The three of them walked for what felt like forever, pushing past twisted trees and thick mist until the forest gradually thinned.
They stepped out of the forest and onto a shoreline.
The sky was bright. The mist was gone. The waves were calm.
Amy blinked. "Are we… out? Finally! I thought that forest wanted to eat us."
Emma sighed with relief. "I feel like I can breathe again."
Noah stretched his arms. "Man… I don't ever want to see fog again."
They all laughed a little. The tension finally loosened from their bodies.
Amy kicked the sand lightly. "This beach is kinda nice… way nicer than the creepy forest."
Emma nodded. "Yeah… it's almost peaceful."
Noah smiled. "Let's take five minutes. I think we deserve it."
They sat for a bit to relaxing.
But then.
Noah stopped smiling.
He stared at the ground. At the trees. At the fruits growing nearby.
His face went pale.
"No way…" Noah whispered.
Emma looked at him. "What is it?"
Noah crouched and touched the sand. He squeezed it in his hand.
It was soft.
Too soft.
"Amy," Noah said slowly. "Touch this."
Amy picked up a handful of sand. Her eyes widened. "It's… squishy?"
"It feels like… marshmallows," Emma said.
Noah nodded. "Exactly."
He stood up and ran toward a large flat stone by a palm-tree-looking plant. His heart raced.
There...engraved into the stone, were markings.
His hand writing.
The same ones he carved months ago.
"This can't be real…" Noah whispered.
Emma walked over. "Noah? What's wrong?"
"This is where I was stranded." Noah said, pointing at the stone.
Emma leaned over.
"These symbols… Noah, what are they?" Emma asked.
"I wrote these down to track the days," Noah replied calmly.
"Then… this is Marshmallows Isle," Emma whispered.
Amy tilted her head. "Marsh-what-now?"
Noah shook his head. "No. No. This is impossible."
"What's impossible?" Amy asked, confused. "You two are acting like you've seen a ghost again."
"This island…" Noah said quietly. "It shouldn't be here."
Amy frowned. "Meaning…?"
Noah swallowed hard. "This is the island where I was stranded."
Emma nodded. "This island is on the other side of the world. There is absolutely no reason for it to be—"
"—right here." Noah said.
Amy looked back and forth between them. "You mean… we traveled all the way across the world without noticing?"
"No," Noah said firmly. "Maybe."
He looked up at the bright sky.
"This place is just getting even more crazy."
"Noah… are you absolutely sure this is Marshmallow isls?" Emma asked.
"I lived here!" Noah snapped. "I know this island better than anywhere else!"
Amy's voice trembled. "But that doesn't make sense. We were in fog… in a haunted forest….haunted mansion.
"I know!" Noah shouted.
Before anyone could say another word.
CRACK.
The ground trembled.
Emma's eyes widened. "What was that?"
Amy took a step back. "Uh… guys… the sand is moving."
Noah looked down.
A long crack split open at their feet.
"RUN!" Noah yelled.
But it was too late.
BOOM!
The ground collapsed.
The sand swallowed all three of them.
They screamed as they fell through darkness.
"Aaaaahhhhh!"
Falling…
Falling…
Falling—
Noah gasped and shot upright.
He was on grass.
He blinked. The sky was clear blue. The sea was calm. A seagull cried overhead.
He turned slowly.
He was on the Scarlett Horizon's deck.
Emma lay beside him, coughing. Amy was face-down, mumbling.
Noah stared around in disbelief. "It was… all a dream."
Amy slowly wakes up. " Was that a dream? That was the worst dream I've ever had!"
Emma rubbed her head. "Was it even a dream? It felt too real…"
They all sat quietly for a moment, letting their minds catch up.
Then Noah chuckled a little. "Guys… the way you two screamed during the fall—"
"Excuse me?! YOU screamed the loudest!" Emma said annoyed.
Amy nodded. "Facts."
Noah gasped dramatically. "Lies! I am a dignified captain. I don't scream."
Both girls stared at him.
He caved instantly.
"…Okay maybe a little."
They all laughed.
Emma stretched, then patted her pockets
She froze.
Her back pocket felt heavier.
Slowly, she reached inside…
And pulled out…
The paper.
The same paper she copied the ancient writing onto.
Her eyes widened.
"Noah," she whispered. "Look."
Noah blinked. "No way…"
Amy's face drained of color. "H-How…? If it was a dream… why is that here?"
Emma stared at the paper, her hands trembling. "So… was it really a dream?"
Noah's smile faded.
"…Or did something bring us back?"
Emma folded the paper carefully, her hands still shaking.
Amy hugged herself. "I don't want to go back to sleep anymore."
Noah took a deep breath. "Whatever that was… we're not done with it."
Emma nodded. "Yeah… something wanted us to see that place. And we still don't know why."
NARRATOR:
There are mysteries even the sea fears to speak of…
The island that appears once every 500 years… home to the ancient ones who worshipped the Moon God… an island that should never exist… yet found them.
Was it coincidence?
Or was it fate?