The Island of Something

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Part 1

Hi, my name is Key. I live in Picton, South Island, New Zealand. It’s a postcard-perfect town, all quaint shops and colorful boats bobbing in the harbor, tucked between two towering mountains on the shore of Grove Arm of the Cook Strait. Picton is the gateway to the Marlborough Sounds, a labyrinth of islands and inlets. Basically, it's in the middle of nowhere, which suits me just fine, most of the time.

One thing you need to know is that I’m a little different. More than a little, actually. I am not fully human. I am part wolf. I have pointed, furry ears that twitch at the slightest sound and two bushy tails that betray my emotions with every wag and swish. The rest of me, well, the rest of me looks… normal as any other human. Deceptively so. Despite the fear of exposure, I find solace in the company of my friends at the bus stop, their cheerful greetings a momentary escape from the weight of my secret, a heritage that sets me apart in ways I can't ignore.

My day started like any other. My mom yelled, “Key, hurry up! You'll miss the bus!” I bolted downstairs, dodging our ancient tabby cat, Granola, on the way. My mom, her face etched with a familiar anxiety, was waiting with my usual oversized beanie. “Don’t forget this,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. Because if anyone saw my ears, not to mention my tails, they wouldn’t see a kid. They’d see a monster.

I pulled the beanie low, hiding every trace of my wolfish heritage. “Thanks, Mom.” I grabbed a shiny red apple from the counter and ran to the bus stop.

“Hi!” my friends, Maya and Leo, shouted as I arrived.

“Hi,” I said, trying to force a smile.

We sat on the weathered bench, chatting about video games and the upcoming school dance, the mundane normalcy of their lives a balm to my ever-present apprehension. The bus lumbered into view, a yellow beast swallowing us into its belly.

School was…complicated. The teachers were kind, oblivious to the secret I carried. But then there were the others. The popular kids. The ones who saw anything different as a target. Today was no exception.

'Hey, Stinky Beanie,' sneered Jake, the self-proclaimed king of our class, his eyes glued to my beanie. 'Are you bold under there or is your hair as ugly as your face, huh?' His cronies snickered behind him.

I clenched my fists, my tails twitching furiously under my jeans. My nails longed to transform into claws, to scratch the smug look off his pretty, snotty face. But I didn't. I just stood there, a silent, seething volcano. This was a daily occurrence. Their insults and jokes were so boring it felt like they were on repeat.

'Hey! Leave her alone!' I heard Maya shout, her small voice surprisingly fierce. She and Leo charged forward, shoving Jake and his friends back. A distraction. A chance.

Without thinking, without a word of thanks, I ran. Away from the taunts, away from the stifling school, away from the constant fear. I ran until my lungs burned and my legs ached. I ran until the school was a distant memory, replaced by the cool, green embrace of the forest.

Finally, I stopped, gasping for breath. I looked around. Towering trees formed a dense canopy overhead, filtering the sunlight into dappled patterns on the mossy ground. The air was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth. I was lost. Totally, utterly lost. Just perfect.

“Help!” I yelled, my voice cracking with desperation. “Can anyone hear me?”

The only response was the rustling of leaves and the distant call of an Eastern Bluebird. The wind whispered through the trees, sounding like mournful sighs. Nature, indifferent and beautiful, didn't care about my predicament.

Swallowing my fear, I decided to keep walking. Surely, if I just kept going, I’d eventually find a path, a road, something that would lead me back to Picton, back to normalcy.

I pushed through a thicket of ferns, my heart pounding in my chest. Each snapping twig sounded like a threat, each shadow seemed to hold a lurking danger. The forest, once a refuge, now felt like a prison.

As I walked, I couldn't help but wonder if I was meant to be alone, an outcast forever caught between two worlds. Wolf and human. Fear and longing. The weight of my secret pressed down on me, heavy and suffocating.

'Maybe,' I whispered to the silent trees, 'Maybe I don't belong anywhere.'

Part 2

The forest seemed to have swallowed me whole. Each step was a gamble, a silent plea echoing in the oppressive darkness. I had been lost for hours, the trees loomed over me like skeletal fingers pointing accusations at the sky. My heart was a frantic drum against my ribs. Then, I saw it - a light. Not the diffuse, scattered glow of the moon, but a concentrated glow, a promise of escape. Hope, a forgotten butterfly, fluttered in my chest.

I took off running, fueled by adrenaline and desperation. My legs pumped, ignoring the protesting ache in my muscles. I was so focused on the light that I didn’t watch my footing. A root, hidden in the undergrowth, came out of nowhere and tripped me. I crashed to the ground, and got the wind knocked right out of me, a sharp pain exploding in my head.

Groaning, I pushed myself up, vision swimming. The light was still there, now closer than it had been before, but strangely…different. It was a warm, inviting glow. It emanated from a structure, a stark contrast to the organic chaos of the forest. I stumbled towards it, the image resolving itself into a massive, golden door. Intricate symbols, like elegant brushstrokes, adorned its surface.

It was Japanese. And luckily, I could read it. My breath hitched as I deciphered the characters: 'The Island of Something.'

The name was unsettling, bizarre. But something compelled me to say it aloud. 'The Island of Something,' I whispered, the words hanging in the still night air.

As the last syllable left my lips, the door erupted in a blinding light. It pulsed with an impossible luminescence, bathing the forest in an ethereal glow. Then, with a low, resonant hum, it swung inward, revealing an inky blackness beyond.

Hesitation warred with curiosity. This was insane, obviously insane. But the allure of the unknown was too strong to resist. Taking a deep breath, I stepped across the threshold.

The forest vanished.

I wasn't in the forest anymore. The air was sterile, metallic, and hummed with the low thrum of machinery. I was in a lab. A truly unsettling lab.

But before the unease truly set in, my stomach growled, loud enough to echo in the unsettling quiet. An undeniably delicious aroma wafted through the air, a complex mix of spices and something…sweet? Driven by a primal urge, I followed my nose.

The closer I got to the source of the smell, the more disturbing the surroundings became. Glass jars lined the walls, filled with…things. Brains suspended in formaldehyde, disembodied fingers, milky, vacant eyeballs. It was a macabre museum of human spare parts, meticulously cataloged and displayed.

Then, in the center of the room, I saw it: a massive, humming machine, bristling with wires and tubes. Dials blinked; lights flickered. It looked like something a mad scientist would build in a psychotic dream. I hesitantly approached, drawn in by a morbid curiosity. I stared at the array of buttons, each labeled with cryptic symbols.

Suddenly, a sound pierced the quiet - approaching footsteps. Panic flared. I scrambled for cover, diving behind a stack of dusty boxes just as a figure entered the room.

I peeked through the gaps in the cardboard. The figure was hunched, gaunt, and muttering to itself in a language I didn’t recognize. The voice was raspy, dry, like dead leaves rustling in the wind. Its movement was jerky in an unsettling way. My heart hammered in my chest; like a frantic bird trapped in a cage. I was utterly terrified.

The figure shuffled over to the machine and began pressing buttons with frantic energy. Lights flashed, sparks flew, and the machine whined. Then, just as abruptly as it had arrived, it turned and hobbled out of the room, leaving me alone with the humming contraption and my own mounting terror.

I waited until the footsteps faded into silence before daring to move. I burst from behind the boxes and sprinted to the door, desperate to escape this nightmare. But the door wouldn’t budge. I pushed, pulled, slammed my shoulder against it, but it remained stubbornly, impossibly locked.

'Help me! Let me out!” I yelled, pounding on the cold, unyielding metal. The only response was the echo of my own desperate cries.

Then, it began. A soft, ethereal glow surrounded me, swirling around my limbs like liquid light. The colors shifted and danced, creating a rainbow of otherworldly light. I felt a tingling sensation, a strange energy coursing through my veins.

'What is going on?!' I screamed, my voice cracking with fear. Panic choked me, stealing my breath. I wished I had stayed in the forest, braving the darkness. Why did I always have to be so curious? This was the Island of Something, alright. And I had a feeling I was about to find out what that 'something' was.

Part 3

I woke up in a bed, but it wasn’t my bed or my room. Panic fluttered in my chest. A trapped bird desperate for release. Having no clue as to how I got there, I stumbled out of the soft sheets and walked to the window. A gasp caught in my throat. I wasn’t in the forest anymore, that strange, weird little lab, or even in my small little town. It was an island, a slice of paradise ripped straight from a postcard. White sand stretched along the curve of a bay, meeting crystal clear blue water that shimmered under the warm sunlight. Closer to the cottage, a lovely garden burst with color. Lily’s, tulips, roses, and other flowers I didn’t recognize swayed gently in the breeze.

Cautiously, I walked to the door and crept outside, wanting a better view. The air smelled of salt and something sweet, like honey and jasmine. 'Hi,' a voice said, startling me.

My mom always said to use my manners, so I said 'Hi' back, even though my heart was hammering against my ribs. Plus, on top of everything, I needed to find out where I was. 'May I ask you a question?' I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

'Yes, you may,' the stranger replied.

'What is this place, I mean, where are we?' I asked, gesturing around at the fantastical scene.

The stranger's eyes, a shade of deep emerald, twinkled mysteriously. 'The answer to this question is not for me to say, but for you to figure out.'

'Hmm, ok,” I mumbled, feeling more confused than ever. 'Then how about a simpler question? What is your name?'

'My name is Hoblit,' he said with a smile.

'Nice to meet you, Hoblit. My name is Key.'

'It's nice to meet you as well,' said Hoblit.

I noticed that Hoblit was looking at me strangely, a mixture of amusement and astonishment in his gaze. That’s when I realized I didn’t have my hat on. I always wore a hat. But no, he was looking behind me, his eyes wide.

'What are you looking at?' I asked, my hand instinctively reaching behind my back.

He just laughed, a light, tinkling sound, and handed me a mirror. I took it, my reflection swimming into focus. That's when I realized I looked...different. Horrifyingly different. I had seven tails instead of two, fluffy and foxlike, rippling behind me. 'What the...' And I had wings now! Small, shimmering wings, like a hummingbird's, sprouted from my back. 'How did this happen?!' I gasped, the world tilting dangerously around the edges. I think I am going to faint.

'The lab you were trapped in, with its machine, gave you powers,' Hoblit said, his voice calm and grounding.

'How does this help, and what kind of powers?' I asked, my voice trembling.

'I don't know yet, but wear this,' Hoblit said, holding out his hand with something in it.

'What is it?' I asked, squinting at the small object.

'You will see,' Hoblit said, his eyes sparkling with secrets. So, hesitantly, I put out my hand. he placed a necklace in my palm. It was exquisitely crafted, a delicate flower-shaped pendant with petals of polished silver. But the center was what caught my eye – a bloody red ruby stone, glowing with an inner fire.

'It is very pretty. What is it for?' I asked, running my fingers over the cool metal.

'Something that will help you control your powers until you are ready to unleash them,' Hoblit said, his gaze serious.

'Thank you,' I said, my voice soft with gratitude.

'You are welcome, Key. Now, it is time...' Hoblit paused, his emerald eyes scanning the horizon. The air thickened, a tangible shift in the atmosphere. The playful breeze died down, and the vibrant colors of the garden seemed to deepen, as if absorbing more light. 'It is time for you to begin.'

Part 4

The next thing I know is he transports me home. But not back into the forest, but back to my school. Instead of going into the school, I ran as fast as I could back home. In front of my house, my mom was waiting for me. She gave me a big tight hug. “I missed you so much!” yelled my mom. “Where have you been?” I told her everything that happened, about the forest, the strange man, and the journey back.

“Wow, that is so cool,” Mom said, her eyes wide with a mix of disbelief and excitement. After talking to my mom for a bit, I went upstairs to my room and collapsed onto my bed, exhaustion pulling me under.

The next morning, I got dressed and reluctantly headed to school. “Oh no!” I muttered under my breath. The bullies were right there, leaning against the lockers, the same cruel glint in their eyes. I was hoping to avoid them. But this time they yelled, “Hey everyone, the ugly weirdo is back!” What stung the most was that my ex-friend, Sarah, just laughed at me. This time I was going to stick up for myself. “HEY!” I yelled, my voice surprisingly loud and firm.

They just stared at me, surprised because I never said anything before, I just usually took it. I took a breath and thought it worked. I started to relax when I heard them starting to laugh again. Then, without warning, Sarah kicked me as hard as she could. But I felt nothing. Absolutely nothing. She stopped, her eyes narrowed in confusion and told everyone to help her out. Then they all started to kick me and punch me, but I still felt nothing at all. It was like they were hitting a soft fluffy wall.

Then I heard a voice in my head. “Who's there?” I spoke, startled. “It's me,” the voice replied. “Me who?” I asked, a tremor of fear running down my spine. “It is the voice in your head,” it said. “What do you want from me?” I asked, my heart pounding in my chest.

“I want to make your nightmares go away, make all the people who have ever hurt you disappear, and return all your friends to you.” the voice offered. “What is your name?” I asked, suddenly curious. “I don’t have one, but if you want to give me a name you can,” it said. “I will name you Flower,” I said. “Very pretty, thank you. Now, will you accept my offer?” Flower asked. “Yes,” I said, without hesitation. “Alright then, close your eyes,” Flower said.

I did what Flower said; I closed my eyes. I suddenly woke up a few minutes later hearing people screaming and running. I opened my eyes, the hallway was engulfed in chaos. Students were screaming, pointing, and trying to scramble away from… nothing?

“What is going on?” I asked Flower, my voice tight with confusion. “I am showing them what it's like to be bullied,” Flower replied, their voice calm amidst the pandemonium. “What they did today to you was wrong, they need to be taught a lesson, and they deserve to vanish for good.”

I looked around, a cold dread settling in my stomach. I saw Sarah, her face contorted in terror, flailing at something invisible. Other bullies were cowering, screaming apologies to the empty air. “Vanish?” I whispered. “They are really going to vanish?”

“They caused you immense pain,” Flower's voice echoed in my head, a justification for the madness going on all around me. “They deserve to experience a fraction of the torment you have endured.”

Fear turned into a cold, hard knot in my stomach. Was this what I truly wanted? Complete obliteration for those who wronged me? I saw the fear in their eyes, the genuine desperation, and something inside me cracked.

“Flower,” I said, my voice trembling. “Stop. Please, stop this now.'

Part 5

The scene was a twisted tableau of regret. There, huddled in the dusty corner of the gymnasium, was Sarah, her face buried in her hands. Her shoulders shook with silent sobs, and her voice was a mere whisper lost in the cavernous space. 'I should have helped her...I shouldn't have been so mean...if I wasn't so horrible, things wouldn't be like this...'

Her words, fragmented and riddled with remorse, pierced through me. “Like this?” she echoed in my mind. What exactly was “this”? What had I become? I hadn’t seen myself in a mirror lately, too consumed with…everything. What *was* I like now?

A voice, calm and melodic, bloomed in the back of my head. 'Flower, what does she mean by that statement?' I asked, my inner voice tinged with a fear I couldn’t quite name.

Flower, the entity that resided within me, a voice, a guide, a power I barely understood, responded with unsettling ease. Suddenly, an image flashed across my mind's eye – a creature of terrifying beauty and raw power. A fierce, red, seven-tailed being. Part wolf, with its powerful limbs and fur standing on end, part human, with its upright posture and piercing red eyes that blazed with an ancient, intelligent light. Wings, leathery and vast, sprouted from its back. Sparkling white fangs, long and sharp, glistened in the imagined light.

'They all must die,' Flower stated, the voice a chilling echo in my skull.

Panic clawed at my throat. 'No, Flower, this isn't what I want!' The image was intoxicating, a promise of retribution, but it repulsed me.

'They deserve it,' Flower insisted, the voice laced with seductive venom.

'No, they don't!' I yelled, my voice shaking. The image of the creature wavered, flickering like a dying flame in my mind. 'I may not like that they are mean to me, hurt me, or that I'm different from the rest of them. But no one deserves to vanish or die.'

'So what is the point of having this power if you don't want them to pay?' Flower asked, a hint of disappointment cutting through the melodic tone.

The question struck a nerve. I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the image of the wolf-human hybrid, trying to shut out the yearning for revenge that Flower represented. 'I never wanted any power at all,' I confessed, my voice barely a whisper. 'And I never would want to use my power for harm. All I want is to be a kid and have real friends that will accept me for me.'

There was silence for a long moment. Then, Flower's voice, tinged with a finality that made my heart ache, spoke. 'Well, then I will go. But just remember, once I go, you are stuck with whatever the future holds and whatever power you have left, understand?'

I thought about it. About the loneliness, the pain, the constant feeling of being an outsider. About the temptation to lash out, to make them pay. But the thought of seeing that red creature unleashed, of causing true harm, made me sick. I had to choose a different path.

'Yes, I understand,' I said, releasing the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

'Alright, goodbye and good luck,' Flower said, the voice already fading, becoming a distant memory.

As the voice in my head vanished, a figure blurred in front of me. It was Sarah, tears streaming down her face, rushing towards me. She threw her arms around me in a tight, desperate hug.

'I am so sorry to have ever hurt you like that! Can you ever forgive me?' she choked out, her voice thick with emotion.

Part of me wanted to say no. To revel in her misery, to make her suffer as I had suffered. But I remembered something I had once read: *you can forgive someone, but that doesn’t mean you will forget what they have done*. Forgiveness wasn't about erasing the past; it was about freeing yourself from its grip. It was about choosing to move forward. To not let them have the satisfaction of holding power over you. You have to give yourself the power to go another way.

I looked her in the eyes, my gaze meeting hers. Not with anger, not with resentment, but with a quiet resolve. 'I forgive you,' I said, my voice clear and strong, carrying across the silent gymnasium. 'But that doesn't mean I'll forget.' I paused, letting the weight of my words sink in. 'I forgive you for me, not for you.'

Then, I walked out of the school, out of the stuffy gymnasium, and into the wide-open school yard. The sun was shining, and for the first time in a long time, I felt a lightness in my chest. The future was uncertain, but it was mine. And I was going to face it on my own terms.

Final Part

The endless, sun-baked plains stretched before me, shimmering under the relentless glare. My tongue felt like sandpaper, but I pressed on, the dust devils mirroring the turmoil in my heart. I was adrift, a nothing, a nobody. All I craved was purpose, a direction. And let the cool breeze blow through my tail and ears, a small comfort in this desolate landscape.

When all of a sudden, the golden door reappeared in front of me. It materialized out of thin air, shimmering and radiating a warmth that drew me in. It was the same door I’d seen that day in the forest, the exact someone one that led to... something.

This time, I didn’t immediately walk through the door. I thought about turning and walking away, disappearing back into the anonymity of the plains, when Hoblit came out.

He smiled at me, a warm, knowing smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes. Hoblit, with his vibrant purple hair that seemed to defy gravity, and his magnificent wings that spanned at least ten feet, always had a way of appearing when I least expected, and certainly when I needed him the most.

So, I smiled back, a hesitant, uncertain curve of my lips. “What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice raspy from the dryness.

He chuckled, a melodic sound that scattered the tension in the air. “I see you finally understand that you are something, not a nothing. That is why you find the Island of Something.” Hoblit said, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

Thinking to myself that this winged, purple haired, big puffy man sure likes to speak riddles. I smiled to myself, this time I truly understood what he was saying. For the first time, I felt a flicker of acceptance, a quiet affirmation of my own being. Maybe, just maybe, I wasn't as strange, and empty as I believed.

All of a sudden, the door opened wider, and orbs of pure, vibrant light came flying out, surrounding me in a swirling vortex of energy. Their light pulsed with warmth and a strange, comforting familiarity. The light got brighter, so bright it felt as if it was burning away all the doubt and uncertainty that had clung to me for so long. Overwhelmed by the intensity, I fainted.

When I woke up this time, I was in my own bed, tucked under my familiar patchwork quilt, with my favorite pajamas on. The morning sun streamed through the window, painting warm stripes across my room. For a moment, I questioned if the entire experience had been a dream, a figment of my weary imagination.

I got up, heart pounding, and walked to the mirror hanging on my bedroom wall. I took a deep breath, bracing myself for... I didn’t know what. But what I saw was me. Not some strange, distorted version of myself, not a creature sculpted by fear and self-loathing, but simply me. My own eyes stared back at me, clear and bright, reflecting a quiet strength I hadn't realized I possessed. And I was happy with that. Truly, deeply happy.

The Island of Something hadn’t changed my appearance. It had just changed my perception. It had shown me that I was, in fact, enough. I was something. And that was all that mattered.

THE END!

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