Things at Kingsley’s Island weren’t going the way they were expected to at all.
Michael Robson was sitting in his office, drinking his afternoon tea - black with milk and no sugar. The weather outside was becoming worse with every single day. Storms, tornadoes and hurricanes were coming one after another in the speed of light. Like Earth’s powers combined were trying to get through the walls of the Community. The thing that really bothered Mr. Robson was that he knew exactly what was causing the chaos, but wouldn’t be allowed to do anything about it for the upcoming months. But after that, everything was going to change. Then the boy was going to come of age and make his choice. Robson had no doubts what it was going to be. He did all he could to give the boy the easiest possible way of living. The owner was confident and calm, at least for now, at least for Kingsley’s fate.
“Sir, he just wouldn’t listen!” shouted his secretary Miss Campbell, as though they had taken her out of a silly comedy. She had opened the door so that a man walked in the office.
“Michael, we must do something! The whole place will be...” exploded the chubby member of the Union, Mr. Derrick O’Tool.
“Will be what, Derrick?” O’Tool didn’t object to the interruption; he stayed still, “We must not worry as long as the boy is here, within our jurisdiction. Everything will be okay. Hush.” He poured a glass of red wine and gave it to the guest, then continued, “We must take even better care of the boy for the upcoming couple of months, so that he will willingly become the Union’s patron. Then, we will fulfil our plans. With his power and knowledge, with his abilities... We will become invincible. It’d be as easy as rolling off a log.”
But he was nothing but wrong. Time passed and the sun was setting over the horizon.
Gavin Terre was having visits in his dormitory for weeks now. He dreamed of a beautiful lady. She was still young, but also mature. Dressed in a fiery-red robe, she owned a pair of piercing yellow eyes, so bright that Gavin couldn’t even look straight into them. She spoke to him nightly, telling him stories of love, friendship, peace and honour. In his every dream he was transferred to a special place, filled with all those things. However, this night wasn’t the same. She told him of hatred, lies and harm; of destruction and greed. How these things had ruined the world once faerie and proud. How the people accountable for its destruction happened to reside right next to him, following every step he had taken in life. How the Kingsley’s board and the very principal wished to use him for their own gain versus Mother Nature.
“You must know by now,” she said, “you must be aware of your connection with the elements. You understand many things no one does. Think about it.”
She disappeared.
Gavin woke up. Silence covered the room as heavy and thick as mist. He couldn’t get the image of the mythic lands out of his head.
Was it possible? If not – why was he dreaming of it. His subconscious wanted something of him.
He remembered asking himself and others questions, demanding answers. But now he didn’t care. He was so accustomed to ignorance and numbness, he almost didn’t care. Yes, he was ashamed, but he didn’t do anything about it. He was embarrassed by his disloyalty to nature, which took part in everything. All he cared about was within Kingsley’s walls.
He got up and dressed in his uniform.
‘Here everything’s perfect,’ he thought ‘But what about there? What if the lady was showing me the real past, present and future of this place?’ he continued, watching the world outside of his window.
Through the door and past the staircase he got to the front yard. It was very beautiful and sleek. The clear sky was casting its magical spell over the stream’s silky waters. This tiny river was the sole thing Gavin knew to have been outside the walls. Maybe, just maybe, he could follow it and see what lies beyond? He was, after all, almost of age. He could take care of himself.
“I will.” he stated silently to himself. His eyes traced a tree leaf; floating on the top of a tiny water wave. Then he saw something in the water - a face.
‘But...another lady?’ his mind almost couldn’t bear what was happening to him. He neared the stream and glanced at her one more time. She looked just like the other one, but her eyes were of the colour of the lakes and her dress was formed of the tiny water torrents of the river she appeared in.
“Who are you?” he hurried to ask, but the lady in blue declined an answer by shaking her head.
Then she told him: “We need to be quick, dear. You are the only one able to change the lives of many. You must follow the stream and not look back! At the end you’ll see a hill. Go to it and there you will find all the answers you need.” she looked around and her eyes enlarged. She saw a massive red liquid being spilled in the stream. Gavin saw it too and hurried to stretch an arm in the cold water, trying to get a grip on the lady, trying to save her. But she was not there anymore. She had disappeared.
Aquamarine became bloody crimson and then returned, but the lady was nowhere to be seen. Nor was the one who had released the strange red substance.
‘Was there someone at all?’ he pondered. But even though he wasn’t sure about many things, he was certain about one – he had to hurry.
“She was there?!” Robson was in shock of the woman’s arrogance and disrespect, “The nerves those three have! Set a curfew! We want him to stay inside!” but yet again, he was mistaking.
Gavin had already collected his most prized possessions and the ones he could need; and now swimming along the stream. The night was casting its spell on the surroundings. He was feeling as though he was swimming rather in a full ink bottle, than in water. It was so dark. It was cold and wet. He wasn’t enjoying it at all right then, but one thing made him look forward and continue–the fact that he was promised answers. The idea of receiving answers he had waited for so long warmed him.
However, physics couldn’t be ignored. His limbs were becoming very numb from the exercise and the low temperature. However, he knew one thing about himself – whenever he set a goal, he never gave up. This was not going to be an exception.
When he passed under the walls, he noticed an incredible difference between the two parts of the island. He could barely distinguish any plants, trees or animals. It looked like Nature itself had left this place, or maybe something was drinking its vital juices. Not even crickets could be heard. At some point, Gavin managed to reach for a root, sticking out of the near bank, but he remembered: he had to go to a hill. The lady had told him to swim there. So he did. Gavin continued to swim as fast as he could, but it seemed like he was not advancing at all. At some point, he decided it was for the best if he left the water and carried on by foot. Just when he was about to get out of the water, a young woman appeared in front of him.
“Don’t touch this earth!” she shouted; her voice sounded frightened.
He nodded to the ghostly woman that looked like a faint mark in the air before him. He recalled the Lady in red, the one he saw in his dreams. This thought, made him feel a lot better while swimming.
“Finally!” he exclaimed whispering when his eyes met a stony path, leading towards a tiny hill.
There was a little building on top of the hill, which from Gavin’s point of view looked more like a shack. It looked like it had been abandoned centuries ago: the wood was eaten by insects, the roof was battered, and the water wheel next to it had lost many parts and wasn’t working at all. Gavin opened the door and suddenly felt the temperature rising. His clothes, hair and luggage were dried in an instance. Then he saw the Red lady next to him. She smiled and took the young man to a door leading to the back yard. There he saw the second lady- the one in blue. She was sitting on the bank of a tiny pond. Not far from her was the lady in white—this time sharply visible. Gavin smiled and, accompanied by the woman in red (He kept associating them with colours, because not one of them presented herself to him.), neared them.
“We are all glad you chose this road, Gavin. We are.” exclaimed the blue lady.
“Let us present ourselves.” said the white one. “I am Aria – representing the element of Air and all His relatives present on this earth.”
Gavin stared blankly.
“I am Phoenix, representing Fire.” whispered the Red lady, the one with the fiery yellow eyes.
“My name is Acqua. I am here to express powers over the water and other liquids on this island.” finished the third one, sounding like a soft sea song.
Gavin still stared, unblinking and stiff.
“We are here to stay. We will take care of the land, but we are not enough. The unity should be consisted of all Four – Water, Fire, Air and Earth. If we have to fight the consequences of the greed and neglect, which the Union has used over this land, we must reunite. This earthly creature needs to come from a particular piece of land. They must be a true descendant of Terra.” Acqua told the boy.
“You are this creature, Gavin. We need your abilities to help this island, to return it to its previous beauty. If you decline our proposal, our plea, we will be unsuccessful. This will spread – the inside will need more and more. Soon the island won’t be enough and the pest will spread overseas. And this is exactly what the members of the Union want – full power and protection. But you must understand, Gavin: before you were born, your mother and our parents, they preserved this place. It was one of the most magical places of the world. With the most stunning natural items and artefacts from a long-lost culture for other, human inhabited lands. Phoenix showed you what it was. Do you want to help us return its soul?”
“Yes.” Gavin answered without thinking. He had known for a long time that he had something special in him. He felt the trees and he could hear whispers coming from the ground. Of course, at the time he only considered them sounds of the air or his imagination, but now he knew – the rocks were really telling him the things he heard. He felt it right to help and to be of use. He needed it. He would have never left the land to rot when he had the choice to help.
Since that moment, the little island has been one of the most, if not the most, exquisite places on the entire planet. If someone wishes to visit it, they only have to think about a site webbed with clear streams and numerous hills of various heights. A spot of green, covered with the fiery light and warmth of the powerful sun almost constantly. They have to imagine a land of nature, where all four elements exist in balance with each other. Only then you will discover the secret.
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