AELLA'S QUEST FOR THE RING OF TRUTH

The island of Hazel haven has a huge problem with telling the truth. Lies fill up the whole island to last many days. The truth is like fire. It burns until there is nothing left to burn.

Wars have started because of the many lies that have been told. Families and friends have become distant because of the lies. Nobody can stop the lies.

Silence has become the way of life in Hazel Haven. When we open our mouths, the lies come out. We wave and bow our heads when we greet people.

I hate the silence that has engulfed my island. I hate that this has become our way of life. We used to be a happy, lively island. Since the lies made its way to our island nothing has been the same.

What I wouldn't give to hear one truth. The lies have become a curse. One that no one knows how to get rid of.

Hazel Haven is littered with many amazing things like the many flowers that bloom all year long. A rainbow of flowers as I like to call them. To the waterfalls, the beautiful ocean to the many creatures big and small that inhabit our island.

The marine life I see in the vast beautiful ocean that encompass Hazel Haven are so beautiful. But what makes this island so beautiful are the people.

The people made Hazel Haven into the amazing island it is. We used to be a people that welcomes all kinds of people. But the lies have taken that away from us. There has to be a way to get rid of the lies once and for all.

I walk around Hazel Haven until I end up at the library. I think to myself. Maybe the library has the answers I need. I walk into the library. I nod at the librarian. She nods back.

I take out some books and begin to read. Nothing in these books. I go and take out more books. I read them. I think I found something.

The ring of truth gives the people the power to tell the truth. I keep reading. It says that whoever touches the ring of truth gives the person one week to tell the truth. But you have to keep touching the ring whenever a lie comes out.

The ring of truth has endless power. This is what I need. This is what I need to give my people. The ability to tell the truth. Where is the ring of truth located?

I keep reading about the ring of truth. I found my answer. The ring of truth is located in the cove of whispers beyond the strait of sorrow.

The strait of sorrow is a dangerous canal. Many who have gone through the strait of sorrow never returned

It is said the strait of sorrow echo the lost. Whoever enters the strait of sorrow can feel and hear the cries of the lost. This is scary but I have to do this. The lies need to stop. This is the only way.

I leave the library with all the information I need and head home to pack. I pack all the things I need. Food, water, jacket, maps, flash light and my compass. I also pack my first aid kit and a flare gun with ten flares. That should be enough.

I didn't forget the extra clothes. Okay, now I have all I need. I leave my home without telling my parents where I'm going. They will just lie to get me to stay.

I walk out of my house. I nod to the neighbors and head to the marina. My family boat should be good enough to get me to the cove of whispers.

I'm at the marina. I nod at the workers and some of my friends. I found my family'a 24ft boat name wind chaser.

I step on wind chaser and inspect her. She looks good to go. There is plenty of fuel. I start wind chaser and set off on my journey. I slowly ease her out. Wow, she feels good.

I love feeling the cool wind all over me. Hazel Haven is known for its many beautiful boats and wind chaser is one of them.

I pass many islanders out on their boats enjoying the beautiful weather. It is a beautiful sunny day. Not a cloud in the sky.

I wish I could tell my people where I'm going and what I'm doing for them but I can't. It's too dangerous and I'm only going to lie to them.

As I'm heading out to sea, I wave goodbye to Hazel Haven. The open sea is beautiful but scary. I plot my course east. The wind is picking up, I bring the sails up. All good.

Look at that. In front of wind chaser are a group of dolphins. They are so beautiful. They are riding the waves wind chaser is given off.

The dolphins are still their riding the waves. Off to the right of wind chaser are a group of whales. Oh My God! one of them jumped out of the water. How cool is that?

One hour into my journey to the cove of whispers, I check my maps and compass to see if I'm going in the right direction.

I'm going old school because technology sometime suck in these parts. Looks all good to me.

The ocean is calm. The dolphins and the whales have left. It's just me and the open ocean. I keep asking myself if I'm doing the right thing.

The strait of sorrow is very dangerous, so are the lies being told. I can't turn back now. I push on.

It's getting dark. I stop wind chaser and throw the anchor into the water. My stomach is rumbling. I grab my bag and go to the lower deck. I take out the food and begin to eat.

I'm done eating. I laid my blanket and laid down. The sun went down. The night sky is an amazing sight to me. I watch the stars until I fall asleep.

What is that tapping? I wake-up and look over wind chaser. Oh My God! is that a shark? I quickly back away. I run to the bridge and start wind chaser.

I push the throttle to max. In these waters you don't mess with sharks. Minutes later I ease the throttle. I can relax for now. The shark is gone.

I check my maps and compass again. I'm still heading east. If I push wind chaser to max, I can get to the strait of sorrow within the next three hours.

So, I decide to push wind chaser to max. The dolphins are back riding the waves. I hear the seagulls above me. One of them lands in front of me.

I call the seagull Luna. Luna rides with me for the rest of my journey. I made it to the entrance to the strait of sorrow. I slow wind chaser down. Luna flies away. I wave goodbye.

The water is starting to get murky. The outside light is starting to dim. I look at my compass. It's going crazy.

Here I go. I slowly drive wind chaser into the strait of sorrow. I maneuver wind chaser along the narrow passageway. Easy and steady she goes.

The mist is getting thicker. I slow wind chaser down even more. I can barely see anything in front of me. This is turning from bad to worse. The mist is getting mush worse. It has engulfed me.

Oh shit! What did I bump? I look over wind chaser. I can see anything. What was that noise? It sounds like a cry. There is another one.

The voice sound so far away from me. I can't make them out. As I steer wind chaser through the canal, the voices of the lost are now close to me.

They are all around me. The voices are right next to me. I can't concentrate on what I'm doing.

Oh My God! there is a rock up ahead. Wind chaser is going to hit the rock. I push the wheel hard to the left. The rock is too close.

I keep turning the wheel. I feel wind chaser moving. There you go. Come on. Yes! wind chaser didn't hit the rock. She only skimmed it. Crisis averted.

I stop wind chaser. I need a minute to catch my breath. I take three breathes in and out. The wails of the lost is hitting me. I can feel them deep inside me.

I begin to cry. I don't know why. Their haunting cry is devastatingly painful. It's too much to bear. Now I know why the canal is called the strait of sorrow.

I start wind chaser again. The cove of whispers should be around the bend. I steer wind chaser around the canal into a narrow passage.

The voices start disappearing. Good that means I'm out of the strait of sorrow. I see something up ahead.

There it is the cove of whispers. I stop wind chaser and turn her off. I see an opening in the cove. The ring of truth must be in there.

I grab my bag and head to one of the smaller boats. I untie the boat. it falls into the water. I get on the boat and head to the opening.

The opening is a cave. I steer the boat into the cave. I grab my flash light and turn it on. I point the flash light throughout the cave.

Where are you run of truth? I go deeper into the cave. Still no sign of the ring. My hopes are being dashed. But then I see a box on top of a rock. The ring must be in there.

I stop the boat. I climb out and go up the rocks. I touch the box. Nothing happens. I open it. The ring of truth. I close the box and put it in my bag. I go back down the rocks and back to my boat.

I steer the boat out of the cave and back to wind chaser. I get out and tie the small boat onto wind chaser. I go back to the bridge and steer wind chaser back the way I came.

Two weeks later. I'm happy to report I made it back to Hazel Haven and happy to report the ring of truth works. My people touched the ring.

The biggest miracle happened. My people are telling more truths and less lies.The ring of truth stands in the heart of Hazel Haven.