The waves pounded against the shoreline, a rhythmic pulse that stirred me awake. Above, the sky stretched in an endless canvas of blue, dotted with languid, cotton-like clouds. Morning had broken, and the air carried the crisp promise of a beautiful day.
"Woohoo!" I shouted, my voice carried away by the wind as I sprinted along the pavement. The sun bathed the world in golden light, warming my skin as I pushed forward. My feet carried me west, toward the high school track, where I ran lap after lap, the burn in my muscles a familiar comfort. By the time I finished, my body hummed with energy, alive and invigorated.
But as I walked back home, something caught my eye—an island, small and jagged, sitting just beyond the shoreline. It hadn't been there yesterday.
Curiosity tugged at me, pulling my feet toward the beach. I walk up to the beach. The sand was warm beneath my toes, damp from the receding tide, the sea breeze cooling my skin. The sun, now climbing higher, painted the water in shimmering streaks of light. Waves lapped gently at my ankles, as if urging me closer.
Then, a voice—soft but urgent.
"Hey, can you come here, help me?"
My curiosity gets the better of me, so I take some steps on the water towards the island.
My heart skipped. There, on the edge of a massive rock, stood a girl. She waved frantically, her dark hair whipping in the wind. Without thinking, I stepped forward—onto the water.
A sudden gust of wind sent sand stinging into my eyes. I blinked, rubbing them furiously. When I looked again, the island was gone. Vanished, as if it had never existed.
I stood frozen, staring at the empty horizon.
"It doesn't feel like reality anymore. Had I imagined it? A hallucination? A lingering fragment of a dream?"
I stare out into the darkening ocean. Waves crash in rhythm with my heartbeat, washing away any memory of the strange island that seemed to disappear out of nowhere.
The day wore on, the sun dipping low, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink. I returned home, the strange encounter gnawing at the edges of my mind.
I'm back in my bedroom.
Dinner was ordinary—my father typing away on his laptop, my mother humming as she stirred a pot on the stove, my little sister lost in a book. I sank onto my bed and flicked on the television, half-listening to the program.
"What's this? A brand-new show?"
A man appears on the screen, describing a TV Show called "Dungeon Lords" a voice boomed from the screen, followed by raucous cheers.
"Dungeon Lords" is A live-action role-playing game, blending fantasy with modern tech.
"Sounds fun," my father remarked, glancing up from his work.
"Dungeon Lords!" shouted someone in the crowd, followed by cheers and applause.
I turned off the TV and sat down to have dinner and then I retired to sleep.
***
The next morning, I rose early, ready for my run. But as I opened the door, my breath caught in my throat.
There she was—the same girl who I saw yesterday on the island—floating upside down in midair, her hair cascading toward the ground. Her lips moved, forming words in a language I didn't understand.
I tried to speak to her, but she did not respond.
She then said something, her lips moved, forming words in a language I didn't understand.
I blinked my eyes.
Then, suddenly, she vanished.
I was surprised by the turn of events.
I looked to the east where I thought the island appeared yesterday, but it was not there.
The rest of the day passed in a haze. I scanned the horizon, searching for the island, but it never reappeared.
Then, as I returned home in the afternoon, I saw them—a pair of girls' shoes on the front porch.
As I entered the kitchen, inside, the girl sat at the kitchen table, sipping juice, chatting with my mother as if she belonged there.
Walking a few steps closer, I was shocked to see that it was the same girl who was asking for help on the vanished island, the same girl who was upside down when I opened the door this morning.
My mouth went dry.
"Mom," I managed, "who is she?"
My mother smiled. "She was outside, calling your name. I thought you knew her."
I stepped closer, studying her. The same dark eyes, the same hesitant smile.
I was in awe. "How could she know my name when I hadn't told her, and she is quite mysterious as she disappeared yesterday along the island, appeared upside down in the morning muttered some words and vanished and now she is in my home" I thought.
"Hello," I said carefully. "What's your name?"
She looked up, her voice halting, uncertain.
"My... na... nam... name... is... Eli." she answered.