Years ago, I would never have imagined or even possessed the capability of thought of the wonders that lay beyond the sea. The only other glimpse of civilisation I reminisced was that of four or five older women, clouded by the cracks in my memory, the only thing that promised more than my father's island.
Before long, having spent my entire life on the Island, I found myself growing bored of the same tedious exploration of the land. There was only so much one could do when one lived alone on an unmapped island, waiting for the rest of the world to find you. When the sky was dark and the stars illuminated the distant waters, I could only speculate as to what lay beyond. That mystic world my father spoke of so vaguely but his eyes reignited every time he did, merely made me more curious. However, there were times when my father's voice grew cold with anger and resentment, I could only observe him as he disregarded my questions and spent the rest of his night in unpleasant slumber. No matter how much I marvelled and fantasised about that world, I would always know for certain that it caused my father pain. There was a danger in that world, a great threat that I could not fathom.
One day, I was stunned to discover where my future lay, for it was a shipwrecked voyager that brought me my king. Ferdinand was the third man I had ever laid eyes on since the day I was born; a noble and divine spirit who roamed the sands that day, a godly creature that instantly took possession of my heart. Before long we were engaged to be married, and I was soon shipped out to the promising new world of Naples.
In the past, my father taught me everything he knew; everything his books carried. All the magic, knowledge and mystery in the whole world could not have prepared me for what I set my eyes upon after the journey across the seas, for I had never witnessed such sublimity or beauty in all of my naïve years. It reminded me of Ariel, and of my father. It reminded me of home. The Island may have been isolated and wild and dangerous, but it was full of the mystery and magic that made my childhood what it was. I look back from where I am now and desire the unpredictability of it all, the wonder and stimulating magnificence that lingered there still. Or I hoped desperately that it was still to be found for I had ceased to receive any correspondence from my father within the last few lonely months.
I dreamt of returning there one day.