Chapter 1 – Stranded

                The rain just went. The earth having covered in water smelled of wet soil and damp air. Polly was just splashing in the water when the rain came and chased her into the cave by the sea. Having the rain stopped, Polly stepped out of the cave, shoes in hand searching for the canoe she pulled onto the beach. It was nowhere in sight, just miles and miles of endless sea.

                It was the middle of the summer break and Polly was not in any way having a time of relaxation. She was being nagged at for her poor results and was forced to go to summer school. “What a complete waste of time,” she thought. Still, her parents were right. She was aiming for her diploma but having a big fat F in her examinations, she was nowhere near her goals. To make matters worse, she failed to hand in her project before the first semester ends and literally slept through all the classes. Now, she has to make up for what she missed the first semester. So, it was all work and no play for her the whole summer.

                The pressure was too much for Polly. Having no fun during summer was like having the soul reaped out of her. It was late afternoon one day when she finally snapped. Polly threw down her book and went over to the abandoned boat shack beside her house. The shack was like a scene out of a horror movie. Fishing gear was spawn all over the place and the walls are covered in mucus from the damp sea breeze. No one came to the shack anymore these days. Life had been too hectic for fishing and boating. For Polly, the place was just perfect to enjoy the peace and serenity after all the scolding and yanking she had. She wanted to be alone. She wanted to enjoy the warm sunny day by the beach like she used to. It was so long ago since she felt the gentle pat of the waves on her legs memories of it faded into misty dreams. Then, she had an idea.