47 comments

Fantasy Suspense Romance

Prologue


The water is dark

It is filling my nose

My mouth

And it is swirling.

Swirling dangerously,

As if it will suck me down

Into the depths,

And never return me.



My adrenaline kicks in

My legs pump and

My arms propel me in the

Direction that I

Hope is up.

But why then does

The water grow

Darker?

Why then does it

Feel as if

I have been swimming for hours?



I ask these things to myself

And then I black-out.

The last thing I see

Is someone swimming towards me.

The last thing I feel is

Someone taking me in their arms

And then swimming

Back to the surface.


******************************************************************



Midmorning



I am on the ship

That sailed in just yesterday.

It seems so long ago.

I am waving to my people,

Until my arm feels as if it will fall off.



Will I ever see them again?

What will become of me?

What is the world like beyond my island?

I long to ask someone these questions.

I long to jump off this ship

And swim back to my island

But my desire for the golden ship

Keeps me anchored to the deck.



It is almost the afternoon

And the sky is growing dark.

The waves are beginning to roughen

But the captain says 

That we will just have to

Keep going on

Because going back would be a delay.




So we keep on sailing

Until the island is

No longer visible

And the sky is ash-gray.

The sails are lowered

And we just move with the waves.

Suddenly there is a cry of

“Land ho!”

And the sailors cheer.




We are almost there, 

Just a quarter mile off,

And then lightning 

Strikes near the ship,

And we can feel the force, 

The power.




Then lightning strikes again,

But this time it strikes

The ship and 

I am thrown overboard 

Into the foaming,

Swirling,

Salty ocean.

My head hits the side of

The ship but

The icy cold water keeps me from 

Slipping into unconsciousness.




I am forced under the water

By the waves

And then I resurface,

Gulping in air.

It is raining now

So I can not see the ship,

And then a wave pushes me back under,

Back into the swirling depths.



*********************************************************************




I wake up to sunshine

Coughing up salty water

That burns my nose and throat.

“Where am I?”

I ask the ocean,

As if it will answer me.




I am soaked and my hair

Is snarled and limp,

My dress is ripped

And my teeth chatter.

“Where am I?”

I ask the sky,

As if it will answer me.




My eyes sting and

My head hurts.

My ears are ringing 

And my body is shaking.

“Where am I?”

I ask the birds,

As if they will answer me.




I shiver in the fiery sun

The hot golden sand

Burns my skin without hurting me

Because I’m too cold to feel any heat.

“Where am I?”

I ask the sun and the sand,

As though they might answer me.




“You are on ka Mokupuni o lana ka mana`o a me ka Maluhia.”

I am startled and confused.

I look at the sun,

But it looks normal.

I look at the sand,

But it looks the same.

I hear laughter

And then I look behind me.




There is an old man there

With white hair and

Suntanned skin.

He has a gentle, soft voice

And wise, kind eyes.




He waits for me to 

Recover from my surprise

And then he speaks again.

“A young man, about your age

Carried you to shore,

Where he laid you on the sand

And then collapsed next

To you, weak and exhausted.”




He points down the beach

Where a crowd of people is gathered

Around someone and then

I see that it is the young man

Who offered me the 

Gold ship in exchange

For a new life.

He catches my eye and smiles,

A wondrous smile,

Full of warmth

And for the first time,

I am not consumed

In a coldness that seeps into my soul.




I smile back

A shaky smile,

And his smile widens,

It penetrates the cold

And fights it back.




“Do you wish to speak to him?”

The old man asks,

Amused.

“Yes, please,”

I reply, coloring slightly.

Then I walk over,

Wobbling on my

Weak legs like a

Child just learning to walk,

And the crowd parts,

Making a path for me.




He embraces me

And I hug him back,

Thanking him for saving me,

And then I ask him

About the ship.

Not the gold one,

For I have no desire for it,

But the one that we sailed on,

The one that was struck.




He shakes his head

Softly and sadly,

And whispers,

“Gone.”




A gasp escapes my lips

And I my knees give out,

But he is still holding me

Holding me tight,

Not letting go.

His embrace is comforting,

It is warm,

Like his smile

And his eyes,

Which gaze into mine with newfound love,

A reflection of what I’m sure my eyes show him.




“Come, let us go with the villagers.

They have offered us a place to stay,

Where we will be warm

And where we will be safe,”

He murmurs,

But I shake my head.

“No, I will not sleep in a hut,

On a cot. I will

Sleep outside tonight.”

He nods, then speaks.

“Then so will I.”




Then we follow the villagers back to

Their village where

Others greet us

The same way my people 

Greeted the sailors

Just yesterday.

The thought of my people

Causes a pain in my heart,

But I brush it away,

And put on a smile.




The villagers are friendly,

Speaking quietly

And smiling often.

They give us clean, dry clothes

And a mother washes my hair,

Then sings a soft song

As she brushes it

And braids it into a thick, long braid.




After we are dressed and washed,

We are led to a fire,

Where we are given warm bread,

And fresh eggs,

And hot roasted chicken.




After we eat, 

The young man and I

Walk along the beach.

Evening comes quickly,

Bringing a full moon

And bright stars.




“What is your name?”

I ask him.

“Kilo. What is yours?”

“Moana,” I say.




He smiles, and then says,

“Your name means ocean. 

I guess that’s fitting.”

Then we laugh,

And he slips his hand

Into mine.




We stop,

And gaze at each other,

With love in our eyes,

And under the stars…




We kiss.



March 06, 2021 02:38

You must sign up or log in to submit a comment.

47 comments

Akshaya Sutrave
05:42 Mar 13, 2021

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜YOU ARE AN AWESOME AUTHOR ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️🧡💛💚💙💜YOU ARE AN AWESOME AUTHOR ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️🧡💛💚💙💜YOU ARE AN AWESOME AUTHOR ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️🧡💛💚💙💜YOU ARE AN AWESOME AUTHOR ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️🧡💛💚💙💜YOU ARE AN AWESOME AUTHOR ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️🧡💛💚💙💜YOU ARE AN AWESOME AUTHOR ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️🧡💛💚💙💜YOU ARE AN AWESOME AUTHOR ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️🧡💛💚💙💜YOU ARE AN AWESOME AUTHOR ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️🧡💛💚💙💜YOU ARE AN AWESOME AUTHOR ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️🧡💛💚💙💜YOU ARE AN AWESOME AUTHOR ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️🧡💛💚💙💜YOU ARE AN AWESOME AUTHOR ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️🧡💛💚💙💜YOU ARE AN AWESOME AUTHOR ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️🧡💛💚💙💜YOU ARE AN AWESOME AUTHOR ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️🧡💛💚💙💜YOU ARE AN AWESOME A...

Reply

Show 0 replies
Akshaya Sutrave
05:42 Mar 13, 2021

Thank you so much, Ivy, for giving me a Shoutout!! :DDD And I realize I hadn't liked your story, only commented on it, so I'll do that now!! :)))

Reply

Show 0 replies

😴 Woah there thats a lot of people who did that!

Reply

Show 0 replies
13:23 Mar 06, 2021

This is the first story of yours I've read, and I'm realizing how much I've been missing. This was poetic and beautiful. You told a fascinating story with just a few words in each paragraph. I'm loving this style as well. The Minor Error Police didn't have to stop by your house. 👏🏾 Love this story!! Great job! :))

Reply

Show 0 replies
TJ Squared
14:47 Jun 02, 2021

talking to yourself is oh such fun! I highly recommend!

Reply

Show 0 replies
Angel {Readsy}
11:42 Apr 23, 2021

I ask the sky, As if it will answer me Funny sentence, you are simply the best writer in the world, I am learning a lot from your style technique of writing

Reply

Show 0 replies
22:58 Mar 27, 2021

MOANAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA lol XD The poetic format and the rOmAncE iS bUiLdInG XD I love the poem formattttt and you are so good at it too ;) Your descriptions are specTACULAR! keep up the grate work 🧀🧀🧀 XD I say that too much, I'll try to reduce my intake of 'grateness' 🧀 oh dear I'm doing it again XDDDDDD ~ Amethyst

Reply

Show 0 replies
Cookie Carla🍪
18:24 Mar 22, 2021

😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴 *spamming for no reason whatsoever*

Reply

Show 0 replies
Radhika Diksha
17:46 Mar 20, 2021

someone said me here "You are the most negative person here, and I made a mistake to think you as a good person. It's better if you go away rather than spreading hate." Ihc So this is not hated. Hypocrite "So you are talking about me. No, you only talk about me, I know that. Brain cell." Ai So, accusing someone of something they haven't done, then irritating that person every second. If that person gets angry because don't know their life, so if that person outbursts. They go on spreading hate about them to everyone, call for sympathy. This ...

Reply

Marissa Reilly
11:25 Mar 22, 2021

I understand. But just know that for all the mean people on Reedsy spreading hate, there are those who are kind, and fight back the hate, and spread love and kindness.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply

😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴

Reply

Show 0 replies
. .
16:56 Mar 19, 2021

Lol Ivy the first thing in your bio isn't exactly true lolllllllllll I mean you're constantly touching your brain, plus your brain is the only part of you that you know to be true because you can definitively prove yourself to be conscious... no hate :)

Reply

Show 0 replies
Maraika!!! 😎
22:43 Mar 17, 2021

haha your profile pic is pretty funny

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 0 replies
TJ Squared
15:54 Mar 17, 2021

i'll give you a notification, and it will be like magic, watch, *magic dust flies in air* Poof! A golden dot for you! ;)

Reply

Show 0 replies
Nainika Gupta
00:26 Mar 17, 2021

😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴 😴...

Reply

Nainika Gupta
00:26 Mar 17, 2021

hehehehe

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Lilliane Wei
23:43 Mar 16, 2021

Hiiiiiii!! Just wanted to let you know that my newest TSD featuring you is out today!

Reply

Show 0 replies

✝️ "Praise Jesus" ✝️ "Praise Jesus" ✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝️ PRAISE JESUS✝...

Reply

Show 0 replies

😴 When you had 50k plus I was shocked and was liked *woahhhh* but then I realized you counted the 😴 Emoji people put. HOW?!?!?!?!

Reply

Show 0 replies
Felicity Anne
03:36 Mar 13, 2021

Praise Jesus!! Do you mind if I copy that message onto my bio? I will give you credit. ❤

Reply

Show 0 replies

Hey Ivy, just wanted to say something about the form you filled out in my bio! If you could do me a favor and fill out the form underneath the first one, read your character description, and give me feedback based on it! :) I want to make sure your character is what you want! (I may have to change some stuff later on depending on the story)

Reply

Show 0 replies
RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

Bring your short stories to life

Fuse character, story, and conflict with tools in Reedsy Studio. 100% free.