Chapter Five

This beach was certainly not home, but it created several strange feelings and questions to mind. I had thought that the beach I lived on was the only one, and that it was mine. Yet as I ran the sand through my fingers, I knew that this beach was the same as mine, yet at the same time, it wasn’t. There was no possible way to explain what my heart and mind were telling me at this point.

Part of me wanted to go home. The sands here were all too familiar for me, making me crave the beach where I lived my whole awakened life. It hadn’t even been an hour, but I was already homesick. Yet something inside me said to pick up my head and carry on. This adventure would be worth it in the end.

Looking around, I noticed several palm trees. From their leafy branches hung several large coconuts, much too heavy to carry anywhere. Rolling them seemed to be a definite possibility, though. Walking over to the tree, I gave it a good shake. I leapt out of the way just as a coconut fell, sending a spray of sand into the air. Digging it out of the small crater I made, I observed that I was right about the size. This coconut was the biggest I had ever seen.

My curiosity satisfied, I looked around again. Against one wall was a structure similar to the one in the valley. Walking over to it, I rubbed my hand along it. The sticks it was made from were smooth, as if they had been made with great care. The tower went up to a hole in the wall, which disappeared beyond my sight. Protective railings were placed along the structure, as if to keep me from climbing it.

Gazing out over the ocean, I noticed yet another feature I hadn’t seen before. A small pillar of sand rose out of the ocean, serving as a stepping stone to a small island. With a careful leap, I hopped across the step and stood on the island. Nothing decorated it but a small stone button, similar to the one I had seen when I left the beach. This one was in better condition than the first, and I could make out an ornate design on it.

Stepping on the stone, it sank into the sand. I waited for it to return, but it remained buried. A grating sound broke me from my confusion. Turning around, I saw the stone rise from the ground beneath the structure. It appeared to be floating. I rubbed my eyes, yet it still remained above the ground. The stone climbed the interior of the structure and disappeared into the hole in the wall. Before I had a chance to observe it again, another small noise nearby announced the return of the stone.

Tapping the stone again, I leapt over the stepping stone and onto the main island. Though I ran as fast as I could, the stone managed to rise into the structure before I could reach it. There was no way I could outrun it. Convinced that this was all the beach had to offer me, I climbed the sand hill and returned to the valley.