My Little Island

I take one final glance at the large, golden orb of holy light standing alone in between the misty, cotton candy skies. She waves goodbye to the world before finally disappearing behind the wonders of the curious blue depths of the ocean, where she rests.

I feel the soft, little particles of brown sand embracing my small, tanned feet like Earth's own giant blanket. I walk silently and gently over to her beautiful blue waters as they rush to the top of the shore, dampening my toes.

I take one last whiff of the salty air that I can almost taste.

One last touch of the small, gentle breeze on my face.

I feel the last bit of wind in my wavy, dark brown hair.

Then, with a lump in my throat, I mutter the words that I had always most feared to say: "Goodbye."

In the morning, I must leave the only home I've ever known to some dried up city in Tennessee, wherever that is.

I don't know what dried up feels like. I've never been away from this island, where even the air inside of that tiny, scratchy hut farthest from the beach feels moist.

I'm not sure what to think or feel. All I know is that I am afraid.

Never again will I cross paths with the palm trees swaying in the wind. 

Never again will I ever know of the adrenaline felt as I ride high on top of the ocean’s waves, hoping someday I would be able to make a living out of just this moment.

I won’t ever take a walk down the beach with the tall, dark, mysterious hottie that I only see in my dreams, nor will I ever throw another birthday party here.

I’ll never forget any of the dreams and memories that I have shared on this sentimental little island of mine.

I’ll never forget the bright and sorrowful faces of all the friends that I have ever made here. They each will hold a special place in my heart, like everything else in this peaceful little island of mine.

I’ll never forget this little island, nor will I forget the fiery, clumsy little thing that I was living there.

I’ve made so many wonderful friends here. So many precious memories.

I’ve shed so many tears, yet cracked so many laughs. 

So much has happened here that my mind will never let me forget even if I tried. 

The first time riding a bike without wobbling. My first school dance, followed by my first boyfriend. My first kiss. 

None of my dreams would have been possible had I not lived here.

It brings me grief to know that everything I’ve worked for, everything I’ve lived for, is coming to an end.

I know that if I were to ever return, everything would be different. 

I know that if I were to ever return, everything, and everyone, might move on without me.

The lifelong dream that I’m so used to living is suddenly tearing at the seams.

I can feel the salty tears rolling down my cheeks, softly yet so perfectly.

Tomorrow is another day, I remind myself, and it will only suck if you make it suck. And though it may be scary to leave, it's always good when you have the chance to start over. 

I have to remind myself that even though it seems as if my story were coming to an end, it is only the start of a new chapter.

The start of something appealing, yet appalling.

The start of something challenging, yet oh, so easy.

The start of something new.

It is the start of something beautiful. Something epic. And it is still only the beginning.

These thoughts somehow bring me enough comfort to make myself believe that I am ready.

I blink and just like that, my life of paradise is over.

Just like that, it’s my first day of school in the metropolis of Tennessee.

Just like that, I’m in English sitting behind a tall girl who becomes a quick companion of mine. 

We laugh at the girls who think that they rule the school, and simper over all the football jocks.

I blink again and suddenly I’m dating one of them. It doesn’t work out.

I see him walking the hallway with that perfect girl made of silicone that he would talk about. With her silky hair and perfect body, it’s obvious that I could never compare.

I blink again and suddenly it’s homecoming.

That tall girl and I are practically leaping for joy, for a football jock had asked her to go with him.

I’d been staring hopelessly at a boy in History with alluring ocean blue eyes, reminding me of my peaceful little island back at home. His dark hair is like the midnight sky, and his smile is like the sun setting on the horizon. I finally pick up enough courage to ask him out to homecoming, and, to my surprise, he accepts. 

I blink my eyes once again and the day has come. Me and the blue eyed boy dance from dusk to dawn, and soon enough we’re hand in hand, lip to lip.

I’m on top of the world. To celebrate my first kiss, the tall girl and I watch our favorite romantic comedies (Clueless, The Proposal, and While You Were Sleeping) at my house. 

I blink once more and we’re sophomores in high school, learning how to drive cars and who we want to be once we graduate.

 I always thought that I would be learning how to drive a white limousine around a peaceful little beach in Hawaii. Instead, it’s inside a white minivan in the big, crowded streets of Nashville.

After that, I’m headed off to my junior year of high school. 

In chemistry, the blue eyed boy asks me to prom, to which I gladly accept. His bright blue eyes still show the oceans of my little island, and his face shows the world. The tall girl’s still going out with that football jock, and they go to prom together. 

We go with the tall girl in her boyfriend's clean, shiny, silver Lexus SUV.

We dance the whole starless night away. Even though we’re in a crowd full of other juniors, it feels as if it were just the two of us alone. I gaze into his sea blue eyes desperately, and he makes a move.

Senior year goes by fast. The tall girl and the football jock are no longer together, however, she’s now dating another tall blonde boy in medical school. Me and the boy with the blue eyes are now more serious than we ever have been before, and he’s given me a sparkling golden ring of promise.

My hair falls at the nape of my neck; all is quiet but for the hum of the ocean for the sky bleeding up above. I turn around, and there he is, my sweet, dreamy-eyed husband, cradling our children. Was it the island, then, bringing such tranquility? Or was it him, and me, our choices and our regrets- a personified artwork, beauty like the brush?

I close my eyes, sand and water swirling and mingling over my feet. In the final, fleeting moment of reminisce, the island sprawling at my feet, I exhale. The musk of salt grips my nose as I breathe the island air right back in.

The End

A Note From The Author

Thanks for reading this story! I hope you all liked it! It’s my first time writing anything like this, so please be sure to leave feedback in the comments if there is anything that I need to improve on. Thanks!

p.s the last two paragraphs are inspired off of an e.g by Ivy Hatherall:)