Aclamanta

If only I had known my life was going to turn upside down on what seemed like a serene June day.

Summer vacation had just begun, and I was enjoying the balmy weather at the basketball court practicing for the summer rec season that was starting in just two weeks. The court, which had to be over 50 years old, was tucked away on a small, narrow street, almost an alleyway. Sandwiched between two old decrepit buildings, the neighborhood that surrounds the court had to have been vacant for years. I had never even caught a glimpse of someone else around in all the the time I had lived in California.

I was lost in my thoughts as I jumped for a foul shot, when my daze was interrupted by the loud crash of aluminum hitting the asphalt. I turned to see my 18-year-old sister jumping over the spilled contents. She came to a sliding halt in front of me, and exclaimed “You have to see this!”,as she violently grabbed me by the arm and dragged me into the bright sun-filled main street.

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When we got home, she shoved a rough, crinkled, cream envelope into my hand. Carefully, I pulled out the textured paper, and skimmed the large scrawly handwritten message that filled the page. As I read, one part in particular mystified me.

“This is our last and final plea. Since you will not come to Aclamanta yourself, please send your youngest daughter here instead. As you know, she is the next in the line of succession.”

I gasped as I turned the envelope around and read to whom the letter was addressed: my dad. Given that I was the youngest of his two daughters, I was the one who supposedly being asked to go to this mysterious and unknown Aclamanta. Confused and worried, I shifted my gaze to my sister, hoping she would have an explanation. But, she didn’t. Instead, we just stared at each fixedly for what felt like eternity, waiting for the other to break the silence.

“I have no idea what this place is. But, Mom and Dad would never send you away!” my sister finally burst out, breaking the silence.

When my sister saw the scared look in my eyes, she said “Don’t worry. Once Mom and Dad get home, we will get to the bottom of this. “

I nodded, reassured that this letter could mean nothing

“C’mon, let’s go to the beach” my sister said, pointed her head in the direction of the door.

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Once we arrived at the beach, I noticed something different about the waves. Just an hour ago when I was on the way to the basketball court, the waves were calm and still. But in that short hour, they had drastically changed. The cerulean waves jumped in the sky like dolphins, and then crashed back into the deep. From the looks of them, we could have been in the middle of a large storm. I shifted my head to see the clear, cloudless sky, confused as to how the waves could be so violent. As the rays of sunshine warmed my face, I pushed my wispy blonde hair out of my eyes and stepped closer to the shore to get a better look.

The water along the shore began to lap at my feet, eventually consuming my ankles. Before I knew it, the tide had come in so far that the water was at my chest. My sister put her hand out for me to grab, but I had been carried too far out to reach it. She was yelling, but I was in too much shock to even process what exactly she was saying. I looked at her in complete terror, and before I knew it, the ocean consumed the entirety of me. My sister’s voice was drowned out by the water and the pounding of my heartbeat as it dawned on me that I might never see her again.

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I awoke staring at golden sunset, streaked with pink and purple. How long had I been asleep, I thought to myself. It was only around 11 a.m. when I was down at the beach. I slowly stood up and began to pace the long strip of land along the shore, trying to figure out where in the world I could possibly be. All around me was a golden sand beaches, and palm trees that were so high they seemed to hold up the clouds. I turned my head to see a large, striking castle that arose from the top of the rocky cliff. The roof was draped in vibrant green palm, and the castle was decorated in a pattern of waves and swirls made from sea stones.

I ran and bounded up the spiraling stairs carved into the rock. The castle was magnificent, the golden sun bouncing off the sea stones in dazzling colors. It had to be the most incredible castle I had ever seen in my life, not that I had seen that many. As I stared at the castle in awe, my eyes caught the sight of a partially open door just right of me. Careful not to make a sound, I gently opened the door,

Inside I came across a grand, high ceilinged ballroom with large windows that spanned the room and overlooked the vast ocean. The castle was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop and the sun that shone in through the windows reflected on the intricate mosaics that covered the walls.

“Look there she is, Andrew’s daughter Kelly. I can’t believe she has finally come,” came a quiet high-pitched voice from behind.

Suddenly, a woman behind grasped my wrist.

“Come with me, dear” she said softly. “Everything it going to be fine.”

The woman, whose name I later learned to be Katherine, led me down a narrow hallway at the southern end of the castle, and stopped at a vast walnut door. She knocked gently, yet the castle was so quiet it reverberated throughout the ground floor. I turned around just as the door opened with a creak, and Katherine gently nudged me into the room.

The room was filled from floor to ceiling with books and papers, and in the center was a huge oak desk. Behind the desk sat a tall man with broad shoulders and a long black beard. His voice seemed to echo as spoke. He introduced himself as Hugh.

“Katherine says you are Andrew’s daughter? But, how can I be so sure? After all, I can’t just hand the throne to anyone.”

“What throne?” I stuttered nervously. I hated talking to people that I didn’t know.

“Why, don’t you know?” He quickly responded “You are the next ruler of Aclamanta. Didn’t your father tell you?”

“I don’t know where I even am, or how I got here, let only that I am the next ruler of a whole island.” I replied, just wishing I was still playing basketball in California. I just wanted this to be a dream and to wake up back home.

He proceeded to tell me everything my dad never did. He told me that my dad become the ruler of the island at a young age, but fled because he couldn’t handle the responsibilities, leaving his brother, my uncle I had never met, named Kade, to become king. After my uncle died, he left a large inheritance to my father. Not wanting to have anything to do with the island he never accepted it, because it meant he would once again become king.

“So, we hope you would be willing to become the next ruler of Aclamanta, after a simple test.” He continued, “All you must do is stand in front of the 8 nobles of Aclamanta and present yourself to them. They will then do the very hard task of deciding if you are worthy of the throne. I will leave you alone to let you make this decision”

When I heard this, my heart sunk. I couldn’t let the island down. I had seen the sadness in Hugh’s eyes as he told the story, and the excitement on Katherine’s face when she realized I had finally come to Aclamanta. I would’t be able to handle all the responsibilities of being queen. I crack under the pressure, just like my dad did, which would just let the island down even more.

So, there I stood, alone in the empty grand office, contemplating what to do. I couldn’t let my new friends down, but I wouldn’t be able to handle being in charge of the island. Maybe I should ask if I could have a little more time to consider? I thought to myself.

I slowly walked over to Hugh, to ask.

“Can I have some more time to explore the island before I make my decision.?” I asked in a speedy fashion.

“Huh? What did you say? Oh, of course. I know this is a tremendous decision you have to make, although I don’t understand why that would help.” He responded, distracted by the sudden commotion in the front hall, as people streamed in for some sort of gathering.

“Thank you!” I said, already running down the hall and out the door.

By this hour, the sun was low in the sky, and the stars had just began to show themselves. I headed for the cluster of wood huts in the corner where a group of villagers were gathered around a blazing fire.

“Can I join you?” I quietly asked

“Of course” the woman directly to my right replied in a calming, mellow voice.

I sat down on an empty seat, and the woman to my right, Anna, began talking to me. As I told her the story of my father, and how I was to be the next ruler of Aclamanta, her face lit up with pure joy. She began to tell me all about her life. She told me her job was to make mosaics in the castle that marked important days, such as the ones I saw in the ballroom, and how she was often commissioned to make them by the ruler. But because there was no ruler, she lost her job, just like many of the other castle staff.

As I listened to the story, I noticed how incredibly joyful she was when she described the part about creating the mosaics and how much she loved her job. I also noticed the deep sorrow in her eyes and voice when she talked about losing her job at the castle, and feeling like she lost her purpose. And right then and there, I knew what my decision was. I thanked Anna and everybody around the fire for letting me join them and ran through the beach, kicking up sand as I did.

Once I arrived at Hugh’s office, I pounded at the door. Before Hugh even finished opening the door, I burst out what I realized I should have said from the start.

“I’m willing to take the test. Not because I want to be queen, but because the people of Aclamanta deserve to once again be able to do what they truly love” I said confidently, trying to hide the fact that I was still just a little bit nervous.

With that, Hugh led me to a large open room, where the 8 nobles were waiting. I walked up to the first and took a deep breath. I was still nervous of all the responsibility that came with being queen. But then I thought of Katherine, Hugh, Anna, and all the people of Aclamanta and I calmly presented myself to each of the nobles.

Because the people of Aclamanta deserved to be able to do what they loved.