My Island

• Maddy Holliday, Grade 6, St Anthony's Primary School
• Short Story
• 2018

Excellence Award in the 'Write Along 2018' competition

Wind rushes, blows and sways through the sky. Rolling hills, the colour of jade sit high above the horizon. Clouds line the sky hovering over the valley, some grey, threatening to rain, some soft puffs of nothingness floating without a care. Sun kissed lakes with trickling waterfalls. The droplets of water glimmer in the summer sun as it spills into the abyss of water below.
In between the tall valleys, shadows loom as the sun sinks below the surface. The same shadows grow, covering the island. The moon and a few glinting stars are now the only source of light to guide the lost traveller. Calls echo through an open clearing. Vines climb up the dark oak tree. Strange creatures scutter and flap above.
Pressing my hand up against the damp tree, I close my eyes. I wonder. I think about who has been here before, what they have left behind, what memories they have shared with this island. Images from the past pour into my mind. I try to block them out. It doesn’t help, they’re still there, tucked away in the deepest darkest corner of my mind. I give in. Cold tears slowly fall down my cheeks and onto the ground. Anger, confusion and sadness hit me like a surging wave.
I’m alone. My family wanted it that way, that's why I’m here. Abandoned by my mother and father. Never had the feeling that every child yearns for, that feeling of belonging, that one good thing that makes you feel warm inside, love. All I ever wanted was to be loved.
Been here for too long, known this place too well. Every nook and cranny, every hiding place, to the island’s deepest secrets. Known how to survive blistering cold nights and the scorching hot summer days. I know where I belong. The Island takes care of me, this is my home.