Marine Stone

By Shatha Ghanem

Since the advent of time, man has been subjected to all the forces that surround him and has been prone to the evil in all dimensions, attacking him, turning his world upside down andsowingchaos beyond repair. However, man has also created some tools to defend himself and has beengiftednaturallyin many other ways for the same. The magical stone, Marine, is one of the rarest gemsin the known world andholdsthepower to help its master out ofany difficult situation or crisis. Themanner in which it does so is very unique, to say the least.

In essence, the stone brings backan extinctanimalspecies into the world, a species that hasthe capability to help the owner of the stoneresolve theirproblems.

The story oftheLava family,the atrocitiesthey face, and the bonds of family,isonethat serves as the perfect metaphor formanyreal world scenarios. The help of extinct animals, each one of them in a distinct manner according to the abilities they possess and according to the need of time, is something to ponder over.

Marine Stone is a journey from Belle Island to the village of Chess Squares, and everything in between. The extinct animals come and go as they are needed and each one of them leavesan indelible markon the hearts of the Lava men, changing them and their lives forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: Jun 6, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543741568

Shatha Ghanem

Shathawas brought up in (Riyadh -Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) and has an active imagination from the start. She believes herimagination to be her strongest skill, and it is something she has not let get away from her as she grew older. She loves walking around looking at nature the flora, fauna,and themajesty ofnaturehas always been a source of inspiration and beauty to her. Shatha is also very interested in science she finds herself being amazed by the new discoveries, by the perseverance of the people whodedicatetheir lives to science and help us understand this world better. She also loves animalsand loves helping rescuing animals whenever the opportunity arises. She wants to help create animal shelters around the world, and reduce hunger as much as possible. Shatha is on a mission to increase the amount of love, kindness, and peace between everyone. She loves going on adventures, because they open up new undiscovered beauty to her.While others were hurrying to grow up, Shatha realized how precious childlike wonder was, and has managed to retain it. Join her journey as she takes you inside her imagination for an exhilarating, mystifying, and interesting read. Cover Art design by: Inna Vjuzhanina

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MARINE STONE

SHATHA GHANEM

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Copyright © 2017 by Shatha Ghanem.

ISBN:                    Hardcover                    978-1-5437-4148-3

                               Softcover                      978-1-5437-4147-6

                               eBook                           978-1-5437-4156-8

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

www.partridgepublishing.com/singapore

CONTENTS

Dedication

Chapter 1:     Mr. Thunderstorm and Marine Rose

Chapter 2:     The Story of Marine Rose

Chapter 3:     What Happened to Belle Island?

Chapter 4:     Kai and Flynt (Merry Moron) Meet

Chapter 5:     The Scheme against Flynt And Fergus

Chapter 6:     The Day of Revelations

Chapter 7:     The Initiation of a Plan to Save Marine and Fergus

Chapter 8:     The Blossom of Friendships

Chapter 9:     Flynt Doesn’t Come to Belle Island, Fire Does

Chapter 10:   Kai is Alone on Belle Island

Chapter 11:   The Arrival of Dana

Chapter 12:   The Twisted Dinosaur Couple

Chapter 13:   The Fall in the Deep Waters

Chapter 14:   The Dodo Bird

Chapter 15:   The Plan of Voyagetowards Indigo Island

Chapter 16:   The Surprising Arrivals

Chapter 17:   A Generous Motherly Figure- Vasilisa

Chapter 18:   Marine in the Hands of Anonymous Forces

Chapter 19:   Talon in the Forest

Chapter 20:   Fauna Brings Disaster

Chapter 21:   Talon in Trouble

Chapter 22:   There Might Be Some More Surprises

Chapter 23:   The Misery of Talon

Chapter 24:   The Plans

Chapter 25:   At The Indigo Island

Chapter 26:   Fauna’s Angels

Chapter 27:   Cave Lions

Chapter 28:   The Cavemen, Falcon and Carwyn

Chapter 29:   Carwyn Enters the Chess Squares

Chapter 30:   The Revelation of Time Travel

Chapter 31:   Carwyn Wakes Up in Indigo Island

Chapter 32:   The Fight at the Dungeon

Chapter 33:   The Power of Unity

Chapter 34:   The Basilosaurus

Chapter 35:   The Mystery of the Soldiers

Chapter 36:   Who Won The Duel at the Dungeon?

Chapter 37:   The Spirit’s Story

Epilogue

DEDICATION

Dedicated to my mother who is the most kind and generous soul I have ever come accorss, and whose heartwarming love, dedication, sacrifice has made her my guiardian angel through and through. And it was her love which made it possible for me to embark on the journey of writing this book.

Also, I would like to dedicate this book to my little sister whose support and and encouragement knowing the five year old within me, has been a pillar of strength for me during rough patches and awkward pauses. The gift of God that she is, who has brought joy and serenity in my life, is one reason I never cease to persue my dreams.

This book is also dedicated to my grandparents who are smiling at me from heavens above. This one’s to say that though your void can never be filled in my life or my heart, your love has been with me all through the journey. I feel their presence with every step that I take and know that their joyful smiles and loving advice has been my strength as I recall all the beautiful moments spent together.

CHAPTER # 1

Mr. Thunderstorm and Marine Rose

His mornings started with only one name on his lips, the only name left in his halcyon memories from the times he actually lived a life and enjoyed it to the fullest. Marine Rose.

Oh wait, where was Marine Rose? ‘Well, old man!’ He exclaimed to himself, ‘You better keep your glasses in place for the last memory of Rosie you’re left with. After all, you haven’t been blessed with any bundles of joy to fetch it for you’. And Thud! The sound of stones falling has been coming for the past two days making horrendous noises, but Mr. Thunderstorm doesn’t budge. He isn’t being called thunderstorm for no reason, for he has the temper of one and definitely a tongue too sharp to cut the edges of meaningless questions about his life and his anti social behavior – to cut people to their size actually, as per his description.

His day starts with an hour of heartfelt conversation with Marine Rose, his partner in this whole wide selfish world. His true companion, or his only companion since he never let anyone come near him, his house or his life after the sad demise of Mrs. Luke. That was his wife and of course Thunderstorm is just what the villagers of Chess Squares called him, Luke Ponytail (he had such long hair at the time of birth that his mother knew exactly what to call him).

The village is known as Chess Squares because of the obsessed baker Mrs. Goldsmith, who couldn’t control her cravings for Chess Squares and ended up serving the entire village baskets of one dozen each, when she made too many to relieve stress. And since it was only the beginning of the time at Chess Squares, and the oldest dweller in town Mrs. Rosemary couldn’t press her memory to recall the name, Chess Squares served it right. But we’ll leave it here, because the stories of the village are too many to mix them with the aloof lifestyle of Mr. Thunderstorm.

And while we’re at it, Mr. Thunderstorm’s affection for Marine Rose has to be understood to understand the only relation he has with anyone in the world. It was the stone his wife left for him. For the childless couple, it was their only hope that someday they would find the right space in the woods and make the magic happen. But with Mrs. Luke’s fatal illness and the financial burden, all that could never happen. All that was left was Marine Rose and the dreams they once had together.

Marine Rose, the stone Mrs. Luke’s father gave her as a treasured possession to be kept safe along with passing the story of it- the most eccentric one they’ve ever heard, was no ordinary stone. It was a magical stone withthe power to bring back the stories of ancient past. It could bring back lives of extinct animals that perished but their remains lie somewhere nearby. Each one of us carries a part of the history that calls to be unfolded by the right amount of devotion and perseverance, and the stone could do just that. Marine Rose could bring those extinct animals to life, which we only read about and imagine.

But of course, Marine Rose has its conditions sprawled in front of Mrs. Luke’s father when he possessed it, that it shall never be touched by a hand without dust. Too complicated it seems, for a beautiful aqua green stone with sparkles blindingly beautiful and a 0.65 millimeter holefrom which bright sea green rays omit that illuminate the entire room. The stone was originally named marine for the blend of aquatic shades and the fact that Mrs. Luke’s father was gifted with it by a merman.

The gentle mermannamed Merry Moron who was later punished for his stupidity by his father, for giving a human the precious gemstone of the sea. Merry Moron was exiled to the prison of sea weed and plastic bags and till date he has been unheard of by the inhabitants of the sea. Merry moron, as happy go lucky a fellow that he was, and for that many are considered foolish so he was too, was a kind hearted merman. He was stuck in a problem so gigantic that it became a matter of life and death and that’s when Mrs. Luke’s father helped him against the evils of the sea. And of course, with the heart of gold that he possessed, he dived deep towards the jewel box of his greatest grandmother and brought the most precious stone in history to give to his savior. With a promise that he would keep it safe from any misuse and that it does not like sunlight very much. Yes, the stone has temper issues too and what a better companion could there be for Mr. Thunderstorm who lets no bird fly through his mansion…

CHAPTER #2

The Story of Marine Rose

Marine Rose, as beautiful it sounds and looks has a deep history connected to it, and to how Mr. Thunderstorm got the possession of it. Firstly, rose is not a part of its name; Mr. Thunderstorm named it after his deceased wife’s nickname ‘Rose’, and since Marine Rose and Mr. Thunderstorm share one common memory, that of her, it makes it ever the most special for the grumpy old fellow to garner strong emotions for someone, rather, some object.

Marine Rose was, and still is the original property of the great Lava family of the sea. The same one from where Merry Moron, the idiotic merman, hails. And the fact that Mr. Thunderstorm now possesses it, thisputs him in some danger, which he is completely unaware of. Life is soon going to throw lemons at him, which he can definitely not pass to Mrs. Goldsmith to make a tart out of it.

Merry Moron, as the name suggests, is the youngest and the most stupid lad of the Lava family and as outrageously dangerous their name is, so is the animosity of the brothers. The banishment of Merry Moron from the family throne and his imprisonment for the punishment of giving away the family treasure has only saved him from the current problems, bringing rift in the sea every now and then.

The Lava brothers, Flicker and Flame are on a mad hunt for the family treasure since they got to know it’s not only a fight for the jewel to be embellished in the necklace of their respective wives; it is so much more than that, which they could not have imagined. With their father moving towards forbidden waters to search for the treasure, this has directed the sons to search for it too and given them the real reason upon their insisting that it has the power to bring back extinct animals to life. And what more did the two brothers want than to bring back extinct animals only with the intention to enslave them for as long as they lived.

Never has human race been free of jealousy and feeling of vengeance, regardless of the relationship among people or the fact how well raised their parents thought they are. Flame and Flicker were one of the examples of extreme jealousy masked by the fake smiles and attitude of concern towards their youngest step brother. With one dropping baseball bat on his head thinking that might leave him mentally challenged to get a share in the family property and the other one reporting the incident of him gifting Marine Rose to Mr. Wood (Mrs. Luke’s father), they surely hate their brother.

It was, however, not a gift. Merry Moron was silly to the extent of extreme folly sometimes, but he was definitely not a lunatic. He had to save the family treasure because he overheard his father talking about the qualities of Marine Rose and how special it was, not just for their family but for the entire world and that was too great of a responsibility. Having the idea about maligned intentions of his brothers, Merry Moron had to find a way to secure it from them so to safeguard the interest of everyone. The stone was not an ordinary one; it had to be taken special care of. With the right amount and at the right time of dawn, it could be used at its full potential, but even aslight miscalculation of time would result in catastrophic consequences.

Few centuries ago when humans and animals lived rather peacefully on the planet and there was less chances of warfare and brutal killings, the only sound unheard of was that of a great sea storm which washed away a lot more than it gave to the shores of Belle Island. Belle Island, as the name suggests, was a serene island with various species of animals and human inhabitants who had no concern with the typical hunting. They lived in caves with their small families and a simple lifestyle which was in uniformity on the Belle Island. Their digging for precious stones was not amalgamated with greed and that led them towards great accomplishment in the trade. The trade patterns involved seafaring towards new destinations every time in search of the valuable sparkles that Belle Island naturally possessed. Its gemstones were a thing of beauty and the cavemen made sure the best ones reached the most valuable customers who knew the true worth of these stones. These strong people were honest to their core and let no amount of temptation ruin their hard earned empire which was run with the most effective rules and just systems.

The life at Belle Island was picture perfect when one morning the residents sensed something different in the air; it was misty but that was normal for them to experience. What different was the direction of the breeze and the intensity of it which was not something they were familiar with. People didn’t pay much attention to it as their day started with routine tasks; however, some wise old men and women were thinking about the sudden change in climate. All was going smoothly, when suddenly the fog became so dense so to blindfold everyone and the darkness of the cloud made noon look like the time of dusk.

That was the beginning of an end. The storm hit the Belle Island hard and all perished except for the beautiful child who was scared by the screams of people he heard when he woke up and climbed up to the topmost shelve of his house for the fear of being taken over by the water that was seeping in. He somehow managed to survive the deadly storm, but trauma hit him hard and he was lost without food or any means of survival for days, till sun shone bright and the picture of the island was clear in vision which was anything but the gorgeous view he had been seeing since he opened his eyes.

Little Kai was feeble by now and ate fruits of the trees his 9 year old self could climb up on. ‘I don’t know from where and how I would ever know of my adoptive parents and my friends, the water washed it all away’. ‘If the monsters of the sea took them away, then why didn’t theytake me along, I would have been happy with them wherever they are at the moment’ was all he could think of. Lying on the banana leaves, which were now his bedding, he used to stay up gazing at the enormous starlit sky and recall the moments of mirth with his friends and of ultimate bliss with his family. His only companion was the stone he found when he came out of the cave calling for his momma and kept in pocket to show to her and his friends, as a prized possession. Now all he had was the stone and no companions to play with it.

CHAPTER #3

What Happened to Belle Island?

Little does anyone know what happened that day, except for one. And not just any person but someone who witnessed the entire catastrophe because he woke from a long slumber. Kai was asleep that night when the great storm hitBelle Islandwashing away the treasures of lives it had that made a difference in their own small world and those of each other. The simple yet hardworking cave people, who had no animosity towards anyone, were the real assets of the modern world where vanity, vengeance, and cruelty were budding at a strong pace.

Their deep dark houses amidst the giant mountains were a thing of beauty decked up with diamonds that shone so bright they blinded any naked eye and the pinnacles shining with the dosage of gold by the sun, standing tall with all their might in the land of beauty, the Belle Island. The grass was green on all sides and the small island’s dwellers lived by means of hunting and gathering precious stones to sell at the hands of traders who came by ships to Belle Island. Without the unreasonable animosity and jealousy about each other’s valuables and riches, all they were concerned about was how to improve the state of their already glamorous land. If one wanted to learn about the art of happiness and of garnering sunshine in the dullest of lives, they could visit Belle Island for a simple and effective dose of love- the lesson desperately needed by mankind of all times.

When times were simpler and true contentment shone bright on humans’ faces, the tiniest problems looked gigantic but with collective effort, concern, and brotherhood, all was resolved. The golden period of Belle Island did not know it was time to bid farewell and kiss goodbye to everyone. The storm taking away all what life had to offer on this peaceful patch on the face of Earth left behind something of great value.

That night when the angry waters of the sea, coupled with the raging winds, washed away life on Belle Island, only one life was spared. Kai woke up to find nothing but remains of once beautified village, with little traces of laughter and giggles at every step, extinguished stoves, and air of death dancing with a heavy heart and dense wings hovering Belle Island. The little astonished boy could not understand at first what actually happened and where everyone was afraid to move around to see more marks of cruel reality, he hid behind his safe rock; the one where he played with his friends since the time he understood the beautiful world.

Shivering with the uncertain turn of events and the horrifying marks they left on his tender mind, Kai could nearly hear his heart pounding heavily in his chest and the of dense air in his ears; he could not bear it any longer and fainted. The little boy, who loved hisfriends and family more than life itself, made people smile at their saddest with his gentle touch of affection, and made silliest jokes to clear the mist of quarrel anywhere he went, could not understand what he has been through in one night. He just could not register anything in his mind.

His imagination ran wild and his athletic being befriended every brick and corner of the full of caves, belle Island. He was life of the party but with one shake so hard he received, he lost all of his essence of his being. Kai forgot who he was and could not recognize the person he once used to be. He had no shoulder to weep on and no hand to hold, only the remains of his village and those of his tribesmen.

But on the night of the great storm hitting Belle Island, it gave a companion to Kai which he knew nothing of. For days he would weep and search for some life around but found none- often he would think why he was the one who was left, why isn’t he with every person