But I Smile Anyway…

Sue’s photo prompt for #writephoto this week.

The Island

Ever since I was little, it fascinated me.

That little glimpse of land.

My daddy pointed it out to me one day, during a walk on the beach near our house.

We would stand there, feet tickled by the ripples as the tide rolled in and out.

“One day Becky, we are going to live there, on that little bit of paradise, away from the world. Just our little family.” We would make all sorts of silly plans for out future on the mysterious island.

Then he announced that he was off on an adventure. He whispered to me that he was going to the island on his little boat, and he was going to stake a claim on it. It was our secret. I even helped him make a flag to fly there, once he arrived.

He promised that when he was back, we would pack our things and sail back there, and make a home for ourselves.

He was gone for days.

Mummy was fine at first, then after the first couple of days, she started to fret. He never went away for this long without telling her in full detail. This time, he had been a little elusive, and just mentioned that he had work. She called friends and family to no avail, and then the police.

In the end, I had to tell her our secret.  That daddy was off exploring, and sailing to the island that we used to see on the horizon.

It was so manic around our house, then they told us they had found a boat, and they believed it was Daddy’s. It was washed up on some rocks, not far from where we would stand and look out at our dream home.

Mummy cried so much. But I couldn’t understand why she was upset. Daddy hadn’t been found. My flag wasn’t in the boat.

It was obvious to me. Daddy had got to the island and was flying my flag there. He was just waiting for us to make our way there.

So now, I still go and stand, feet in the water, gazing out at the speck of land, rising from the horizon. If I look hard enough, I am sure I can see a flag flying.

It won’t be long daddy, I’ll be there soon.  It took a lot of convincing, but mummy finally let me have sailing lessons, and when I get a boat, I’ll sail over to you, so we can make our dream come true…