Mr. Roy and the other candidates were crouched on the ground with their hands covering their heads in a protective stance while the vehicle that looked like an eagle swooshed over them.
It came to a halt a few meters away from them. On a closer look, Mr. Roy realized that it was a haulster. It must have been created when eagles still scoured the blue skies to provide camouflage.
Mr. Roy held his breath as he waited for the entrance of the vehicle to open. The others might have been doing the same. Despite th
“What is the matter, Arnold?” Sarah asked placing her hand on his shoulders. Her heartbeat accelerated in anticipation. Each moment seemed to drag on like ages. She felt that her heart would burst if he didn’t reply soon. “Arnold…” She tried again but her voice broke at the end.He gripped her hand tightly and whispered more to himself than her, “Everything is ruined…………..”
Mr. Roy kept rowing, non-stop. He felt like his arms would come off any moment but he didn’t dare to stop. His clothes were drenched in sweat. His heart beat at a very high rate trying to fulfill his body’s need for oxygen. His jaws were clenched and eyes focused straight ahead. He didn’t know how long he could carry on like this.He looked from the corner of his eyes to see that the others were in a similar condition but they were all pushing themselves to reach their goal. Luckily, the weather was in their favor. The seas were calm and the wind had decided to ignore that area for some time.
Sia was standing with a bewildered expression, her back pressed firmly to the boat. She had never seen so many people at one time. They were all staring at her and chattering. She pressed her hands against her ears to drown the noise.Her eyes searched the crowd for Sarah and Arnold. Hadn’t dadu said, ‘ I will come with boats later.’ She didn’t want to be left out of the fun. So, she had sneaked into the boat before Roasty loaded them onto the haulster. Tears welled in her eyes and were about to trickle down her cheeks when she heard a
Sia’s steps faltered in front of the library. It was a simple structure with stone walls and a wooden ceiling. A lump formed in her throat as she looked at the name, engraved above the door, ‘ZR’. It was named after the two people that mattered the most to her, her father, Arnold Zen, and her uncle Mr. Roy.It was Mr. Zen who had kept the wonderful collection of books in one of the boats, without which having a library on the island would have been a distant dream.
A strong pair of hands pulled her out of the way at the nick of the moment. The beam fell on the shelf with a crash behind her, shattering it. “What is wrong with you, Sia? When you saw the beam falling towards you why didn’t you move out of the way?” Sam yelled shaking her up furiously.But, she wasn’t listening to him. Her eyes were busy assessing the damage caused by the beam. The fantasy section of the library was a mess, torn pages, broken pieces of wood piled in a heap. “Seems like my fantasy is shattered.” She said w
Sam’s face was flushed as he extracted himself from Rosa’s arms. He took two steps away from her and muttered, “Good to meet you.” His eyes were focused on Sia. He didn’t want her to misunderstand. Following his eyesight, Rosa realized that someone else was present too. In her excitement, she hadn’t noticed that Sam had company. “Oh! Sia… honey are you alright?” She asked adding unnecessary sweetness to her voice.
“Aunt Winnie!” Sia exclaimed as she opened the door. Her lips stretched in a polite smile. “Thank God you are alright.” She said crushing her in an enormous hug. It was becoming difficult for Sia to not push her away as she was applying too much force. She heaved a sigh of relief when she finally released her. “Ummmm…” Aunt Winnie said licking her lips. “What is cooking? It smells heavenly.” Sh
Sia’s eyes shone with excitement as she woke up early in the morning. Today was her 18th Birthday. She couldn’t wait to see the surprise Uncle Roy had planned for her. He always came up with something unique. She was never able to guess it. Sia resolved to break this record today and went in Search of Uncle Roy. She was about to wear her slippers but she decided against it. She didn’t want to warn her uncle about her arrival.She took a tour of the bedrooms, the hall, the art room, and