Trouvaille (#featured)

· s i x ·

The Hawaiian land and seascapes were the best Faye had ever seen in her whole life. It brought her a sense of nostalgia, remembering how much greenery her little town offered her. Even the best landscapers could not compare with the artistry of Mother Nature herself. Its chaotic wild-side gave it even more appeal, and though she wanted to go deeper in the densely wooded mountains, she didn't. What was in them, she could not be entirely sure, nor did she know if she'll survive or get back if she got lost. Besides, it was nearly time to go back to the ship. She only had thirty minutes before the ship would sail.

She sighed. Deciding to stay out in Hawaii instead of in the cruise ship had been her best decision since taking the vacation. Nathan was nowhere to be seen and so she was able to sleep a good ten hours – something she had never done in her entire life. And her peace was ending too soon. The dread was soon looming over her head as she became more and more aware of the time. After the fiasco the other day, she didn't think she could ever look at him straight without blushing.

Resigned to her fate, she walked along slow enough to make it just in time.

A boy's voice off to her right stopped her from heading toward her destination. She decided to follow the boy's voice and soon, she could hear a puppy – or a toy dog – Soon, she found a boy calling to what looked like a white spitz. Whatever breed the dog was, it was up on a huge boulder barking at something above it.

"What's going on?" She asked the boy.

The boy turned at her, worry creasing his young features. "I can't get Minty back! She doesn't want to give up on chasing that butterfly! We have to get back. The ship's almost leaving!"

"Alright, calm down. I'll get Minty." Faye smiled at her sounding more confident than she felt. She had never climbed on rocks even as a child. Their little town was all plains and farmland, but she just couldn't expect the child to chase after the dog and likely hurt himself.

Her hands found places on the boulder to latch onto, but found them dangerously narrow. She inched on upward until she was able to haul herself up to where Minty was barking. As soon as she was able to steady herself on all fours, the dog ran off chasing the butterfly once again. "Minty, no! Come back here!"

As Faye expected, the dog did not listen to her and she had no choice but to run after the dog, hoping that the dog would either finally be able to catch the butterfly or just give up the chase. She ran on vainly calling the dog's name hoping against all logic that the dog would listen to her.

Her better sense told her to give up on the dog as the rain started falling. They had taken so many twists and turns, she wasn't sure she would be able to get back. Another part of her told her to continue on considering that she had already put so much effort in it. Besides, she was already wet.

Finally, the dog stopped, sniffing the ground and the air, then whimpered. Faye approached her cautiously. "Come on, Minty. Your master's waiting for you."