Even if it began raining acid, Safina would probably welcome the liquid on her tongue.
She had lost count of the days a while ago. Nights were blurred together in an amalgamation of heat, insects, tears, and nausea. The days stretched farther than the eye could see, bowing trunks of sameness, draped in foliage of betrayal and mockery.
How many times had she been tempted with their luscious greenery, salivating at the image of them pounded into a pulp oozing with juice, only to remind herself that even a small bite would render her completely vulnerable against the monsters that lurked just out of sight.
“Stupid plants, stupid sun, stupid, stupid me.”
Her eyes watered for the hundredth time, but she sniffled them back in. There was no water within her to waste.
If her sister was here now, she wouldn’t feel half as hopeless as she currently did. It didn’t matter if the situation was entirely the same, because if Liana were here at least they wouldn’t go hungry.
The thick shrubbery grabbed at her limbs with every step, her feet carefully choosing where they would next land, over uprooted trunks and under hanging vines.
Sunlight began trickling in from somewhere other than the smatters above her head, and she eagerly followed it, not caring whether it was from another world or not.
As her eyes adjusted to its brightness and she neared its warmth, hope expanded inside her heart, fastening her pace.
She stumbled towards the clearing, falling to her knees as she made it to the tree line.
“Oh. God.”
Bottom lip hung in disbelief, Safina’s hands stayed at her side, slowly closing over fistfuls of warm, soft, sand.
The sun was already retreating, golden light gradually dwindling as she gaped at the sight of magnificence before her.
Rippling waves washed the shore in crystal blue water, bubbles of soft, white foam bursting on the cream sand. There was nothing she wanted more than to drink every last drop of its contents, but with her luck she would get nothing more than a mouthful of salt the second it touched her tongue.
Before the sun set completely, she grabbed as many small twigs and leaves as she could fit in her arms, rushing out to make a fire.
Her fingers shook as she tried repeatedly to spark her lighter, praying the last dregs of fluid would be enough.
Pausing, she took a deep breath and tried for the umpteenth time, thumb aching from the movement.
The sun was almost out of sight, and her fingers ached in pain, when she finally managed to set alight a small leaf to drop into the pile of kindling that sat patiently in front of her knees.
There was no way to contain the tears that trickled down her cheeks, her heart so painfully full of relief and despair that she felt an intense wave of anger rise beneath her skin.
“I curse you a thousand— no, ten hundred thousand painful deaths, father.”
She spat in the sand, as if the title was poison on her tongue. “May you know every kindness that you ever showed me.”
Removing the bag from her back, she took out her empty water bottle, filling it with the water she confirmed was salty.
Even without her sister here, she was indebted to her. Without the metal bottle she would have had no idea what to do.
By the time the sky was completely pink and purple, Safina had a crackling fire, makeshift water distillation contraption, and rumbling stomach.
She lay on her back, staring at the sky in hopes it would give her some sort of answer or direction. A guidance she could hold onto in her times of need.
There was none.
“Stupid sky.”
She turned to her side, facing the ocean when a fierce gust of wind crashed against her back, almost threatening to extinguish her fire, and topple her source of drinkable water.
Fear seized her body as she turned around, eyes instinctively drawn to the massive white creature atop the trees.
As if weighing nothing at all, it sat perched on a branch, basking in the early night air, white scales reflecting the purple light of the sky.
“Noted.” Safina swallowed, hard. “Never insult the sky.”
For the creature that sat so majestically beneath it was clearly a gift. Strong wings tucked elegantly at its side, head tilted to the clouds in an air of excellence, and glowing, yellow eyes staring straight at her in appraisal.
Marooned on a deserted island, abandoned by her family, and on the brink of death by starvation, she waved at the creature in delirium, as if it was something more than a figment of her imagination.
If she would die here, surrounded by nothing but sand and sadness, at least she could pretend it was real— her gift from the sky.
A dragon.
Alisha Umar has a deep thirst for knowledge and a beautiful appreciation for learning. She spends hours pondering over her recent reads, researching for her own stories and scouring every inch of the library. When she’s not engrossed in her books or posting on her social media she can be found spending quality time with her friends and family, engaging in meaningful debates with her loved ones, taking down the next food destination on her bucket list and fantasising about which places she wants to travel to next- whether fictional or real. You can find her on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube @authoralishau.
Featured image by Martin Widenka on Unsplash.
