Oracle in the Mist by Linda Maree Malcolm

every sea creature imaginable and also unimagined, playing about in the ocean and a sky full of birds of all descriptions, even a prehistoric variety just playing about in the sky, as if floating on the breeze.
    â€œIt’s just like in my dream,” said Teresa. “This is what we talked about last night and this is what I dreamed about during the night too.” She was very excited.
    Ina looked at Henry who just looked puzzled. He was looking behind them and then pointing to the left of them as if trying to ascertain which direction they were facing.
    â€œI can’t understand how we didn’t see all of this when we were out on the ocean,” he said to Ina.
    â€œWell, we must have been on the other side of the island,” she answered.
    â€œYes, but …”
    The monkey spoke to them again and they began their ascent to the house. On entering the house the children found a spotlessly clean, open plan and scarcely furnished inside area. The kitchen was fully stocked with all kinds of foods that they would normally enjoy at home. There were freshly grown corn still in their husks, eggs, cheese, homemade bread, biscuits and cakes, lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers, and lovely looking freshly caught salmon.
    The children started to salivate just looking at all of the delicious food. Ina set about preparing a meal for them all and it wasn’t long before they were all sitting down and eating to their hearts’ content and taking in the lovely view from the window looking out over the forest and to the ocean. It really was like a dream come true.
    Luckily the children hadn’t realised that they were being watched by the natives of the island, a gentle and yet fierce people who wished to remain anonymous and hidden away from their view. For a very long time, only the animals knew of their existence.

T he children found the accommodation within the lodge quite comfortable. They were able to bed down the boys on one side of the lodge and the girls on the other with a curtain drawn between them so they all had some privacy. It felt most peculiar at first to be away from their homes and parents and little Teresa and some of the other young children complained fearfully at first about missing their mothers, fathers, favourite teddies and dollies or brothers and sisters. Henry and Ina had to gently explain to the younger children that they would have returned home if they could but that it was impossible. The children wept bitterly at first but after a time they came to accept their new surroundings and before long they thought of it as home.
    Gradually the days slipped into weeks and then the weeks into months and the children became accustomed to the island and its strange inhabitants. No day was ever without an adventure as the children made friends with all of the island’s animals and taught themselves skills such as how to catch fish with a homemade spear from the sea and recognising which berries could be eaten and would taste delicious and sweet.
    None of them questioned the fact that every now and then a donkey would appear from nowhere laden with provisions for them that would last some weeks.
    After a while, all of the children, even Henry, stopped questioning every little miracle that occurred.
    Johnny developed a talent for communicating with the animals. It wasn’t in any obvious, verbal way but he always seemed to know the message they were trying to convey and he would talk to them in his own plain English and somehow a link was established between them.
    The island was a place of good tidings and the children found that they never had to worry about sickness, not even a sniffle or injuries or accidents. In fact they didn’t even have to worry about becoming too hot or too cold either. The days were warm and balmy and the nights were pleasantly cool. It really was the ideal location.
    A close bond formed between all of the children and eventually it was as if the children