Siblings of Acuity

By Kubashini Naidoo

Fasten your whimsical seatbelts as you set out for the adventure of a lifetime. Sam and Joslyn Shanks are certainly not your average pair of siblings. They are worlds apart and never eye to eye, but always heart to heart. They share an unbreakable bond that binds them to each other time and time again in this magical young adult fantasy fiction.

Author K.K. Naidoo does it yet again, encapsulating a story that tugs at the heart strings and perceptions of life, accompanied by many magical moments. Discover an alternate undersea universe, make some new and astonishing friends, and swim with your eyes wide open in dark waters in this epic adventure. How far would you go to restore yesteryear? How long would you be willing to escape from reality? How many people would you be willing to leave behind for a taste of what destiny owes you?

Join Sam and Joslyn as they embark on a journey to the infamous Acuity Island. Personalities will clash, heritage will be questioned and most importantly, through self-discovery, they will be transformed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kubashini Naidoo
• Release date: Dec 15, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005224790

Book preview

Siblings of Acuity .

By K. K. Naidoo

Copyright © 2020 K. K. Naidoo

Published by K. K. Naidoo Publishing at Smashwords

First edition 2020

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without permission from the copyright holder.

The Author has made every effort to trace and acknowledge sources/resources/individuals. In the event that any images/information have been incorrectly attributed or credited, the Author will be pleased to rectify these omissions at the earliest opportunity.

Published by K. K. Naidoo using Reach Publishers’ services,

Edited by Lorna King for Reach Publishers

Cover designed by Reach Publishers

P O Box 1384, Wandsbeck, South Africa, 3631

Website: www.reachpublishers.co.za

E-mail: [e-mail]

Dedicated to Mrs Athiamah Iyapian. (A dedicated nurse, a loyal wife, a loving mother and a resilient warrior.)

18 August 1957 – 2 September 2020

"Because someone we love is in heaven, there’s a little bit of heaven in our home…"

Chapter 1

I am completely uncertain as to what he thought about the miraculous and sudden turn of events that took place here today. Is he weary after fighting off the demons? Perhaps he is physically exhausted from the endless swimming? I assume he wants to mourn after having to leave her behind. She lingers even in my mind – the most unorthodox sea creature I have ever witnessed. Given all the reading I have done, I had assumed she would be enchanting and filled with a magnitude of magic. I suppose it is the vast knowledge imbedded within my being after watching countless under the sea movies and documentaries that created unreal images I once held in my mind – images that have now been obliterated due to the last few days.

Sam looks mortified; I think we are both trying to come to terms with what has transpired. I do not appear to be as terrified as he is, it is almost as if his body is here, but his mind stands rampant in fear, miles into the sea. Even though I am younger, I have always been the mentally stronger sibling; I always seem to handle stressful situations far better than he ever did. Even today, I appear to be a lot more logical than he is. All I can think about is the fact that we need to find a way off this deserted island. Our tour guide and the beach guards had informed us this area was restricted and now I understand why. Sam, on the other hand, has an odd expression on his face that screams out both fear and obsession, almost as if he is under some wicked spell. He has a deep and longing stare in a pair of emotionally bludgeoned eyes; as if all he wants to do is get back into the enchanted water! I sense so much pain and anguish circling his mind, and want to reach out and hold him, to comfort him, but his macho mannerism will not tolerate my sibling affection right now.

Being stranded on this island feels like death is knocking on our door. We are so parched, yet ironically surrounded by so much of water – water which we clearly cannot drink! The water is scary; it ripples with a thousand dark metaphors that all scream danger. We barely escaped today. It was her that saved us. In the midst of my anxiety, I cannot help but ponder about the clichés of the situation. My macho big brother has fallen for the mermaid. Ironically, I am the one who has been obsessed with mermaids ever since I was five years old. I remember the books filled with magical sentences that flowed together, almost dancing off the pages, the stunning scenes from movies, the magical mermaid dolls I so eloquently splashed around in my bathtub. As I got older – even now in my adulthood – the obsession continues to grow. Just a few days ago I was engrossed in a brilliant television series about mermaids while casually drinking coffee out of my personalised mermaid cup. Over the years things changed. The books turned into e-books, the movies turned into cool mobile applications, and I do believe the dolls turned into tattoos. Yes, I own the sassy mermaid T-shirt too – in fact, I own many.

Sam is completely different. We are worlds apart. Mythical creatures are stupid or childish in his opinion. He is serious and truly believes every aspect of life has to come with some sort of scientific explanation. He is greatly admired by the female population with his devilishly handsome good looks (inherited from our father) and a striking intellect but to me he will always be my annoying, emotionally unattached big brother. He is also a realist, which is probably why he is struggling to understand the magic in all of this. As whimsical as I love to be, even I am not certain of what to believe any more. Curiosity attached to mermaids was a splendid thought in my head, nothing more than a beautiful fantasy, as unreal as unicorns or pixie dust, but the thought of actually meeting a mythical creature was something even I knew would never be possible – and yet it happened, it all happened! It all simply feels like a psychotic dream.

A few days ago, Sam and I came here to Kunukee Island, and to be brutally honest, I believe our lives will never be the same again.

Forget absolutely everything you thought you knew about those majestic sea creatures. Forget about the long, beautiful, brightly-coloured hair or the perfectly rounded bosoms; forget about the seductiveness or the perfect body attached to sparkly and golden fins. Let the thought of princess voices singing poetic songs leave your mind. Erase the cleverish yet implausible thought of seashells made to look like bras. Yes, that was a bit creative but still undoubtedly unrealistic. The atrocities and the sea-filled truth that Sam and I have witnessed these past few days will surely blow your mind.

We suddenly notice a small boat making its way to us. I am so relieved. At last we finally get to go home, and by home I mean back to our luxurious hotel suite we have been residing at for the past few days. I finally understand how some people insist that home is not a place, it’s a feeling. Sam does not seem to share my sentiments at this very moment as he looks a bit concerned to be rescued – I must knock some sense into him before he starts to manipulate me into staying here even longer in the hope that she might return. I immediately put my hand in his and insist we will have to go back to the hotel, assuring him we will return if that is his wish, but for now we will have to go back to where it is safe (right now I am lying like an expert as there’s absolutely nothing that will bring me back here).

The next few minutes are filled with small talk between me and our rescuer, Mr Shepards, in a dainty boat. We briefly chat about the weather, the island, his loving wife and his one and only daughter. This random and meaningless conversation suits me just fine; it is far better than me disclosing to a stranger how Sam and I associated with mer-people these past few days. Sam looks like a wounded puppy at the back of the boat.