THE PECULIAR ISLAND

If you don't want to be talked about, don't give anyone anything to talk about.

"To tourists who are spending their vacations on Ilha dos Mestiços and who may be planning to venture onto Ilha dos Remédios, I must warn you of the danger that awaits you if you ignore the warning signs that are placed near the island, stating that strangers are not welcome. The residents are eccentric and have strange habits. There are suspicious movements at the island's port, to say the least. Mysterious crates and containers were seen being unloaded at the island's port and a recent event caused the locals to start creating rumors about the island's residents. The rumors began after one of the crates that was being unloaded on the island fell and its contents were exposed. One of the delivery men was a resident of Ilha dos Mestiços and took it upon himself to spread the word that the crate was full of glass containers with what appeared to be human organs dipped in alcohol, thus giving rise to rumors that the residents are organ traffickers and that they are monsters that feed on human organs.

The leader of the small group of residents is antisocial and arrogant. He even ordered the drones used by some tourists to try to get some photos of the island's interior to be taken down. They say that the island is protected by NASA technology, by ferocious dogs and security guards who are trained by Natanael Gasparini himself, the owner of the island, as the residents of Ilha dos Remédios call him. A man as dark as the island. They say that when he is in a bad mood, he takes it out on his subordinates and that some have even disappeared suddenly without a trace. Some say that he is not human and that when he comes to do business on our island, he only eats undercooked, almost raw meat, which has helped to fuel the rumors, giving rise to countless fantastical stories about the island and its owner, who insists on repelling visitors. In fact, I do not know Natanael Gasparini. I have never seen him. Everything I know and have heard comes from local sources. The last rumor about the owner of the island happened two months ago, when two tourists who ventured to try to enter Ilha Sombria disappeared. Witnesses said they saw them jump off the boat and swim toward the island. Everyone suspects that the island's security guards caught them and killed them. The locals even claim that they were devoured by Natanael Gasparini himself, because they believe he is a shapeshifter. Unfortunately, the witnesses who were on the boat when the tourists jumped had consumed alcohol on the day the tourists disappeared, which makes their testimony questionable. Due to lack of evidence and without the bodies to prove the deaths and cause of death, the case was closed and the tourists were simply listed as missing persons. The truth is that Ilha dos Remédios is like a mermaid's enchantment, beautiful but deadly, bad things can happen there, the word mercy does not exist for those who try to enter the island without being invited."

I finished reviewing the text, revised it and immediately posted it on my Facebook page.

I am Karina Batista, but my friends call me Kari, I am nineteen years old, I was born and raised here on Ilha dos Mestiços and two months ago I created a page on Facebook, to post controversial subjects, the name of the page itself gives a hint of what it is about "If you don't want to be a topic of conversation, don't make a fuss", I created the page after a black car drove through a puddle of mud on purpose, just to get me wet, because of this bad joke I had to go back home to take a shower and change my clothes, so I arrived late for work and was fired, upset with the injustice of my former boss, I opened a user account on Tiktok to vent and ended up liking it, I have 50 followers are actually 50 friends, among them are those who saw me grow and grew up with me.

I love living on Mestiço Island. Even after I finished high school, I didn't want to leave the island. I chose to study at a distance. I lost my parents in a car accident a year ago. I don't have any siblings, so I live alone in the little house my parents left for me. One of the reasons I stayed on the island is because I'm so afraid of what I'll find outside of the island. Here, I live a safe life with my friends. Mestiço Island is a fairly large island with a wonderful landscape, full of spectacular places. It's always full of tourists. In short, it's a happy and hospitable island, the opposite of its neighboring island, which is small, lonely, and sad. That's why they nicknamed it Dark Island. Although its real name is Remedies Island, because of the amount of medicinal plants there. It's a very small island with only a few properties. The mystery surrounding the island and its inhospitable owner is a controversial subject that is always on everyone's lips, so today I decided to write, even though I knew I was messing with a big fish.