Into the Shifting Tides

Chapter 1: Dragged

It was yet another calm afternoon at the beach. Sun setting, warm and gentle breeze blowing and the scenery is just pleasingly relaxing. Mherdelle sat by the warm sandy coast as her hands dug the ground clenching small pebbles underneath. Her feet were constantly reached by the splashes created by the rolling waves of the warm ocean water. Her mind was clearly stuck deep in her thoughts recollecting all the things that had happened lately while watching the purple-orange sky gets dark as the sun sets in the vast horizon.

It was already dusk and she hasn't decided to go home just yet. Primarily because she knew her aunt would start nagging her again for not finishing up the rest of the chores. After all, she had drained all her energy from cleaning almost every single dusty and dirty household appliances and furnitures in the house. Frequently, she was also being ordered around by her bossy cousin–which can be a pain in the gut most of the time. She isn't a maid, but it surely makes her feel like so almost every single day. She had never dared to object before even when her work mostly gets in the way of her studies. Why? Because it was clear that her aunt was the one who took her in and financed her study in college, to which she’s thankful about. At least she still has some respect for her aunt. She just have to endure it until she finds herself a stable job that can support all her expenses.

Her own family seemingly abandoned her when she decided to make a decision for herself—to study in a different place. Her mother didn't like her idea, her father won't even bother discussing about it, and her siblings acts as if the issue is nothing but a boring live show, but still, she followed what she felt like she needed to do.

Back then, her family is struggling financially, their allowance were just barely enough for buying their everyday food, some clothing, and other basic needs which doesn't involve education. Her older brother and her father got their own job, but the salary wasn't enough to support her and her younger sisters' education altogether. She instantly knew that if she hadn't taken an action, she might be obliged to stop studying in school. They were poor and lacking financially to begin with, but those can’t stop her from hoping to find a beter future someday as she aims to attain success in her chosen career.

Without having much contact and family support, she and her own family seemingly drifts apart as she continues to travel down on the path she had chosen. Only her own determination and her friends' support kept her adrenaline fired up every single day. But even so, she feels like as if something is still lacking and she can't seem to have a grip of what it could be.

Closing her eyes and inhaling the scent of sweet ocean breeze, she decided to lay down in the warm sand. Some stars starts to peak, and the full moon is almost visible. If only she have her time in her hands, she would consider camping the night at this beach, but she can't, she knew she can't do that or else her aunt will get furious–even more furious than she might be right now.

"Should I be walking back now?" she asks the wind–her only companion. But in the midst of silence she felt some pressure tap on her toes. Strangely, it doesn't feel like a water splash anymore, it's more like a solid object. Raising her head slightly over to the side, she saw some sort of small bottle beeing carried close to her feet by the waves.

"Another human trash," she whispered, "Clearly the pollution is much worse than what most people expected."

Pulling herself upwards back to a sitting position, she examined the bottle. It looked like a clear wine bottle without any label and it was clearly made out of glass so it can be a little heavy, then how can the small waves carry it close to her feet? Using her left foot, she slides the bottle closer to get a better look.

There was a rolled paper stuck inside and the lid is sealed tightly with a wooden cork.

A message in a bottle.

Now that sounds like something out from the old books or maybe something out from a fantasy story, to be more precise, tales about pirates. But she's too old to play pirates, and the world is too advance for messages sent in bottles. Most people depends on the internet now. Maybe someone from across the globe were just conducting a research experiment by throwing garbage with paper messages at sea to determine where the waves can take it. All in the name of science, but not exactly helping Mother Nature.

With her curiosity constantly wanting her to find out if it is indeed a message in a bottle, she had the cork removed after several tries. Flipping the bottle upside down, the rolled paper slides through the opening and in between her fingers.

The paper was quite old, and some edges were torn and turning brown. Carefully, she unrolled it to have a look inside.

There was a short unfinished message written in curvy letters which says...

"A treasure is hidden, in a land forbidden.
A fortune of diamonds and gold, and a tale untold..."

She stopped for a moment while her brain tried to analyze the meaning behind those phrases. It doesn't look like a research experiment, but more like... a clue or a riddle?

"Treasure? Diamonds and Gold?" she whispers.

Could it be that she had stumbled upon a century-old treasure map?! But the chances of it being a real deal was like 30%, or maybe it was just some sort of prank meant to fool those who have found it?

"This is nuts," she said.

Then a sudden struck of lighting sliced through the clouds, followed by a loud scream of thunder.

Mherdelle was so focused on the piece of paper she was holding that she forgot to catch sight of the sudden change of weather. But how can a very peaceful weather changed drastically into something violent in just a matter of seconds?

About to retreat for the day because of the storm warning, she suddenly felt a strong pressure holding her feet down in her spot. The sand had just climbed up her legs and almost reaching her knees. And the more she struggles to free herself, the more the sand pulls her down.

Was she actually standing on a quicksand a while ago? But why didn’t she felt it beforehand?

Moments later, another slice of lightning caught her attention, this time it's was much closer to where she is standing. Panic starts to overwhelm her senses. She was in a very desperate situation, and there was no one near her that she could scream help for, but still she tried screaming.

"Help!!! Somebody! Help me!" she screamed at the top of her lungs repeatedly for a couple of minutes, but failed to catch anyone's attention. Because there was no one at the beach except for her.

Glancing back at her stuck feet, she noticed that the water below her starts circling her like a small water tornado. A sudden gust of cold wind blew the piece of paper she was holding, carrying it away from her. Another struck of lightning and the solid ground suddenly disappeared. She was pushed down underneath the tides, as the water around her continued spinning. She tried swimming to the surface, but her efforts were not enough. She was not a professional swimmer, and her swimming skills were only good for about a few minutes in a 6 feet deep swimming pool.

She continues to struggle until almost all the air was forced out of her lungs. But before she lost consciousness, she saw something shining near the ocean floor. Then a strong force pulled her up the tides and over the waves where she immediately grabbed the chance to fill her lungs with air again.

Near her, just an arm-length away, there was a huge empty floating barrel capable of keeping her afloat. Determined to live, she pushed herself forward with her remaining strength reaching for the barrel. And after she did, she knew she can allow herself to breathe calmly again. But as she opens her eyes to analyze her location, she saw a sandy white beach nearby, she was near a small island and what caught her attention was the sky. She expects it to be dark and starry, but what she saw was the sun and the floating white clouds in a clear blue sky.

"I must be dreaming!" she exclaimed, her mouth agape as her eyes wander. "No freaking way!"