Journey to Rainbow Island

by Christie Hsiao

  He landed in Rainbow Meadow, just across from the main school hall, and all the children scrambled down from his back, with teachers and Rainbow Children coming forward to greet them. Ariadne was the last child to dismount, and she anxiously scanned the crowd for her sister, Anne. There were so many children! Some looked healthy, tanned, and well fed, while others were thin and careworn. But all the children were beaming from ear to ear. Ariadne searched the little faces as she walked through the crowd of laughing children, searching for the sister she had not seen in years.

  Ariadne stopped. Standing alone toward the back of the crowd was her sister, Anne. She was staring at Ariadne, and her lower lip began to tremble. The older sister ran forward and scooped up the frail little girl in her arms, kissing her cheeks. “Oh Anne, how I have prayed for this day. It’s you, it’s really you!”

  Genju Sensei approached the girls, and seeing Anne, placed her hands over her mouth, stifling a cry. “My darling little Anne, you are safe!” Sensei threw her arms around both girls, and all three cried—tears of laughter for what was happening this day, and tears of sorrow for what had happened before. “I am sorry, Anne, that I let headmistress take you away,” Sensei said. “If I had only known . . .”

  “It’s all right, Sensei,” said Anne. “My sister is here now, and that’s all I want. It wasn’t your fault.” The little girl gently touched Sensei’s cheek, bringing a huge smile to the teacher’s face.

  “It’s over now, girls,” whispered Sensei. “You will never be apart again. And I will always be here for you.”

  Suparna had made his way through the crowd and had witnessed the reunion of the sisters. He turned to Genju Sensei and said, “You put these children first, and for that you will be forever rewarded.” Suparna swept his wings through the air, making a rainbow of light around everyone. “Go now and celebrate! Welcome to Rainbow Island!”

  Ariadne, Anne, Sensei, and many of the children ran down into Rainbow Meadow, which was flashing brilliantly from the colors of the flowers. Suparna darted back and forth in the sky in large sweeping motions, showering light onto the meadow, celebrating along with the children and teachers.

  Ariadne whispered, “This is heaven!”

  “Yes, this is beyond my dreams,” Sensei said, as she reached out to enfold Anne in a loving embrace. Julian, the former beggar from the Tower of Light, was there too, celebrating along with the other children. He introduced himself to Sensei and told her if she needed anything, he was there to help her.

  They played for hours in Rainbow Meadow, and Julian took the children to go discover the Great Kapok Tree. They shrieked with delight as the living arms of the tree began to pick them up and pass them quickly upward, limb by limb, all the way to the top of the tree. From the village, where Metatron looked on with warmth in his heart, he could see dozens of children ascending and descending within the limbs of the great tree.

  It was not the same, however, without Yu-ning and Romeo. Metatron felt a nagging unease for sending Yu-ning off to Farcara, but knew it was her path. He and Suparna had darker, more dangerous business to attend to. Thus far, the Darq waters and creatures that he and Suparna had spied while traveling to Darqendia had not been seen near Rainbow Island. The pink dolphins had doubled their patrols and were circling the waters of the Island night and day. No creature would slip through unseen—the great pink dolphins would see to that.

  “You won’t touch this place again, Hobaling,” Metatron whispered under his breath as he gazed out at all the children at play. “Oh, you can try, but I won’t let you catch us off guard again. No, it is you who should be watchful, warlock. I will find you, and I will not rest until the rainbow shines over our Island once again.”

  Sensei and a dozen children walked back to the village, toward the beautiful school building. Sensei saw lovely gardens, some fully grown and others newly planted since the obsidigon attack, and beautiful fruit trees by the side of the school.

  When they all reached the school, several of the Rainbow Children grabbed Sensei’s hand, saying, “Come see our school! This is our school!” At that moment, five teachers came forward to greet them with warm hugs. They had kind, happy faces, and were dressed in earth-toned linen clothing. “Our teachers! These are our teachers!” the children exclaimed.

  Everyone was immersed, focused, and joyful, doing exactly what he or she loved. They were working together in harmony, cooperating and creating wonderful, imaginative arts and crafts. Older and younger children alike played together, while others picked flowers, which they used to make floral garlands for their hair.

  One of the teachers asked Sensei, “Would you like to teach with us?”

  Tears flowed down Sensei’s cheeks as she nodded eagerly. “Yes, thank you. Thank you. I have waited my whole life for this moment.”

  The teachers led Sensei into the lovely structure. The front doors were wide open. They walked into the beautiful room with floor-to-ceiling white curtains blowing in the breeze and three sets of French doors on each wall. No signs of the makeshift hospital remained. Today, it seemed as if the attack of the obsidigon had merely been a bad dream, hardly a reality.

  Joyful children filled the room. The walls were covered with colorful drawings, the blackboard was decorated with paintings, and there were colorful wooden pencils strewn about the wooden desks where the students worked with smiles on their faces. On one side of the room was a soft purple sofa with large plush cushions and a coffee table covered in fairy-tale books. Many children were gathered here, lying on the couch and on the pillows atop a lovely shag wool carpet. Others were playing music in one corner; some were studying art, while others were reciting poetry and rehearsing a play.

  Sensei was amazed. She observed other classmates weaving wool on a loom. “We learn through relationships and interaction with each other,” said a male teacher. “We treat each other the way we want to be treated. We create everything by ourselves from nature. Everything is handmade. We learn from our inspiration and imagination.”

  Cristobel approached Sensei and said, “Yes, our children do what their hearts tell them to do. They do what they love and what they are good at. We don’t have titles and grades; we help and love each other, and we create magic. We don’t need rules; we don’t control people here. Because there are no rules, everything and everyone is limitless and infinite, so we can go beyond. This is a school of love. Welcome to your new home, Sensei!”

  “Yes—I am home,” rejoiced Sensei, with a broad smile on her face.

  Outside the school, Metatron spied Suparna in the distance and, as quickly as he could, ambled over to him with the aid of his staff. “And you!” he said to Suparna with irritation. “You have cost us precious time—why didn’t you tell me you were going to Malinga Island to help Yu-ning?”

  “My friend,” said Suparna, his eyes shining with deep wisdom to rival the wizard’s. “You often say that life is a mysterious book, and all we have is today’s page. When Cristobel told me where Yu-ning had gone, I had no choice but to answer her call for help. That, my friend, is what was written on my page.”

  Metatron simply looked at his longtime friend, a twinkle in his eye. He slowly nodded his head, raised his staff to Suparna, and gave a low chuckle as he turned to walk away. “You, Magic, and I leave for Baggul Island in the morning—no matter what words are written in your book tomorrow!” Metatron yelled, his back to Suparna.

  Twenty-Two

  Ship

  MINKARO AND YU-NING traveled through the night, and by the following morning they had crossed the wide channel separating Malinga from Gracia, reaching the northwestern tip of Gracia Island by noon. The coastline looked familiar to Yu-ning as she recalled her previous trip to the Grey City. How long ago had that been? It seemed like a lifetime—so much had happened in the past two weeks.

  They followed the north coast of Gracia most of the day before rounding the northeastern tip of the island and turning south. As evening fell, Yu-ning could see the glow of t
he Tower of Light far in the distance, piercing the sky with its brilliant beams. Though she knew it was only her imagination, she thought she could see Balthazar in his black jacket and green shirt, waving from the top floor of the magical tower.

  But with the turn south also came a foul shift in the weather. The skies grew dark, the winds rose, and the sea grew violent and raw. “This weather is not normal, Yu-ning,” Minkaro said, as they bounced across the rough seas. “The patterns are very predictable in these waters, and storms of this strength just don’t happen at this time of year.”

  “What do you think is going on, Minkaro?”

  “I don’t know, Yu-ning, but keep a close eye out, and look for any unusual activity,” said Minkaro. As they pressed southward, the weather grew more vicious, and soon the rain was falling so hard that it was difficult to make out where the rain ended and the waves began.

  “Minkaro, the water is turning the color of dark ink. What is going on?” asked Yu-ning. Minkaro noticed that the water had grown increasingly dark—subtly at first, but with increasing gradation. The swells grew larger, and began to appear as mountains in front of Minkaro: huge, fifty-foot mounds of water, rising up like giants before them. Up they rose, mounting the huge walls of water, and then down they would race into the dark troughs before beginning the treacherous pattern over again. Yu-ning did her best to keep a sharp eye out, but she was cold, and drenched to the bone.

  “What was that?” yelled Yu-ning, above the howling wind. “I think I saw dark shapes in the wave above us,” she said, as the two rode from the trough of a swell up the face toward the top.

  “What did you see, Yu-ning?” Minkaro shouted. At that moment, Minkaro also saw the shapes, racing down the swell directly toward them—two huge shadows just below the surface of the frothy waves, dorsal fins breaking the surface of the wind-whipped water. He had very little time to react but managed to dodge to his left as the first shark hit him just behind his dorsal fin, nearly knocking Yu-ning off his back.

  Minkaro managed to escape the jaws of the first shark while slamming his powerful tail into the second one, sending it, reeling and stunned, into the depths below. Minkaro recovered and accelerated up the wave, leaving the two sharks in his wake. Yu-ning righted herself, grabbing the saddle cinch and tightening it around her waist. The element of surprise now gone, the sharks circled back to pursue the dolphin and the diminutive girl.

  “Hang on, Yu-ning!” shouted Minkaro, and just as she tightened her grip on the pommel of the saddle, Minkaro pumped his powerful tail and accelerated with such quickness and strength that Yu-ning was thrown backward—if it weren’t for the cinch around her waist, she would have fallen into the stormy waves.

  “The Darq creatures!” screamed Minkaro. “These are the sharks that Metatron warned us about! And look, off to your left—there are three more following us now!” Minkaro raced onward, putting distance between him and the sharks. Up and down the great swells they raced, but no matter how swiftly Minkaro swam, he could not widen the gap between himself and the sharks. Before long other fish joined the hunt, all with the same black scales and yellow eyes—including several barracuda—all in fevered pursuit of Yu-ning and Minkaro.

  “We need to look for shelter, Yu-ning. Keep your eyes open for somewhere for us to take shelter!” shouted Minkaro. Hours passed, with the distance between the dolphin and the pursuers growing smaller. The exhausted dolphin couldn’t keep up the pace much longer. He was desperate to find a cay or atoll where he could at least save Yu-ning, if not himself.

  “Look, Minkaro, I think there is a ship ahead!” Yu-ning yelled as they rose to the top of a giant swell. But before Minkaro could spot the ship, he was racing down the steep backside of the wave. He pumped hard as they raced downhill and rose swiftly up the face of the next wave.

  “Hold on!” he yelled as he surged forward in his ascent up the giant swell. At the top of the wave, the largest one they had encountered, he accelerated with all his strength, his body completely vertical as he punched through the peak, through spray and wind, and was airborne, high above the apex of the wave. “Where is the boat?” he yelled at Yu-ning, his entire body now twenty feet above the wave.

  “There! There, Minkaro, do you see it?” shouted Yu-ning, as she pointed directly south toward a small grey object in the distance.

  “Yes, I see it!” said Minkaro, as his body turned a full 360 degrees in the air and then descended nose first toward the violent water below. “Hold on!” he shouted. He entered the water hard; Yu-ning was lying flat against the saddle, trying to make herself small. The impact was enormous and ripped Yu-ning’s hands from the saddle. Down they went, into the cold water. She held her breath, closed her eyes, and waited.

  Minkaro plummeted downward into the depths, and then turned his body upward; his angle was flat and gradual as he sought to maximize his speed. Yu-ning held her breath for what seemed like an eternity, and just when she began to feel dizzy, Minkaro burst through the surface of the water again. The maneuver had been impressive, and Minkaro had put a bit more distance between himself and his pursuers, who now numbered more than half a dozen.

  They raced forward, the grey ship now growing closer. Soon the details of a large vessel became visible—two large smokestacks, a huge mast, and a few lights blinking on deck. Once again, however, the Darq creatures were starting to close the gap—Minkaro just couldn’t outrace them with Yu-ning and her gear on his back.

  The ship was close now, and Minkaro believed they might have a chance to reach the vessel before they were overtaken. “When we get close, I will pull alongside the boat,” shouted Minkaro. “You will need to jump from my back. Look for a ladder or rope on the side of the ship!”

  “All right, Minkaro—faster, though, they are almost upon us!” shouted Yu-ning, as two massive barracuda with wicked eyes and long yellow fangs appeared on their right.

  “There, Yu-ning! There is a rope ladder hanging down on the starboard side,” Minkaro exclaimed. “You will need to jump from my back. Unhitch your belt, grab Lightcaster, but leave your pack lashed to the saddle. Once you are safely on the ship, I will try to lose the creatures and double back for you. Stay on the ship until I can return for you. If I don’t return, you will need to get to the nearest land, and find your way to Farcara on your own. Whatever happens, hang onto Lightcaster!”

  “You will be safe without me slowing you down, Minkaro! I will see you soon,” shouted Yu-ning. The great dolphin closed in on the bow of the ship, veered to the right side, and pulled alongside the vessel. “Go! Now, Yu-ning!”

  Holding onto the loose leather straps of the saddle, Yu-ning carefully rose to her knees, then to her feet, with Lightcaster slung over her shoulder. Just as she gathered herself to jump, one of the barracuda launched itself out of the water, hitting Minkaro just below the center of his body, knocking him sideways. Yu-ning fell and scrambled to grab hold of the saddle. She had the pommel, but it was slick, and she lost her hold. She fell over the saddle and began to slide down the length of Minkaro’s body. She grabbed his enormous dorsal fin, but it was slippery, and she feared that she couldn’t hold on for very long.

  Minkaro peered behind to see Yu-ning’s predicament just as the second barracuda flew all the way out of the water, directly toward Minkaro’s head. With all his might, he pulled his head away, and then swiftly brought it back, making contact with the barracuda’s snout. The fish was not expecting the blow, and Minkaro’s massive head sent the fish tumbling end over end as it bounced against the side of the ship and disappeared under the waves. Minkaro could not see the second barracuda, but the two sharks were nearly upon him, and the rest of the Darq creatures were close behind them.

  Yu-ning held onto Minkaro’s dorsal fin with one hand, trying desperately with the other to grab hold of the leather strap dangling off the back of the saddle. There! She had the strap in her hand and quickly grabbed it with her second hand as well. Slowly she made her way back toward the saddle, hand over hand.
She grabbed the saddle and slowly stood again, riding Minkaro, one hand on the leather strap, the other ready to grab hold of the rope ladder dangling down from the ship.

  “Now, Yu-ning! GO!” Minkaro shouted, as one of the sharks closed the gap on the giant dolphin and was about to clamp its gaping jaws around his tail. Yu-ning jumped, letting go of the leather strap in midair. She flew across the gap between the dolphin and the ship, desperately trying to grab the rope ladder. She had it—a rung of the ladder was in her hand! The momentum of her jump, however, was greater than she had anticipated, and she lost her grip on the rope. She found herself falling toward the water—upside down. As she braced herself to plunge headfirst into the icy depths, she was jerked upward.

  Her foot had caught in the rope ladder, about three feet above the waterline. She bounced against the waves, trying to reach upward and grab the ladder. Lightcaster dangled precariously from her shoulder, and she could feel it slipping over her head. Pain shot through her injured left arm as it slammed against a wave, and with her right arm she lunged upward. She had the rope. Slowly, she was able to raise herself up with her right arm, and as she did, Lightcaster slid safely back around her neck and shoulder. She was hanging on the lowest rung of the ladder. She looked wildly in Minkaro’s direction, fearing the worst. The pink dolphin, however, had outmaneuvered the shark, and now that she was no longer weighing him down, he was racing away, beginning to put distance between himself and at least seven dark silhouettes visible just under the surface.

  Yu-ning scrambled upward on the rope ladder, out of danger of any remaining Darq creatures. She stopped halfway up the side of the massive ship, in shock, but relatively unharmed. Her arm ached, but the pain was bearable. She was shaking and felt weak as she clutched the rope, waiting for her breathing to slow. As she looked out to sea, she could just make out the pink shape of Minkaro, racing ahead of his Darq pursuers.