shiver down his spine and looked around uneasily. “Let's turn back. I'm thirsty.” Aygül remembered she had carelessly left behind the water bottle her mother had given her when she got into the dinghy. Tom gave her a grateful look. “Yes, let's turn back,” Tayfun agreed with her. “Tomorrow we will visit the Chimera, we will have to walk long enough.” “I promise I'll take the water bottle with me then.” Tom still knew nothing about the mysterious fire of the Chimera. Upon returning to the Ayşe Kaptan, he wondered what he could imagine. Everyone told him something different. “Even in ancient times, the fire burned and showed the ships the way,” said Aygül's mother. “Have you ever heard of Sir Francis Beaufort?” Tayfun wanted to know. He loved playing the know-it-all. Aygül mumbled: “The Chimera is a many-headed snake.” “Chimera, it's nothing but a delusion, an illusion.” Aygül's father was obviously of the opinion that this would finally clear things up. But Tom was now completely confused. “What now?” “I have no idea what you're talking about.” “The Chimera is a bit of everything,” Tayfun said mysteriously. “And old Beaufort, oh yes, those Englishmen really had a hand in everything. You've probably heard people talk about wind force. There's not much wind right now, maybe force two. At wind force ten, the wind blows at hurricane force. The classification refers to the Beaufort scale, which can also describe the sea state. And now guess why the Beaufort scale is called what it is?” “Oh, you mean that Beaufort,” Tom marveled. “Yes, exactly,” laughed Tayfun. “He also sailed around here and took measurements for the nautical charts. But of course, he wasn't the first to spot the Chimera. Do you know the Iliad?” “Uh, not really,” Tom stuttered. “I thought so,” Tayfun grinned. “you don't have to. But this ancient story about the battle for Troy also features the Chimera. Because people couldn't explain how the flames came about in the past, they imagined a dangerous mythical creature, a mixture of lion, goat and snake. In the nineteenth century, the Englishman Beaufort knew, of course, that there was no monster with heads that breathed fire. The natural spectacle works like this: From the earth comes earth gas that reacts with the oxygen in the air and thus ignites itself. These flames used to be so high that they served as a kind of lighthouse for sailors.” Now Tom was really curious. Flames from the earth? That sounded really incredible. His excitement grew until they set off on their trip to this fabulous destination the next day. There were four of them in the dinghy, making it feel cramped. Aygül's father took them ashore in the afternoon and they arranged a time for him to pick them up later. Tom put on his rucksack, which was filled with water bottles and some provisions. The hike began by crossing the beach, after which Aygül, Tayfun and he followed the dusty road. After a while, they passed simple houses that belonged to the village of Çıralı. At the last house, the road forked and Tayfun and Aygül weren't sure which way to go. “It's been a while since we were here,” said Aygül, “sometime last summer.” Chickens clucked around, cows grazed behind the houses. An elderly man was repairing a fence, behind which goats were curiously stretching their necks. Tayfun asked the man for the right way. “If you keep following this path, you can't miss Yanartaş.” The man pointed to the path that led past the house on the left.  “I thought we were going to the Chimera,” Tom said to Aygül. “What is this Yanartaş that Tayfun asked about?” “Hey, I bet you know that much Turkish. Taş means ...” “Oh, that's right, taş means stone. And yanar, ah, now I know: Yanartaş means burning stone.” “Yes, that's the Turkish name for the old monster.” They continued to follow the path, which gradually led uphill. When they reached wooded terrain, they were no longer walking on a wide road. The path had become a wider trail. Finally, a clearing opened up in front of them. Indeed. Tom was amazed: flames were really rising from the ground! All three of them stared in fascination at the spectacle. The flames were so small that they didn't scare them. How high had the fire risen in ancient times to serve as a landmark for the sailors from the sea? After a while, he got tired and sat down in the shade with Aygül and Tayfun. They had already helped themselves to water from their rucksacks. Now all three of them ate the apples and cookies that Aygül's mother had given them. Tom soon became adventurous again. He looked around and discovered the remains of old walls under dense vegetation.  Tayfun talked about ancient temples. After seeing the fiery Chimera with his own eyes, Tom could well imagine how intimidating this natural spectacle must have been for people in ancient times. “Let's go a little further,” he begged. “Maybe we'll find more fireplaces.” Tayfun warned: “Aygül's father is expecting us in an hour. Have you forgotten? Besides, it will be dark by then and we should go back in the light anyway, otherwise we'll have problems on this bumpy road. We're not on the wide boulevards of Antalya.” Aygül hung on to Tayfun. “Oh, come on, we can still walk a little further. If we hurry, we'll easily make it back to the beach in time.” Tayfun hesitantly agreed. The path made a few more turns and suddenly the view of the sea opened up again. Tom tried to spot the Ayşe Kaptan. But there was no sign of it, because they were now at the opposite end of the elongated beach of Çıralı and saw another bay ahead of them. A few steps further on, they could see a building on the shore of the bay. Were these ancient ruins? “Can we go there and see what it is?” Tom urged curiously. Perhaps the building was connected to the ancient cult of the Chimera?  “I don't know,” said Tayfun. “It's already late. I don't think we'll make it there. After that, we still have to get back to the beach in the daylight. We can't keep Aygül's father waiting too long. The path is so bad now, you can't even see if it really goes any further. Besides, we can't really judge the distance. There may suddenly be a ravine that is difficult to cross and we can't see it from here.” They had met no one on their hike since Tayfun had asked the man in the village for directions. “Look,” Aygül suddenly called out as they hesitantly took a few steps further. “There are people down there by the walls!” Tayfun narrowed his eyes. “Right.” Tom had also seen them now. How stupid that they had forgotten the binoculars. All three of them looked at each other. “What are people doing down there in a mine that no longer works?” asked Tayfun. He now realized that the building could only be the abandoned mine they had seen the day before on the journey from the Üç Adalar to the current anchorage in Ceneviz Bay. From the sea, everything had looked completely different. The conveyor belt was not visible from their current location, which is why Tayfun had not recognized the bay straight away. Although many thorny vines and thistles made progress difficult, they walked a little further. They stopped at a rusty sign. The writing on the rusty sign was faded, but together they deciphered the few recognizable letters. “Private property. No trespassing.” “Oh, look,” Aygül suddenly called out. A rustling sound near her had startled her. When she turned around, she was relieved. “There's a big tortoise here.” All three now looked at the ground and soon realized that it wasn't just the one tortoise crawling there.

In the immediate vicinity, several reptiles rustled here and there over the stony, dusty ground and through the undergrowth. Some of them seemed to be injured, their shells looked strangely deformed. Aygül looked first at Tom and then at Tayfun. “Where did these tortoises suddenly come from?” No one knew the answer. They had all three become curious, but it didn't help. For today, they had to return to the beach and the gulet. “Tayfun Amca, can you help us so that we can come back here?” Aygül asked. Tayfun rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I think so. We really should inspect the mine. Maybe we could even anchor right down there by the old jetty in the bay. I'll ask your father.” “Yes, that would be great. Then we can go ashore with the dinghy right by the mine and don't have to walk as far as we do today through spikes and over sharp rocks.” They didn't have to walk as far as they do today through thorns and over sharp stones.“ They hardly spoke of the flames of the Chimera on their way back. All three wondered where the injured tortoises came from and what people were doing at the old mine. “It's good that you're here,” Aygül said to Tom. “At last, there's something going on.” Tayfun looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “So my presence wouldn't have been enough for you? All right, dear not, now I know.” “Oh Tayfun, if Tom wasn't here, you wouldn't have deigned to go ashore with me. You only moved away from the gulet because Tom was our guest.” Tom was amazed. He had never seen it from this angle before. For him, life on board the Ayşe Kaptan was exciting enough, but for Aygül, it wasn't so exciting to be traveling mainly with her parents. He wasn't the only twelve-year-old who found vacations with his parents boring. The way back to the beach seemed much shorter than the way there. There were several people in front of the houses in the village. Two children waved to them. They looked familiar to Tom. “Oh, there's Erkan and Serkan. That's right, Perihan told me the other day that they sometimes visit their grandparents in Çıralı. Let's go over and say merhaba,” said Aygül.  “There's no time for that. Your father is probably already waiting. We can catch up tomorrow if you want.” Tom had no longing for the twins and was glad that Tayfun just kept walking. Aygül hesitated briefly, waved to the children, and then followed Tayfun and Tom to the beach. Aygül's father was already walking towards them. “Where are you?” he asked. “I've already worried. Where have you been for so long? Didn't the Chimera let you go?” “Back there,” said Tom and everyone burst out laughing. “Uh, yeah, I meant to say...” He stuttered because he didn't know where to start. They had experienced so much in the last few hours. So Aygül talked. Her father was amazed when he heard they had almost reached the mine. Aygül finally took a deep breath. “Can we anchor there tomorrow?” “Slowly, slowly,” said Aygül's father. “It's not that easy. We might anchor there if there's no wind at all tomorrow. There are a lot of shallows in front of the old jetty and I don't know anyone who likes to drop anchor there. Unfortunately, there is a lot of equipment and objects at the bottom of the bay that were carelessly thrown into the sea when the mine was still in operation. The anchor can easily get caught there and we would have problems getting it up again. That really doesn't have to be the case. Apart from that, I think it's dangerous to walk around there. Nobody knows exactly what corridors and secrets this old building holds. I have heard nothing good about it.

People tell each other all sorts of things.” When they were back on board the Ayşe Kaptan, and told Aygül's mother about their experiences and plans, she also remained skeptical. She had also heard rumors about the mine, but knew nothing for sure.

Aygül was sure that she could change her parents' minds with Tayfun's help. To reassure them, she suggested talking to Perihan first. If the twins were in Çıralı, her sister would certainly be there too.

“Perihan or her grandparents will certainly confirm that the old mine is completely harmless.” Injured Tortoises Aygül had been in her father's ears for so long that he partially gave in. The next morning, he steered the Ayşe Kaptan out of the anchorage to the long sandy beach of Çıralı. There they anchored close to the mouth of the river with the ruins of Olympos. The sea was almost as smooth as glass in the early hours of the morning. Both parents had remained firm on two points. They would not be anchoring in the small mining bay and, of course, Tayfun would accompany the two children on their shore excursion again.

Aygül's parents were not happy that Aygül had set her mind on going to the mine. However, they feared that the three of them would not listen to their advice not to go any further than the no-trespassing sign, anyway. They urged them all the more insistently to at least be careful.

Aygül, Tom, and Tayfun had learned something from the experience of their first trip. This time, they wanted to set off in the morning and after a hearty breakfast so that they would have enough time and energy to get to the Chimera fire, and then head to the mine before the worst of the midday heat. Of course, they wanted to take enough drinking water with them for the trip and also some provisions for the day. Tom packed the water bottles and everything else that Aygül's mother had prepared for them into his rucksack. “Don't forget the binoculars. They could have served us well on the hike yesterday.” Aygül gave him the binoculars from the map table, which Tom squeezed into his rucksack.

When they finally left Ayşe Kaptan, it was only just after ten. So early, Tom thought and grinned. At that time of the day, he usually only remotely thought about getting up during his vacations. On this day, he had already swum extensively and was now full of anticipation for the next exploratory walk. Unlike the day before, Aygül's father stayed on board, and Tayfun steered the dinghy to the shore. When the wind and waves picked up later, Aygül's parents would bring the gulet back to the safety of Ceneviz Bay and wait there for the excursionists to return. On the beach, they found a large rock to which Tayfun secured the dinghy after they had pulled it up the beach together. That way, it wouldn't be washed away by the next big wave. Then they made their way along the beach to the now familiar fork in the road, from where the path to the Chimera's fire ascended. There was no one to be seen in the village, not even the twins and their sister. Only a few goats bleated in the distance. “Never mind. We can ask if Perihan is here when we get back.” Neither Tayfun nor Tom had anything against Aygül not wanting to stay in the village any longer. The sun was still bearable, but it was already so hot that they accepted the advantage of every corner of the shade. For Tom, the walk to the Chimera seemed even shorter.

As on the previous day, the play of the rising flames captivated them. This fire from the earth was unique. No one could escape its magic. They took a break at their usual spot and drank plenty of water until Aygül gave the cue.

“Come on, let's go to the mine at last!” They quickly made their way to the spot they had reached yesterday afternoon. The rusty sign was still hanging on a tree, just as crooked and half-covered by vines. Even with the naked eye, the ruins of the mine were clearly visible from here. An elongated building seemed to be reasonably well preserved, and the former conveyor belt on the bank was also clearly visible. Aygül's parents had confirmed what Tayfun had already explained. Chrome used to be mined in this bay, which was then loaded onto ships and transported away. But the plant, like many others, had been closed for decades.

Two men ran from the building to the shore. “I want to take a closer look. Tom, stand still, I'll take the binoculars from my rucksack,” said Tayfun. Aygül simply walked on, as best she could on the narrow path. When Tayfun pointed the binoculars at the mine, Tom wanted to follow her. Suddenly, he stopped.

Out of the corner of his eye, he had noticed a movement that made him stop. “Aygül, wait a minute!” shouted Tom. Tayfun, who had stayed behind him, also hesitated. Then he also called out, his voice muffled: “Aygül!” “What’s wrong with you, bores?” she asked, as she finally stopped.

Tom whispered: “I saw something ...” Tayfun started talking almost at the same time. “We should be a little more careful.” “Are you scared?” Aygül asked mockingly. “It's just an abandoned facility.” “Yes, that's exactly why we should be careful,” Tayfun warned. “Who knows how dilapidated everything around the mine is and what's hidden under the undergrowth? Maybe there are animals here too, wild boars, for example. Or feral dogs. You never know how they'll react.” “I felt as if someone had moved over there in the bushes.” “Great,” laughed Aygül, and wanted to move on. “They must be hikers too. Let's see them. Maybe they can tell us more about this old mine.”  “Stop!” Tayfun shouted now, and Aygül actually stopped this time. The unusual sharpness in Tayfun's tone had surprised her. “Listen,” Aygül began. But Tayfun moved his hands so unmistakably that both Tom and Aygül realized: They should be quiet.

But why? Aygül looked at Tom in amazement and he shrugged his shoulders. He felt uneasy. “Guys, I think something's wrong here,” Tayfun said quietly. “We'd better be careful. Have you seen the boat down at the jetty?” “A boat? No.” Without binoculars, neither Aygül nor Tom had recognized a boat.

“I think,” Tayfun continued slowly, “that's the motorboat we noticed near the islands the other day. And the two men walking around down there don't look friendly.” “It's just an abandoned mine and the people are probably curious tourists like us,” said Tom. Aygül nodded in confirmation. Tayfun replied seriously: “It's not just the two men who look strange. There's something in the boat, probably boxes. One man keeps checking the surroundings.” His voice was even more serious when he continued after a brief hesitation. “If I'm not mistaken, he's got a pistol in his hand. And believe me, the man doesn't look like it's just a toy.” Aygül took a deep breath. But before she could say anything, Tom spoke.

“But ... what can be so important here ... so far away from Antalya ... that it is guarded with ... weapons?” His voice was barely audible. Tayfun looked just as perplexed as the other two. “Come on, we'll figure it out.” Aygül was the first to catch herself. But she stumbled on the very next step and looked at the ground while trying not to fall. She almost stepped on a tortoise that was crossing the path in front of her. Only now did they remember that they had seen several tortoises the day before. The tortoise that Aygül had tripped over had already disappeared back into the bushes. But when they looked around, they noticed several tortoises all around them. All three were gathered around a large tortoise that wasn't moving and had a thick wound on its shell. “What does that mean?” asked Aygül. Tayfun didn't know the answer to this question any more than Tom did. Tayfun looked at his watch. The lunch break at the Chimera was a long time ago, so why not take a break here and now and think calmly about how they could help the injured tortoise? Tom opened his rucksack and unpacked what was left over from the first break. None of them were hungry, but they all gulped the water. They remained silent for a while. Tayfun nibbled grumpily on an apple. He secretly wondered why he had taken the trip with the two children. He would have liked to turn around on the spot and head for the dinghy on the beach went back. What business did he have with injured tortoises and some characters tampering with an old mine? In this heat, he really didn't feel like playing cops and robbers. The men down at the mine were probably completely harmless and there was nothing more they could do for injured tortoises here in this lonely area anyway, however sorry he felt for the animals. Tom thought about his parents for a moment. They were probably still at the marina. They would have to bring the injured tortoises to the enclosure there. Then Aygül and he would nurse them back to health. After his vacations, he would definitely have a lot to tell his friends in Germany. Aygül soon became impatient. “Come on, let's see what's going on here. We've got nothing better to do and while we're here ...” She started briskly, but then faltered. There were even more tortoises crawling around them than they had noticed before. The three of them looked at each other. “What can happen if we go on and talk to the men in the bay? I want to know what all the tortoises are doing here. I've never seen so many, except in the marina.” Aygül was the first to speak the suggestion out loud. Her parents had already called her a hothead when she was in kindergarten. “All right,” Tayfun finally said. “If you really want to, we can inspect the mine on. But I don't have a good feeling that you know. Let's be careful and try to remain undetected. You never know.” Slowly, they continued along the narrow path, passing more tortoises. They assumed the path would lead in a few twists and turns to the sea and thus to the remains of the loading point. There were no trees in this area, but the path seemed to have been rarely used. Tom and Aygül grumbled when they got their bare legs caught on a thorny vine. Tayfun was spared that, because as a proper young man he naturally wore long trousers and even socks in his sports shoes. Aygül and Tom had had a good laugh about this in their shorts on the way to the chimera. Now they understood why long trousers had advantages despite the heat. “Stop and be quiet,” shouted Tayfun. For once, Aygül and Tom listened to him immediately, because they had also understood that they would leave the protective thicket if they went any further. They stopped in the shade of a shapeless and thorny bush. From there they could hear voices without being seen by the men on the ban. They caught snatches of conversation, but could make no sense of them. There was talk of a find and a handover the next night, then the motorboat sped off. Aygül and Tom had now also clearly recognized that it was the same noisy motorboat they had noticed on the trip to the three islands. Now the boat was heading north, to where Kemer and Antalya were located. Tom and Aygül flinched at a sudden sound. They looked around nervously and immediately laughed with relief. A large tortoise was moving slowly and awkwardly along the path. Unfortunately, this tortoise was not in good condition. There was a gaping wound on its back leg. Aygül and Tom would have liked to help, but how? Tayfun reached for a water bottle that was still full. Water would not heal the animal's injuries, but water could at least quench its thirst. He placed the lid of the bottle upside down on the ground and poured some water into it. Aygül and Tom knelt down next to the tortoise and tried to get it to drink. The Old Mine Tayfun, Aygül, and Tom were so engrossed in helping the tortoise that nobody paid any attention to their surroundings. That's why all three of them pulled together when suddenly an angry and gruff male voice was heard. “Well, well, well, who have we here?” The three turned around, startled, and froze when they saw a firearm pointed at them. They were confronted by a man in dusty clothes who looked at them unfriendly. “What are you doing here?” he snapped at them. “This is private property.” “Private property?” Tayfun was the first to be able to answer something. “We were just hiking. We weren't doing anything illegal.” He had forgotten about the rusty sign. “But this is private property.” The man looked at them sullenly. Aygül's attention was still focused on the tortoise, which had been joined by another one. It too was injured. “What's wrong with the tortoises, why are there so many of them running around here? In the marina they said ...” “Marina?” the man immediately interrupted them in a sharp tone. “What have you got to do with the Marina?” “Uh, nothing else,” Tayfun stammered, confused. “Only the ship we're in the area with is moored in Antalya.” This answer seemed to worry the unfriendly man more than reassure him. While he held the pistol pointed threateningly at the three of them, he pulled a radio out of his shirt pocket with his other hand. They heard a rattling and hissing, then the man turned slightly to the side. He did not take his eyes off the intimidated hikers. They couldn't understand what he was saying into the radio. They were far too frightened and intimidated to simply run off in the direction they had come from. The conversation on the radio was over before any of them could even think straight. The pistol remained stubbornly pointed at them. “Come with me!” The man's voice had not become any friendlier. Given the weapon, there wasn't much to think about. Aygül sought Tayfun's hand and Tom stumbled forward along the path behind them. The man with the pistol followed them impatiently. Tayfun hoped against all reason that this nightmare would turn out to be a misunderstanding. If he could only be brought to a sensible If they were able to explain to a human being without a weapon that they were harmless hikers, they would quickly be able to go their way again. The sun was still high in the sky, it was perhaps four o'clock. So it would be a few more hours before Aygül's parents would miss them. Tom had the feeling that he could feel the pistol in his back. Without realizing it, he had grabbed Aygül's hand. Was it five minutes, was it ten minutes that they walked like that? Every single second in the company of the man with the pistol stretched out into what felt like an eternity. But then the narrow path opened up onto the square in front of the jetty of the old mine. Two men were busy stacking crates there. They didn't look any friendlier than their pursuer and didn't take any immediate notice of the newcomers. The three of them looked around cautiously. Many crates were more or less neatly stacked and spread across the space between the sea and the building. Tom noticed that some of the crates didn't have solid walls, but narrow bars on at least one side. Aygül squeezed his hand. She had also seen what Tom was now noticing. There were tortoises inside the crates. Lots of tortoises. Too many tortoises in a small space. Tayfun looked at Tom and Aygül. He was just as confused as they were. But there was no time to think about the tortoises. “This way, don't stare so much.” The man with the pistol pushed them to a corner in the shadow of the old building. The two other men joined them. “Who have you brought with you?” “I caught the three of them snooping around. They also have something to do with the marina in Antalya.” “That was stupid. Lock them in there for now.” The man with the pistol shooed them into the building. What had looked like a solid stone building from further up turned out to be a rather dilapidated hut. For a moment, Tom thought he saw children behind it. Erkan and Serkan, it flashed through his mind. He rubbed his eyes. Was he starting to lose it now? He squinted at Aygül. Had she also seen what he thought he saw? He would have been happy to meet the twins for the first time. A glimmer of hope flashed through him. But before he could say anything to Aygül, the man pushed them through an open wooden door and into the building. The twins disappeared from his thoughts immediately. It took their eyes a moment to adjust to the dim light inside. The man pushed them further past the crumbling walls to where it was darkest, because only a few cracks and crevices let in some daylight. He opened a metal door and pushed them into a small, musty room. While they were still trying to regain their balance, the door creaked shut and a key turned.

They were trapped.

For a moment, they were paralyzed. Then Tayfun shook the door with all his might. Nothing. The children clung to Tayfun, who sensed their fear. He didn't even understand what was going on. “What's happening to us? What's going on?” asked Aygül. Aygül, who usually had an answer for everything and a plan for everything, was helpless. Tom didn't feel any better. He had no idea why they had been locked in. Tayfun was just as uneasy about the whole thing as the two children he felt responsible for. Why were they locked up, what were they not supposed to see? What would the men do to them? Tayfun knew that Aygül and Tom were asking themselves the same questions. Nevertheless, he was afraid that they would ask him out loud. He had no answers himself. None of them had expected that the harmless excursion would end in a dusty prison. The men had something to hide, that much they understood. But what did the tortoises and the boxes mean? Tom had once heard that tortoises were very expensive in Germany. As they were a protected species, they could only be sold through recognized breeders. A tortoise therefore cost a few hundred Deutsche Marks. But in Türkiye, tortoises ran around freely. Was it worth loading tortoises into crates to sell them somewhere? Why had the tortoises disappeared from the enclosure in the marina? Was there a connection, did the tortoises end up here? None of this made any sense.  Over the next few hours, the three prisoners had a lot of time to think about when and how they would get out of their prison. Sometimes they heard voices, but didn't understand anything because they only picked up a few words. The noises they heard from outside did not explain anything either. They did not dare to call for help. The three men wouldn't help, and who else would have heard them? At some point, Tayfun examined the room they were stuck in. There was no furniture and no window. From the outside, the building looked dilapidated. But the door couldn't be shaken and there was no window. It was impossible to break out. Only a few cracks in the brickwork let in the faint light. Tayfun's wristwatch was a tiny consolation. They could check the time and the illumination of the clock face gave a further hint of light. They had long since finished the last bottle of water and all three of them were beginning to feel a headache coming on. When the door rattled and rattled violently, he pushed They huddled together in the corner furthest away. In the semi-darkness, no one knew what the noises meant. The door opened a crack. “Don't you move!” A voice they didn't know if they'd ever heard before was shouting at them. Before they came to a decision the door was already locked again. In the twilight they recognized a jug of water, from which they drank greedily one after the other. At least they weren't going to die of thirst. The jug was large. Tayfun took it as a good sign that they were given something to drink at all. Tom didn't want to think about what kind of water was in it. Ever since he was little, his parents had warned him never to drink open water. They had told him that it could give him bad diarrhea. Tom assumed that his parents would have made an exception to their rules in this case.

His parents. Where were they? Tom realized that the thought of his parents brought a lump to his throat that had nothing to do with thirst. He swallowed. His parents probably didn't even miss him yet. After all, it had been agreed that he would spend a whole week on the gulet with Aygül and her family. He tried to concentrate. How many days had they been traveling? They had experienced so much that it seemed like ages since they had left Antalya. Yet only a few days had passed since they had left the marina. Now he remembered that it was Thursday. This morning - had it really only been a few hours ago? - Aygül's mother had said it was Monday. So there were three days left before they were expected back in Antalya. His parents probably wouldn't miss him at all before then. And what if he didn't come back to the marina next Thursday? Tom swallowed again. Aygül had similar thoughts running through her head. Of course, her parents on the gulet would already be thinking that evening about why the three of them hadn't come back. “Do they miss us on the Ayşe Kaptan yet? Hopefully mom and dad have an idea how they can find us if we don't come back. And hopefully they won't get into danger themselves.” Of course, Tayfun also knew that Aygül's parents wouldn't miss her until after dark at the earliest. He didn't know what to do himself, but still tried to encourage the two children. “The villains can't just forget us in here. We'll get out again.” The sound of his voice betrayed that he pretended to be more confident than he felt. Only one thing was certain: the men outside were up to no good, otherwise they wouldn't have locked up their harmless little hiking group. What kind of threat did a young man accompanied by two children pose? What kind of business were the men running that it was worth locking people up for? Tayfun couldn't imagine that these men were all about tortoises. He tried to remember. What about the chrome mining in this area, what had he once learned about it? Was that chrome, that used to be mined here is still valuable? What was chrome used for, where was it sold? If only he could remember. That wouldn't save them from their situation either, he thought cheerlessly. But it would occupy his thoughts for a while and distract him from their situation. So he began to tell Aygül and Tom what little he could remember about Turkish natural resources. Other countries had always been very interested in them. Aygül hardly listened, but Tom was suddenly wide awake. “Maybe the men really are after treasures. You told me in Phaselis how valuable old coins and figurines are. Maybe these are the treasures in the ground that the men are interested in?” “Or treasures from Phaselis or Olympos?” “Maybe the men found something on the three islands. Or they're hiding the boxes on the islands. There are only birds there, no other people go ashore.” Tayfun and Tom thought back and forth, but couldn't agree because they knew far too little about the contents of the boxes. They certainly didn't know what the men's intentions were. “What do mineral resources have to do with tortoises?” Aygül rejoined the conversation. They continued to think together and talked about different types of treasure. Eventually they came to the conclusion that whatever the men were keeping in the boxes must be valuable. By now it had become completely dark. A glance at the watch confirmed to Tayfun that it was almost twenty-two o'clock. Only rarely did a faint ray of light flicker through a crack in their dungeon, perhaps caused by one of the men's flashlights. It was still warm in their prison and they felt sweaty and hungry. The floor was uncomfortable and hard, but at least they weren't freezing. Fortunately, Tom discovered some food in his rucksack. Aygül sent grateful thoughts to her mother. In the morning, she had complained about all the food her mother had given them. It was cramped on the floor, but they had no choice. They were so exhausted that all three of them finally fell into a restless sleep. In Tom's dream, Alexander the Great galloped across the beach of Çıralı on a magnificent horse, before rider and horse plunged into a sea wave and swam towards a large wooden ship. Standing on the deck was a man who looked like a 19th century British admiral. The man was examining the mountains on the horizon with a long, old-fashioned telescope. “That doesn't look good,” he muttered. Children appeared behind him and clapped their hands loudly. Tom rolled restlessly to the other side and almost woke Aygül.  “What is it,” she mumbled half asleep and tried to find a better sleeping position. But by then Tom was already lost in his dreams again, with Erkan holding him down so that Serkan could step on his foot better. Then he heard someone shouting. The Rock Cave Tom jumped up. Everything was quiet in the small room. Had he himself screamed in his sleep? He didn't know. Before he could think about whether it was still night or already morning, he heard rattling noises. Aygül and Tayfun also woke up and looked around just as perplexed as Tom. The door opened and the man from the previous evening, without saying a word, pushed a jug of water into the room and a yogurt lid with half a loaf of white bread behind it. Behind him, a second man appeared at the edge of the door. It was difficult to make him out, but the pistol in his hand was clearly visible. Tom didn't want to think about whether the man’s pistol was loaded. Not that he had any idea about real weapons. He was almost overcome with laughter. A form of madness, rather. What had happened to them since yesterday seemed so absurd. Something like this only happened in bad movies. But Aygül was clinging to him fiercely because she was stumbling while trying to get as far away as possible from the door to the wall. Tom suddenly became aware of the bitter reality. He was glad of the physical contact. Tayfun put his arms protectively around Aygül and Tom. “What are you up to,” Tayfun began to speak. “Shut up,” replied the man who had brought the food. “You're about to see what happens to cheeky, cheeky people.” Without further explanation, the two men pulled the door shut from the outside. The three of them heard the lock click and clung even closer together. Aygül could no longer hold back her tears. “Oh, Tayfun Amca, how are we going to get out of here? My parents must be looking everywhere for us. I hope they find us soon.” The minutes passed, or was it hours, they didn't know exactly. Tayfun no longer thought about his watch, he was just as perplexed and desperate as the children. Suddenly the door was pulled open and a man rudely asked them to come out quickly. Outside the building, they struggled to find their way in the bright sunlight after the dim light in their prison. The man roughly pushed them along until they reached the jetty on the shore. The other two men were waiting there. “They're probably already looking for you,” said the man, who was holding a pistol like yesterday. He seemed to be the leader. “That's why we're going to take you to a place where no one can find you and from which you can't disappear. It's quite a nuisance for us, but we can't have any witnesses here.” The three of them felt a shiver run down their spines. “What are you looking at, we're not murderers!” The man's malicious laughter calmed neither the children nor Tayfun. “When our business here is done, we'll let you go. We'll be long gone by then and nobody will be able to pin anything on us. Don't think you'll be able to recognize us later. We have our ways and means.” The three of them were as perplexed as before and not at all reassured. They still hadn't figured out what was going on in this lonely bay. There were even more boxes around than yesterday. There was no sign of any tortoises, the crates were closed all around. While the leader kept his pistol pointed at them, the other two men stacked crates on top of each other. One man alone could not lift a crate. Obviously, the crates were heavy. Then the three men discussed something among themselves, but so quietly that neither Tayfun nor the children understood anything. The motorboat that they had noticed so unpleasantly at Üç Adalar with its reckless driving was back on the shore. The three islands, had it really only been a few days since they had anchored there and swum? Tom stumbled the last few steps behind Tayfun and Aygül to the boat. “Come on, get in,” the man with the pistol grumbled at them. At the same time, one of the other two men jumped into the boat and sat at the steering wheel in the middle. The man with the pistol almost pushed them on board, then got into the boat himself. The motorboat was not large, but very modern. It was obviously not necessary to start the outboard motor from the stern, as they were used to doing on the Ayşe Kaptan's dinghy. Here, everything was as automatic as in a car. The third man stayed ashore, raised his hand briefly and turned to the crates. “Hold on,” warned the man at the wheel. Even as he spoke, the boat shot off like an arrow. Tom and Aygül struggled not to lose their balance. Tayfun looked around and tried to see where they were being taken. The boat was out of the bay and on the open sea in a matter of seconds. He hoped that they were heading in the direction where Aygül's parents wanted to wait for their return with the Ayşe Kaptan. Instead, the man at the wheel set course for the three islands. And that was where they would be put ashore, Tayfun mused. Probably on the smallest of the three rocky islands, where only birds lived. Hopefully with a supply of drinking water. His throat felt dry, but he didn't dare ask for water. Then Tayfun looked up in surprise. Aygül and Tom were also taken aback. Instead of heading straight for the three islands, the boat changed direction. It was now shooting along parallel to the long beach of Çıralı. Exactly in the direction where the gulet had anchored yesterday! A crazy hope sprouted in them. How nice it would be if these men simply dropped them off at Aygül's parents' boat and then disappeared never to be seen again. Tom felt a crazy giggle rise up inside him again. But in the next moment, his mind told him crystal clear: “No. It's not going to be that easy.” The sea was completely calm that morning too, with a few small boats scattered like dots on the water. New hope flickered as the boat headed towards the end of the beach, towards the mouth of the river at Olympos. The same place where they had pulled the Ayşe Kaptan's dinghy onto the beach yesterday. The large gulet was nowhere to be seen, which was to be expected. It was probably out of their field of vision in the sheltered Ceneviz Bay. What was strange was that the dinghy they had left behind yesterday was missing. In its place, a smaller wooden boat with oars lay on the beach. The motorboat whizzed past before they could think about what had happened to their own boat. Only after the mouth of the river did the man at the helm slowly steer the boat onto the shallow beach. The steep rock face of Musa Mountain rose up just behind it. Tayfun thought feverishly. What could there be here that would be of interest to the men? Would they release them here? Then they could go to the village and ask someone to take them to Aygül's parents. The main thing was to get away from the men. They would find out later where the dinghy had gone. It all remained wishful thinking. The motorboat was now lying with its bow on the beach. The man with the pistol indicated that they should get out. “But quickly,” growled the man who had been steering. A few beach walkers could be seen. But they were too far away to recognize what was going on. No one saw the man with the pistol directing them towards the rocks. The three of them didn't dare to shout for help. “Quick, quick,” the man hissed and shooed them towards the rocks. The dense undergrowth there swallowed them up immediately; none of the walkers on the beach would be able to see them. They were at the eerie ruins of Olympos. They had been walking around here carefree just a short time ago. How different their situation was now. Aygül's heart clenched at the thought that her parents were nearby. Surely they hadn't just left when Aygül and her two companions didn't come back. They must have been terribly worried, had taken the dinghy and had long since gone looking for them. The Ayşe Kaptan was certainly anchored nearby. Rescue was so close and yet so far away. There was no path here. They followed a barely recognizable track, which soon bent to the side and directly towards the rock faces. Directly on the mountain, huge wall stones could be seen under the vegetation. A narrow gap opened up between them. Aygül and Tom had gone ahead and were now hesitating. The man pushed Tayfun roughly with his pistol and he stumbled forward, pushing the two children in front of him into the gap. The man pushed Tayfun in and followed behind himself. He held his pistol firmly in his hand. A ray of light flashed and disappeared again. The man had obviously taken a flashlight out of his trouser pocket with his other hand. “Come on, let's get going!” The voice echoed strangely muffled from the rock faces. Tom cried out. He had slipped on the suddenly slippery ground and bumped into Aygül in front of him, who was trying to find her footing on the stones next to her. A few slippery steps further on, the narrow passage widened. The flashlight illuminated the surroundings for a moment. They were in a room with fairly smooth walls, the size of a room. The three of them looked around cautiously, expecting a new command at any moment. It had been hot outside, but it was cooler in this cave-like room. They shivered. The mixture of fear, fatigue, hunger and tension was worse to bear than the temperature of the air in the cave. Her companion threw a plastic bag on the ground that they hadn't even noticed before. The man pointed to it. “There's something to drink and eat in there. Come on. Don't get any ideas. We have things to do. Then we'll see.” As he spoke, he slowly walked backwards into the crevice. His face remained fixed on them, he did not take his eyes off them. A few moments later, he was gone and Aygül, Tayfun and Tom were alone. And without hope. Tayfun suspected that this had once been a cistern. The smooth walls and the dampness indicated this. But he said nothing. This wasn't the time to show off his knowledge of history. Aygül slowly felt her way along the walls until she found a ledge to lean against.

She also remained silent. Tom couldn't imagine how they would ever get out of here. The entrance to the cave was so hidden that hardly anyone knew it. Who would hear them calling? Calls for help probably wouldn't even reach the outside world. And even if they did, no one would come to this remote place to help them. Tayfun thought more practically. As soon as the man was no longer visible and his light was no longer flashing, he went back to the narrow entrance himself. Where they had come in, they should be able to go out again. Unfortunately, that was a fallacy; it would have been too easy. The man had wedged large stones into the narrow passage from the outside in such a way that they could not be moved from the inside of the cave. If all three of them had been able to push, the boulders might have moved. But there wasn't enough room for them in the narrow corridor. Even Tayfun, the biggest and strongest of them, couldn't move any of the stones even a millimeter. Some daylight entered the corridor from outside through a few narrow gaps. It was even darker in the larger room. This cave was bigger than their prison in the mine, but certainly no more comfortable. The few supplies wouldn't last long and what would happen then? They would probably slowly starve and die of thirst. At the mine, the man had said that they would be released later. But could they rely on that? The only certainty was that the man with the pistol was no longer there. “Let's all call for help together. Maybe someone will hear us, you know, there were people on the beach.” Aygül had found her voice again. They joined forces and shouted for help several times. Then they listened intently. Apart from a faint echo of their own shouts, there was no response. But there had to be a way out. All three of them carefully felt their way along the walls once more. They could see almost nothing without a flashlight. Then Aygül's voice could be heard again. “Look, is it a bit brighter back there?” At first, Tom and Tayfun didn't understand where to look. Eventually Aygül grabbed Tayfun and then Tom by the arm and made them understand that they should look up. A very faint glimmer of light could be seen up there. It must have come from very high up. Because it was so dark in the cave, they had assumed that the ceiling of their prison was as smooth as the walls. If they could see light, there was an opening in the rocks far above them! The ceiling possibly ran like a shaft or a chimney all the way up there. But it was hopeless to try to reach a small hole in a high rock ceiling without any help. Even if they had managed to climb up the smooth walls, the opening at the top would probably be far too small to get out. Nevertheless, the hole had one good thing. As well as providing a comforting glimmer of light, it ensured that they didn't run out of air. But hunger and thirst were now clearly making themselves felt. Tayfun felt around on the floor of the cave for the plastic bag that the man had left l behind. He found a bottle of water and a thinner plastic bag containing bread. “We don't know how long we have to stay here. So let's be sparing with the water. Just have a sip so that we still have some later.” Tayfun looked at his watch. “It's already two o'clock. We'll have something to eat and drink now and then we'll have our next drink at eight.” None of them had much of an appetite, even though they had been eating together with Aygül’s parents on the Ayşe Kaptan had not eaten properly. Fear and uncertainty had tightened their stomachs. But they were all thirsty. As they drank in turn, Tom remembered that he still had his rucksack on his back. The men hadn't been interested in that. There was nothing left of the supplies that Aygül's mother had given them and the last drop from the water bottles had long since been emptied. Nevertheless, Tom fumbled around in his rucksack without much hope. The binoculars were there, but they were of no use in the cave. Tom had neither a penknife nor a flashlight with him. But maybe he would find something useful anyway. As he felt around, he felt something narrow and long in a crease in the ground. A piece of wood perhaps? “My notepad and a pencil! I had completely forgotten that I had taken this with me just in case when I packed my rucksack in Germany. When I unpacked everything on the Ayşe Kaptan, I overlooked the writing utensils.” “Let's write a message,” Aygül called out. Tayfun put the brakes on her enthusiasm. “Maybe we can write a message in the twilight here.

And then what? Even if we could get the note out: Who would read it?” “How are you going to write in the dark?” Tom wanted to know.  They discussed the problem for a while longer. They didn't have anything else to do anyway. It was better to discuss writing a note than to stare into the darkness without hope. In the end, they agreed that Aygül should write a call for help on the note. After all, it wasn't about beautiful handwriting, she would be able to do it without a light. They then wanted to get the note out through the cracks in the boulders at the entrance to the cave. Aygül was confident that someone would come along and find the note. Tayfun commented grumpily: “At best, a goat will come along and eat the note as a treat.” “A message in a bottle!” Aygül startled, Tom's call echoed so loudly through the cave. “Message in a bottle? Aren't you getting something mixed up?” But Tayfun picked up an empty plastic bottle from Tom's rucksack, which he had carelessly placed next to him earlier. “We could try it. If the bottle fits through the gap at the entrance, then we can push a cave mail outside. A note in a plastic bottle is easier to find than a small piece of paper.” Aygül immediately started writing something on the piece of paper, while Tayfun and Tom tried to see if they could push the plastic bottle out into the open. With a lot of pushing and squeezing, it would work. Aygül put the note into the bottle, Tom squeezed it several times and Tayfun pushed it out. with a final push outside. Then all three cuddled up close together on the hard floor in the driest corner of the cave. After they had had another drink in turn, their second night in captivity began.

Telephone Calls and Radio Messages Aygül's parents had watched from the Ayşe Kaptan as the three of them took the dinghy to the beach, then pulled the boat up the beach and set off in the direction of the village. When the wind began to blow towards the shore around midday, they pulled up the anchor and brought the gulet back to the sheltered anchorage in Ceneviz Bay as planned.

When there was still no sign of Tayfun and the children in the late afternoon, Aygül's mother Dilek became restless.

Her father Batu remained calm at first. “Let the children enjoy the trip. They might even be back on the beach already, swimming after the dusty hike. There's still plenty of time before nightfall and they'll definitely be back by then.” Dilek wanted to believe him, but kept looking out for the dinghy more and more often. Finally, a glance at the sun showed her that it wasn't long until sunset and therefore until nightfall.

Her voice became reproachful. “We specifically told them to come back on time.” “I'm convinced that we can rely on Tayfun,” Batu replied. “I'm sure they'll be here soon.” He used the large binoculars remaining on the gulet.

But even with them, he couldn't see out of the bay to the beach, and they both waited in vain for the dinghy. Aygül's parents still thought nothing bad. They assumed that the three of them were just late, as they had been the day before. But when it was dark and the excursionists had still not arrived, Dilek persuaded her husband to get the second dinghy ready. This wooden boat was older and smaller and had no motor. As it only served as a spare on board, it was lashed tightly to the deck. It took a while for Aygül's parents to carefully lower the boat into the water and row it ashore. Without a motor, the route out of the bay to the beach was a long one.

Dilek and Batu had flashlights with them and rowed first to the spot at the mouth of the river where Aygül and her companions had left the dinghy in the morning. It lay undamaged in its place, the line tightly wrapped around the large stone. So the three of them were still on land. Batu and Dilek didn't immediately know what to do. They wouldn't be able to do much in the dark, even with flashlights, and they had no idea where to look.

It would be best, if they went to the village first and asked if anyone there had seen the excursionists. They found their way to the village in the dark with the help of their flashlights. They didn't have to search long in the village for someone to ask. On this warm summer night, everyone from babies to old people were still gathered outside their houses. The man who had described the route to the three excursionists the day before remembered them well. Aygül's parents wanted to breathe a sigh of relief before they realized that this had been the three's first outing. Many villagers had seen the three of them on their way back, but that did’nt help Dilek and Batu either.

But Dilek remembered that Aygül had promised to speak to the twins' grandparents. Aygül had mentioned a name. “Perihan!” Dilek exclaimed. As it turned out, they were almost standing in front of the house of Perihan’s and her brothers’ grandparents. Aygül's parents were disappointed to hear that Aygül, Tayfun and Tom had neither spoken nor seen them that morning. The three wanted men were and remained as if swallowed up by the earth. Word had spread quickly that two children and their young uncle were missing and almost all the villagers had gathered around Aygül's parents and the grandparents with their grandchildren. “Has no one really seen them today?” Dilek asked the group pleadingly. “They wanted to go to the burning stones and from there on to the old mine.” The older villagers looked at her in alarm.

“There's been a lot going on there recently,” one man reported. “There are some men hanging around there who don't come from this area.” “Yes,” added another. “The police and the coastguard have already asked around. It's about a motorboat that doesn't belong to any of us.” “The way they drive that motorboat is really dangerous. They tore up my nets and didn't even apologize,” complained an elderly man. “What are we supposed to do now?” Dilek looked pleadingly at Batu.

“We need to find someone who has a phone. Then we can call the police and inform them. In the dark, it's too difficult for us to walk to the mine alone and look for the children. When we get back on the gulet later, I'll also radio the coastguard immediately. ” “You can use the phone at my grandparents' house.” Perihan showed Aygül's parents the phone.

Batu nervously turned the dial. Only after several attempts did he finally reach the police officers at the nearest station, which was almost an hour's drive from Çıralı. When the police officers heard that there were two children among the missing, they promised to help quickly. They would start the search that night, but advised Aygül's parents to return to the gulet. Perhaps the three would soon be well and return safe and sound. That was also Dilek and Batu's secret hope and that was the only reason they followed the policemen's advice.

As soon as it was light the next morning, they could make their own way to the flames and the mine and search if, contrary to expectations, the three of them had not yet returned. The dinghy that Tayfun and the two children had come ashore in was still lying on the beach, unchanged. Batu wanted to take it back to the Ayşe Kaptan, but Dilek persuaded him to leave the boat with the engine on the beach for the returnees. Batu rowed back to the gulet as quickly as he could in the dark night, while Dilek shone their flashlight all around. On board, Batu immediately informed the nearest coastguard vessel by radio. The watch commander also promised to pass on the search report and to investigate the coast around Çıralı beach the very next morning. The old mine was more accessible from the sea than from the land side. The police would search the land route, the coast guard would try to track down clues directly on the coast. “Shouldn't we also inform Tom's parents?” Dilek pondered. Batu looked at her as uncertainly as she looked at him. There was no timetable for this exceptional situation. They thought back and forth and decided to wait until the morning. Maybe the missing group would turn up by then, then there would be no need to call Tom's parents. to worry now. Dilek and Batu didn't know exactly where Tom's parents were by now. Even if they had reached them immediately by radio or telephone, they would not have been able to do anything during the night. The next morning dawned with no sign of Tayfun, Aygül or Tom. Even the coastguard, that had long been in radio contact with the police stations, was still unable to report any news. Aygül's parents hurriedly rowed to the beach and walked from there to the village. There was now a police van where everyone had gathered in the evening. Two policemen were talking to the grandparents, who pointed excitedly at Dilek and Batu. “We're going to go and look for ourselves,” Batu explained. “That's out of the question,” replied the older of the two policemen firmly. “We understand your concerns very well. But we can't allow you to search on your own. A search party with experienced people is already on its way.” Dilek looked at him in disbelief. “But my daughter, our children. I want to look for them myself.” “I'm not allowed to tell you anything about ongoing investigations. But you must know that we have suspicions connected with the mine. Believe me, it's better for everyone involved if you follow our instructions.” The younger police officer now joined in the conversation. “As my colleague says, the search for the missing persons has already begun. We still have some important questions for you.” Dilek clung to Batu. She didn't want to answer any questions, she wanted to turn over every stone and search. Batu didn't feel much better, he too would have preferred to run off immediately. But the officers persisted and asked Aygül's parents endless questions about Aygül, Tom and Tayfun, about their journey here from Antalya and about their shore excursions. Finally, they advised them to inform Tom's parents immediately. The moment had come that Dilek and Batu had been putting off. The best way to reach Tom's parents was to call the marina in Antalya. Batu called the marina office and found out that the Dolfin was at her berth. The person he spoke to quickly understood how important it was for Batu to speak to the owners of the Dolfin and their guests. She wrote down the grandparents' telephone number and promised Batu that she would send someone to the dolphin with a note and let them know. The police insisted that Aygül's parents return to Ayşe Kaptan immediately. The police would continue to take care of the search on land, the coastguard would search from the water. When Tom's parents called, the grandparents were to explain to them that they should come to Çıralı as soon as possible. Dilek and Batu wished so much that the missing people had been found by the time Sabine and Orhan arrived in Çıralı. When they went to the beach, Dilek finally agreed to swap boats. With the motorized dinghy, they were able to travel back and forth between the Ayşe Kaptan and the beach more quickly. Tayfun and Aygül also knew the reserve boat. If they turned up during the day, it would be no problem for Tayfun to row the wooden boat to the gulet. They had already covered more than half the distance when a small motorboat sailed quickly towards Olympos. Aygül's parents thought nothing more of it. The estuary with the ruins was often visited by excursion boats in the mornings. They left the radio channel open on the gulet. The search message for Tayfun, Aygül and Tom was also transmitted by the coastguard on the general channel. Later that afternoon, Tom's parents arrived in Çıralı in a rental car. After the news of Aygül's parents reached them on the Dolfin, they did everything they could to get the several-hour drive over with as quickly as possible. The policemen in the village informed Tom's parents about the disappearance of the three young people and the unsuccessful search so far. Then, one of the helpful villagers took Sabine and Orhan on one of the smaller fishing boats to the Ayşe Kaptan in Ceneviz Bay. The four of them waited for the police and coastguard search operation to be successful. By the evening, there was no new report and no sign of life from the missing persons. Strange ways The second night in captivity was worse than the first night in the old mine. By the morning, Aygül, Tom and Tayfun had lost hope of being rescued. There were still people around them in the mine, but now there weren't even any armed men. Tayfun feared that none of them would come to at least bring them water. But he kept this fear to himself. When Aygül and Tom woke up, he gave them the last sips of water. Their situation in the cave had not changed overnight. No miracle had happened, no way out of the rocky hideout had opened up unexpectedly. Even Aygül was so depressed that she hardly said anything. Tom longed for his parents like never before. The only consolation for them all was the glimmer of light from the hole above them and from Tayfun's watch when he pressed the light button. Once again, they examined their prison thoroughly. But the boulder at the end of the corridor remained stuck. The walls of the cave were as smooth as before. Tayfun, the tallest of them all, could stretch his hands the furthest upwards. He felt some ledges in the rocks. With Tom's help, he tried to push Aygül far enough up so that she could use the ledges to climb. In vain. The edges of the rocks were too small and too irregularly spaced to serve as a climbing aid. Exhausted, they sat down on the floor on the dry side of the cave. The water bottle was finally empty and there was nothing left to eat. Not a crumb fell out of the bag the man had left behind. Tom searched his rucksack again, but there was nothing in there either. But what was that? A noise made all three of them flinch.

“Was ... that ...

an ... animal, ...

a ... rat?” Aygül's voice trembled. “Maybe the man is coming to bring us something to eat.” At that moment, Tom was almost happy to see the armed man. “Who else would be there?” “Wait a minute. I don't know what that noise was either. But if there were rats here, we would have noticed them before. Be quiet, maybe the noise will come again.” They heard something again. It didn't sound like a rustling, more like a very slight clacking and rumbling.  “Could that be snakes?” “Or maybe tortoises?” “No, I think the noise is coming from above. Maybe a few small stones have fallen.” Tayfun carefully scanned the floor and then the walls next to him. “Ewww!” Aygül shook herself. “I hope you don't touch anything disgusting.” Tayfun was not deterred and continued to feel carefully. “No, there's nothing here.” Again, indistinct noises could be heard from above. Were they human voices? Then the bleating of a goat was clearly heard. The three looked at each other in disappointment. A goat would not be able to help them. They stared longingly upwards. And then they heard someone calling. “Hello, haaaalllooo!” Tom and Aygül were transformed and shouted in confusion. There were people nearby who would help them! Tayfun still hesitated. “Shh, please be quiet again. We mustn't be careless now. Let's wait a little longer. Maybe the men from the mine are up there, we have no idea what they're up to. We mustn't make them angry.” Aygül and Tom didn't want to calm down, but didn't say anything more for the time being. Suddenly a small stone moved towards them as if in slow motion. They involuntarily flinched. Then they saw that the stone was attached to a string and moved up and down. The string came from above and did not quite reach them. For a few seconds, they followed the movements of the stone as if hypnotized. New noises could be heard from above, faint voices perhaps. Then another goat bleated. The three looked at each other in disappointment. A goat would not be able to help them. On the other hand, a goat couldn't lower a stone on a string into a cave. Then they really did hear voices. All three listened intently from above. Tayfun whispered: “Those are children's voices.” Then Tom and Aygül heard it too. The children's voices sounded muffled and distorted, but also strangely familiar. “Erkan?” asked Aygül. “Serkan?” said Tom. Both spoke almost simultaneously and with the same incredulous amazement. “Have you gone completely crazy or what's wrong with you?” Tayfun became annoyed. Yes, he had heard children's voices. But he couldn't assign the voices to specific people. He hardly knew the twins, he had only seen them a few times in the marina and during their brief encounter in the village. He couldn't have recognized their voices for the life of him. Instead, Aygül and Tom were now wide awake and very excited. The voices gave them hope and new courage. “Here we are, here!” shouted Aygül. She no longer paid attention to Tayfun, who was still suspicious. The children could also have come from the mine accompanied by the men. Aygül's call echoed back from the rock faces. In the silence that followed, voices could be heard again from above. More voices. Loud shouts. And then the children's voices again. “Aygül, Tom, are you down there? Are you all right?” “We'll get help. You'll be out soon.” More noises came that the trapped people couldn't make sense of. Minutes of complete silence followed. The minutes stretched into hours. They were already wondering whether they had only dreamed the voices. But the stone on the string was still dangling above their heads; someone must have been outside. The fear returned. The disappointed hope weighed them down worse than the uncertainty of the morning. Hunger and thirst contributed to Aygül and Tom falling into a stupor. Tayfun tried with all his senses to stay alert. Then new shouts came from above. “They're coming. It's about to start!” At the same time, Tayfun turned his gaze to the corridor. Sounds were now coming from there too, which only he noticed. Tom and Aygül only paid attention to what was going on above them. Tayfun took a few steps towards the corridor. A glow of light approached from the direction of the blocked entrance. “Tayfun, Aygül, Tom, where are you? Get in touch!”  The voice came from the corridor. It wasn't the men from the mine, they had never asked their names. Rescue was really close! Tayfun wanted to shout “Here!” out loud. But his throat was so dry that he couldn't make a sound. It didn't matter, because he was now completely engulfed by the light of several flashlights. With the flashlights came people who would free him and the children from the cave. “Thank God, we've found them!” The man was wearing a uniform. A policeman! Aygül and Tom turned t around and looked at him with wide eyes. Behind him, a young man in a yellow vest emerged from the corridor in the light of the flashlights. “Hello, you three. Everything will be fine. We'll take you straight to your parents,” said the policeman. He turned to the young man, took two bottles of water and handed them to Aygül and Tom. “Here, have a drink first. You must be very thirsty.” He had a third bottle given to Tayfun. “We have enough water with us. But be careful, please drink slowly, even if it's hard. Who knows when you last drank. Hopefully you are unharmed?” The three of them looked at each other. They had scratches and scrapes on their arms and legs and also on their faces, but what was that? You couldn't call them injuries. Yes, they were healthy, they were alive. That was all that mattered at the moment. Almost everything. They drank greedily while the policeman was watching them. Then they finally followed their rescuers outside the cave. The sunlight was blinding and they held their hands over their eyes protectively. Two pairs of parents were already rushing towards them. Dilek hugged her daughter Aygül overjoyed. Sabine pulled her son Tom so close to her as if she never wanted to let him go. The fathers Batu and Orhan followed suit and pulled Tayfun into their arms. They all laughed and cried at the same time. Tom had always snorted in disbelief when he had seen scenes like this in a movie. Now he was experiencing for himself that only one thing mattered at this moment: the endless feeling of relief and happiness. Everything else could wait. “How good that you're back,” said Tom's father from the bottom of his heart. He knew only too well what Tom usually thought of parental hugs. Today everything was different. “We were so worried,” he murmured. Tom enjoyed the security of his parents' arms. Aygül and her parents were no different. Tayfun stood between the fathers like a link to both families. Very slowly, the tension eased and turned into smiling joy at seeing each other again. Shortly afterwards, Tayfun, Aygül and Tom were examined by paramedics and their minor wounds were treated. Then they were told to rest in the shade, but new faces appeared behind the paramedics. Tom and Aygül were still squinting in the sunlight when they heard the tinkling of a bell and immediately afterwards a loud bleating. Was that the goat they had heard from inside the cave? The policeman said solemnly: “Here come the heroes of the day. Who knows when we would have found you without their help.” Before Aygül and Tom knew what was happening to them, they were being pulled up by the hands and dancing ring dances with Erkan and Serkan. Perihan took Tayfun's hand and pulled him into the wild circle of children. In a mixture of relief and exhaustion, they whirled around and sang: “You've found us, hurray!” Tom didn't even notice that Serkan (or was it Erkan again?) had accidentally stepped on his foot while dancing around. But then Tayfun let out a short cry of pain, accompanied by a bleat. A billy goat had pushed him roughly. Only now did they realize that the twins' grandparents had also arrived and that several goats were running around them. More laughter, more hugs. They didn't understand how they had been discovered, they couldn't think straight. Exhausted, they sank onto the blankets that the paramedics had spread out on the floor. “We have to help the injured tortoises,” mumbled Aygül before she fell asleep. “Tortoises?” Her parents looked at each other worriedly. Their daughter had apparently suffered more from the abduction than they had assumed in the initial joy of reunion.  A few hours later, the two pairs of parents returned to the gulet with the children and Tayfun. Because they couldn't fit seven of them in the dinghy, Tayfun and the two fathers got into the boat of a helpful fisherman, while Aygül's mother steered the dinghy with Tom's mother and Aygül and Tom in it to Ayşe Kaptan. Perihan and the twins wanted to take the goats back to the village first and then come to the gulet later with their grandparents, as there were still so many unanswered questions about the rescue. Finally back on board the Ayşe Kaptan! For Aygül and Tayfun, it had long been a second home, a place of security. Tom had only known the ship for a short time, but now felt like he was in paradise on board. The fact that his parents were on board suddenly seemed like the most natural thing in the world. At last they were sitting together on the wide deck of the wooden ship in an intimate group. And it was here that the questions that were running through everyone's minds came pouring out. “Why are you even here? I thought you were in Antalya or already traveling with the Dolfin,” asked Tom. “Why are we here? Should we go away again?” his father asked back. But his eyes were laughing. The words had slipped out of Tom's mouth. In other circumstances, he liked to contradict his parents, but today he was not argumentative. He tried a new question. “How did you find out that we had disappeared? How did Aygül's parents reach you?”  His father was happy to answer this question and told him about the message they had received in the marina. “We called the marina from the village,” added Aygül's father. Aygül's mother didn't let go of her daughter's hand. “Of course we were very worried when you didn't come back that evening.” She told them how they had asked for them in the village in the evening in vain and then informed the police. Just as she was explaining that they had used the phone at Perihan's grandparents' house, they heard the sound of an engine. Tom, however, looked up at the starry sky and could hardly believe his eyes. A shooting star came right up to him. Now everything was really good. Treasures change hands “They're coming!” shouted Aygül. Batu and Orhan helped Perihan, the twins and their grandparents to moor their old-fashioned wooden boat. Those present greeted them cheerfully and made room for them at the large table on the Ayşe Kaptan. Aygül's mother told how the police and coast guard searched through the night while they were forced to wait, and how they finally notified Tom's parents. Tom's mother described how they had come to Çıralı from Antalya and hoped for good news with Aygül's parents on the gulet. “How long were we away for anyway, it was only one day, wasn't it?” asked Aygül. “No,” her father said seriously. “On the evening of the second day, yesterday, there was still no sign of you. Your parents were already in Çıralı by then, Tom.” “But how did you find us in the end?”  As if on cue, everyone turned their heads to Erkan and Serkan, but they didn't say anything. Their grandparents just smiled and remained silent too. So all eyes turned expectantly to Perihan. “Oh, you know, it was the goat.” Everyone started laughing, the twins the loudest. Aygül, Tom and Tayfun clearly remembered the bleating of a goat when they were still stuck in the cave. What the goat had to do with their rescue was a mystery to them. But Perihan continued to tell slowly what had happened in outside and the connection became clearer with every sentence. The policemen had not only expressly discouraged the parents from searching, but also the villagers. That's why none of them had gone as far as the mine, only some of them had taken a closer look at the area up to the natural gas fires than usual. Perihan and the twins would have liked to go with them, but their grandparents wouldn't allow it. When they were in Çıralı, the children liked to look after their grandparents' goats. But because they weren't allowed to leave, the goats stayed at the house that day. “I would have loved to talk to you before your trip. It's a shame you left straight away in the morning,” said Perihan, looking at Aygül. “If only we had spoken to you,” Aygül replied regretfully. Tom intervened. “I still don't understand how you found us then.”  Tayfun agreed with him. “It's not clear to me yet either. How did you get to the cave?” Perihan just nodded and her grandmother continued speaking. “When the police told us in the evening that there was still no sign of you, we remembered an old story.” Her grandfather nodded too. “When he was a little boy, our son, Perihan's father and the twins' father, used to go out with the goats. One day, he was climbing around with them above your cave and hurt his foot because he hadn't seen the hole. His foot twisted and got stuck in the hole. We found him quickly because our dog led us to the right place. The lower entrance to the cave was known to everyone at the time. Archaeologists even came to the village once. They examined the ruins and found a few Roman coins. But after that, the entrance to the cave was under water for many years, nobody was interested in it anymore and the cave was forgotten.” The grandmother took the floor again. “We knew that everyone was looking for you in the other direction. But we thought it wouldn't hurt to have a look at the mouth of the river. That's why we all set off together with the goats today. You know the rest of the story.” Tayfun, Tom and Aygül still had huge question marks in their eyes. The twins beamed at them. “Suddenly everything was very simple,” said Perihan. “The entrance to the cave was blocked with large stones. But Grandpa immediately understood that they had only recently been pushed into the opening. An imprint in the ground clearly showed that there had been a large stone there before. Then we found the crushed plastic bottle in the bushes.” The three of them knew only too well what was inside. Aygül explained how they had written the note and carried it outside in the bottle. Then the grandmother went on. “We called out because we wanted to find out if you were really in the cave. But you didn't answer. At the same time, Erkan and Serkan climbed after a goat that had ventured particularly high up. I was afraid they would fall into the hole. They were very excited and called for you from above.” “Grandma went back to the village and got help,” said Perihan. “Grandpa waited downstairs with me, we couldn't climb up to Erkan and Serkan. Then Grandpa came up with the idea of the fishing rod, which Erkan and Serkan lowered down to you.” The twins were the heroes of the day and were celebrated by everyone just as much as the recovered group. Nobody talked about the men from the mine again that evening. The twins, their sister and their grandparents only said goodbye late and got into their wooden boat. The morning after the rescue, a coastguard inflatable boat came to the Ayşe Kaptan. The crew told them that the men from the mine had been found and arrested. This meant that there was no longer any immediate danger and the soldiers advised them to return to Antalya on the Ayşe Kaptan. There they would be able to find out more about why the men had locked up Aygül, Tom and Tayfun. Soon afterwards, it was time to weigh anchor and the Ayşe Kaptan left Ceneviz Bay. Tom and Aygül avoided looking at the mine. Only Tayfun looked agonizedly at the bay, where no fast motorboat was to be seen today. Not far from the three islands, dolphins were jumping out of the water. “Look, they're happy about our rescue too,” Aygül called out. The rest of the journey back to Antalya was pleasantly uneventful and the Ayşe Kaptan moored at her usual berth in the marina a few hours after leaving the bay. “In the shower,” Aygül called out immediately. Her old cheerfulness returned completely at the sight of her familiar surroundings. Tom and Tayfun also longed for a long shower in the washrooms. Water was always in short supply on board, even on a boat as large as the Ayşe Kaptan. Afterwards, Tom and Aygül were immediately drawn to the tortoise enclosure. This is where their adventure had begun, where they had met Perihan and the twins. Everything remained unchanged. The sight of the armored animals, calmly lying in their shells The two of them were reassured by the fact that they were walking. They stood by the enclosure for a while, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Later, Burhan and Eda from the Dolfin came on board the gulet to congratulate them on the successful outcome of the rescue operation. They had a lot to talk about and the two were glad that everyone had returned safely. Eda and Burhan were also unable to help unravel the mysteries surrounding the mine. Like the villagers in Çıralı, they had only heard rumors that had spread among the boat community over the last few months. So everyone had to wait until the next day, the day before Tom and his parents were due to fly home. Tom's parents had initially toyed with the idea of postponing the return flight. But they hoped that it would help Tom to get back home and recover there. That's why the farewell was now drawing inexorably closer. After everything that had happened, however, they could not and did not want to leave quietly. The adults had therefore come up with a surprise and prepared a farewell party in the marina. People on the other boats had of course noticed that Tayfun, Aygül and Tom had been missing for a while. Many were curious and wanted to find out more. Everyone was looking forward to seeing them again at the party. But before the party began, something important had to be clarified. Tayfun met in the office building, Tom and Aygül and their parents met with representatives of the police and the coastguard. Among them was a man in a suit who took the floor. “How good that we have you back,” he said, addressing Aygül, Tom and Tayfun. “I'm very sorry that you had to go through such a bad experience. We had been keeping an eye on what was going on in the mine for a long time, but we couldn't prove anything to the men beforehand. Thanks to your adventure, which fortunately ended well, we have now managed to do so.” He cleared his throat. “These men are smugglers. On the one hand, they traded in tortoises, they were particularly interested in the young tortoises. Because tortoises are protected in many countries, high prices are paid for them. Our smugglers sold the tortoises through the official channels, much cheaper than through the breeders, and thus had good additional income.” “But that's not why you kidnap people, is it?” Aygül's mother interjected. “That's right, it's not about human life and death. For the smugglers, the illegal trade in tortoises only served as a pretext. Their actual smuggling business took place behind this cover.” The listeners looked at each other in amazement. “What was it really about?” asked Tom's father. The man looked around and explained seriously: “The actual business model of these smugglers was the trade in valuable archaeological objects. As you know, there are many valuable remains from different historical periods on the Turkish coasts. As boat owners and water lovers, you also know that it is strictly forbidden to remove archaeological finds of any kind without permission from the authorities. The smugglers did not care about regulations and took advantage of the fact that there are few people in the Çıralı area. The old mine became their headquarters, where they stored the tortoises and antiquities before transporting them on ships. We found boxes in the mine containing valuable coins, figurines and jewelry. We are still investigating the details. All I can say today is that the islands of Üç Adalar played an important role in both the finds and the loading.” Tayfun looked at Aygül and Tom. In Phaselis, they had joked about treasures and the possibility of getting rich with them. They would never have dreamed that they would end up in a dangerous smuggling business. They hadn't seen a single coin during their captivity. Suddenly Tom's imagination went into overdrive. Who knows, maybe the men had even found a treasure trove of coins in a ship that had sunk near the islands a long time ago. Maybe he could be right learn to dive and then find treasures on the seabed near the islands. Aygül's thoughts were still on the injured tortoises near the old mine. “I still don't understand about the tortoises. Did the men take animals from the enclosure to the mine?” “Even we don't know everything yet. But the smugglers have obviously relied on the fact that the tortoise trade is viewed with indulgence by the people here. They were convinced that nobody would be upset if tortoises disappeared. Of course, that was true for the tortoises they found somewhere in the area and took with them.” “We've seen so many injured tortoises, where did they come from?” “Our investigations have revealed that a gulet from the marina was involved in removing the crates from the mine. It is possible that the men came here on this boat and saw the enclosure as a good opportunity.

It was easier for them to take a few tortoises with them than to look for them themselves, as they had done before.” “I bet you didn't think the tortoises would be so well looked after and even counted,” said Tom proudly. “Yes, but what about the injured tortoises?” Aygül didn't let up.  “I can only assume that the men certainly didn't look after the tortoises as well as you did in the marina. The men locked you up because they wanted to take away a lot of crates over the two nights. Maybe they checked the tortoises beforehand and only left the healthy and strong ones in the crates.” Now everyone was talking in confusion, they still hadn't understood all the connections. The man in the suit asked for silence one last time. “We will inform you when all the questions have been clarified. I can only assure you that all danger has been averted for the moment. And I have a little surprise.” He looked directly at Tayfun, Aygül and Tom.

“Because the contents of so many crates have been secured and their smuggling prevented, there will be an official reward for you later. And now have a nice celebration.” Nobody had expected that.

On the way out, Tom and Aygül thought about what kind of reward it would be and what they could do with it.

The whole marina was now on its feet. Almost all the boats were decorated with colorful pennants, and tables and benches were set up on the square in front of the office building for the joint celebration. There was lively conversation everywhere. The three adventurers were the center of attention. Everyone wanted to know more about their experiences.

They themselves still had many questions, but they patiently told their side of the story. Finally Tom's father took a microphone and thanked everyone who had helped to free Tom, Aygül and Tayfun. He cleared his throat. “The most important people tonight are ...” - Tom pushed Perihan and her brothers in his direction - “ ... these three. It's thanks to them that we're celebrating together tonight.” Tom and his mother shouted in German: “Hoch sollt ihr leben!” Hardly anyone understood, but that didn't matter. Everyone present cheered for the small group around Tom's parents. Tom had long forgotten why he hadn't liked the twins to begin with. They were children. Children who had far fewer toys than he did. And certainly no Gameboy. Yes, his mind was made up. He was going to part with his beloved Gameboy and give it to the twins when he returned to Antalya. Soon, during the fall vacations. He grabbed Erkan’s and Serkan's hands and danced around with them. Now was the time for everyone to celebrate happily and finally without a care in the world. The atmosphere throughout the marina had rarely been as exuberant as it was that evening. Young and old danced, talked, sang and laughed for a long time.

When Tom took a cab to the airport with his parents the next day to fly back to Germany, he was happy. He knew that he would see Aygül and Tayfun and Perihan and the twins again during the next vacation. There was also a note in his trouser pocket, which Aygül had slipped him when he left. It said: “Let's set up a tortoise hospital. Letter to follow.”