Giselle's adventures in wonderland - A Love Legacy spin-off - Part 6

How long had they been rowing? Giselle didn't know....but it seemed like ages!

soon the lovely sunshine that had blessed their departure had been substituted by heavy rain....not stormy rain, but still rain.....and it wasn't pleasant at all. She was tired, and by the look on her brother's face she could tell he was tired as well.

Maya was leading the way, the rain didn't bother her at all, of course. But she was faster than the boat and she often had to stop and catch up with the party... she could tell they were tired and she did what she could to raise their spirit up....but she wasn't sure she was succeeding.

Even little Morgana, so enthusiastic about the travel and usually loving the rain seemed a little tired...and worried.

Morgana:  mum? Are we there yet?

Giselle: no honey, we are not....

Morgana: I can't see anything... and we've been away for a whole day and a whole night already! Where are we going? I'm scared...

Kent: don't be kid, don't you remember? We're not lost, we're following Maya....she's leading us to somewhere safe, and you trust her, don't you? You like Maya!

Morgana: I do! But I don't see her....where did she go?

Ricky: I can't see her either.... I think we lost track of her....

Giselle: just don't panic. She'll find us, if we lose her, right?

Ricky: right.... but I see dark cloud coming.... I think a storm is about to blow on us.....

And he was right...the weather changed very rapidly out there at sea and by nightfall they found themselves in the middle of a raging storm....

They couldn't see anything but dark clouds and rain drops...the sky, the clouds and the sea one huge mass of grey....

and of course, there was no sign of Maya.....

But all of a sudden they realised they were passing by some rocks...land at last!!!! Now they just needed to find a place where to get ashore....

It looked like there was a little beach at the horizon and Ricky and Giselle started to lead the boat that way but suddenly Maya appeared and told them to carry on, that the beach they were heading to was close, but it wasn't this one...

By sunrise the storm had stopped and only a light rain was falling. They were sailing close to land now! An inhabited one! As they saw another boat passing by.... Morgana was shocked! She had never seen anyone else but her family and Maya in her whole life!

The four Loves had never felt happier! They were almost there....to the promised land that Maya had told them about! It was real and they had made it! They had survived the storm and freed themselves from their lost island!

Maya led them to some place where they could land...a small beach with a few trees...but it looked like you could see buildings through the branches! Signs of civilization at last!

Ricky: wow....

Morgana: we did it! You brought us out of the lost island!

Maya: I told you I would....

Giselle: I can't believe we did it... Kent...we're on land! Civilized land! Land where other people live!

Kent: I know.... I know! And...are you happy?

Giselle: am I happy? Of course I am! At last we can have the family house you always wanted...and Morgana will go to school and meet people and get married and have her own kids when she grows up...which would not have been possible if we had lived on the island forever...

Kent: so...you're happy to settle down? Really happy? No more pirates sailing away?

Giselle: not for a good while at least ...

Morgana: it's so cool! So cool! What do we get to do now? Will you teach me to dive? Pretty please?

Maya: you know I can't do that, Mor...but hey, now you and your family are safe, and you can find some place to live, a new house! And you can meet new kids to play with...you'll go to school! Lots of new stuff!

Morgana: ....school??? What's that?

Ricky: and what will you do, Maya?

Maya: I'll go back where I belong, Rick...

Morgana: but you can't go back! I want you here! You need to teach me loads of stuff! Tell her uncle Rick, she has to stay!

Ricky: you heard her....you can't say no to such a cute request can you?

Maya: Ricky....you know I can't stay....

Ricky: no, I mean, because we all stand by her side here, we all want you to stay and you can't disappoint the four poor shipwrecked people that you just saved you know.... besides...

Maya:...besides?

Ricky: ....uh......er.....I.....I think ......er....

Morgana: he thinks he would love you to stay, he'd die if you leave, you've no idea how he looked like before you showed up! Or well, before he went to pick you up...or whatever...anyway, I do think he's in l---

Ricky: riiight right, soooo Maya, you see we all want you to stay....and we would be....uh....very sad if you left....

Maya: Rick...that is so sweet...I'd love to...

Morgana: come on guys, we all know what's going on here, say you can't live without him Maya, give him a smooch so that we can all go! It's starting to hail....

Maya: .... but I can't! I belong to the ocean and I have to go back where I belong Rick...I'm so sorry....

Ricky: right....

Kent: oh oh oh....I sense romance's going on there!

Giselle: shush Kent! Don't stare....

Maya: I'm sorry.....

Ricky: okay okay I got it....I think I misread things here, I thought you also felt .... it ...

Morgana: please? How can you let go like this uncle Rick! Try harder!

Maya: I....you don't understand, it's not that easy...I'm half fish I can't be away from water too long! I may die!

Ricky: well, we can make sure you have a bathtub always full ....

Morgana: what is a bathtub?

Ricky: and I guess we can find some nice place to live on the beach so the ocean will be there whenever you need it...

Maya: Rick....

Ricky: .... unless ... you have other reasons to go back .... or you don't want to stay with us... in that case I totally understand and I'll step aside....

Maya: Rick! I don't have other reasons.... I just ... need to go ... I'm sorry .... it's my nature to live in the ocean, I can't just....leave my home...

Ricky: it's okay...I understand that ....

Morgana: and now I guess it's time to turn the other way, right?

Morgana: yes...I think so.... just be quick guys!

Ricky: so...is that a farewell?

Maya: no....it's a see you soon maybe? I'll come back I promise....

Ricky: right...or I'll come looking for you and bring you back like last time...

Morgana: heeeey, are you done yet?

Kent: look Gi, I bet they're going to kiss now...on the count of 3 .....

Giselle: shush Kent! They'll hear you!

Kent: look! Three....

Kent: ....two ....

 Kent: one!

Ricky: Maya....

Maya: listen, I have to go now....I hope to see you soon again Rick....

Maya: goodbye.....

Morgana: are they done yet? I mean, how long does it take?

Morgana: oh please! It's hailing again! Get a move on!

Morgana: meh, grown ups......

Morgana: but why do I feel ..... so sad?

Ricky: goodbye.....

 Ricky: .... love ....

And so Maya was gone ....

Although Ricky's heart was crying, there wasn't time to grieve...besides, she said she would return, he would wait...he was confident at heart...

So he was the first to explore the beach they had landed on and found a little path heading upwards...

 As he ran up the small hill he could see the yellow wall of a house peeking through the trees!

And then.... shop signs! They were back in civilization for sure!

And finally.... a house! Or a building of some kind...anyway....

Ricky could hear the others running behind him but he was the first to reach the building and got in ....

Second one was his sister Giselle who didn't look too impressed...

Giselle: but....but....this is not a house! This place is....I don't know what it is but it's falling into pieces!

Giselle: We're not getting any help here....what if the island was evacuated and nobody lives here anymore!

Kent: well, at least we'll live in a fully decorated house!

Morgana: mum? What is this place? It has....odd furniture...

Kent: ooooh a couch! how much I've longed for a real couch...

Giselle: so, what do we do?

Kent: I don't know....

Reception guy: hey guys, welcome to the fishermen's retreat! May I help you?

Ricky: woah, where did this one come from? Hey you, where are we exactly? We thought this place was deserted! Glad to see it is not....

Reception guy: why, you're in Isla Paradiso, the best place to live on the whole Simearth! How come you don't know where you are....and how about those old ragged clothes...but hey, sorry man, not my business here... so, you wanna check in? From your looks I believe you don't have that much money but hey, it's not up to me to judge people from their looks right? And I shouldn't care who you are or where you are from or why you're wearing worn out clothes right? 

Ricky: ......

Reception guy: so yeah, I'll just check you in in one of the 4 beds rooms....one night right?

Ricky: I guess so... so, it looks like this is some kind of....

Reception guy: resort! it was the first which was built on the island! It was a huge business once but now, people all go to more fancy ones...and this place is decaying....but that's why we're so cheap right? And we have the sea right outside like all the other places man!

Ricky: yeah...guess so...hey, we're hungry, is there a kitchen we can use? 

Reception guy: no, we don't have one....but there's a buffet table outside! It's been there for a while now and since we don't have many guests I'm not sure how the food tastes....but hey, it's food! It's all the same when it reaches the stomach, isn't it?

Ricky: fine....hey, let's go have lunch people...the guy said there's a buffet table outside...hopefully we can find something edible....

Giselle: eurgh this food stinks! I wonder how long that soup has been there....ewww

Kent: I'm hungry...what should I take?

Giselle: anything but the soup, I'd say....

Kent: but those hamburgers looks weird as well....what kind of place is this?

Morgana: mum....I got this strange thing....what is it exactly? Is it fish rolled into something...exotic?

Giselle: no kid, it's not exotic at all...it's a hot dog!

Morgana: this fish tastes funny...but it's good!

Giselle: it's not fish....I know fish, fruits and vegetables are the only things you've ever eaten but there's plenty of other stuff as well! Like that hot dog....

Morgana: it's good!

Morgana: I'm going to take another one....

Giselle: aaaaah beloved grilled cheese! How much I've missed you!

Kent: man, this hamburger looked okay...but now that I take a closer look....I think I shouldn't eat it..... I think we should complain with the reception guy...the service here is awful!

Kent: hey you....what were you thinking when you said "the buffet is right outside"? Half of the food is rotten and smelly and....green!

Reception guy: hey man, I told your friend that it had been out for a while already so....

Kent: but it's not acceptable! We got better food when we were stranded in the lost island!

Unknown woman: stranded in a lost island?

Giselle: uh, yeah....

Unknown woman: oh my goodness! Now I recognize you! You're Giselle Love!

Giselle: uh, yeah....but who are you? other than the lady with an arm growing in weird positions? and how do you know who I am?

Unknown woman: uh what? anyway, your picture was all over the internet! An old lady from Barnacle Bay was looking for you...but that was ages ago! We all thought you were dead...but you were not! Amazing....

Giselle: we shipwrecked....but were lucky enough to be close to a little island and we've been living ever since...and now we got here...

Unknown woman: amazing! Just amazing!

Giselle: but....how much time have we been away?

Unknown woman: quite a lot I'd say....I believe I read on the news that the old lady from Barnacle Bay died...oh, and you're rich! She didn't believe you died so she left you all she had....for when you returned....

Giselle: she did?

Unknown woman: oh yeah...we all thought she was mad because you were probably long dead but now it seems she was right! And you're one lucky woman! 

Giselle: but...how?

Unknown woman: just go to the bank downtown and they'll tell you exactly what you got...and how you can get it!

Kent: Gi, I think I'm going to check our room....and if it falls apart I won't get shocked....

Giselle: Kent.... we need to talk....it looks like we've been away for a while and now I got....

Kent: later, hon, later, I need to check our room and then get mad at this guy here!

While her mum was talking to that stranger, Morgana was exploring the place....that thing was so soft to sit on! What was that exactly? Was it a place you could sleep? It was softer than her parents' bed on the island!

There was so much she didn't know yet....a whole new place to explore! It seemed to big and scary...but that was also so very exciting!

Like, this boat look-alike.... what was it and why was it parked on the sand, instead that being in the water? And why did it have weird metal thingies all over? Where were the oars?

Later that day Kent decided to stop complaining for the decaying state of everything in that place and enjoy the sunshine with his family.... which was a little weird, since they had been living on a desert island for who knows how long but never, for one second, ever thought of sunbathing! They had more important things to think about....

But now, enjoying the early winter sun all together, the Loves realized how cool that part of the world was and how lucky they were to enjoy it. They had found out people paid a lot of money to spend days in these resorts, to relax and take a break from the stressful city life. 

And they had had the chance to enjoy it for free!

But now that they were back to civilization everything would change.....

Kent watched Ricky build sand castles with his niece. He looked as happy as a child! He didn't look like the grown up, broken hearted man that had said goodbye to the love of his life just a few hours ago.

But that was Ricky....he was just like that...nobody really know what was going on in his mind. He could seem a little crazy but Kent was now suspecting he was the cleverest of them all. In his weirdness, that is.

But yes, things were going to change now... really change. And it was all thanks to that old lady from Barnacle Bay who had left all her fortune to Giselle. Plumbob bless her!

They had discussed what to do with all that money, but none had come up with a good idea. There were talks of going back to Barnacle Bay, or to Appaloosa Plains, or to buy a house here and forget the past... but Kent just had got the perfect idea.

This was the place where their pirates adventures had lead them all. As a family. It was rotten and decaying, but here they could all get what they wanted: Ricky could wait for his mermaid to visit, Morgana could live in the same environment she had grown up in, but at contact with people. He could have a dream family house with his beloved ones and Giselle....well, the reception guy had told him these islands were first discovered by a few pirates who had left from Barnacle Bay and had shipwrecked here. Legends said that there was still a cave with their treasure, somewhere on the island. Giselle would definitely like to live here.

Yes, they would buy this decaying resort and make it anew. And they would run it all together and name it the Pirates' Cove. 

THE END? ;)