The Guardians of Tawaii

By Abigail Sarah

Guardians have been around since the world began. They are the ones who protect the weak and defend the helpless.

Jane, Elisabeth, Michael and Faith are the new Guardians of Tawaii, a rich and bountiful island ruled by King El Shaddai and untouched by the world around them. Life would be almost perfect except they have been warned to cont

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abigail Sarah
• Release date: Sep 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9780645804515

Book preview

Tawaii Map

Chapter 1

The Haven of Rest

The night had begun fine, albeit a little cloudy, before the storm clouds that had been threatening the entire previous week finally erupted. The rain poured down; the winds also picked up and it was not long until being tossed about on a ship in the middle of a ferocious, raging sea was about as bad as the terrors that those aboard had left behind.

You see, there was a terrible war raging in the South that had caused families to flee for safety. Now with the weather the way it was and how it had been for the past week, the passengers of the Exile were at a conundrum as to whether leaving home had been the right choice. Fortunately, there were some in the company of the ship who did not seem to mind, as it was all quite an adventure.

Children have a way of seeing the good in situations where adults sometimes deem everything to be futile. In particular were three sisters: eleven year-old Daphne, eight year-old Heather and five year-old Lily. Like most children, they were of a most energetic nature, and not even the foulest weather could dampen their spirits. Although there was not much to do in the way of fun on the ship, these children made their own, which was exactly what they were doing, until something occurred that would change their lives forever.

There was a storm, as you know well by now. Being May, it was rather unusual for the weather to be so vicious and the crew dubbed this storm as a freak, hoping it would soon pass, but it didn’t look to be easing up any time soon; in fact, it was getting worse. Daphne had over-heard her mother and a few other ladies talking and sounding very despondent, so she decided to take her sisters with her to play a game. On the way down to the stowage, she overhead several crewmen mention a reef that they knew to be in the area. Daphne was old enough to know what a reef was, but not the reasons why the men would be talking about it. The children had no sooner passed by the two crewmen, beginning their descent into the stowage, when the ship gave a horrible shudder.

Lily gave a scream and clung to the ladder as the whole vessel shook. Crewmen began to scramble on the salty, wet deck, a sudden state of panic having overtaken them. Upon hearing the sailors shout that they had been cast upon the rocks, Daphne advised her sisters to stay calm and to seek safety in some sturdy, woven baskets.

Will you pray for us Daphne, as Mama does before bed? begged Heather, before hopping into her basket.

Daphne looked uncertain, before giving in. As the others gathered around her, she knelt on the lurching floor of the ship and prayed for deliverance and safety. It was quick and simple, but Daphne was in earnest and meant every word. Once she’d finished praying, Daphne made sure her sisters were safely tucked inside their baskets before she found refuge of her own.

So there, inside three woven baskets, the girls waited out the storm and the subsequent shipwreck, too afraid to really move. By some strange fate, or really, the Providence of One, the children survived the wreck, where no other passengers did. Their baskets, originally designed for carrying dried goods on caravanning journeys through exotic lands, and made of nothing more than palm leaves and a bit of string, and joined together by a length of rope, floated on the open ocean for a day or two, until a different current pulled them away from the turbulence and into smoother waters.

Lily, feeling the change in the water, and always being quite adventurous, pushed the lid off her basket and looked around her. She called to her sisters to look too, and soon the girls were marvelling together. The current had pulled their baskets near to a stone wall wrapped in vines and dotted with pale blue flowers, and as they came closer, the girls realised it was not merely a wall, but a beautiful stone archway. At the top of the archway were the words ‘welcome to all who seek rest’ carved in simple letters, and looking beyond the wall the girls saw a paradise that rivalled those in any of their picture books.

Without saying much to their sisters, each girl determined in her heart that she had to be a part of this land and began to paddle towards the archway, but their efforts were in vain. Their baskets spun, caught in the midst of the riptide, the ocean current meeting that of the water that flowed from the island before them. Seeing as how she was getting no closer to her goal, Lily clambered out of her basket and tumbled into the water, Daphne and Heather following suit. The water was deep, but the girls were unperturbed by its depth, their minds made up; they had to enter. They began to swim, kicking their legs, fighting the current that would try and drag them back out to sea.

Finally, they passed under the stone archway, and as they did, the atmosphere changed, as did the water. The river, unlike the unsettled sea, was crystal-clear with a gentle current that hummed the most beautiful melody. The current continued to pull them further away from the sea, until the waters became more shallow and they happened upon a set of stone steps that rose up out of the water. On the bottom-most step stood a woman in a dress the colour of the flowers. The hem of her dress brushed the water, but she didn’t seem to mind.

My name is Meradeth, the woman said. She had a kindly face bordered by a mass of curly raven hair. How came you to be here?

The children didn’t reply, being too tired and hungry to do anything really. Meradeth seemed to sense this and reached down to lift Lily out of the water.

Follow me, children. I will give you food and water and then you can rest until your strength is returned.

Holding out her hand to the others, Meradeth led the children away from the river and they clambered out of the water, eager to follow her. She led them to a tree, which held the most magnificent treehouse. This tree was nothing like the one the girls had played in back home in the South. It was huge, the biggest tree on the island in fact and just inside the beautifully carved doorway at the base of the trunk was a spiral staircase that curved up and up, letting off at different rooms along the way. Meradeth led the children to the top of the tree, where it opened up into a spacious room with four beds.

A week in the beautiful paradise around them and the watchful and loving care of Meradeth brought Daphne, Heather and Lily back to full health and strength. The children had no memory of the terrible events that had brought them to this place and after seven days with Meradeth, under the love and care she showed them, they began to grow fond of her and see her as their mother. As they grew stronger, Daphne, Heather and Lily sought to help Meradeth in the daily work she did, fetching buckets of water for her from the river, picking bushels and baskets full of delicious fruits and berries, mending clothes and tending to sick animals. From the windows of the treehouse, the girls could spy people working out in the fields, and when the four of them would walk by the river’s edge in the afternoon, they would also catch glimpses of houses, and more people, on the other side of the river. These folk were ‘Tawaiians’ or so Meradeth called them, and they were the people of the island.

One afternoon, when they were all taking their stroll along the river, Lily spied something peculiar on the river.

Meradeth! she cried, tugging on the woman’s hand and pointing to the river. Look.

There, bobbing on the water, was a raft — no more than a crude piece of wood — and draped atop was the body of a child. Meradeth hurried to the stone steps that descended into the river and pulled the raft closer.

He is yet alive, she determined, lifting the unconscious body into her arms and carrying him up out of the water. Help me, Daphne.

Daphne assisted Meradeth in carrying the boy inside the Treehouse and up to their room, where they set him down on one of the beds. His lips were blue and the sprinkling of freckles on his cheeks stood stark against his pale skin. Lodged in his dirty, matted hair were small pieces of debris and seaweed.

Do you think he will be alright? Heather asked, her brow knit in concern as she looked down at the unconscious boy.

I could not say yet, dear. Meradeth sat beside the boy and stroked her hand soothingly across his brow. Daphne, be a good girl and fetch some broth for him, should he come around.

How do you think he came here? Lily rested her hands on Meradeth’s leg.

Meradeth smiled at the young girl. I would say he was wrecked in a storm, not unlike the one that brought you to me.

May we keep him? Heather took the hand of the boy in hers.

I do not see why we can’t.

The boy’s lids fluttered a little and he slowly stirred, trying to sit up, but Meradeth urged him to lie still against the pillow.

You are going to be alright, Heather said, smiling at the boy, bringing his hand to her cheek. We’re going to take care of you.

A faint smile tugged on the boy’s mouth at Heather’s comforting words, before his eyes closed once more; that was how the girls gained a brother. Arthur—for that was the boy’s name—had very little memory of the events that brought him to the island. He was a little mischief maker, but the girls adored him tremendously, and he adored them, fancying himself their protector, despite the fact he was only eight.

Chapter 2

A Story Most Precious

Most nights, before the children went to bed, Meradeth would come to their room and tell them a story, a time which they enjoyed immensely.

Into bed, otherwise I cannot tell the story. Arthur, quickly now.

Arthur scampered from Heather’s bed and into his own, diving under the sheets, his fair head peeking out from under the quilt. Meradeth waited until the children were settled and then began her story.

This story is about the origins of our beautiful paradise, but it begins with something unexpected: a meteor strike.

A meteor fell from the Heavens and hit the water so fast that the water immediately surrounding the meteor fled, leaving a dark island in its wake. Shortly after, a light descended from the Heavens and settled on the island, casting away the darkness. The light was that of the Great King, El Shaddai. He became the ruler of the now bright and lovely island and called it Tawaii. He was served faithfully by lowly wood elves and supported in His positions by His Son, Prince Sion and His advisor, Lucien. The island flourished under El Shaddai’s