Malik heard cries from above.
The white seagulls circled above him like vultures. They sounded like they were laughing, but they weren't even looking at him.
Odd enough, they seemed to be focusing their gaze at the ship rather than Malik, but kept gyrating above him. It was almost like they were impatiently waiting for their next meal to show itself.
Malik waved to their flapping wings and their golden beaks.
But they ignored him. Then he looked at the ship they seemed to be so interested in.
It collided with the monolith. The mountain of stone had bent the bow where authority once stood, and the bow was pointing right at him.
It was strange—the hum of the ship had stopped completely, as if it crashed when it reached its intended destination. A destination nobody could ever fathom.
He felt the tide drift higher and lather his feet. The soothing aqua sea massaged his feet as small grains of sand danced in the wash.
He decided to turn around, averting his gaze from the second sand angel he made, like it were a monster under his bed.
Malik felt the crunching of sand underneath his feet, a sensation that relaxed him, like cracking a spine. It clung to his soles, nibbling between his toes as they coated them like powder.
Then, a voice in the distant forest called out to him.
"C'mon, Malik! Pep in your step, we've gotta move!" Zayne said loudly. He held a large bag over his shoulder.
Malik laughed as he walked quicker, the sand remaining clinging to him.
"So what's our move?" Malik asked.
Amaya stepped in, holding a blue cooler. "We can't just sit there and rot on the ship, so we gotta find a way to get this ship working again."
"So we're running on hopes now?" Malik asked, tilting his head.
Amaya shook her head and walked away. But in the cooler she held, something sloshed.
Shoving thick bushes out of his path, Kamil said, "Not a good time, y'know." His frog charm dangled as he spoke.
Malik looked down, spotting the division between sand and dirt, like a fine line displaced between them.
Kamil continued, "Aye, Malik. Go with them two." He pointed at Zayne and Kaya. "A little birdie told me this is a big moment for you."
Malik gave a warm smile and finally stepped foot onto the dirt.
It was cold, and it didn't invade his pores. The rough texture only sunk his feet this time.
Beyond the dirt, leafy bushes sprawled across the greenery. Curved trees with lime-green leaves made an entrance for them as the soft winds passed by.
"Let's go, man." Zayne pointed to the forest.
Malik nodded, getting ready to embark as they waved goodbye to the rest of them.
Amaya, Kamil, and Lias seemed to be going elsewhere.
Whether they would all ever be able to return again or not, he would at least be able to cherish this moment.
Walking beside Kaya and Zayne, he felt an utter peace that he didn't recognize. He stared too long at certain leaves, at certain bushes, and at certain trees.
"You really like the forest, Malik," Zayne commented.
"Yeah. I've only seen them in pictures. But not in any good pictures. This doesn't seem like it would be in any of those," Malik uttered.
A quiet second passed as the low leaves brushed their hair.
Zayne patted his head as if a bug landed in it, and Kaya kept her feet close together so as not to make the wrong step. However, Malik walked rejoiced. His open demeanor seemed almost unrecognizable to them.
He grinned. "You know, Zayne, looking at this, I'm surprised you chose the sea."
"I wish I was able to choose it on my terms. Not really a choice when it's all you can do to make some sort of name for yourself," Zayne responded.
"What do you mean by that?" Malik asked, his eyes beady.
"Oh, right. It means you support yourself and the others around you, while living a life you truly want to live," Zayne answered.
"I'd say you've made quite a name for yourself, man. You're Zayne, not anybody else," Malik gleamed.
"Yeah. Yeah, I guess I have. Thanks, Malik." Zayne smiled, his cheeks raised as his back straightened.
Passing by, flashes of all kinds of plants displayed themselves. The oaky smell of the wood filled each of their nostrils. Suddenly, he stopped.
"You guys, come take a look at this," Zayne said, lifting up a vine in front of a tree.
Malik leaned closer and saw it. Two lines in different paths. One line held joyful red ants, smaller, almost dancing as they seemed to be laughing at the other line. The other line had a dull, straight row of larger black ants, not looking anywhere but forward.
"Yeah, I see. The ants," Malik said.
"No, not that. That's how nature operates. Look at this vine," Zayne said.
Malik averted his attention from the divided ants and stared at the vine. It was a dark shade of green, yet had spots of amber glowing on top of it—spots shaped like eyeballs.
"I was always interested in plants as a kid. Growing up in Mala, I'd see plants just like these, only with black spots, like they were empty," Zayne uttered.
He continued, "It reminds me of those days coming home from school and inspecting all types of nature. The next day I'd wake up sick or with a rash. But I didn't mind, because it was worth it."
Yeah. I remember waking up every day on the ship, and…
. . .
Malik sniffed.
"My mom was a teacher too, so she'd know a thing or two about these plants. The color of the spot always determines the health of the plant. The brighter it is, the healthier," Zayne added.
Kaya stared in awe as her dark brown eyes captured the plant.
"Didn't we see those types of vines all on the ship when we woke up?" she asked.
"We didn't. Those had no spots, so nothing but time could determine their health," Zayne responded.
"But Zayne, since you know a lot about plants, why were there plants on the ship?" Kaya asked.
He sighed. "We shouldn't have. Listen, I'm not the smartest guy, but there's no way vines can appear wrapped around us, the stair handles, and the railings. There's no level of disaster that can do that."
"But you've said to me it's a big world out there. Anything can happen, right?" Malik asked curiously.
Zayne gave a smirk. "Yeah… yeah, man. Now let's keep moving. I don't like to think too hard about these things."
As time passed, the forest seemed to be getting taller. The once-bright sun that heated them was seeping its warmth through the gaps between leaves from high up.
Malik strolled, careless of his next step. He saw a black-spotted fruit hang low from a tree and—
"Don't. Touch. That," Kaya said, monotonal.
"Why not?" he asked, naive.
"You don't grab fruits you don't recognize. Since that thing's got black spots, there's no telling the amount of poisonous stuff in it. I know you might think it's a paradise, but not everything in it is a gift," Zayne said.
"Some things here could be a test," Kaya added.
"So am I supposed to be scared of this world?" Malik inquired.
"No, not at all. The world doesn't want you scared. It wants you cautious. And if you ate it right there, that would've been a lesson," Zayne responded.
"I see. But this realm looks so large, I could walk in it for hours, days, weeks, and not get tired of it," Malik muttered, looking up.
He had his arms out and his legs leaped forward, ready for whatever nature had in store for him next.
"Don't get mistaken. This is just an island. A realm is way, way bigger—and probably with more people too."
"But aren't there lots of people here right now?" Malik tilted his head.
Zayne raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"
He pointed at each plant. "I mean, look all around. There's people everywhere."
Malik hovered his finger over the leaves, the insects, and the trees.
Zayne chuckled as he wiped sweat off his forehead. "Yeah, I see them."
He shifted the conversation. "Say, Kaya, why are you so silent?"
She clicked her tongue. "I'm not a fan of the taste of the air here."
Looking at Malik, she asked, "Malik, you breathe the air in like you've tasted it before. Were you raised near a forest like this?"
Malik chuckled. "Ha. I wish. I can appreciate this smell. At least it isn't the boring, salty sea for once."
Zayne bumped Kaya's shoulder and whispered, "You could've phrased that better. At least he's in a good mood."
Kaya's eyes widened as she asked something else. "Say, Malik, did you see anything interesting like this on deck, before I got here?"
Malik looked at her. "Not really. I was either staring out at sea or schooling myself."
"You went to school?" she asked.
"Don't we all? I stared at the wall, I rationed my food, and I learned to speak from hearing conversations. I more schooled myself, but you get the point."
"Uh, yeah. We all did. Yours seemed to be a little more… self-study," Kaya frowned.
"Strict students need strict lessons," Malik said, closing his eyes.
They walked for what felt like ages. It felt like the island began to climb up with them, and getting taller each time they look up.
For Malik, it felt like minutes. When he opened them, it looked like an entirely new biome.
Walking blindly in serenity, he chose to be ignorant of what was in front of him. Is there any joy in feeling the presence, but never truly seeing it?
could've sworn that my eyes were closed briefly. How long has it been, that the forest turned into this?
When Malik opened his eyes, he saw it. Kaya and Zayne stared at it as well.
Past them stood a large tree with plucked fruits. Wooden spears lay beside it.
Between them and the tree, a crystal-clear lake, the color of blood. It looked like a blood vessel between them.
Malik muttered, "Zayne, you mentioned supporting 'others.' Are the people who were here the 'others' you're referring to?"
. . .