Chapter Five: The Unknown Shore
I slowly opened my eyes, feeling a warm orange light pierce through my eyelids.
The sun was rising, the sky clear and calm.
I found myself lying on a deserted beach. The sand beneath me was damp, the cold wind brushing against my face with a harsh hand.
I looked around... no Fuad, no restaurant, no city, no laughter, no questions.
I was alone. Completely alone.
I stared at the sea… it was calm.
"What is this place? Where am I?"
I tried to make sense of what surrounded me.
With a trembling voice, I whispered to myself:
"Could it be that I was dreaming… and everything back there was just an illusion?
How could a dream feel so real?"
The truth hit me like a slap. That had only been a dream.
The journey had failed. I never made it.
---
I tried to stand, but my body was stiff, exhausted, as if I had fought a war against something untouchable.
Every inch of me ached, as though I had been remade—but in the wrong way.
With effort, I sat up. My breaths were heavy, my head throbbed with a dull ache.
I ran my hand through my wet hair, then glanced around again.
There was no one.
Only me… and a deserted beach stretching endlessly before me.
My heart pounded against my ribs. I struggled to process it all, to piece my thoughts together.
It seemed that after falling from the boat and losing consciousness, I was caught in that strange dream… and upon waking, I found myself here.
"So… am I the only one who survived?"
There were no signs of life anywhere along the beach.
---
The thought struck me like a slap across the face.
I searched for traces of them, for anything at all—but the sand was bare.
No wreckage.
No floating wood.
No cries for help.
Only a heavy silence wrapping around me.
I swallowed hard, the bitterness of loneliness settling in my chest, cold as the waters I nearly drowned in.
I stared at the sea, as if it might suddenly shift and return my companions to me. But it remained as it was—calm, mysterious, utterly indifferent.
Then I turned toward the forest.
---
I should have felt relief at seeing land, but this was no familiar land.
The trees were unnaturally tall, their leaves enormous, some glowing faintly as if whispering secrets not meant to be heard.
The birds singing within did not sound like any I knew. Their calls were strange notes, almost like another language… from another world.
I muttered to myself:
"What are these strange trees? They look like something out of a fantasy novel!
I've never seen a tree this size or this shape before…"
Then I tried to reason with myself:
"Maybe they're just some rare species, that's why I've never seen them.
Am I on some kind of island?"
I began running along the shoreline, trying to find its end… but there was none.
The forest ahead stretched endlessly.
---
The growl of my stomach broke my thoughts.
Hunger gnawed at me.
I had no choice.
Either stay here—on this beach that could be my cradle or my grave…
Or step into the forest, in search of food… and maybe people who could help me.
It was a huge risk. I had no idea what awaited me there, or even where in the world I was.
My feet sank slightly into the sand as I rose to stand.
My breath was still unsteady.
I didn't know what awaited me in that forest, but something inside told me there was no going back.
The sea had taken everything… and left me with only one path.
I began to walk.