Maria's Window. Karen Tatro
Prologue
He watched the boat, as it came into view, drifting closer and closer. It started as a speck in the ocean’s horizon and now was in full view. The boat cautiously approached the rocky entrance. Would it make it? Could it maneuver, ever so carefully through the entrance; an entrance that could rip through the boat’s hull in one swipe.
As he watched, a whiff of the salty air irritated his nose, the breeze, however, felt comforting as it swirled around his body. His senses were alive.
Beneath his feet the sand was wet and comforting, and with a hint of sharpness. Alone in his thoughts, he allowed the intense sunlight beam down on him. His lonely soul watched the boat drift closer.
He turned away from the ocean’s edge, realizing there was a chance, a slight chance, that the boat may turn around.
This may be the last time he ventures this far.
Chapter One
Maria sat at the end of the boat, lost in thought of the Legend’s tale of the Island that contained a Crystal Core.
She has had this burning desire to find the Island, which was never actually discovered, so the legend says. It was not just that the Island was intriguing and would be exciting to step foot on its shores, but also that she actually finally convinced Sam to take her there.
When she suggested this Island for their vacation, well, he thought of many different places to go. They could go anywhere, why would she want to go to some Island that there was a possibility that it did not exist. It took some major persuading to get him to commit to it.
Now, here she was sailing through the Indian Ocean, trying desperately to convince Sam and Sumshi, his right-hand man, who brought her here, that the Island does indeed exist, and they cannot turn back now.
They have been sailing for several weeks now and the tension on the boat was intensely growing. Her friends completely thinking she had lost her mind. Maybe she had. Maybe this whole thing was just too good to be true. But she had to give it every effort that she could. Her destiny was waiting for her. She knew it was there, even if no-one else did.
As she sat there, glaring at the water, she reminisced of how this all came to be. She first read about the Crystal Core from a bookstore in her hometown of Hancock, NH. She often visited the old bookstore, a rustic and rundown barn that had a very cozy atmosphere. She never saw this book, until one day she had this strong feeling to go to the back of the store. It was full of books stacked high along the walls and in every cubbyhole possible. It was easy to overlook a book of substance here, however, this day, she pulled the book from the hidden shelf and instantly wanted to read it. She took the book and sat on a nearby stool, flipping through the pages, overwhelmed by the colorful pictures, maps and charts of an Island that was breathtaking with beauty.
She was totally lost in thought, something just stirred in her. She and Sam had been talking about taking a vacation together and he wanted to do something special with her. She had the feeling that he was possibly going to propose to her. But she had hidden desires, feelings that she was not totally sure Sam could fulfill. They had been dating for a while and things seem to be getting more intense from his point of view. He was continually talking about taking a vacation together and how they could get away and plan their future. Sam was a little romantic and always wanted to impress her. Her mind just went crazy thinking of this Island and the possibilities that could arise from it. Maybe this was the chance to get away and really plan her future.
To her surprise, a tap on her shoulder abruptly stopped her daydreaming, forcing her to realize she had been in the store for two hours and the polite woman behind the counter was asking her to pay so she could close for the day.
Maria took the book home and read it nonstop for hours. This book opened doors to Maria’s hidden desires. It made her re-evaluate how she felt about a lot of things. At first, she thought about the Island and the descriptions sounded so beautiful. Maria thought about nature and the existence of our world and all the places she had never seen before. It always amazed her that people did not seem to question their existence. The fact that we lived on Earth, which was floating in the middle of air, and all these other planets floating as well, in the middle of some mysterious dark emptiness, amazed her. And the fact that there are no boundaries, no top or button, or some enclosed shell. There is just a galaxy.
She appreciated the fact that we are like a snowflake in the sky, completely engulfed in its immense surroundings. And that there were places out there that she would never see, or touch, but she could dream about them, she could imagine them and imagine herself there.
Maria was a natural soul seeker, she thought about how all this came to be, for instance, where did we really start? Which planet came first? And where do we really go? She wondered why our life on Earth seems too short in comparison to the rest of the universe. Could it really be all that we have? This life, this time? And if it is, why do we waste so much time with work, chores, our possessions and the responsibilities that go along with it? We go out the same way we came in, with only ourselves. Right? So why waste the time with all that superficial stuff?
Or should we? Should we engulf ourselves with all we can, and do all we can; have as much possible, since we are only going to live a short span of time, in the scheme of things? That was the struggle she was facing right now.
Maria thought about how it would be nice to explore all these places and experienced the beauty of all the world, but the reality was that all this was not in her ability, and she sought solace in that she could dream about them, and wonder.
But maybe there was a way that she could have all these things, maybe her struggle to go against the world and its greed, was the very thing that she should do, join right in. She was having a power struggle within herself, and what was most confusing was that she did not know why. Why did this Island, suddenly bring this out in her? Once she decided that this was what she wanted to do, well, the second thing would be convincing Sam. So, she decided to give him a call and see what happened.
Maria dialed Sam’s number, in hopes she would be able to catch him. She sat on her bed dialing from her bedside table.
“Hey Sam, what are you doing? Do you have a minute, I want to discuss something?”
“Hey Maria, doll. I am not doing much right now. Just got word on a new boat to check out. Hey, do you want to come along with me?”
“Yes, that sounds great. As a matter of fact, that sounds perfect, as it is something that I want to talk to you about. You know that vacation that you talk about all the time, you know the one you always want me to go on with you? Well, I found it, and want to go and need to talk to you about it.” she informed Sam, eager to hear his response.
“No way, you are finally going to give in to me. How sweet is that. I’ll pick you up in about one hour, okay?” he responded.
Maria, hung up the phone and sat there for a few moments, lost in thought. She had made the call and now she knew that there was no turning back.
She called the shop, a small beauty salon, she owned, and told the girls she would not be in today. She had to handle some things. Sarah could call her clients and reschedule them for her. Within no time, Sam pulled up the drive and beeped once.
Maria got in and they headed to the marina to see the boat he was interested in. As they drove, Maria filled him in on the trip. The book she got in the bookstore and all the details.
“Maria, are you sure that is where you want to go? Of all the places, this Island is where you want to go?” he asked.
“Yes, Sam, I am totally sure about this. I think we will have a great time and have that romantic getaway that you are always talking about. This will be perfect, it is an adventure, which I know you love, and it is supposed to be so tropical and beautiful and mysterious. I think it sounds exactly what we need. I figure I will take a leave of absence from the shop; I can leave Sarah in charge for a few months, my clientele will be fine with it. They know I have not taken any time off. God, you know, Sam I can honestly say that for once, I do not care if they mind