The Island of Poa - 4. Discovery

(Adam)

“I’m Hiri, this is my home. Please,” she opened the door and motioned for me to go in after her.

My curiosity prevailed and I followed, feeling excited more than afraid. I knew I was supposed to feel scared, but I just didn’t. She must’ve done something to me, I don’t know what, but I don’t think it was anything evil, just something… strange and powerful.

As I entered her hut, everything was pretty much as I expected, just way more cozy and curious. Shelves were covered in bottles with potions and herbs – for what purpose I didn’t even dare to think, colorful rugs were strewn across the floor, while the warm glow of candles was lighting up the room. A big lizard was soaking up the little sun it could on the window sill, while a pitch black raven was resting up at the top of the closet, observing me. I tried my best not to look at it, feeling like I’d provoke it if I caught his eye.

“Come, sit with me, Adam,” the woman invited me politely.

I sat at the comfortable chair opposite of her, not sure of what to say or do next. She seemed to know everything, so I sort of waited for her instructions or something.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“Uh…”

“Some tea, perhaps,” she added before I could decline. I somehow thought she chose tea for a reason, so I went with it.

“Sure, thank you,” I said as she placed a teacup before me and poured some liquid in it. It smelled nice and sweet. She poured some for herself as well, and I took a sip. It tasted like nothing I’ve ever tried before. I imagine this would be something that fairies would drink if they existed.

“I assume you have a lot of questions. Please, don’t hold back,” she said. After thinking for a while, I spoke.

“Uh, so, how do you know my name? Who are you?”

“I don’t get a lot of foreigners here. People of the island mostly know about me, at least those who have heard the legends, but many still refuse to believe. I don’t blame you for not knowing of me, since you only just came here for the first time.

My name is Hiri, and I live here. If you have talked to any locals, you may have heard legends about this island. These legends say that great, ancient spirits of our ancestors still reside here, protecting the island and its inhabitants. These same spirits have chosen me as a link between them and the people. They communicate with me and allow me to aid the people who come to me.”

“So like… magic?” I never thought I would react so calmly if I ever found out that magic was real. I always imagined I would either freak out and be scared, or be thrilled and excited. Instead, I just accepted everything she said, although I was still a bit confused.

“Spirituality, magic, whatever you want to call it, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’ve found me and I can help you.”

“How can you help me? With what? Is it like… like a genie in a bottle? I say three wishes and you make them come true?” I said, hoping that she wouldn’t think I was a complete moron, or worse – that I was insulting her. She just chuckled softly.

“Well, not exactly. It’s not three wishes, but one. And you don’t get to say it – I get to see it for myself.”

I looked at her for a second, and then looked around the room, trying to understand. She was probably making perfect sense to herself, but not so much to me.

“Here, give me your hand. I will take it and it will allow me to look into your heart and see your greatest desire. Only that can I make come true for you, with certain exceptions, of course.”

“Such as?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“I will not harm an innocent being.”

“Oh, well, I wouldn’t wish something like that anyway.”

“We shall see…” she said softly and took my hand in hers. “Now quiet,” she added and closed her eyes.

Her hands felt so warm. I just sat there, unsure whether I also need to close my eyes or not. Eventually, I realized it was awkward to look at her while she had her eyes closed, so I closed mine as well. I stayed completely still, afraid to do anything that might interrupt her.

She took less time than I expected. After about maybe half a minute, she spoke again. I opened my eyes and looked at her.

“Well, you are a complicated one, aren’t you?” It was a rhetorical question, so I didn’t answer. I just sat there, waiting for her to continue.

“I see many wishes in your heart, many plans for the future and desires for change. You seem unsure of what your life should look like and which direction it should take. I’m afraid I can’t choose for you. You need to settle this matter with yourself. Come to me again when you learn what it is that you want the most. I will be more than happy to help.”

It goes without saying that I was greatly underwhelmed. It’s not that I didn’t believe her – I knew she was right, everything she said was true. I didn’t know what to do with my life. I wanted to change it in every aspect, but I was hoping she’d help me with that. I hoped she would give me a sign or something, so I’d know where to go, what to do. Instead, what did she do? Told me to figure it out on my own. Well, thanks for nothing, I thought, but didn’t say it.

I promised to come back before I went home, and she promised she’d be there, waiting for me. I just hoped I would know what I want by the time I came to see her next time.

I was so lost in thoughts about everything that Hiri said that I didn’t even notice when I came out of the forest. As I approached the town, I decided not to return to the hotel just yet. Finding Kaleo’s address on a piece of paper in my pocket, I thought I could finally pay him a visit. I didn’t really have any excuse to go there, so I figured I’d have to think of something.

An old man opened the door, looking confused and concerned. I was sort of relieved that it wasn’t Kaleo because I didn’t know what I’d say to him. I just wanted to see him.

“Uh, hello, my name is Adam. Is Kaleo here by any chance?”

“No, how do you know my grandson?”

“Well, I don’t really know him that well. We travelled together on the ship and I saw him a few times around the town.” I could see something was eating him up. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s Kaleo…” the old man said, rubbing his temples. “He left this morning, he should’ve returned by now, I’m worried about him but I’m not well enough to go after him. He’s… he’s not feeling well.”

I felt sorry for the old man. He was so worried for his grandson, but was powerless, so of course I offered my help. I didn’t want to admit it, but I was concerned as well, more than I thought I’d be. He briefly explained where Kaleo went, and after I took some water to quench my thirst, I was on my way to try and find him.

(Kaleo)

The weather was really nice, which would make my hike a lot easier, despite the fact that most of it consisted of me climbing up the mountain. It wasn’t a tough trail, not like I’d be climbing up Mount Everest, but still, it was an uphill road most of the way and my physical condition wasn’t exactly top notch.

It was still early morning, so the air was still fresh. It was actually very pleasant – the perfect conditions for hiking. Now if only I could enjoy the view around me… Alas, I had only one thing on my mind – finding the plant and bringing it back.

After walking for about an hour, I felt myself slowing down, unable to keep up the same pace. Finally, I had to admit defeat – although temporary – and sat down on the grass to get some rest. I think I was about halfway there. The most difficult part of the trail was still ahead, because as I got higher, the path got more and more steep and rocky. I opened my backpack and took a few bites of one of the sandwiches I brought. I didn’t want to eat much yet, just enough to give me strength to climb all the way up.

Soon I was back on my feet, continuing with my climb. Just as I thought, about ninety minutes later I was there, at the edge of the big plateau. I don’t even know how I imagined it would look like, but I didn’t think it’d look like that.

Standing there, trying to catch my breath, I was looking at a huge, shallow crater that looked as if it was created by a meteor impact. At least that’s what it looked like to me. However, there was no visible dirt anywhere, the entire surface was covered with grass and bushes. There were like a million different plant species there.

“This is gonna be much harder than I thought,” I said to myself.

Honestly, what did I think – that the Morning Tear would be just waiting for me in plain sight to find it? Of course not. I took out my phone again, looked at the pictures of the plant that I had saved and started looking around. I knelt down, searching through all the bushes and wild growth, trying to focus my attention only on the one plant that I needed.

Looking at my watch, I saw it was almost noon. The sun was high, hitting me in my head and back, making me sweat like crazy. There were no trees around, no shade anywhere. I realized I wouldn’t be able to endure the heat much longer, so I drank some more water and ate one more sandwich, just to get some strength to help me continue my search. After maybe half an hour, my search had yielded results!

“I think… This is it!” I whispered, afraid to believe it.

I quickly pulled out my phone to compare the plant I just found with the pictures I had, and sure enough, it was the Morning Tear! Such a small, unassuming plant, but so incredibly important to me!

I sat down, trying to compose myself. I couldn’t get my hopes up just yet, it was too soon… This is only the first step, I told myself, trying to remain calm. I cut enough plants to fill my entire backpack. No, I wasn’t taking any chances, I didn’t know if it would work or how many attempts it would take, so I had to be sure I had enough.

Eventually, I got up and started making my way home. I still felt bad that I didn’t take some more plants with me, but I probably brought too much already. Also, I just didn’t have enough strength anymore and had to head back.

Going down was much easier than climbing, but I was too weak. The sun was still trying to roast me, but luckily I was able to find some shade on my way down. I found myself having to take breaks after every fifteen minutes of walking, I was just too tired. When I looked down, trying to estimate how much more I had to go, I realized I wasn’t even halfway there. It was discouraging, to say the least… I knew I had to continue, so I forced myself to get back on my feet and continue my way down.

Suddenly, everything became a blur and I collapsed onto the grass. There was no getting up now, and I knew it. The pain had returned and I curled up next to a tree, sweating and moaning. If I was going to lay there, unable to continue, at least I wanted to be protected from the merciless sun. I pulled my knees close to my body and wrapped my arms around my legs, keeping my eyes closed. I could do nothing but wait and hope the pain would go away.

Just as I was about to pass out, I saw a figure approaching and leaning above me.

“Kaleo! Are you alright?”

I blinked a few times, trying to clear my vision and make sure I’m not imagining things.

Luckily, I was not – he was there, trying to help me get up. The stranger.

“Adam? What… what are you doing here?”

Thank you all so much for reading! See you in chapter 5, hopefully sooner rather than later!