Destiny Island

Chapter 8

Exploration Continued

After Amber finished telling their story, they all went to sleep. Since they were too tired to look for shelter and the night was warm they just fell asleep where they were. When the morning finally came, Amber was the first one to wake up. She put a hand over Jade's mouth, so she wouldn't scream from fright as she woke her up. That action reminded her of so many movies she had seen, but she thought it was necessary for the given situation. When Jade finally woke up with a start she whispered in her ear: "Come with me." They went far enough so that the guys couldn't overhear their conversation. "So what do you think?" inquired Amber." What do I think about what!? "Jade replied angrily. The thing about Jade was that she would get extremely angry when someone woke her up early and suddenly." About the guys." Amber replied "Are they telling the truth? Should we trust them?" "I don't know Amber!" Annoyed Jade replied." It's barely dawn! This is a very bad time to ask me such serious questions!" Amber started to say something but then seemed to change her mind. Instead, she said: "We have to decide now because we won't have another chance to discuss this. " Jade gave her best to try to think clearly, which was very difficult for her to do, at that time of the day. After trying to get rid of the cobwebs in her head she said: "I think that they are okay and that we can trust them. Nevertheless, we should be cautious since we both have seen enough horror movies to know nothing is the way it seems." "Are you trying to freak me out!? You could have said all that without mentioning horror movies. For God's sake Jade we are on an island in the middle of nowhere! The last thing I need is my imagination getting the best of me! But I think you are right about them. What were their names again?" After apologizing for freaking her out, Jade said: "Royce and Ignacio. But I don't remember which one of them is Royce and which one is Ignacio. You?" " I haven't got the faintest idea" was Amber's replied.

After finishing their conversation they went back thinking it would be awkward if the guys woke up and caught them having a secret meeting. When they did wake up, all of them had breakfast and started discussing what to do. Since Royce and Ignacio were on the island longer, they came to the conclusion that there was no point in staying on the beach since they didn't see any ships while they were there. They all agreed to take a peek behind the naturally made curtain and explore the depths of the island. Amber and Jade were both reluctant and curious. On the one hand, there would be a possibility of meeting the natives, if there really were any natives. On the other hand, it might be very dangerous for the same reason. Thinking about it they decided that they would probably need some kind of defense against... well against anything they might encounter. Although they thought it was a bit ridiculous they used Ignacio's pocket knife to sharpen four sticks and made improvised spears. After that Ignacio used the knife to shape the bow and then used the rope they had with them to complete it. Also, he sharpened some smaller sticks for arrows. He made two sets since Jade also knew how to use bow and arrow having often played with them as a child. Armed like that and putting some provisions in a bag, improvised from Royce's jacket, they went on, behind the curtain.

When they parted the ivy, the true astonishment awaited. A whole new world opened up before them. The green-purple light fell upon so many plants, trees, and animals that they simply didn't know where to look first. They could see that they were no longer walking on sand but on something soft and comfortable. Looking down, they could see that everything was covered in a strange red plant similar to moss. Woven through it was green, snake-like plant which seemed inseparable from the red one. Looking up at the sky they could see that it was blue, but the clearest blue they had ever seen. There wasn't even a hint of a cloud. The surrounding forest was buzzing with life and energy. Amazed as they were by everything they saw they still gripped their weapons tightly realizing that some animals might be dangerous. Hoping they wouldn't meet any large animals they moved on. They were aware that their small spears wouldn't be able to do anything against bigger animals.

Small insects were buzzing around them, but they only thought of them as insects because they didn't know how else to catalog them in their minds. They were transparent and blue, and they reminded them of flies which seemed to have very intelligent eyes. Suddenly a pink fluffy creature with a long bushy tail that looked similar to a rabbit ran past them as if they weren't even there. They were all a bit startled by the pink creature but as soon as they realized it meant them no harm they managed to relax. Above their heads, they could hear a strange sound similar to that of water running from great heights but when they lifted their heads looking for a waterfall they realized the sound was coming from a bird-like creature flying above their heads. It had a snake-like body and two pairs of wings. They were thin and colorful, so colorful that they reminded them of parrots. As they went on, following something resembling a path they came across a river above which they could a beautiful well-built bridge.

This came as a surprise since they thought if the island was inhabited it was inhabited by people who were unable to make something like the bridge before them. The bridge was snow-white and made of material similar to wood but stronger. It was in half a circle and its fence was smooth and beautifully carved. That was when Amber broke the silence for the first time after going behind the curtain. "Oh, my God!" She said. "This bridge seems to be brand-new! There must be humans on this island!" After saying that, she rushed towards the bridge but was stopped by Ignacio. "Wait we should think about this. This is so strange and I think we shouldn't rush in! We don't even know anything about this place except that nothing is what it seems!" Knowing that he was right she agreed sulkily. The reason for her sour mood was the fact that she always thought she would be better in that kind of situation. She had seen so many movies with a similar topic but the reality was much harder to deal with. She used to get very angry with her favorite characters when they did something stupid and at that moment she was the one who wasn't thinking straight. The sad truth was that the movies were nothing compared to real life, real life was much messier and difficult to figure out because of all the different opposing emotions swirling around. Not knowing what to do, they sat down on the river bank and only then did they notice something even more peculiar than the bridge. They were preoccupied with finding the inhabitants of the island that they didn't notice it before. Finally, their gaze fell on the river itself for the first time. It was so clear that they could see their own reflections, but the water itself was pink." There are probably some pink algae in it and that is what's making it so pink," said Jade, completely mesmerized.

For the first time, or so it seemed to Jade, Royce spoke up: "I really don't think that this has a scientific explanation! I can feel the magic! "It was so quiet after that statement that everyone was startled by Ignacio's loud laughter. "Dude, you sound like a chick! There is no such thing as magic!" "I disagree," was Amber's stern reply. "Magic was pulling me towards the bridge." "Oh, come on guys! Magic was pulling you!? You sound like a bad movie. Can we focus on our next step and stop the magic nonsense!" Ignacio said. "Fine "was all Royce said, and the only answer he got from Amber was an angry "Whatever!" In the tense silence that followed they were all deep in thought, their eyes fixed on the river. They could see some unusual constructions at the bottom of the river, but they averted their gaze and tried to focus on making a rational decision.