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Azuton Island Adventure
Drifters Diner was literally in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing but highway road for a hundred or more miles on either side of the diner, gas station, convenience store combination.
The quaint and rustic café looked like a wood cabin in the country. It had a large front porch, on it two adirondack chairs and a giant horseshoe shaped ashtray. Inside the diner, the tables were covered with red and white checkered table cloths, clear plastic and heavy metal napkin holders.
Against one wall there were a couple of extra large booths. The red leather seats looked worn but were still really comfortable. There was a giant jukebox filled with songs sung by all the country music greats.
Behind the cash register there were a few shelves that held some basic sundries that a worn out traveler might need. The gas station was self-serve but most people came inside to use the washroom, grab a coffee and freshen up.
Caroline Bennett had worked at
Drifters Diner as a server for a very long time. She worked hard and both customers and coworkers adored her. She had a warm, generous smile and easy going personality.
The diner was extremely inconvenient for staff to get to. No one wanted to commute since the place was so out of the way.
The solution was to allow the staff to live on-site in one of six studio apartments. Each was fully furnished and included cable television. There was a small laundry room that was available for the employees to use for their personal clothing as well as to keep up with the diners' linens and staff uniforms.
One of the rooms was occupied by Caroline. Another was occupied by Helen and George Belfour, they were the main caretakers of the rustic rest stop.
George did most of the cooking in the diner. And he was a jack of all trades, so he frequently helped the customers who needed some basic car repairs. He would fill your tires or top off your oil if you needed. Anyone who met him found him to be so gentle and helpful.
Helen ran all the errands the diner required. She was a fantastic baker and kept the diner stocked with the most wonderful pies and desserts. She made lovely "to go" packages for the weary travellers and the lonely trucker's the diner attracted.
One evening, around dusk a cute young couple popped into the diner. They were friendly, played a couple of songs on the jukebox and ate dinner.
After they left Caroline discovered a twenty dollar bill along with a travel brochure on
the table. She quickly ran outside and thankfully caught up to the girl who was pumping gas into their little green convertible.
"Miss, you forgot your brochure and some money" the out of breath Caroline said as she ran toward the sun kissed blonde. She reached out to hand the girl both the twenty and the brochure. "Oh, the money is for you to keep" laughed the girl. "And the brochure is just a pipe dream. You can just throw it away" "Really?" said Caroline "Are you sure?. "Yes," said the girl. "I am sure." She laughed again and continued on "Put the money towards your pipe dream"
After studying the travel brochure Caroline made the out of character decision that she wanted to go there. She was hypnotized by the mystery and beauty of this seemingly isolated vacation destination.
The next opportunity she had Caroline hitched a ride with Helen into town and headed straight to the local travel agency brochure in hand. Thirty minutes later she exited the agency. She was booked for a six week all inclusive vacation on the Island of Azuton.
As luck would have it travel packages staying at the Grotto Getaway Resort were on special right now because the resort was being renovated.
Caroline wasn't too concerned about the renovations. The travel agent had called the resort directly and they assured her that Caroline's stay would be unforgettable and they would take great care of her.
Three weeks later Caroline was on the first of two flights that would plummet the simple server straight into paradise. And nine hours after that she was standing in front of Bella the concierge of the Grotto Getaway.
Bella greeted Caroline with a flower necklace and air kissed each of her cheeks. "Caroline, luv welcome to the Grotto Getaway" Bella said in a booming voice. "You are home, my luv". For a few moments Caroline felt so happy and loved.
Caroline's elation turned to complete devastation when Bella gently broke the news to her that there had been a terrible mistake and the resort was behind on the renovations. Her room was not inhabitable and she would have to share her room.
"Oh, luv, it will be an adventure" Bella said while placing a large glass of champagne into Caroline's trembling hand. Caroline really could not process this information. She wanted a long luxurious, relaxing vacation. Not a weird slumber party with a complete stranger.
Bella hurriedly ushered Caroline toward the hotel's spa. Bella gave strict instructions to the staff to give her a hydrating facial and hot stone massage. Then Bella gave strict instructions to Caroline to relax and to come back to the lobby when she was finished
During the three hour spa treatment Caroline managed to come to terms with the bizarre situation as best as she could. She had gotten a really good deal on the trip and she really wanted to stay. How bad could a roommate be??
Back in the lobby Bella was waiting and ready to escort Caroline to her room. "C'mon luv, this will all work out" Bella said. She took Caroline by the arm and they went to Caroline's room. Bella used her swipe key and opened the door.
The room was everything Caroline hoped it would be. There were two big floral bedspreads covering two queen beds, plush orange carpet and wicker furniture with pink and yellow cushions. Everything in the room was bright and fun.
Bella had explained to Caroline that her roommate was another young female. Her name was Rachel and she was currently out exploring the island. Bella gave Caroline a room key and told her "go on about your day, luv. Everything will work out".
Caroline decided to take Bella's advice. She was going to enjoy this trip starting with a shower. After her shower Caroline went looking for one of the local restaurants.
The evening progressed wonderfully. Caroline found a restaurant, had some dinner and a couple of drinks. She walked around the resort exploring the gift shops. There were some parts of the hotel that were off limits because of the renovations but the parts she did see she liked a lot.
After a wonderful evening Caroline decided to go back to her room and meet Rachel. To her surprise Rachel wasn't in the room. She had some belongings in the room but that was it.
It had been such a long and exhausting day Caroline climbed into bed and fell asleep within seconds. When she awoke nine hours later she saw Rachel was on the other side of the room gathering up some things. It seemed like she was getting ready to leave.
At first Caroline didn't pay too much attention to the pretty brunette's comings and goings. She was settling into her own routine.
Caroline had coffee and fresh island fruit every morning. She read magazines and books by the pool. She had found a great reading spot by one of the grottoes that she loved. In the afternoons she would go for a walk, check in with Bella back at the hotel and then have dinner. After that she would walk the beach at sunset and retire for the evening.
During the day Caroline never ran into Rachel, and she began to wonder what the girl did from early in the morning until late into the night. It seemed like odd behaviour.
That night Caroline didn't sleep very well. Part of her wanted to stay awake and try to speak to Rachel and part of her wanted to sleep. Eventually the latter won out and she fell asleep missing her opportunity to see Rachel when she came back to the room.
When Caroline woke up the next morning she decided she was going to do some exploring of her own. Why not? Maybe, she would run into Rachel. So, she packed up her backpack with some snacks, water and sunscreen and off she went.
First she stopped and spoke with Bella again except this time Caroline asked her some direct questions. She found out that there was a path behind the gardeners shed that let out into the grounds behind the hotel. That seemed like a great place to start.
For the next two days Caroline spent the afternoons walking the path behind the hotel. It was a beautiful walk for sure but there was no sign of Rachel or anything out of the ordinary.
That all changed on day three when Caroline spotted a woman through the foliage. Her heart was beating through her chest as she followed the woman. She couldn't quite tell if it was Rachel or not but she sure hoped so. Caroline kept her distance and continued to follow the young woman.
After about ten minutes the woman stopped and began to walk off the beaten path. Then she came to a stop and pulled out a piece of paper. It appeared like she was reading it and as she got closer Caroline could see it was Rachel.
Caroline came up behind Rachel and startled her when she said "Hello". "God, Caroline what the hell are you doing here??. "Oh, I am sorry" stammered Caroline. "I wanted to see where you were going everyday".
"I don't see how that is any of your business" said Rachel angrily. She stuffed the paper into her backpack and then she continued on "Please go away. I am busy and don't really want you around"
"Yes, of course" Caroline said apologetically. "I didn't mean to bother you. I was just curious that's all". As she turned to leave Caroline tripped and fell over some of the overgrown brush.
She lay there breathless for a moment and then she saw Rachel standing over top of her with her hand outstretched "Look, I am sorry" said Rachael "I didn't mean to snap at you. Let me help you up!"
Caroline took Rachel's hand and stood up. Then she followed Rachel a few paces toward a small waterfall. At the bottom of the waterfall there was a small pool of water. "Here sit down" Rachel gestured to the ground beside the pool of water. She took the bandanna off her head and dipped it into the water. Then she gently dabbed the moist bandanna on a few scratches Caroline had on her arms and legs from the fall.
She wasn't seriously hurt or anything. Just a few scrapes and bruises. The cool water felt good against her skin. Caroline tried again to apologize to her new nursemaid slash roommate. But, Rachel just brushed her off.
Rachel pulled out some bottled water and some fruit and a couple of danish.
Rachel gazed off into the sky for a few minutes. Then she began to speak. "I found a letter in my Grandfather's belongings when he passed away a few months ago. The brunette continued in a steady voice. "The letter said that years ago my Grandfather had come here on vacation with my Grandmother. The two of them had been on vacation and were exploring one day when they found a drawstring bag with some jewelry in it." Rachel paused for a moment and then continued to speak. "He said they weren't sure what to do with the jewelry so they buried it. They were scared the jewelry was stolen and they didn't want to get into trouble. They talked about coming back years later but never did".
Caroline interrupted her and said "And you are here looking for the bag?". "Yes, I am," replied Rachel. "My Grandfather left me some details and encouraged me to come to Azuton island and try to find the bag of jewelry. I know it sounds silly but I can't seem to let it go"
Caroline reached out and put her hand on top of Rachel's hand. "I will help you, don't worry we will find it" She smiled reassuringly at Rachel. Rachel wiped her brow and looked at Caroline and said "Really?, that would be great. I have felt so alone out here looking for a needle in a haystack.". Caroline jumped to her feet "C,mon then let's get to it" she said excitedly.
And that was how the two strangers ended up together on this Azuton Island adventure.
Helen didn't answer him. She blinked back tears as she recalled how she had gone to the airport to pick their young friend up weeks ago but the girl hadn't been on the plane. And when she called Grotto Getaway someone named Bella told her she had never heard of anyone named Caroline Bennett.
Genie passed the rugged stone building of the school. No siree, not today would she be going to class, the books there worn and old, the pages falling apart with one tail flick. Instead, she would head to the library. The smell of pure paper wafted towards her nose. She swam over to one of her favorites, Star Sea. As she flipped to her favorite page, she read, ?The stars can be seen at stardusk, for 20 minutes. The stars, oblong shaped and shining, are watched by land dwellers as normality.? The leather cover felt rough against her dark skin; she traced the gold lettering with her finger on the cover. Two large stars, each embroidered with the finest gold thread seen. Oh, how Genie loved that book! But her reimbursement was disturbed. As the Blestffle Squid started huffing, everybody took cover underneath the tables, but Genie had gone into her own dream. ?Genie!? she heard a voice say. But she was too late. As the black ink sprayed on her, her tail changed color for worse, from a light purple to a foul, dark black. Embarrassed, Genie ran, and she ran all the way to her volcano home.
She shoved up the smooth, flat stone up the volcano as she dove in her home. No bubbles today. She thought. Her pitch black tail swung around as it slapped the side of the stone walls, her attitude spicy. Genie sighed, her silver hair plastered on her forehead, adorned with dry seaweed from a midnight dive, and she opened her closet door. ?Locklin. Come ooouuuuut.? The electric eel slithered out of his small jar to reveal his 12 foot long body, green on the bottom like fresh sea grass and blue on the top like the smooth sea water. His fins were almost transparent, blue, and you could see the veins peeking through like eyes in a cavern. ?Genie? he hissed. ?Where are the stars?? she sighed. ?I told you. We can't get stars. They're? forbidden.? he spit out fish guts. ?How? We can see the stars' reflection. Why can't we see them?? Genie sighed. She did have to explain to him every single night. ?The air is poisonous, Locklin. We can't go up there. We'll?.go away.? she said. He understood. At least, Genie thought he did. He huffed and went back into the jar. ?So what if we go away? At least we'll have a good sight to see.? His voice echoed in Genie ears like a voice in a tunnel. At least we'll have a good sight to see. Genie shrugged She took the sponge and started scrubbing off the tight black ink off her luscious tail. No use. The sponge bruised and scratched her fins but didn't erase any part of the ink. Locklin swam up behind her, miming chomping into a piece of food. She sighed, and gave him a smooth seaweed cake, but just as he started to go out the door, Genie said. ?Those are given. Not shared.? The girl, too, was hungry but greater work was needed to be done before she could sleep. But far too hungry was she, for when Locklin came back, the crumbs of the seaweed dribbling across his mouth she dove into her cupboard, sending pots and pans, along with rose hips and seaweed cakes flying out. Finally, she came upon what she would eat. A truffle. Just one single truffle, stuffed with cherry crisp and sugar. After the truffle was devoured, Genie was far too tired to continue on. She said goodnight to Locklin, lined up her shawl on the coat hanger, and dove into her pallet, closing her eyes.
?Genie we can't just go to the stars!? Locklin said. He was pacing around, the lantern's swinging, rumbling. He picked up a book and flipped through it with his fins. ?Aha!? Locklin muttered, his thick-rimmed glasses balancing at the tip of his nostrils. ?There. It states, we can-? ?- go watch the stars at a time of stardusk. Today is the final stardusk! We can go! Besides, you told me to go, remember?? she exclaimed. Far too excited, she rushed out of her home and started swimming to the surface. Her silver hair flowed behind her just like the Milky Way, and she waved delightfully towards the clownfish, who looked at her strangely. They were playing around with shells, and they pounded them and put them on their faces and laughed. Oh, the sea was perfect! But more perfect was the stars, or so she hoped. She passed the thick bay of coral, the little ferns waving with their blooming green hands. As she passed the washed up starfish she started to wonder if this was a bad idea after all. Locklin knew it was a bad idea. It wasn't stardusk anymore. But Genie swam up to the surface. Gasp! It was not stardusk. But she was determined to enjoy it, as Locklin said. Gazing up at them, she heard a voice call for her, and her breath floating away. But she saw the two stars on the cover of the book, lying in the sky As her breath ran out, she started to panic, but looked up at the sky, in its wholeness. The stars twinkled, and her eyes fluttered softly, and she took a deep breath, then stopped, her eyes closing peacefully.
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