I stood at the edge of a cliff. The sparkling expanse of the ocean lay before me. Thunderous waves were crashing against the base of the old, weathered giant upon which I stood. I smiled. I was finally here. The mysterious island of Abel. Some had set foot on it and even fewer, had left this paradise alive.
My gaze shifted towards my boat, safely tied to a coconut tree, hidden away from plain sight by thick vegetation. After another quick look at the coast, I made my way towards the forested region of the island. The coarse mixture of sand and gravel, crunching beneath my boots.
The forest was like an enormous organism itself. Living, breathing and bursting with life. Filled with strange smells, sounds of various exotic animals and breath-taking sights. I had travelled through forests before, yet, I was awed by the beauty of the forest: the bright, vibrant colours of flowers, fruits, dew-covered leaves and even the chocolate coloured soil!
This kaleidoscope of colours reminded me of the painting that had brought me here. For years, a magnificent abstract painting hung on one of the walls of my bedroom at home. It had been painted by my grandfather, who was an explorer. Throughout his life, he had discovered numerous priceless artefacts all over the world. He loved his job and like a stubborn child holding onto his sweets, he would never let go of it.
Grandfather had worked on this masterpiece for three weeks, day in and out, before leaving for an expedition to an island. An expedition from which he never returned…
I was snapped out of my thoughts as I heard the rustling of leaves in the undergrowth. I stopped in my tracks and strained my ears, listening for the slightest sound. I slowly began to relax thinking that the danger had passed. Suddenly, there was a loud crashing sound behind me and I whirled around to find myself facing the deadliest, and the most ruthless killer in the world.
My reflexes kicked in as I dodged a deadly swipe. I rolled away just in time as another strike landed inches away from me. The third time I was not so lucky. I let out a painful yelp as I was grazed by my enemy’s razor sharp blade and then countered it with a blow of my own. I grabbed the killer just below the head and pulled my knife out from my belt. There was a low ‘hiss’ and then a flash of silver as the anaconda’s head fell to the forest floor with a thump fang.
I was bending over my knees, breathing heavily, a thin film of sweat covering my body. I could not look at the dead beast. The sight of raw flesh and the metallic smell of blood made me feel sick. Its ivory white ‘blades’ or teeth, were now tainted with strawberry coloured blood. “Did you know that anacondas do not have fangs, but they do have very sharp teeth?” The memory of one of my grandfather’s strange facts brought a smile to my face. With a sigh, I wiped my reliable blade clean and returned it to its case on my belt. I froze, once again, as a wave of uneasiness washed over me. I had a feeling that I was being watched. I surveyed the area and found that it was isolated.
I began to search for a pond with green water. I continued my search from noon to dusk and along the way, wondering what my grandfather had gone in search of all those years ago and about the secret message he had left in his painting…
About a month ago, I found myself staring at the mesmerising abstract painting by my grandfather. It had splashes of various colours all over the canvas which I thought, depicted the Indian festival of colours, Holi as the colours were present in no particular order. I stood up to leave the room, my eyes still on the painting, and suddenly I saw a definite picture! My grandfather was a genius! The painting was an illusion! If viewed from a certain angle, the abstract transformed into an image which looked like a…map.
My grandfather had left a map showing the way to his most ground-breaking discovery. The map had been left for me so that if he failed, his work would not go completely in vain and there would be somebody to retrieve this discovery and carry on his legacy.
I yawned and rubbed my eyes. I was exhausted after an unfruitful day of searching. In my sleepy daze, I climbed the nearest tree, settled down on the thickest branch and tied a rope around my waste to the tree trunk to prevent myself from falling. Then, I was engulfed by the darkness of the night.
All too soon I woke up to be greeted by the melodious chirping of birds. I lay on one of the highest branches of an ancient tree. I had a spectacular view of the whole forest from there. Suddenly, my eye caught something unusual. My heart skipped a beat as I lay my eyes upon a green lake, shimmering in the light of dawn. I hurried down the tree and began to walk towards the lake.
My grandfather use to tell me stories about the mysteries and myths of the ancient civilisations. Stories, about their powerful teachings which could change the face of the world. I suspected that my grandfather had discovered the location of this vast store of knowledge. But if this knowledge fell into the wrong hands, it would lead to the extinction of the human civilisation.
I walked into the clearing, the lake right in the middle. The lake was a victim of algal growth which gave it a greenish hue. Yellow, red and orange flowers clung to the branches of various trees which lined the banks of the lake. I dug into my backpack, and pulled out the painting which had led me to the green lake on that very island. I had slipped the painting out of its frame before leaving home. While I was unfolding the map on the ground, I felt a tingling feeling coursing through my body. The feeling that one gets when they are being watched secretly. I looked around. No sign of any movement.
I did not know where to go from there. I looked down at the map searching for any clues. I saw a noticeable red splash of colour near the green lake. Could it mean anything? I pondered over this thought as I walked around the lake gazing at the trees…and then, it struck me.
I stood at the mouth of an underground tunnel, my flashlight slashing through the darkness. I had noticed that strangely, only one tree in the clearing had red flowers while the rest bore yellow and orange flowers. So I made my way to the enormous tree and after some examining, I came across a doorway carved into the bark of the tree! Now, here I was making my way through a dark and musty underground tunnel.
I gasped, as I saw a crumbling skeleton lying against one of the walls of the tunnel. It was decayed, infested by rats and had an eerie aura. Yet I was not scared and surprisingly, was drawn towards it. I looked at it for a while, and felt tears well up in my eyes when I recognised my grandfather’s favourite locket, clutched in the skeleton’s frail hands. I stood there for a few moments, cherishing all the happy memories I had of my grandfather. After saying a silent prayer, I pocketed my grandfather’s locket and continued down the tunnel.
The tunnel led to a vast underground cave. At the end of the cave, stood a stone slab with a tiny hole which resembled the shape of…
I heard voices. Distant, but getting closer. A shiver ran down my spine. I was panicking. There was only one entrance to the cave. I was trapped! I could feel my heart ponding against my chest as I saw several figures appear from the shadows. They were dressed in smart suits. All of them armed with guns. I knew somebody had been following me all the way here!
“Who are you?” I asked, gathering up all my confidence. A man who looked like the leader of the pack replied “That does not matter now. Give me the key.” The key? They wanted my grandfather’s locket which was most likely the key to open the vault at the end of the cave. My grandfather had told me about dark forces that would do anything to get their hands on the ancient knowledge. I guessed that these people would do anything to get the key. Even killing innocent people.
“We have been watching you since your grandfather disappeared. We knew you would not leave his work unfinished! Now, the key, please.” The leader said coolly. I drew my knife slowly behind my back. I had almost no chance of escape…but I could still try.
I sprinted towards the tunnel, knife in my hand. I slashed at two of the men. Both fell to the ground like dead flies. I felt a hand fasten a tight hold on my arm and turned around. With a gun pointed at my head, the leader hissed “Give me the key.” I looked into his cold grey eyes. “Never” I replied.
I looked into the tunnel-like barrel of the gun which was pointed at me and took a deep breath. “Maybe next time”, I thought to myself. There was a BANG! and a bright white flash. And then, two words appeared on the screen:
GAME OVER
Would you like to play again?
I sighed, switched off the screen, and went to bed.
