Chapter 4

   Clamoring noises clashed like rough waves breaking on a stormy day as Aiden wandered through the streets of an island his map called Falridian. Gale excitedly trotted at his side, running off in different directions at times but Aiden always called him back to his side before he could wander off too far. 

   Everything around them was exotic and electrifying. Bright colors adorned every shop, stall, building, and person he saw. It looked like there was a festival or some other grand spectacle going on, but something told him this was just an everyday thing here. 

   Everywhere he looked was something new, lively, and exciting. Voices of island dwellers and travelers talked, feet clacked like the thunderous melody of stampeding animals, money clinked like little wind chimes in a soft breeze, and merchants hollered to attempt to bring in customers. Above all the clamorous noise, sweet, tropical music drifted through the sea of people.  

    Among the noise drifting through his ears, unfamiliar scents of exotic fragrances drifted past his nose. All the different sounds, noises, and smells everywhere might have overwhelmed some people, giving them a sensory overload. But for Aiden it only added to his excitement. 

   Though his map told him that the land he was in was called Falridian, Aiden wanted to make sure, just to be positive that he did not accidentally sail to the wrong island. Approaching a nearby vendor manning a stall, Aiden asked him where he was. 

   "Why, you're in the port town of Falridian." The vendor said with a wide, welcoming smile. Aidne grinned in relief. So, he was in the right place after all. He actually made it. He had successfully sailed across the ocean without much of a hitch and made it to a new land he had never been to before. "Would you care to purchase a dragon fruit?" the vendor asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. 

   "Dragon fruit?" Aiden questioned. He had never heard of such a thing before. 

   "Ah, yes. It is a fruit uncommon in other lands but here in Falridian they are grown locally along with many other exotic fruits." 

   "Hmm, I will try it." He said, paying the correct amount in exchange for the fruit. Holding it in his grasp, he studied the strange-looking fruit. It was like nothing he had ever seen before. Its thick skin was a magenta color and had green spikes sticking out of it. "Um, how do I eat this?" 

   "You cut into it like this." The vendor said, grabbing the dragon fruit from him and slicing it in half with his knife. The inside of the fruit was white with strange black specks covering it like chickenpox. It was not what he was expecting at all. "Now you can either spoon it out or simply eat the inside." 

   He handed the fruit back to Aiden. He studied it for a few more seconds before tentatively taking a tiny bite. The fruit tasted like nothing he had ever eaten. It had a tropical taste and was slightly sweet. "I like it." 

"Happy to hear that. Should you ever desire more dragon fruit, feel free to pay another visit to my stall." The vendor said, his already wide smile somehow widening even further. Aiden nodded before stepping away from the stall, continuing to wander down the street. 

   He and Gale spent the rest of the day exploring the island. All the sights, sounds, and smells astounded him. Everything was so foreign and exciting; he could never get enough of it. But soon the sun slowly began to melt below the horizon as the day turned into night. Reluctantly pausing his exploration, he and Gale retired for the night, renting a room at a tavern. As Aiden slept, he found himself in a familiar dream that set a smile on his face. 

   The sun was shining brightly, its warmth extending to him like a loving embrace. Lush, green grass brushed against his feet as he walked through the meadow of colorful wildflowers. As his feet carried him, he forgot about everything. The world, his adventure, the new land he was in, it was all gone. Now it was just him and the meadow. 

   The soft, low breeze suddenly picked up, playing a melody in his ears. What first sounded like the soft groans of the wind turned into an angelic female voice. The voice was as sweet as honey. He could almost even taste it in the air, He wanted more. He had to hear more. He needed to find where the voice was coming from. 

   Listening as carefully as he could, he tried to determine where the voice came from. Though the wind happily carried the melody, it seemed reluctant to aid him in any way as it made the voice sound like it was coming from several different directions at once. Suddenly the voice got louder, and the wind picked up even more, making it sound like the song was coming from every direction at the same time. 

   The melody surrounded him as the wind formed something like a whirlpool of air around him. The world was all blurry as the wind blocked Aiden from seeing anything outside of its dizzying embrace. The only things he could make out were blurry shapes and a dim golden light that progressively got brighter. Soon the light was so blindingly bright that he had to close his eyes. 

   After several long seconds he could hear the wind die down and the voice softened. Carefully opening his eyes slightly, he found that the light had faded away. Blinking softly several times, he was able to catch sight of the beautiful singer once again. She was standing just a few feet away with her back turned to him. Her golden hair fell over her delicate shoulders, tumbling down her back like luscious, shimmering waves. 

   Aiden took a step forward and, unlike the last dream, he was not stopped. He was drawn to her like a moth drawn to a flame. A golden glow seemed to surround her, and it was not a light that was cast down from the sun. The light was coming from her. The light was her. 

   As he got closer, close enough that he could have reached his hand out and touched her, she turned around. Finally, he could see her face, and it took his breath away. She was astonishingly gorgeous. 

   Her features almost appeared to be sculpted out of specks of pure gold. Her eyes were soft, as golden as her hair, and sparkled like the most precious diamonds. Her nose was perfectly sloped with a slightly upturned tip and was dusted with golden specks of freckles that drifted across her rosy cheeks. Her lips, parted as she sang her sweet melody in a soft voice, were sunset pink and looked to be softer than he could even imagine. 

   Aiden felt sparks explode in his stomach as his heart began beating faster. He opened his mouth to say something but could not get any words out. Their eyes met and hers lit up with an endearing look that made him weak. All thoughts evacuated his mind. He could not think, and he could not move. It was not because something was stopping him, his body just shut down as he watched her in awe. 

   The only thing he could do was stand there, taking in her beauty and listening to her melodious song. As he listened, he could hear something in the tone of her voice. Even though the song had no lyrics, and she sang no words, he could tell that she was trying to deliver a message to him. 

  The more he listened the more it became clear what the message was. She was trying to tell him something along the lines of "I am here." What that meant, he had not the slightest clue. He tried to open his mouth to ask her what she meant but before a single word could come out, he woke up. 

   As he sat up in his bed, his mind raced with questions. What did that girl in his dream mean? It was just a dream, so it did not mean anything, right? And it was not as if the dream was an ominous premonition. It held no warning undertone. It set him at ease rather than on edge. But if it was not a prophecy of warning, then what was it? 

   Shaking his head, he decided to leave it at that. It was just a meaningless dream, nothing else. Seeing his master awake, Gale jumped up on him and began licking his face. "Calm down, Gale." Aiden said, petting him for a moment before pushing the dog off him so he could get up. After dressing himself and grabbing his belongings, Aiden left the tavern with Gale at his heel. He spent the next couple days exploring the sights of the island before deciding to stock up more supplies on his sailboat so he could continue his adventure to other lands. 

   He got more food including some of the new exotic fruit he found like dragon fruit and star fruit. After gathering all the things he would need for the next several days he would spend out at sea and delivering them to his boat, he took one last look around town to say goodbye. 

   As he made his way back down the docks to his sailboat, something gold and shimmering in the sunlight caught his attention. Looking up at the deck of one of the ships docked nearby, he caught a glimpse of a beautiful girl that made his heart skip a beat. But it was not just her beauty that caught him off guard, it was the fact that she looked exactly like the girl in his dreams.