Gold Illusion

1. Midnight Stranger

Cool air rushed out of the air conditioning vents and caused a hum like a beehive in full action. Steffi couldn't sleep.

It was her last day on the island, but she wasn't ready to leave. Of course she had spent more time than was recommended out in the sun, tanning on the beach and enjoying herself. And of course she had been to the spa and had all kinds of island massages that left her feeling amazingly calm and smelling like coconut. And of course she had eaten herself halfway around the world with the international buffet.

But it wasn't enough.  

 Unable to sleep she slipped past her parents room – her dad was snoring, the effects of too much alcohol from the corporate dinner followed by a their annual business party they had just attended. They were both lawyers, hardly ever at home. But when they were they almost always had an email to check or a phone call to make that stopped them from asking Steffi how her day was. Steffi thought they only brought her to the island trip as an apology for being such terrible parents. She didn't mind the gesture, but even on the island they had far more important clients and hotshot lawyers that they had to talk to before Steffi even came to mind. Come to think of it, Steffi almost saw less of her parents here than at home. The three bedroom luxury villa wasn't even ¼ of the size of her family home. Yet Steffi was never in the same room with her parents for more than 5 minutes. Sometimes she pretended that she was stranded on the island, it made the loneliness more bearable, almost fun. It let her make her own decisions without worrying what other people would think. Least of all her parents who didn't bother checking on her if she didn't come down for breakfast, she could literally go missing and no one would know.

The floorboards groaned softly under her weight and she heard a pause in her fathers snoring. She kept going hardly pausing at the sudden change. She had learnt a long time ago that it was stupid, possibly even wishful thinking to think her parents would come after her. She often wondered how she had ended up so normal. In most books and movies when the child is ignored they become all inwardly emotional and rebellious, yet amazingly creative. Then they would fall in love with the one person they could be themselves around and who understood them. But if that was Steffi's life then firstly, she would be able to manage more than a C in art and secondly, she wouldn't be labeled a goody two shoes, suck up. She padded softly down the stairs in her slippers trading them for jandles on the porch and flip-flopped into the night.

The moon was looking over her, full and protective as she made her way down the narrow path to the beach. The salty smell and gentle breeze hit her, as though she had just walked into another room. She was wide-awake.

Only in her shorts, singlet and cardigan she walked slowly across the sand, jandles in hand. Each step she sunk her foot in deep and wiggled her toes, savoring the sensation. They had beaches in New Zealand. In fact almost the entire population of 4 million lived at least 5km from the coast. But this one was different. Maybe because it was in a foreign land, or maybe it simply had something truly magical about it but she felt her stomach drop every time she thought about leaving it. Finally she reached the end of the beach and sat down on some rocks jutting out of the cliff.

She dipped her feet into the pools of water left over from high tide and looked up at the sky. The moon stood proudly watching over her. She found it comforting that even though she was in a completely foreign land, she still looked at the same moon.

A star shot through the night sky followed by another, then another. Soon an entire army of shooting stars stormed the sky. Steffi couldn't take her eyes off of them.

She took a deep breath and then whispered"oh little star, oh little star falling from the sky"

"Don't fret don't cry and I will tell you why" A deep voice continued from behind her in the same hushed tone Steffi used.

 "Your life is not over. It has only just begun" Steffi continued her eyes locked with the strange boy's, whose face was hidden in the shadows. She could see his eyes though. They were a deep deep brown, like melted dark chocolate. His eyebrows were thick and dark. His hair was short and dark with a slight cowlick on the top. And his voice, it was challenging her, yet she knew he wouldn't hurt her.

"For I wish I may I wish I might have this wish I wish tonight" They finished in unison.