The Blissful Island

“Jason, someone is over there. They’re watching us!” Eurydice whispered to her brother. “No one is there. We’ve been stranded here for at least three months. There is no one else on this island with us.” He replied. Eurydice shot him a quizzical look. He immediately got up and walked over to the spot Eurydice had been intently staring at.

It was mid-evening and the sun was just setting. Everything on the island had an illuminated, creepy look. Nighttime was always the strangest time on the island. In the day, everything was beautiful, serene and mesmerizing. It could almost feel like a vacation. As if you were there by your own choice. However, in just a few hours the island would lose its facade and show its true colors.

Jason approached the spot and ducked behind the greenery. He looked around cautiously, tightly gripping his knife in his hand. He saw nothing, just as he’d suspected. Then he heard it, the gravelly, masculine voice, lowered to a whisper. He spun quickly on his heel, coming face to face with a man who seemed to be in his mid-forties.

“You seem frightened.” The man said, stating the obvious. Jason remained silent, observing the man’s features. He noticed the man’s black hair sprinkled with grey and his tattered clothing. “How long have you been here?” Jason asked him. “Well, I’ve been on this island for years. I’ve been watching you and your sister. I know that you want to get off this island more than she does. I know a way off. Care to make a deal?” Jason’s mind started racing. He wondered what kind of deal the man was offering. He decided that anything was better than being stuck on the godforsaken island. “What’s your deal?” he asked. Just like that the terms of the deal were spoken and agreed to in hushed voices carried away on the wind.

“There was nothing over there.” Jason said when he walked over to Eurydice. “Well it was good to check anyway.” She retorted. “Let’s go back up to the cave. We should get some sleep.” Jason told her. The pair walked along in the silent night. A calm breeze was blowing, but there was still a creepy aura around the island. They stopped to pick a couple fruit and then continued their trek. When they reached the cave, they ate the fruit and then drifted off to sleep.

“Eurydice, help me! Please help me!” Jason yelled. Eurydice spun around to see a man looming over her brother. She acted on impulse and lunged toward the man. However, the man seemed to know what she was going to do. He turned around with his knife pointed outward. Eurydice had no time to stop herself from moving forward. She fell right into the man’s trap. A sickening, bloodcurdling scream echoed into the night sky as she landed on the blade.

Eurydice’s eyes shot open. Her heart was racing and, she was sweating. She looked to her right and saw Jason peacefully sleeping. Her dream had felt so real and so frightening. She was relieved to be alive and to see that Jason was also alive. She pulled her knees up to her chest and leaned back against the cool rock of the cave walls. She noticed that the sun was rising, trailing the sky with beautiful hues of orange and pink. Eurydice watched the sunrise while trying to remove the disturbing dream from her mind.

After an hour or two, Jason still hadn’t woken up. Eurydice decided she would take the time to go bathe by the river. She walked down to the river in the cool morning breeze. She ducked behind some greenery and began to bathe herself. She loved the feeling of the cool water on her skin, especially given the fact that she had woken up in a sweat. When she was finished, she got dressed and began walking back to the cave.

Halfway back to the cave, Eurydice paused and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on edge. She could feel eyes trailing her. She did a full 360 degree turn. She saw nothing, yet she still felt eyes on her. Whatever was watching her had an icy gaze and, it made her shiver on the inside. She stood still and, a couple seconds later a rabbit jumped out of the bushes. She reassured herself that the only eyes that had been watching her were those of the rabbit.

When Eurydice reached the cave, Jason was already up. He was peeling fruit for them to eat. “Where have you been?” he asked. “I went to bathe in the river.” She answered. She sat down next to him and he passed her a peeled orange. “I’ve had a strange morning. I woke up from a nightmare and so I decided to go bathe. On my way back from the river, I had the creepiest feeling that someone was watching me. It turned out to be a rabbit, but I was really frightened.” Eurydice told Jason. “I’ve told you that there is no one else on this island! Stop making stuff up in your head!” Jason snapped at her. He got up and walked out of the cave.

Eurydice was shocked. Jason had never yelled at her before. She was tempted to follow him, but she was too scared to have him lash out at her again. She curled up and lay down on the floor. Tears flowed down her face and soon she was sobbing. She cried until she lost her sense of consciousness.

Eurydice woke from her slumber and noticed that the sun was setting. Jason was leaning against the opening of the cave. Eurydice got up and he turned around to look at her. “Eurydice, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lash out at you.” He said to her. Honesty gleamed brightly in his eyes like the sun shining on the sea. “It’s okay. You just scared me.” Eurydice admitted. “Let’s go down to the field and watch the sunset.” Jason suggested. The field that Jason mentioned was Eurydice’s favorite spot on the island. It seemed to be the only place that wasn’t creepy in the night. It was filled with sweet smelling flowers and it was on a cliff that overlooked the ocean. “I love that idea!” Eurydice exclaimed as she got up.

The pair walked over to the field in a comfortable silence. When they got there, Eurydice breathed in the pleasant smell of Gardenia, Jasmine and Wisteria flowers. She exhaled deeply and looked up at her brother. Jason was looking up at the sky with a certain sadness in his eyes. Eurydice reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “What’s wrong, Jason?” “It’s nothing important. I’m just happy right now and I wish I could hold onto this moment forever. I wish we could live frozen in time.” He told her. “But we can’t, so stop getting so sad.” Eurydice told him.

She walked over to the edge of the cliff and looked at the view. It was breathtaking. The sun was setting and, the sky was tainted with hues of purple and blue. It seemed as though the sun was reaching down to gently touch the sea. Gentle waves were rolling across the sea. It appeared like the wind was gently exhaling across the ocean. Jason had walked over to her and was staring at the ocean intently. “Eurydice, I want you to know that you are the best sister I could’ve ever had. I love you, sis.” He said in a sudden surge of emotion. Eurydice turned towards him. She had a heartfelt smile on her face and her green eyes sparkled with admiration. “Jason, you are the most amazing big brother. I love you too.” She reached over to hug him. The siblings shared a silent hug for a couple minutes.

Jason was conflicted, but he could not deny the fact that the perfect opportunity had walked right into his arms. Eurydice’s back was turned to the cliff. He pulled back from the hug and looked deeply in her eyes. “I’m sorry.” He said with a look of deep regret in his eyes. With one swift movement, Jason pushed Eurydice over the edge. She yelled, “Jason, help me! Please help me!” on her way down. Her yell was carried away on the evening breeze as Jason wiped tears from his eyes.

“You’ve done well, Jason.” Jason spun around to see the same man from the night before. “I’ve completed my part of the deal. Now tell me how to get off the island.” The man stepped forward and whispered to Jason. “There is only one way off this island, death.” Jason didn’t even have time to react before the man had stabbed him in the stomach. He groaned in pain. The man removed the knife and threw Jason’s limp body over the edge of the cliff.

The man’s laughter was carried away on the evening breeze and echoed all around the field.