HIDDEN SECRET

While they were back to the island, she kept thinking about the handsome man she saw some days ago. She had never seen someone who was as handsome as he was.

Karen had his face imprinted on her head. 

“Karen, are you okay?” Kayla asked, staring at her sister, who seemed to be smiling more often than normal.

“Huh, I'm okay”. She said, as they laud together on their mouth looking at the stars from the window since their legs were laid beneath the window.

Their house was made of bamboo leaves, and the floor of the house was made of wood. They had only two rooms, which was their room and that of their father.

They had no kitchen in the house in which they cooked their food. The villagers all cooked using firewood, in the general kitchen they shared, which was a hut built.

Not only that, but they mostly cook their meals together, where some selected women from each family were selected according to the roaster and made took for the day.

Each family had to bring their portion of food ingredients with which the food will be prepared by the selected women for that week.

When Karen and Kayla's mom was alive, she used to be among the women who prepared meals for the villagers, but ever since her death, they excluded their family in the cooking of meals, but their father made sure he brought his portion of ingredients when it was time to prepare the meals.

That was how cooperative the villagers are. They also had a local clinic where those ill were taken to, it was only when the illness gets serious they take they were taken to the city for proper treatment.

Karen and Kayla waited for their father as usual, waiting for him to come home, but this time they were extremely late.

It got to a point that everyone became worried that something terrible might have happened while they were at sea.

They waited for more than three hours, which was way past the time they usually came back home.

Kayla and Karen held each other, they were beginning to get scared for their father.

They silently prayed in their hearts for their father to be safe, they could not bear to lose another parent.

They didn't feel their mother's death that much because they were still little when she died, but they were seventeen now, and they are mature enough to know the pains of loosing a loved one.

It saw 4:am and still no news from their father and the rest of the others who went fishing.

None of the villagers could sleep a wink, not even those whose family were not among the people who went out at sea. Everyone became worried equally.

This was another good thing about the villagers, they genuinely care for each other and her willing to go out of their way to help.

When it seemed that they were never coming back, some men decided to go to the sea and look for them.

Just then, their father's boat came into view, everyone screamed in excitement when they saw them coming.

Karen and Kayla who were already crying suddenly lit up when they saw their dad alive and well, but he wasn't smiling.

What could be wrong?, everyone in the boat seemed to be sad as well, and that was an indication that something terrible must have happened.

Once they got closer to shore, everyone rushed to the river to row the boat to shore, and at that moment, everyone gasped in horror.

Karen and Kayla ran to the boat to see what was happening and to their greatest horror, they saw old man Damian lying on the floor of the boat in his poll of blood, he didn't seem to be moving, and his leg's was no more. The only reason for this was because a shark had taken his leg off.

Mrs Patricia, screamed at the sight of her husband, she was held and taken back to her home.

Karen choked on her tears upon seeing the dead man in front of her, Kayla quickly hugged her sister and took her away from the gruesome sight.

Mrs Patricia is the widow of dead Damian, they had four kids, but sadly, they ball died from a strange ailment. The couples were sad more so because they were lonely without children.

Now the old man is gone too, how was Mrs Patricia to bear this loss. Karen cried even harder at the thought.

Her father together with some men carried the body of Damian to the cemetery where those who died on the island were buried in.

Everyone mourned for the old man for days, no one went out to sea, as that was a tradition of the villagers.

That period of staying at home was to mourn the person's death.

Karen and Kayla had never seen their father cry before, just like now, he didn't cry even while the others were crying. They wondered why her father never cried when people died.

Karen could remember that when their mom died, he almost drowned at sea and the villagers saved him.

Ever since then, she had never seen him cry, no matter how close the person was to him.

“Where do those who die go to, Karen?" Anna asked, with a sad face.

Karen stared at her sister, whose eyes seemed wet with unshed tears.

"They become stars” She replied.

“That's what father said”.

“Yes, and I believe mom is watching over us too as a star." Kayla came closer to the window where Karen was, and together they gazed at the star.

Karen wondered if old man Damian had ascended to the sky, and if so, could it be that he had reunited with his four kids who had died before him?” Karen asked herself curiously. 

A month later, everyone had gone back to their usual businesses, Mrs Patricia was now being taken care of by the villagers together with other widows on the island, she seemed to have found happiness among the women who were widows just as she was.

She felt sad from time to time, specially when she goes to the seaside alone and cry for a while, but that was pretty much all the sadness she felt.

The men went fishing as usual, but they tried to be more careful while at sea. They always wore their safety boots and swimming jacket, which protected them from drowning when they are in the water.

Meanwhile, Mr. James thought about his two daughters, he thought about sending them to the city so they could leave a good life, but he feared the life of the city.

It was at all easy for him to finally find peace in the at the island, sometimes when he saw his girls, he could not help but feel guilty, he thought that they deserved a better life.

Ever since he escaped to the island with Sarah, he had vowed never to step foot back in the city, he couldn't bear to put his family in danger. He remembered Sarah was pregnant when the ran to the island.

He had completely lost contact with the outside world for fear that they might track him down. More so, he can't afford to put his daughters in danger because they are the only family he has left. 

He's sure his family back in the city might have looked for him for years. He can't inform them about his whereabouts because until now, he can't tell who the real culprit was that tried to assassinate him and his family.

It was said that sometimes your biggest enemy is a family, he knew how ambitious his brothers were, so he can't afford to take chances. He would rather stay over here with his girls until they are old enough to get married and produce their own kids.

Life on the island was simple and peaceful and over the years, he had come to be comfortable with this simple life. He might have enjoyed the good part of life and sometimes miss it, but the bottom lines was that his safety and that of his kids were more important.

It was better they know nothing about him or his family, not even the villagers knew anything about him, but fortunately, no one cared to dig out anyone's past.

He could tell that everyone on the island had a reason why they left the cities. The island wasn't an original dwelling for anyone, at the time he came with his wife, it was just three old families he met. Over the years they had grown into a larger family who lived together in peace and harmony.

This is how it should be, humans living together in peace with one another, without being greedy or selfish.