The Island of Tark

Far to the east, as if rising from the depths of the Taral Sea, the sun shone down on this part of the globe. Its rays of light pierced the shadows like divine arrows, chasing away the night and taking its place.

On a lonely island in the middle of the ocean, the inhabitants gradually began to awaken from their slumbers. A few early-birds, up at the first light of dawn, were already fishing on the waters of the nourishing sea. Their few boats could be seen dancing on the whim of gentle waves.

At the northernmost tip of the island, a wooden house sat atop a small hill overlooking the landscape. It was two floors high.

In one of the upstairs rooms, a young child slept peacefully under a light white sheet. All that could be seen of his body was his face. He looked to be about twelve years old. His curly hair shone under the sunlight streaming in from the window just above the bed. It was a deep black.

Suddenly, his eyelids fluttered open to reveal two deep hazel eyes. For a few seconds, he stared at the ceiling of his room. His aquiline nose twitched slightly and...

**HACHOOO!**

He sneezed.

He sat up slowly, rubbing his nose with his left hand.

"I shouldn't have taken that stupid challenge yesterday!" he thought as he stretched. Then he yawned and rubbed his eyes to chase away the last traces of sleep. Yesterday's memories came flooding back.

During their daily swimming sessions with his friends at around seventeen o'clock in the evening, Lista had challenged him to see who could hold his breath underwater for the longest possible time. Unfortunately, he was too stubborn and hated losing at anything. He wanted to show off and ended up half-drowning.

"I'll never do anything that stupid again!" he said finally sighing.