A world of his own
The island was quiet as no one else was there. Only him. He slowly walked along the path near the cliff, where you could see far away over the sea, the sea that was throwing itself at the rocks down below.
The forest stood dense at his left and a few trees also stood between the path and the cliff. It was here he liked to be the most. Here and no where else. This was his haven, the island that connected with the other islands, also deserted.
It had lived people here, the ritual statues and houses were still standing, pretty good in shape. The people had left it at some point though, why unknown to him. His white hair swayed in the wind.
A bend of the island made another visible. It had a hill in the middle, the whole island was practically a hill covered in lush trees. Something shiny could be seen a bit down, behind the forest. He knew it was an observatory. The culture had been fascinated by the space and heavens, in many ways. They had believed in gods that lived in the sky, but they also studied the stars and other objects in the sky.
The islands were connected by small wagons, you could say, that travelled on metal bars over the sea and in it. The first time he had tried one he felt afraid of the small space and the old machinery creaking ominous. The ride had started and he had been thrilled; it had gone over the cliffs and sea too another island equal in size. After that he had no problem with them, not even the underwater wagons
The forest got less dense and the path turned in it, winding between the big trees. Blue light shone faintly from behind stones and the path continued through a cut stone. There was a wooden gate in the end that he knew wasn't locked.
On the other side you could see how high you really were. A path of wood connected with several others a bit down and in the beginning he hadn't known which one to take.
You could spot two other islands from there. He loved the view.
The sea was glistering in the sun that slowly was setting. It was quiet there. Not even the birds sung. He had wondered why, but now he understood. The place wasn't a place for mating or fun; it was a relaxing, coaxing place. You simply got in the mood where you just wanted to sit and stare. But he had been eager to find out all about the place. His secret place.
When Ryo was small he had wandered along the shore. It was an ordinary shore with wide sand area and thin grass to replace it further in. The waves obediently lulled the sand and larger stones, once in a while leaving sea grass or a shell. Quite boring and depressive.
He had gone longer than ever before, than he was allowed too, but he simply couldn't loose that longing feeling. When were you supposed to go back anyway? When you didn't see your house? When the time you should have been home had passed since long? Or do you keep going towards that something you hope to find? The highest spot or a dead end.
Ryo kept going, arriving at some rocks. The child he was he had gone exploring them. Climbing over them to the other side where the sea was a little wilder but so clear you could see the bottom, he had found a cave. He wasn't afraid of it, he never were in nature. If it had been a tunnel created by man, he probably would have left. But it wasn't.
The cave was deeper than it had seemed, but still it was just the right size. It cleared into a slightly larger space with a hole with a ladder. The sides of the hole were smooth and the ladder was made out of thick dark wood. If Ryo had been older, he would have wondered who might have put it there and maybe wouldn't have gone down, but now he was only seven.
He had climbed down and found himself in a tunnel. It was dark, but not too big and he went forward, not leaving the wall with his hands. The sides there also were smooth.
The journey had seemed to last forever, but suddenly he spotted a white light. He knew it was the end of the tunnel. He began to run and soon he was covered in the rays of the descending sun. An open area was in front of him, with a small mountain behind. He looked around and discovered a stone path leading around it and ran down it.
The view was stunning. He could just stare at the island below him and the sea out there. Two other islands were visible and in the orange light they gave a mysterious aura. Ryo had preserved that memory; the first time he found his own world. It was an astonished and overwhelmed feeling, containing joy and delight.
He smiled at the memory. He had been so eager to find out everything. There were so many paths and so many places. It was almost depressing. He still had that desire to explore, and did it when he felt like it. But mostly he would bask in the private and open feeling.
So content. There couldn't bee another place like this. He pitied the others that hadn't found this place, hadn't found their have, but he couldn't care less most of the time. And he was happy no one else had found his haven. Never was he going to tell anyone about it. If he ever found anyone here he would be devastated, he knew. Sad, depressed and angry. But he wouldn't fight. He would leave. What was the point with a secret place when someone else knew about it?
In the future, he thought, I will never fall in love. And if I do, I will never show this place to the one.
The thing that frightened him most about love was that you went crazy, mushy and just trusting. That you wanted to share everything with your other. He didn't.
In the back of his mind he could hear his friends pointing out that if he fell in love he would want to show the place. That you wanted that when you fell in love. That his reasoning was illogical. But that was precisely it; he didn't want.
He hadn't told his friends about his haven. He hadn't told anyone.
The sun was orange and big over the sea. The crickets here made a more musical sound than back home. It gave the whole place a magical mood. Blue and dim was its colour. He felt content in it.
The clouds were turning orange and purple. He leaned back. The sky was so high above and the clouds were white shining in the darkening sky. It was time too go back soon. But he would wait until the sun was down. He couldn't leave without that, he had to complete his visit with it.
He sat on a rock near the edge. The island was below him, and further out the sea. This was home. This was his.
The sun disappeared and he stood. A chilly wind had started to blow and the trees whispered as he went back to the real world.
Tomorrow would be a new day.