Sid was around 10 years of age when he decided to stow away on a ship to see the magical places for himself that his Uncle Bill had often told him about. Sid didn't realize that the ship that he stowed away on was a convict ship heading for the penal colonies of Australia . According to records a huge storm hit the ship and the ship sank in the un-chartered waters of the South Pacific in an unknown location.
It was believed all had drowned, but merchant ships that passed that way were confident some would have survived because of all the floating debris. And they were right because Sid had clung to a piece of the broken mast from the ship which still had some of the sail attached to it. While Sid was clinging to the mast he noticed a barrel floating by and inside he discovered oranges and apples, most of them were bad but he sorted out the good ones and stored them. Sid remembered that sailors ate the oranges and apples on their long sea voyages to prevent scurvy. He floated for many, many days and nights. He couldn't remember how long he was adrift at sea he tried to remember how many sunrises and sunsets but he couldn't. The sun was beating down hot and all he had for cover was the ships sail, which thankfully was thick canvas which protected him from the harmful suns heat. One particular day the wind was blowing hard and the sun was very hot, Sid was very tired from the heat of the sun and tried to stay awake but slowly Sid sucumed to his tiredness and fell into a deep sleep. The wind was blowing hard that day and night moving Sid quickly across the ocean in a direction only the wind knew. Sid cant remember how long he slept ..maybe days but he was awoken from his deep sleep by a heavy jolt, he looked around and saw that he had been washed up on a beautiful white sandy beach.
He was hungry so went in search of food, it soon became apparent he was on an island. Sid was looking for anything that could be eaten, apart from apples or oranges. He noticed on the ground after walking through the forest objects that looked like coconuts, Sid remembers seeing these coconuts on merchant ships that used to dock in the English ports where his Uncle Bill used to take him and he knew they were safe to eat. After Sid had eaten enough it was getting dark and cold, Sid was tired and looked for somewhere to sleep. He finds a shelter from cave in the rocks, he lay down and went to sleep. Sid can't remember how long he slept, he was awakened by a prodding to his body, he turned and to his amazement he was surrounded by little child like people, (Sid later found out these people were called the Teeblo people) they were around his size but none bigger than himself. Sid noticed they looked like children but their faces and features were somehow different to the children he had played with before, they somehow had a special feel about them. He kept thinking back to what his uncle had told him about the dangers when in far away places, but somehow he had a feeling he wasn't in danger. Sid tried to talk to them, but they didn't speak like him, they spoke in a way which was funny to Sid and when he started to laugh they laughed also, which made Sid feel safer.
They then directed Sid to follow them, which he was very hesitant to do. But Sid somehow felt safe, and began to follow them. They walked and walked for what seemed like hours, the sun began to set, then they finally arrived at an entrance to a village. Sid noticed that the houses that these people lived in looked smaller than any house he could ever remember back in England . He also noticed there were 2 larger houses in the distance up on the hill. Sid was very curious why all the houses were small and yet there were 2 larger ones on the hill. He attempted to ask why, but he couldn't make himself understood. So he decided to try again later.
After some time all the people of the village proceeded to make their way to the big houses on the hill. Sid did not know what to do and started to follow them, but some Teeblo people made it obvious in a gentle way that he had to stay there. Sid was waiting for hours and then they started to make there way down the hill and back towards him, only this time there were 4 bigger people with them. Upon getting closer Sid noticed that there were 2 men and 2 women. They looked like adults as he remembered them back in England but their faces and features were some how different.
Sid was eager to ask where all the other older people were? But soon realized that the older people didn't understand his language either.
One of the adults indicated to Sid to follow her, she led him to a place where she motioned that he could sleep and eat. It was his own little house, made from wood, leaves and other materials he had never seen. Sid noticed there was a curious wooden object in the corner of the room, which looked like a cup, the cup had golden leaves all around it. Sid was soon to find out the mystery of the wooden cup and the leaves.
The next morning he awoke to a smell which was sweet like honey, he got up to look outside and noticed all the Teeblo people walking up the hill to the large houses. Each person had a wooden cup in their hand like the one in Sid's corner, Sid also noticed all of the smaller children stayed down in the village and did not go up to the houses. Sid thought it was breakfast time, he was very thirsty, he picked up the mystery cup from the corner, thinking it must be his cup and followed the people towards the large houses on the hill.
As he was getting closer the honey smell was getting stronger and he noticed how they were all waiting in line. At the beginning of the line there was a tree, which looked like it had golden leaves these glistened in the sun. The whole tree trunk and branches seemed to be expanding and shrinking as if it was breathing in and out. Sid was at a distance so it was hard for him to be sure exactly what was happening. The line was beginning to move, the people at the front were collecting something from a dish or a bowl from which one of the adults was tipping something into their cup. They began to drink from the cup and then make their way back to their houses in the village. As Sid was getting closer to the tree his first observations proved to be correct, the tree seemed to be breathing, expanding in and out. At first Sid was afraid to approach the tree, but the people behind him pushed him forward encouraging him to take his turn in line just like all the other people. When it was Sid's turn at the tree there were 2 adults a man and a woman on either side of a wooden bowl, this bowl was collecting a honey like sweet smelling liquid from the golden leafed tree.
The liquid seemed to only release when the tree breathed in and stopped when it breathed out. The male adult directed Sid to place his cup in front of the bowl so he could tip the bowl to fill his cup. He then motioned to Sid to drink, which wasn't hard as he was very thirsty and it smelt lovely. Sid began to drink and moved away so that the others could take their turn. After he had finished his last drop his thirst disappeared but there was an unusual feeling throughout Sid's body, like pins and needles, this soon disappeared. Sid saw in the tree a beautiful bird with an amazing tail feather, the bird was eating the berries from the tree. Sid also noticed a beautiful pool just beside the tree after closer inspection he noticed there were fish swimming in it. The water from the pool seemed to be coming from a crevice in the mountain, it was said it was from the sea and this was due to the fact they were just below sea level.
Sid noticed that only people around his size were allowed to visit the tree, all the other younger or smaller people were not allowed. Again this was a mystery to Sid but was to be unraveled in the many years to come.
After a few weeks Sid realizes this is going to be his home for as long as he wishes. The whole village have taken him in and treated him like one of there own and they have given him a name “Boo-Laka-Do” literally translated “The Castaway Kid”. Sid tries to teach them English but with no success, the adults are very reluctant to interfere with their culture. So Sid decides he will have to learn their language.
The years passed, so many Sid forgot just how many. Then one day Sid realized just how magical these people were and how it had affected him.
While working with them in the forest a burning question soon entered his head.
“WHY HAD THE SMALL PEOPLE WHO HE MET ON HIS FIRST ENCOUNTER IN THE CAVE MANY YEARS AGO HAD NOT GROWN OR AGED IN ANYWAY? AND THE 4 ADULTS SEEMED TO BE THE SAME ALSO, AND SID WAS WONDERING WHY HE HADN'T GROWN OR AGED LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE DO”
Sid noticed that the only people growing were the babies and smaller children. And once they reached Sid's size they were allowed to visit the tree like all the rest of the village.
It was at this time that Sid wanted to approach the adults and ask the question why they were older and all the others were kept young and why everybody looked the same after many years?
The 4 adults warned Sid that if they revealed the secret of their people to him he would have to leave the island.
Sid has a decision to make….does he…
1) Ask the question and leave the island?
Or
2) Continue as he is and never really know the mystery of the island and The Teeblo people?
The adults asked Sid to wait for 6 sunrises to make his decision on whether he wanted to know the islands secrets. And knowing full well on asking the question and having been given the answer he would have to leave the people he had spent many years with.
On the 7 th sunrise Sid made his way to the adult's house where they were waiting for him. They seemed to know he had made his decision before he had told them, they seemed sad that Sid had made his decision and had to leave, but they understood that his destiny lay beyond their magical island.
It was at this time that the 4 adults asked Sid to accompany them to the golden tree. They told of a time many, many years ago, from what Sid could understand it was a time so long ago even the adults can't remember.
They began to explain that their people came upon the island by accident, there were many older people at that time and plenty of young children.
They lived in peace and harmony for many years and then suddenly an earthquake occurred. The adults rounded up all the children aged 10 and under and placed them in the care of 4 adults away from the earthquake. While all the older people and older children went to save what they could from the village. Due to the earthquake a volcano erupted near the village, the lava quickly engulfed the village killing all the adults and the older children leaving only the 4 adults who were looking after all the young children in a safe place upon the hill.
When the volcano had subsided and it was safe to venture out again the 4 adults and all of the children went to see if they could do anything. But it was too late, all had died. It was a sad day for the Teeblo people.
The 4 adults quickly came to the decision they had to leave their ruined village to find a new location to live, it was at this time while looking for a new location one of the adults came across a sweet smelling tree with golden leaves by a rock pool. The tree had been damaged in the earthquake with some of its roots out of the ground, the tree would surely die if the roots weren't re-buried. They thought the tree was too beautiful to leave it to die and covered the roots with new soil. The adults also decided this was a perfect place to build their houses on a hill overlooking the new village they planned to build in the valley below.
It wasn't long after that one of the adults noticed that once the tree had recovered from being up-rooted it started to produce a sweet tasting liquid that smelt like honey, and they also noticed that the leaves began to glow in the dark.
The adults can't recall exactly when they decided to drink the liquid but it soon became a ritual for the whole village because upon drinking this liquid illness and disease seemed to vanish and they noticed that
age stood still.
The only reason they found out it was a magical potion was that some of the children refused to drink from the tree and they noticed they were ageing over a period of years, and they got sick. They then realized the secret of the liquid, it was soon discovered that drinking the liquid every 30 sunrises stopped them from ageing and getting ill. And that is why Sid has never grown from a 10 year old boy.
Sid now having been told the secrets of the island must make plans to leave. Way back in Sid's memory he remembered how his Uncle Bill taught him how to make a raft out of tree logs. Sid asked the adults to help him build the raft, they were reluctant at first as they didn't want the young children to get the idea of also building a raft and leaving the island. So the 4 adults and Sid decided to build it together in secrecy. Over the coming weeks the raft slowly took shape being built in the secret location of a lagoon.
The day arrived when Sid had to leave, the raft was finished and all goodbyes were said to his friends….it was a sad day for Sid.
Before leaving the whole village wanted to give The Castaway Kid (or “Boo-Laka-Do”) which they called him, leaving gifts which would help him on his journey. These were not normal gifts but magical ones.
• A supply of the liquid to take with him, which will last indefinitely, they made a hollow in the mast that was sealed with a plug so that Sid could access it easily.
• A magical puffa fish named “Glub” from the rock pool by the tree which will follow Sid in the sea to blow wind into his sails if the seas ever become calm. The puffa fish has magical powers as it used to live in a pool under the golden leaf tree where the liquid seeped in.
• A magical parrot named “Xylo”, this talking parrot is to keep Sid company. But he also has 1 magical feather in his tail which when plucked will replace every 30 sunrises. If Sid is ever in doubt of which direction to go the feather when dropped in the sea points the direction to go. The parrot got his magical feather by eating the berries from the golden leafed tree.
• A supply of leaves from the golden tree to give Sid light, he simply has to rub a small amount of the magic liquid onto the leaves for them to glow for weeks.
Sid accepts these gifts with thanks and begins to thank the Teeblo people for looking after him for many years and treating him as one of their own, he will never forget the wonderful experiences he had with these magical people.
