I checked the ratings for the forums again, and I think this story should be safe! wink grin wink

Nishi was knocked out of a sound sleep by two loud splashes. She sat bolt upright in bed. It was barely dawn; the hut was still very dark. For a moment she wondered why the rest of the children were still asleep, but then she remembered that she was the lightest sleeper of the group. What she considered a sound sleep would barely be counted as sleep at all to anyone else.
Nishi pulled back the blanket that covered her and slipped her feet over the side of the bed to the sandy floor, trying to keep from waking Bindi, the youngest child. Nishi was the oldest, so she felt that it was her responsibility to find out what had happened.
She slowly walked through the hut, trying to remember where all the children were sleeping on the ground so she wouldn't step on them. She crept to the doorway, thankful that she had avoided the others, but when she came out of the hut, she rammed her side into the table that stretched out before the hut. The candles rattled loudly in their holders, and the glass dishes almost fell off.
"Ow!" muttered Nishi under her breath, pressing her hand to her hip. She hoped that the others hadn't wakened. She walked across the sandy village center towards the only source of fresh water: the waterfall fed lagoon. When she got closer, she was shocked to see two people climbing out of the water. In the dark, Nishi dashed behind a rock near the lagoon. "Zea Are you okay, my sister?" asked the man, helping the woman out of the water. The woman spit out a mouthful of water and coughed. "Yes, I think so," she said finally.
Suddenly Nishi's sensitive ears picked up a commotion from the hut that they slept in. Oh no, she thought. They've woken up! She ran back to the hut, hoping she could quiet them down. When she reached the hut, she attempted to make them stay where they were, but the second oldest, Hong, protested. "Aw, come on, Nishi! Just because you're he oldest doesn't mean that you're in charge!" He pushed past her and continued to the lagoon. Lapis and Ahi followed him, just because they always did whatever Hong did.
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Only one of the four children stayed by Nishi. Little Bindi, who was only four years old, whimpered and hugged Nishi's leg. "Oh, Bindi, did the noise scare you?" asked Nishi, scooping the little girl up in her arms. Bindi nodded and buried her face in Nishi's shoulder. Nishi smiled and carried Bindi along with her to see what the other kids were doing. She hoped they were safe.
When she got there, she saw the two people from before standing in the ankle deep water where the lagoon turned into a small stream. The other kids were standing in a group a few feet from the two adults. Nishi shook her head and shifted Bindi in her arms. "Hello," she said, stepping forward towards the adults. The woman smiled at her, and Nishi immediately felt more at ease. "I'm Zea," the woman said. "And this is my brother, Jiun."
Nishi returned the smile and introduced the others in turn. "I am Nishi. This is Hong, Lapis, Ahi, and this little one-"she nodded her head towards the little girl in her arms "-is Bindi." Bindi raised her head for a moment, and looked at the two adults with her clear blue eyes. Then she hid her face in Nishi's shoulder again.
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After a few more moments of introduction, Nishi noticed that Ahi and Lapis were almost falling asleep on their feet. Bindi had fallen asleep in her arms. "Zea, would you help me take them back to bed?" she asked. Zea nodded and took Ahi and Lapis' hands. She followed Nishi to the hut, where she helped the little ones into bed. Bindi was placed in Nishi's bed, since it was where she slept anyway. Bindi woke up a little bit as Nishi set her down. "Mama!" she cried out in her sleep. Nishi pulled the blanket over Bindi, and hummed a lullaby to her. Bindi sighed and fell asleep. As Zea and Nishi left the hut, Zea asked "Is Bindi your...?" She trailed off, leaving out the last word. Nishi shook her head. "Oh, goodness, no. None of us are related, and besides, I'm only fifteen." Zea nodded.
They returned to the center of the village, and found that Jiun had started a fire in the fire pit. The sun was just peeking over the mountains to the east, and soon the village was filled with golden light. After a few hours, Nishi prepared a small morning meal, and the children that had gone back to bed came running out of the hut. Bindi ran to Nishi immediately. "Nishi!" she exclaimed. "I had this dream, and there were two people in the lagoon, and I didn't know who they were, and...and..." she trailed off when she saw Zea and Juin sitting not far away. Her eyes widened. "It was real, wasn't it?" she asked, almost reverentially. Nishi nodded. Suddenly Bindi turned shy again. "It's okay; you don't have to be afraid." Nishi told her.
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After they had eaten the morning meal, Juin decided to try to fish for some food, Zea began building another hut, and Nishi started researching at the long table outside of the only livable hut. When Zea stopped for a short break, she went over to talk to Nishi. "What is the name of this village, Nishi?" Nishi had to think for moment. It had been so long since she had heard anyone use it. "Oh, now I remember!" she exclaimed after a moment. "The name is Volare`. I don't know what it means, though." Zea's face lit up. "I know what it means! It means 'To Fly'." Nishi grinned.
"Well, I should get back to work on that new hut," said Zea. "By the way, tonight Jiun and I will sleep out by the fire because of how crowded it is in the hut." Nishi nodded absently, her mind focused on the work she was doing.
After everyone ate the evening meal, they sat by the fire for a while as the younger children drifted to sleep. After even Hong had gone to bed, Nishi told Zea and Jiun that Hong was turning 14 the next day, and then he would be able to work.
After the morning meal, Hong was allowed to choose the first job he would pursue. After much deliberation, he decided to fish. After everyone had started to work, Bindi came running up behind Nishi with something in her little arms. "Nishi-Nishi-Nishi-Nishi!!!!!!" she said, talking very fast. "Look-look-look! Look what I found!!!" She held up a mushroom. Nishi smiled. "That's great, Bindi! Why don't you bring your mushroom to the food bin?" "Look, Ahi found one, too!" Bindi beamed at the praise and ran to the bin. A few moments later, Nishi heard Bindi and Ahi bickering
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With a sigh and a shake of her head, she started in the direction of the sound.
When Nishi got there, Bindi was close to tears. "Nishi!!" she wailed. "Ahi said that his mushroom was better!" Nishi knelt down, and Bindi stood next to her, almost hiding. Nishi put her arm around Bindi and shifted her gaze to Ahi. "Is this true?" Ahi glared at the sand next to the food bin. "Yeah," he mumbled. "Only, 'cause it was true." Nishi looked at food in the bin. There were several fish, and a few mushrooms. Only one was red. "Let me guess," said Nishi. "You found the red one, right, Ahi?" Ahi nodded.
"Bindi, his mushroom is bigger. It's more food, but he shouldn't have been bragging about it. Ahi, I want you to apologize to Bindi." Ahi looked around before saying "Sorry, Bindi." Bindi sniffled a last time and said "It's okay." She smiled. Then she jumped forward and lightly smacked Ahi's shoulder. "You're it!" she shrieked, running off as fast as her little legs could carry her. Ahi gasped and ran after her. "You're gonna get it now!"
Nishi stood up and brushed the sand off her skirt. When she turned around, she found that Zea had approached. "Wow, you handled that well," she commented. Nishi shrugged. "Yeah, well, a year of practice doesn't hurt." She grinned lopsidedly. Zea laughed. Then she looked thoughtful. "You've been alone for a year?" Nishi cast her eyes downward. "Yes," she said. She paused. "The adults, they left, leaving one person and the five of us. Then the other person abandoned us. I don't know why." She swallowed hard and bit her lip. "It's been hard, especially when the food was low, but we've made it." She tried to put on a brave face, but inside, she was fighting a battle that no one could have imagined.
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That night, Nishi tossed and turned, trying to fall asleep. Talking to Zea that day had dredged up painful memories. She almost couldn't stand to close her eyes. When she got to sleep, she could see tall, crashing waves and hear them roaring in her ears. She thought she heard a voice, but she couldn't make out what was being said, except when she clearly heard her name. "Nishi!" came the voice. "It's your fault! It was YOU!!"
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In the morning when she walked out of the hut, the sky was overcast. Perfect, she thought. It matches my mood perfectly. Everyone was already sitting around the fire, eating. "The walking dead!" exclaimed Hong, teasing her, as usual. Nishi shot him a look that could've withered a tree. "You can just shush, Hong," she growled. Hong's eyes widened and he leaned back, away from her. "Okay, okay," he said hurriedly.
Nishi took a seat on the sand beside Zea. Zea leaned towards Nishi. "Are you okay?" Nishi nodded. "I just didn't sleep real well last night." Zea smiled supportively. "Well, I'm here if you need to talk."
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"Zea, can we talk?" Nishi stood in the doorway of the new hut. Zea was inside, pushing sand over the wood on the floor. This was a technique to smooth the wood so no one would get splinters in their feet. "Sure, Nishi," said Zea, standing up. "I could use the break." She sighed, and bent over backwards a little way, her back crackling. "Ahhh, that's better. So, what did you want to talk about?" Nishi took a deep breath. "Well," she said. "I'm turning 16 in less than a week." Zea's face lit up. "Oh, that's lovely!" She started to plot and plan what they would do that day. Nishi lightly shook her head, more and more forcefully. "No!" she exclaimed. "You- you don't understand! I can't be here then!" Zea looked shocked. "What do you mean you can't be here?!?" Nishi shook her head hysterically. "I- I just can't! I don't know why, but I just know that if anyone is near me, I'll hurt them!" She looked around wildly. "I can't- I- Zea, I'm sorry, you just have to leave! I have to be alone!!!" Zea left quickly. Nishi was frightening her. After Zea left, Nishi fell to her knees, tears pouring down her face. "It was me!" she screamed in anguish. "It was ME!" She started to cry so hard she couldn't breathe. She screamed, and with a loud clap of thunder, rain began to pour from the heavens.
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That night, Nishi dreamed of crashing waves, lightning, and someone screaming her name. Over and over, a woman was yelling to her- or perhaps at her. She woke with a start. She was still in the new hut, and the moon cut a swath in the darkness, its glow entering through the doorway.
Nishi knew that she couldn't stay in the village. She had to leave. Quickly, she decided then and there to just leave. She couldn't bear to see Bindi's face if she had to tell her.
She left the hut, illuminated by the moon, and ran. She ran as fast as she could into the forest.

She finally collapsed from exhaustion in a small clearing. When she woke again, the sun was coming up. She found that one of the trees held coconuts near its top, and she gathered some to eat for a morning meal. She used the position of the sun to figure that the others were probably rising about that time. She wondered what their reaction would be upon finding that she was gone. She nearly cried thinking of how Bindi would feel. With a start, she looked up and found that a cloud had covered the sun. It soon passed, however. After eating, Nishi drank some of the sweet juice from a coconut, and then tied some of the coconut in a piece of fabric torn from her skirt.
She continued through the forest, through the entire day. When nightfall set in, she climbed a tree and found a branch to sleep on. It was safer in the trees, where animals couldn't reach her.
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In the morning, Nishi figured out that she only had two days before she turned 16. She needed to be further from the village. She had traveled a long way, but it wasn't far enough. She set off into the forest again, running most of the time, stopping only when she saw a coconut tree. When she came across a stream, she almost cried out for joy. She waded into it, and washed off, cooling herself. Then she gulped in the water, because she was so very thirsty. She dunked into the water in the deepest part. "Ahhhh..." she sighed. She decided to follow the stream for a while. She walked along its bank, kicking rocks in every once in a while. The stream never seemed to end, and Nishi was able to follow it to a clearing where she stayed until the day she turned 16....
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That day, she woke with a start. The voice in her dream had stopped speaking for a moment, and then told her to "WAKE UP!" She jumped up and looked around. Nothing seemed any different, except the fact that her foot was asleep. "Ow!" exclaimed Nishi. She jumped around to get the blood flowing again. Suddenly she stopped, one foot still in the air. Slowly her foot lowered. Nishi could feel something changing within her. At first she wanted to fight, but then she flung her arms wide open. Even she could see the glowing light that seemed to be emanating from her.

She started to float above the ground, ever so slightly, completely enveloped in golden light. She could hear that voice. "You frightened the adults in the tribe. They were ignorant of your powers. You are not like anyone else. You can control the weather over the earth, and the soil and water upon it. Use your powers wisely and great things will come to you. Use them foolishly and you could bring about the destruction of all." The voice faded away, and Nishi fell to the ground. She was unconscious.
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When she came to, she didn't at first know where she was. Then she remembered what had happened. She slowly sat up. Looking around, she realized that she was not in that same clearing. She stood up and looked around. She was on the top of a mountain in the center of the island. She remembered what the voice had said. "You can control the weather..." She stretched her hand out towards her old village and thought of a light rain as hard as she could. Clouds gathered, and Nishi could hear the rain pattering down. She thought of sunshine, and the clouds parted. Then she remembered that she had been told she could control the water and soil. She reached out towards the sea, and caused tall waves. Then she turned and reached her hands towards rock floor of the area in which she stood. With skilled thoughts and movements of her hands, Nishi formed the rock into a large throne, from which she could see the entire island. She sat down, trying to process her great power. She laid her arms on one of the wide arms of the throne, and rested her head. Tears flowed from her eyes, running down the side of the throne.....

Suddenly she heard a male voice behind her. She turned quickly. "Chi?" she asked. "Is that really you?"
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"Yes, it's really me." Nishi gasped. Chi! The man who had once lived in her village! She was so glad to see a familiar face. Chi had been 18 when he and the others had left. Nishi had wept the night he left; though she had been very young, she had loved him. "Oh, Chi!" she cried, jumping up and running to him. "You haven't changed at all!" Chi nodded. "It's true. I'm still 18, though years have passed." Nishi was terribly confused. "How can that be?" Chi turned and pointed at a large chunk of crystal in the side of the rock. "I was trapped in there. Your tears released me. While I was trapped, I was informed of your power, and told of your love for me. That is why I was kept as an 18 year old. So I could be with you." Nishi started tearing up again. Chi opened his arms to her, and Nishi allowed him to take her in his arms. "But even though you're 18, I'm only 16." Chi smiled. "Nishi, haven't you noticed?" Nishi looked around bewildered. "Noticed what?" she asked. "Nishi, you're 18 now. The Guiding Hand transformed you."
Nishi gasped. "Oh, my..." she whispered. "It's true." She looked up at Chi. "But, what is this Guiding Hand?"
Chi chuckled. "The Guiding Hand is the force that keeps us alive." Nishi scoffed. "Yeah and where was it when I was left alone at 14 to care for four children?" she asked angrily. "Nishi," Chi said gently. "Do you think that it was coincidence that those people fell down the waterfall? The Guiding Hand was there all along, working to bring help to you." Nishi felt comforted by these words.

That night, Nishi slept for the first time without being plagued by the voices. She had found herself, her true love, and her place in the world.

THE END





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And what if it makes you laugh now but you cry as you fall asleep?