Secret of the Mysterious Island | Story by Maithili, 12, Meerut

Jack – “They have to be transported to the shore tonight.”

Zen – “Alright captain.”

On hearing this,  Zoey rushed off to tell her friends about this conversation. 

EARLIER…

Zoey belonged to a business family. She was 15 years old, 5 feet tall, had hazel coloured eyes and beautiful black long hair. She was a sweet-natured and well-mannered girl. She liked skateboarding, playing basketball and climbing trees. Zoey enjoyed adventure activities. 

Zoey had recently moved from a big city to the countryside. She now lived on a farmhouse with her parents. She made friends quickly because of her friendly and pleasant nature.

There was a massive lake nearby. It was infested with fish, and so one always found fishing boats in the lake. There was a rocky island in the middle of the lake near the bay area. There were rumours that peculiar things happened on the island on Thursdays. Even the fishermen stayed away from the island on Thursdays.

It was Zoey’s 16th birthday.  Her friends had planned a picnic on the island. It happened to be a Thursday that day! But the children decided to visit the island anyway.  There was an enormous castle on the island and a light-house. The castle was almost in ruins. There were tall trees laden with juicy fruits. Rabbits and squirrels were scuttling around the island.

The children managed to convince a fisherman to take them to the island. He reluctantly agreed but told them that he would not wait for long, and they should return to the shore fast. When Zoey and her friends reached the island, they saw another boat docked. It seemed strange. But since the children were excited about being on the island, they did not give it much of a thought, and rushed off to explore the island and the castle. Zoey entered the castle. While Zoey was looking around, she discovered a hidden trapdoor. She lifted the trapdoor and saw stairs leading down. Zoey climbed down and reached a room, where she saw stacks of boxes lying around. She opened one of the boxes, and saw that there were beautiful, shiny gems inside it. Just then, she heard the sound of footsteps. She was scared now and quickly slipped behind a box. Zoey saw two men enter the room.They looked dangerous. Zoey understood that they were crooks. Once the men left the room, Zoey quickly ran to her friends. Her friends were sitting on the rocky shore, waiting for her.

BACK TO PRESENT…

Zoey told her friends everything.  The children hatched a plan to expose these men.  But first, they had to escape from the island. Zoey and her friends, with the help of the fisherman, untied the other boat and set it afloat, so that the smugglers could not escape. They then quickly returned to the farmhouse and told Zoey’s parents everything. Zoey’s parents informed the police.The police immediately left for the island and caught the smugglers. It turned out these men were wanted criminals. They were illegally smuggling precious gemstones and diamonds. This island had been their hideout for several years. Even some locals were involved in the smuggling. The Mayor and the police thanked Zoey and her friends for their brave and courageous act.

***

This story was created as part of a story writing camp organised by Word Munchers in the month of May for the children (age group- 8-16 years) of the Indian Army. The topic was ‘Breathe in Nature’.