Nixie stood on the docks, her long wavy hair blowing behind her. She put her hand above her forehead and tried to block the sunlight from her eyes. Of course, she had forgotten her sunglasses on a day like this; at least the sun was going down soon. She and some of her classmates in their Environmental Studies class were supposed to meet up to start working on a project their teacher assigned them to do. They were supposed to get some test samples of the ocean water in various points around Mako Island. Mako Island was home to an inactive volcano and not much was known about the it, other than some rumors the coastal town had about it being haunted. People did not like to visit it. Though it was different for Nixie and her family. They visited the island once a year for a picnic. Secretly, she visited it more often. For some reason, the island had always called to her, almost as if she could hear a voice beckoning her to come closer.
The girls in her project group were widely different from each other. They weren't really friends and barely knew each other, except in passing, despite having lived in the small town for a very long time. People on the coast were close nit. Everyone knew each other by at least name and face. It was nice. Nixie usually liked it, but it also meant there was no privacy.
"Where are they?" Nixie mumbled. She twisted her dyed light blue hair between her fingers, while she looked at the small boat they would be taking. It belonged to one of her friends. He was the one who took her to the island whenever she asked, but today he was unable to take them, so she decided to borrow it. She knew how to drive it, so it really should be no problem.
Nixie adjusted her light blue sundress and tapped her foot impatiently. They should have decided to leave earlier. In a couple hours, it would be pitch black.
Grabbing the bag of test tubes, Nixie went ahead and gently got into the boat, sitting down in the drivers seat. She patted her pockets, making sure she had her cell phone, just in case. All that was left was to wait for everyone else.
While she waited, she could not help but think of how cool it was that they lived in a place that allowed them to do things like this. Everyone in the coastal town was very protective of the environment; even Nixie’s hair dye was made from natural products that would not be toxic if it got in the water. If they did not take care of their lands, waters and animal life, than who would?
Speaking of animals, Nixie straightened up in her seat when she noticed “the friendly neighborhood” dolphin a yard away from the boat. She waved at it and laughed when it waved back. It had recently been released from the Aquatic Animal Rescue Center and always came back for a visit. The town had a couple aquatic centers; one was the rescue center for hurt or sick animals and the other was part of an animal theme park. They both had study programs that studied and learned more about the animals of the sea.
“Come on guys… it’s going to get dark.” She looked up at the sky and shrugged. “At least it’s a full moon tonight.”
@_@_@_@_@
"Good, just in time!" Nixie said as one by one, everyone started to show up. "It's getting dark. We are not the world's best planners." She smiled and felt a wave of awkwardness surround her. Hopefully this would not continue this way; maybe they would have a chance to become friends during the course of their class. She liked making friends, but since she lived in the lighthouse, she did not get the chance to hang out with the neighborhood kids as often because the main housing area on the island was too far to walk. Come to think of it, the others lived in different parts of the island separate from the housing addition, so they probably understood how she felt.
"Let's hit the road... so to speak, before it gets too dark to see." She glanced over the land toward where the white peak of her lighthouse stood. Her dad had a schedule for when the lights were supposed to be on. All the fishermen knew it and if they went out when it was not scheduled to be on, then they were doing it at their own risk. It had to be on a strict schedule to conserve energy for the island. If it was on all the time, it would likely cause power outages, which is why most of the fisherman did their fishing during the day. The night fishermen had special boats with spotlights to help them complete their jobs. It was not scheduled to be on tonight because of the full moon. Usually, a full moon was light enough, but if it was cloudy, then it could potentially be pitch black out soon.
Nixie turned the key in Jay's boat, frowning when it made a weird clicking sound at first. She ignored the warning voice in the back of her head, thinking nothing could possibly go wrong. This boat was as reliable as most of the big fishing boats. It was Jay's pride and joy. They drove for a few minutes in silence; she enjoyed the spray of ocean mist hitting her pale skin. The dolphin from before was following them.
"Hey Ike!" Nixie pointed out the dolphin to everyone else. "He's so smart. Sometimes I think he understands me."
Mako Island was looming up, bigger and bigger. The volcano was in perfect view. It was impressive and a little intimidating, though it had been inactive for as long as any islander could remember. She could see the stream that trickled out of a little opening in the volcano into a mangrove forest.
Just as they were 20 feet from the island, the boat started to sputter. Nixie's eyes widened. She looked at the gas gauge, confused because it was still full. She was no mechanic and had no idea how to check what was wrong with the boat. It had completely died.
She looked over at the other girls and bit down on her lower lip. "Now what? We're going to have to paddle the rest of the way to shore." She picked up one of the paddles, handing it to one of the girls.
@-@-@-@-@
Once they got to the island, she and the other girls pulled the boat far enough onto the beach that it would not be washed away. She sighed and hoped that her actions had not permanently damaged Jay's baby. Nixie pulled her cell phone from her dress pocket and looked down at it. She had 1 bar amazingly enough. She tried to make a call, but it kept dropping after the first ring. She sighed again.
"I've got a single bar. Dad got me this new phone. They advertised that it would have good signal "anywhere," but apparently that did not include Mako Island." She bit down on her lower lip and looked toward the hills and forest all around them. "Maybe higher ground would help?" She put her phone back into her pocket, grabbed her bag and pulled out a couple test tubes. "But first, let me get this really quick before in all the excitement we forget. I know none of us want to fail." She went to the edge of the water, kicked her shoes off and waded to her knees, getting the end of her dress wet. She didn't really care; Nixie had always had a thing for the water. After all, she had been born in one of those fancy water births.
"Is everyone okay with climbing." She was wearing flip flops, so after debating the risk of keeping them on and spraining her ankle on or taking them off and risking stepping on something sharp, she decided she'd rather take the second risk. She had eyes and smarts enough to look where she was walking. Nixie put them in her backpack next to the test tubes and then put the bag around her shoulders.
"Phones out. Watch for a signal, but make sure to watch your step!" She started off, first in line. They would be climbing the hill, which in reality was the bottom of the volcano, now covered with all sorts of plant and wildlife. It was quite amazing how everything had evolved over the years.
The mangrove forest was so breathtaking up close. She looked at the swampy waters and wondered what kind of creatures lived out of sight. She swore she saw a crocodile slipping off a log and into the waters. Nixie paused and squinted her eyes, watching as sure enough a small crocodile moved smoothly through the waters, away from them, to the other side of the swamp area. Some people might feel frightened with such a creature nearby, but she felt at ease because she could tell that it was a freshie.
"There's a freshwater croc. They won't attack unless provoked." Amazing creatures.
Nixie looked down at her phone and sighed. "Still one bar." She pointed up toward a rocky part of the volcano that if they climbed would take them to a higher part of the island.
"It looks easy enough to climb." She looked down at her bare feet. "Even with no shoes." Most of the rocks had been smoothed over by streams of water that had been continuously pouring out of openings in the volcano and into the mangrove forest for over a hundred years, if not more. "Just don't slip. It will be really wet."
She grabbed onto one of the rocks and pulled herself up. It did not take too much effort. She was fit enough. Living on a small island, people mostly walked to where they needed to go, and of course there was a lot of swimming and surfing, though she was more of a swimmer than a surfer. Every few feet of height, she paused and checked her phone. Nothing.
Getting frustrated, she threw up her arms and groaned. "This stupid phone." She was concentrating so much on her phone that she wasn't paying attention to what she was doing. The next thing she knew, darkness and a tightness surrounded her. She was sliding down a smooth, dirt covered tunnel. At the bottom of the tunnel, she tumbled out and did a somersault, landing on ground made out of some sort of rock. Disoriented, she could only blink her eyes a few times. When her vision returned to normal and her eyes adjusted to the lower light, she gasped.
It was a cave, a beautiful cavern filled with strange blue crystals imbedded into the rocky walls. There was almost a glow coming from them, but the most wonderful thing had to be the blue/green pool of water in the middle of the mysterious area.
Nixie stood up, shaking on her feet at first.
"Oh wow...Guys! Guys, can you hear me? Be careful."
She looked up the tunnel. It was much too steep and slippery for her to climb. Nixie turned away from the tunnel and walked a little ways toward the middle of the cave, toward the pool. She bent down and looked inside. It was so clear and looked almost like it would be drinkable, though the few bubbles at the surface, made her believe it was connected to the ocean.
'I've got this weird vibe,' Nixie thought. 'It's almost like this place is magical.' She stood up and did a silly spin. Despite falling into a place that seemed impossible to escape, she felt really excited. Not only was the place mysterious and beautiful, it even felt wonderful. The air inside was fresh and cool on her skin and it smelled like strawberries and spring time. It also made her feel safe; like nothing could ever harm her while in this cavern.
"It's so amazing down here," Nixie yelled up to the girls. She looked up and gasped once again. There was a perfect round opening far above her. "Oh my gosh. I'm at the bottom of the volcano." It was hard telling how far the true bottom of the volcano was. For all she knew, she could be near the sea floor. The opening above her sure looked a million miles away. It was daunting and a little scary, but did not stop her from wanting to explore the cave more.
The girls in her project group were widely different from each other. They weren't really friends and barely knew each other, except in passing, despite having lived in the small town for a very long time. People on the coast were close nit. Everyone knew each other by at least name and face. It was nice. Nixie usually liked it, but it also meant there was no privacy.
"Where are they?" Nixie mumbled. She twisted her dyed light blue hair between her fingers, while she looked at the small boat they would be taking. It belonged to one of her friends. He was the one who took her to the island whenever she asked, but today he was unable to take them, so she decided to borrow it. She knew how to drive it, so it really should be no problem.
Nixie adjusted her light blue sundress and tapped her foot impatiently. They should have decided to leave earlier. In a couple hours, it would be pitch black.
Grabbing the bag of test tubes, Nixie went ahead and gently got into the boat, sitting down in the drivers seat. She patted her pockets, making sure she had her cell phone, just in case. All that was left was to wait for everyone else.
While she waited, she could not help but think of how cool it was that they lived in a place that allowed them to do things like this. Everyone in the coastal town was very protective of the environment; even Nixie’s hair dye was made from natural products that would not be toxic if it got in the water. If they did not take care of their lands, waters and animal life, than who would?
Speaking of animals, Nixie straightened up in her seat when she noticed “the friendly neighborhood” dolphin a yard away from the boat. She waved at it and laughed when it waved back. It had recently been released from the Aquatic Animal Rescue Center and always came back for a visit. The town had a couple aquatic centers; one was the rescue center for hurt or sick animals and the other was part of an animal theme park. They both had study programs that studied and learned more about the animals of the sea.
“Come on guys… it’s going to get dark.” She looked up at the sky and shrugged. “At least it’s a full moon tonight.”
@_@_@_@_@
"Good, just in time!" Nixie said as one by one, everyone started to show up. "It's getting dark. We are not the world's best planners." She smiled and felt a wave of awkwardness surround her. Hopefully this would not continue this way; maybe they would have a chance to become friends during the course of their class. She liked making friends, but since she lived in the lighthouse, she did not get the chance to hang out with the neighborhood kids as often because the main housing area on the island was too far to walk. Come to think of it, the others lived in different parts of the island separate from the housing addition, so they probably understood how she felt.
"Let's hit the road... so to speak, before it gets too dark to see." She glanced over the land toward where the white peak of her lighthouse stood. Her dad had a schedule for when the lights were supposed to be on. All the fishermen knew it and if they went out when it was not scheduled to be on, then they were doing it at their own risk. It had to be on a strict schedule to conserve energy for the island. If it was on all the time, it would likely cause power outages, which is why most of the fisherman did their fishing during the day. The night fishermen had special boats with spotlights to help them complete their jobs. It was not scheduled to be on tonight because of the full moon. Usually, a full moon was light enough, but if it was cloudy, then it could potentially be pitch black out soon.
Nixie turned the key in Jay's boat, frowning when it made a weird clicking sound at first. She ignored the warning voice in the back of her head, thinking nothing could possibly go wrong. This boat was as reliable as most of the big fishing boats. It was Jay's pride and joy. They drove for a few minutes in silence; she enjoyed the spray of ocean mist hitting her pale skin. The dolphin from before was following them.
"Hey Ike!" Nixie pointed out the dolphin to everyone else. "He's so smart. Sometimes I think he understands me."
Mako Island was looming up, bigger and bigger. The volcano was in perfect view. It was impressive and a little intimidating, though it had been inactive for as long as any islander could remember. She could see the stream that trickled out of a little opening in the volcano into a mangrove forest.
Just as they were 20 feet from the island, the boat started to sputter. Nixie's eyes widened. She looked at the gas gauge, confused because it was still full. She was no mechanic and had no idea how to check what was wrong with the boat. It had completely died.
She looked over at the other girls and bit down on her lower lip. "Now what? We're going to have to paddle the rest of the way to shore." She picked up one of the paddles, handing it to one of the girls.
@-@-@-@-@
Once they got to the island, she and the other girls pulled the boat far enough onto the beach that it would not be washed away. She sighed and hoped that her actions had not permanently damaged Jay's baby. Nixie pulled her cell phone from her dress pocket and looked down at it. She had 1 bar amazingly enough. She tried to make a call, but it kept dropping after the first ring. She sighed again.
"I've got a single bar. Dad got me this new phone. They advertised that it would have good signal "anywhere," but apparently that did not include Mako Island." She bit down on her lower lip and looked toward the hills and forest all around them. "Maybe higher ground would help?" She put her phone back into her pocket, grabbed her bag and pulled out a couple test tubes. "But first, let me get this really quick before in all the excitement we forget. I know none of us want to fail." She went to the edge of the water, kicked her shoes off and waded to her knees, getting the end of her dress wet. She didn't really care; Nixie had always had a thing for the water. After all, she had been born in one of those fancy water births.
"Is everyone okay with climbing." She was wearing flip flops, so after debating the risk of keeping them on and spraining her ankle on or taking them off and risking stepping on something sharp, she decided she'd rather take the second risk. She had eyes and smarts enough to look where she was walking. Nixie put them in her backpack next to the test tubes and then put the bag around her shoulders.
"Phones out. Watch for a signal, but make sure to watch your step!" She started off, first in line. They would be climbing the hill, which in reality was the bottom of the volcano, now covered with all sorts of plant and wildlife. It was quite amazing how everything had evolved over the years.
The mangrove forest was so breathtaking up close. She looked at the swampy waters and wondered what kind of creatures lived out of sight. She swore she saw a crocodile slipping off a log and into the waters. Nixie paused and squinted her eyes, watching as sure enough a small crocodile moved smoothly through the waters, away from them, to the other side of the swamp area. Some people might feel frightened with such a creature nearby, but she felt at ease because she could tell that it was a freshie.
"There's a freshwater croc. They won't attack unless provoked." Amazing creatures.
Nixie looked down at her phone and sighed. "Still one bar." She pointed up toward a rocky part of the volcano that if they climbed would take them to a higher part of the island.
"It looks easy enough to climb." She looked down at her bare feet. "Even with no shoes." Most of the rocks had been smoothed over by streams of water that had been continuously pouring out of openings in the volcano and into the mangrove forest for over a hundred years, if not more. "Just don't slip. It will be really wet."
She grabbed onto one of the rocks and pulled herself up. It did not take too much effort. She was fit enough. Living on a small island, people mostly walked to where they needed to go, and of course there was a lot of swimming and surfing, though she was more of a swimmer than a surfer. Every few feet of height, she paused and checked her phone. Nothing.
Getting frustrated, she threw up her arms and groaned. "This stupid phone." She was concentrating so much on her phone that she wasn't paying attention to what she was doing. The next thing she knew, darkness and a tightness surrounded her. She was sliding down a smooth, dirt covered tunnel. At the bottom of the tunnel, she tumbled out and did a somersault, landing on ground made out of some sort of rock. Disoriented, she could only blink her eyes a few times. When her vision returned to normal and her eyes adjusted to the lower light, she gasped.
It was a cave, a beautiful cavern filled with strange blue crystals imbedded into the rocky walls. There was almost a glow coming from them, but the most wonderful thing had to be the blue/green pool of water in the middle of the mysterious area.
Nixie stood up, shaking on her feet at first.
"Oh wow...Guys! Guys, can you hear me? Be careful."
She looked up the tunnel. It was much too steep and slippery for her to climb. Nixie turned away from the tunnel and walked a little ways toward the middle of the cave, toward the pool. She bent down and looked inside. It was so clear and looked almost like it would be drinkable, though the few bubbles at the surface, made her believe it was connected to the ocean.
'I've got this weird vibe,' Nixie thought. 'It's almost like this place is magical.' She stood up and did a silly spin. Despite falling into a place that seemed impossible to escape, she felt really excited. Not only was the place mysterious and beautiful, it even felt wonderful. The air inside was fresh and cool on her skin and it smelled like strawberries and spring time. It also made her feel safe; like nothing could ever harm her while in this cavern.
"It's so amazing down here," Nixie yelled up to the girls. She looked up and gasped once again. There was a perfect round opening far above her. "Oh my gosh. I'm at the bottom of the volcano." It was hard telling how far the true bottom of the volcano was. For all she knew, she could be near the sea floor. The opening above her sure looked a million miles away. It was daunting and a little scary, but did not stop her from wanting to explore the cave more.
