#002: Bonsai Island

While in the market of one of our usual stops on a new island, I overheard another traveller speaking of an island that transformed before his eye. He spoke of dusty trees and dead things littering the flat planes, and how it was nearly impossible to find because of the thick fog that covered the entire island in a dark curious haze. Apparently, he stayed there for four nights and 5 days and on the fourth day he “witnessed a miracle.”

“It began with the sounds of birds not quite ugly, but the sound reminded me of crashing waves, sudden and unforgiving with no warning of the coming chaos. If you were to look up during this phenomenon you would think death had come for you. The mass amounts of blackbirds blocked any hope of sunlight shining through the already dense fog. But, as the birds vanished, so did the mist. It seemed like the creatures came and went with it. The once dreary island was showered in sunlight for the first time in what seemed to be years. But in a matter of minutes, all kinds of flora and fauna rose from the ground like ghosts. Suddenly, I found myself surrounded by a field of tall grass and blossoming cherry trees. I felt as if I had been transported to an entirely different island.”

I asked the man why he didn't stay longer. He told me that the very next day he woke to the island rotting. The once vibrant trees filled with fresh fruit fell into festering piles of decay. And the tall grass now drooped and willowed at the slightest touch. Not only that, but by the time the island was behind him and he was safely on his ship, the dispersed fog began its meandering crawl to shroud its beloved island.  

Who’s to say if his words were righteous or boasting. My money’s on the latter. But regardless of fact or fiction, the tail he told had me itching to get back on the open water. Searching for my own “Blooming Island”