Crescent Cove

Chapter One: Frangipani

"Come and play with us Frangipani!" a bunch of children squeal as I heave open the extremely light and fragile front door. I smile fondly at the nine kids begging me silently with puppy dog eyes. How I didn't scream at them and slam the door in their faces, though, amazes me. I am not a morning person, so being woken up at seven in the morning isn't in my list of "favourite things". 

"In a bit!" I yawn.

"No. Now!" a sweet six year old named Clarice pleads.

"Look! I'm still in my pyjamas!" I point out. The kids hesitantly agree before making me promise to come outside as soon as I'm dressed.

A slightly less tolerable person would fall back asleep, but, being me, I pull on a pair of denim shorts and a white t-shirt with a tiger on it. I slip on my jandels and head outside. I step onto the golden sand and walk towards the kids, who have formed a circle by some rocks on the beach. I wave sprints forwards and embraces them, causing them to crack up laughing.

"Hey!" I yell, beckoning them to me. They rush forward to greet me.

"Where's the fire?" I joke. They all start speaking at once, a torrent of words swimming in my ears.

I silence them by raising my hands surrender-like. The silence worms it's way through the children until they all cease to speak. An eight year old named Greg breaks the silence.

"Um, Pani? What are we doing today?"

I grin mischievously and lead them onto one of the forest paths.

We take a dark path, the only trace of light is scourced from the very few gaps in the bunched up trees. A few of the very young children start whimpering so I scoop up a three year old named Sienna onto my left hip and a four year old called Clover grasps my hand tightly. Even though I'm thirteen, I'm quite strong, so I manage to keep Sienna aloft until we reach a cave.

"Today's lesson!" I begin to announce, "is on the Cave of Evangeline! Can anyone tell me why it's named that?" and the lesson begins. 

Because we all live on an isolated island in the middle of nowhere, there is only one school, and it's run by me, a 13 year old who can't even read or write.

I hand out leaflets full of pictures I drew, before tying ropes around skinny waists. A look of fear flutters across Greg's face as he realises what we're doing. I start explaining the pictures. "We're going into the Cave of Evangeline today!" I explain. " Which is why we have ropes tied around our tummies," I say, poking Sienna in the stomach, causing her to collapse in a heap of giggles.

"All long hair tied up!" I instruct, handing out pieces of elastic knotted together. I tie my sun-bleached-blonde hair into a high ponytail and knot my rope onto a rock on the outside of the cave. From my resaerch, I have discovered that five steps into the cave you find yourself on the edge of  a cliff. What's at the bottom is impossible to tell without going down.

"I'm going to go down a cliff," I explain to the group. "If I'm not upby 8:00, get my dad. See you soon," and I start abseiling down the rocky face. Thay are all shouting at me, wishing me luck, so it's easy to estimate how far I've gone. Their voices are faint whispers by the time my feet are dangling in cold water. I lower myself and figure out the water is up to my collarbone.I dip my index finger into the liquid surrouning me and lick it: it's spring water, not salt.

I begin the long, tedious, climb back up to the top. The children are at the mouth of the cave, sucking in as much sunlight as they can on the far side of the island.  

"Well, what are you waiting for, come on down!" I beckon and help them get ready. When we reach the water I hear shrieks richoecheting off the empty cavernous walls. Sienna attatches herself to me like a monkey and a child I can't see has been super glued to my back.  I feel blind as I doggy paddle through the darkness, and even more so when I grope around the walls when the water only reaches my thigh.