Chapter 1
Lake Kori
Leau and Omi set sail
on a warm Saturday afternoon to watch the sky project shades of purple beneath
the clouds. This famed tradition is a
sacred practice at The Newfoundland on Coral Island. It has been said that the scattering of
purple across the sky is a visitation from God.
Many who have witnessed the exact moment of dispersion have dreamed
dreams of innovation and prosperity.
Many have claimed to wake the next morning with newly discovered
talents. While on Spring break from
University, Leau and Omi make a pact to catch the scattering before the start
of the Spring semester. The ladies pack
some finger food and fruit smoothies and join a fleet across Lake Kori. Omi steers with Leau standing by her side. Leau closes her eyes as the cool breeze blows
through her hair and under her long sweater causing it to cape behind her. The dark blue waters ripple towards the sandy
shores on both side of the fleet. Beyond
the shores lie thick forests, evergreen and bright. Leau opens her eyes and looks to her left and
right. Families and groups of friends
converse with excitement about the supernatural events ahead. Boats begin to speed up during the silent
race to the center of the action.
Off in the distance in
between the trees, a man catches Leau’s eye.
Dressed in heather grey, the man stands tall and locks eyes with her. As
the boat speeds through the dark blue waters, Leau moves to the back of the
small boat to get a better view of the man.
Underestimating the length of the boat and lost in fixation, Leau trips
on the edge of the boat and falls in head-first. Omi turns to look for Leau just as one of her
feet submerges into the water. She puts
the boat in park and runs to the back, frantic.
Leau swims back to the surface and reaches for Omi.
“Leau,
hang on! Grab my hand!”
Omi
screams as she reaches for her friend.
Their hands lock and
Omi’s heart fills with hope as she tightens her grip to rescue her friend. Omi reaches over with her other hand as a
gravitational pull begins to suck Leau into the lake. Just as Omi grabs Leau with both of her
hands, Leau slips away into the water.
Omi screams as the tug of war sends her flying back into the boat. She lands on the floor of the boat. She wipes the tears blinding her vision so
she can see her surroundings.
A few men in the boat
behind Omi dive in to find Leau.
Everyone who witnessed Leau’s departure watches in suspense, hoping the
men will resurface with the young lady.
Omi rummages through a storage compartment under a bench at the rear of
the boat. She throws a lifebuoy on the
water, puts on a pair of goggles and dives in.
The clean blue water leads to complete darkness near the seabed. Omi spots the three men swimming feverishly
in Leau’s direction as she reaches forward to fight the pull down into the
unknown.
As Leau tries to fight
the current, she is being sucked to the bottom like a whirlwind. A few minutes past and the good Samaritans
must return to the surface for air. Omi
takes the initiative to save her friend.
She can see Leau is losing consciousness and the life leaving her
body. One of the men grabs Omi by the
waist and brings her up to the surface.
Omi is livid. Not only was her
choice taken away from her, but her friend’s life has been left to fate.
“You’ll never make
it. There is limited oxygen, and the
pressure is changing toward the bottom.
We need to call for help. We need
protective equipment before anyone goes any further.”
One of the men says
trying to calm Omi.
“So what?! She
dies? Just, let her die? What if you were down there, would you want
to be saved?”
Omi says while trying
to keep water out of her mouth as she yells at the top of her lungs.
A woman shouts from a
neighboring boat. She called for
emergency responders to send help and they are on the way. The woman also mentioned that no one should
dive in too deep because of the rip current.
“Wait for help. They’re not far!”
The woman yells as she
cups her mouth with her hands to centralize her voice. Omi pops her goggles back on and checks on
Leau. Nothing but still, blue waters
leading to complete darkness. Omi leans
on her boat with her head down. She
cries audibly in mourning for her friend.
She knows the body can go but so long without oxygen and her friend has
probably passed on. In the midst of her
breakdown Omi sees a flash of light coming from the bottom of the water. She rubs her eyes and keeps her head still as
it rests on her folded arms. This time a
flicker of light, then a stream as if someone were waving a large white glow
stick. Omi peeks over her shoulder to
see what the others are doing. While
everyone is preoccupied Omi takes a deep breath and slips back into the
water. She heads straight for the light. Omi spots the lavender beaded bracelet Leau
was wearing when she was on the boat. She
grabs the bracelet just as the light dims and the lake floor completely
darkens. Omi follows the skylight
leading her back up to the surface.
Bright streams of purple, blue, and yellow shoot across the sky. Everyone is startled by the abrupt change. They had forgotten the reason they were even
on the lake after Leau’s disappearance.
Everyone on the lake stay in place to take in the magnificence of the
colors dancing in the sky. Clouds
separate to make room for God’s light show.
Omi tries to peek through
the clouds for a sign that Leau made it to Heaven or to see God’s hand at
work. She just needed proof, something
real. ‘Did God know this would
happen? Is Leau still alive at the
bottom of the lake, waiting to be revived?
Is there still time to save her?’
Omi’s mind races with possibilities.
The colorful mass of light gets closer.
Close enough to reach up and feel.
Many on the lake lift their hands in hopes of grabbing an ounce of
Glory, something extraordinary to carry on their journey back to everyday
life. Omi lifts her hands and tries to
remain present despite her pain. The
pain she feels for failing her best friend.
She is suddenly
surrounded by warmth. A mantle of
something peculiar. The vibrant colors
fade into a mist as it touches the people and the surface of the lake. The mist of color hits the surface of the
water like a canvas, leaving a stream of marble like a painted blanket draped
over the surface. Like the handiwork of
God Himself. Every shade in the right place.
A thick fog fills the
air and covers the surface of the lake at the shore. As the fog pushes in closer to the crowd, the
colors melt into the deep. Everyone
watches and waits as the fog erases the evidence of this great event. Suddenly, emergency responders push through
the fog. Three boats filled with
emergency personnel and lifesaving equipment emerge. They suit up and dive in.
Hours Later
It’s nightfall at Coral
Island. The diving team has been
searching for Leau for five hours. Every
time one of the men come up to the surface everyone stops in their tracks and
waits. Hoping the lost have been
found. Omi lay on the bench of her boat,
on her stomach with her head resting in her hands. She has nearly lost hope in finding her best
friend, but it has not quite set in yet.
Everyone who showed up for the scattering has remained, along with a few
people from town who heard the news. Leau
and Omi’s parents have not traveled to the sight of Leau’s disappearance. Leau’s parents are hopeful their daughter will
be found alive, possibly adrift at one of Lake Kori’s shores. Omi sends updates to both her and Leau’s
parents during the search.
News crews wait at the
shore for an update or for search and rescue to emerge with a body in tow. Newfoundland residents crowd around the
shore. Everyone has refused to retreat
until they are updated.
After eight hours of
searching the rescue team calls off the search until Dawn. Omi sits up and hangs her head. Grief and guilt cover her like a weighted
blanket. Her knees and arms get weak, and she nearly buckles from the
pressure. She remembers the scripture
that has helped her through tough times.
She recites it out loud. “Deuteronomy 31:6, Be strong and of
a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go
with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
Omi says with tears streaming down her
face.
Omi repeats the scripture until she
has enough strength to steer her boat.
She tries to fight the tears to keep her vision clear enough to see the
path ahead. She got a flashback of her
journey to the lake with Leau. A journey to what would turn out to be her
friend’s grave. Omi nearly collapses
from the pressure. She stops her boat,
falls to her knees and sobs. A couple
passes nearby. They hear Omi’s cries and
they double back. They pull up close enough for a woman to board Omi’s boat to
comfort her. Omi looks up,
surprised. She didn’t hear anyone
board. The woman tells Omi she will
drive them to the shore.
Once parked at the dock Omi thanks the
woman for her kindness and they embrace.
The woman keeps one arm on Omi’s shoulder and looks her in the eyes.
“You know, I have a feeling that
things may work out a little differently than you expected. Just keep the faith, watch and pray”.
The strange woman says with a smile.
Omi is perplexed. Her best friend just drowned, her body still
missing, and this woman speaks as if it never happened. Omi pulls away from the woman, glaring with
anger.
“Well, she’s dead. How do you figure that? No one can be without oxygen for that long
and survive, ma’am.”
Omi says sharply.
“The Lord does
work in mysterious ways”.
The woman says as she walks away with
a smile.
Omi and Leau’s mutual friends spot her
at the dock. They rush past the strange
woman and greet their friend with tears in their eyes. They group hug and sob and console one another.
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