The Adventure Awaits by Keno Acantilado (best book club books for discussion .txt) 📕

The sun started to rise as my adventure starts.

This decision was risky for me, but I followed my instincts. And I followed my dreams, being an adventurer - going to mountains, volcanoes, countries and more.

For this adventure, I am going to Nepal. I am going to climb Mt. Everest!

So I readied my stuff quicker than usual, for I could not contain my excitement.

With my things in the bag, I hurried to the airport. Mt. Everest, here I come!

The clouds pass by as I'm comfortably inside the plane to Nepal.

I think of wide sheets of snow. The climb up to the world's tallest mountain excites me. Then I see  the mountain shake. I am shaking too! The shaking of the plane wakes me up. This is not a dream anymore. There is no earthquake. This is real! The plane is in trouble!

I feel sick. My head spins, my stomach churns, my eyes become heavier.

Then, I faint...

Slowly, my eyes open. A bright beam of sunlight greets me.

Where am I? Why am I here? Where is Mt. Everest? Why is it scorching hot? Am I still dreaming?

Slowly, I stand up. I am no longer inside the plane. I see sea shells instead of snow flakes. I am surrounded by the blue waters of the ocean, not the high slopes of Mt. Everest. 

How can this be?

Before I have time to  answer this question, my eyes are drawn to a set of footprints. I follow the footprints deep into a cave. But I see nothing. 

Before the day ended, I went back to shore trying to look for the plane I was in. I couldn't find it though. Neither could I find my fellow passengers.

Then it became clear. I am alone. 

Days came and went. 

I wandered around the island not really knowing what to do. I went looking for something to eat. Or something to build a house with. This reminded me of Minecraft, a computer game I used to play when I was a kid. With Minecraft, I could create a virtual world,  little by little.

But this is not a game. This is real.

One day, I stumbled across what looked like a village. My heart was thumping. I was overjoyed. It seems that I am not alone! 

I rushed to the first wooden house I saw.

I saw tribal people. Fortunately, they spoke in English, so they understood me. They listened to my tragic story and they gave me food and shelter. More importantly, they comforted me. They saw that I was no harm to them. They saw me as a friend. 

As I came to know the tribal people, I slowly became one with them.

I came to know their customs, traditions and way of life. Actually, I even came to like their food! My favorite is sea urchin soup. Of course, you have to remove the spikes. Once the spikes are gone, you'll taste the best soup of your life.

This isn't too bad after all!

Everyday I sit by the seashore, staring at the horizon.

I still think of Mt. Everest. I think of my dream of climbing the world's highest mountain. That would have been an adventure of a lifetime.

But now I am in another adventure. I cannot wait to see how things turn out.

Maybe, when a ship sails by, I shall be rescued and brought back to my family.

In the meantime, though, I am living a new adventure. This new adventure, awaits ...

Publication Date: 12-07-2015

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Dedication:
To my family - Lola Naty, Daddy Rene, Mommy Hazel, Carlo and Krista. May our family adventures never end. To Chad and Toffy - Cousins unite! To Max and Charlie - Maybe dogs have adventures too.