Page 45 - Cornice Grade 8
P. 45
Survival Story
Paradise
l Aayana Raj Adhikari l
WITH HER boots gently crushing the dried buckled her seat in a fight-or-flight mode, had
leaves below them, her breaths coming out shaky grabbed anything she could get in an arm’s reach
and her mind numb, Athena tries not to focus and had dashed out of there. As she walks, she
on neither the burning wreckage behind her takes notice of how the forest is immensely beau-
nor the overwhelming urge to throw up as she tiful, and by beautiful, she means fairy-tale type
slowly makes her way through the coconut for- beautiful. The sun shines brightly, taking no no-
est, clutching her stomach tight. Think, ‘Thena, tice of the unfortunate case behind the brunette
think, she tells herself, but it’s hard trying to girl, and the birds chirp in one perfect harmony
think after you’ve just escaped a burning plane like they sense the presence of a Disney princess.
while still in a groggy mindset from being asleep A cool breeze tickles her skin lightly, while the
just a few minutes ago. She doesn’t know how leaves of the coconut trees sway with the wind,
it all went down; she had been fast asleep when and butterflies of different colors perch on her
the plane had crashed into a remote island. She’d skin; she’s always been a natural animal attracter.
been dreaming about her and her English pro- However, in her state, she can barely process this
fessor waltzing around the dance floor while her without an incoming headache and the shock
brother played the violin when a sudden, pain- and fear that this is happening. It’s only now that
ful lurch woke her up. She had thought that they Athena appreciates her mother’s over-worried
might be landing, before realizing that it was a self, packing as many items needed for survival
crash landing. The girl had immediately un- as possible before setting off for the airport. A
sharp pain catches her heart A
sharp pain catches her heart at
the thought of her mother.
“Mama,” she had laughed,
“You’re being paranoid; it’s not
like there’s going to be a plane
crash.”
“Mother knows best,” was her
mother’s stern yet amused re-
ply. “Now, shoo.”
Ah, the cruel irony. Looking
back at the memory now, Athe-
na thinks her past self had jin-
Image source: https://www.dreamstime.com/beautiful-curly-haired-girl-walks- xed it. Or maybe her mom’s a
tropical-forest-under-palm-trees-blue-sky-tall-coconut-carries-round-straw-hat- seer. She always seems to know
image178172812 things hours before it happens.
