Pen Trails on Mystery Island

 

Ilustration : Pen Trails on Mystery Island

Chapter 1: The Beginning in Junior High School

The morning sun greeted the window of class 7A of Nusa Indah Junior High School. In the back row, sat three best friends: Rara, Bima, and Citra. Rara, with her hair braided in two braids and eyes that always sparkled, was known as the talkative one who always had ideas. Bima, the tall one with thick glasses, was the brain of the group, always calm and logical. Meanwhile, Citra, the quietest among them, had an extraordinary artistic talent, especially in drawing.

That day was the first day of the new semester. The classroom atmosphere was noisy with stories of vacations and hopes for the new school year. Mrs. Rina, their authoritative but friendly homeroom teacher, entered the classroom with a big smile.

"Good morning, students! I hope you had a nice vacation and are ready to learn again," said Mrs. Rina.

After conveying some important information, Mrs. Rina announced something that made the class suddenly quiet. "This year, our school will hold a district-level short story writing competition! The theme of the competition is 'Adventures on My Island'."

Rara's eyes immediately lit up. She indeed aspired to become a famous writer. Bima, who was usually more interested in numbers and formulas, also looked interested. Citra, although quiet, turned out to have a rich imagination and often wrote poetry in her notebook.

"This is our chance!" whispered Rara excitedly. "We have to join this competition!"

Bima nodded in agreement. "The theme 'Adventures on My Island' sounds interesting. We can explore stories about Lampung."

Citra smiled faintly. "I want to join too. We can make a good story together."

Since that day, the trio of friends began planning their story. Every break, they gathered in the library or under a shady tree in the school yard, discussing and exchanging ideas. Rara enthusiastically told various adventure stories that she had read. Bima contributed logical ideas and a structured storyline. Meanwhile, Citra, with her artistic touch, imagined the story's visuals and characters.

Chapter 2: The Island of Legends and the Old Map

After several days of discussion, they agreed to write a story about a mysterious island in Lampung that holds an ancient legend. They named the island Pulau Seribu Pena, inspired by the many stories and legends that might be hidden there.

"Pulau Seribu Pena," Bima muttered. "A nice name. But does an island like that really exist?"

Rara shrugged. "Maybe it's not on modern maps. But legends often hide the truth. We can find out more about the small islands in Lampung that have not been explored much."

They started looking for information on the internet and books about the history and geography of Lampung. They found several small islands that were rarely visited by tourists, but none of them really matched the description of Pulau Seribu Pena in their imagination.

One afternoon, while they were looking for a book in the local library, Citra found an old book hidden on the top shelf. The book was titled "Legends and Stories of the Lampung People of Olden Times". The cover was worn and dusty, but the title caught Citra's attention.

"Look at this!" Citra exclaimed as she showed the book to Rara and Bima.

The three of them opened the book carefully. Inside, they found various folk tales and legends from various regions in Lampung. As they turned page after page, their eyes fell on a chapter entitled "The Legend of Skull Island and the Trail of the Golden Pen".

The chapter told of a remote island that was once inhabited by a wise king and court writers. The king was said to have a magical golden pen that could write destiny and goodness. However, one day, the island was attacked by cruel pirates. The king and the court writers disappeared, and the island was left in mystery. It is said that the map to the island was hidden in a safe place.

At the end of the chapter, they found a picture of a map that looked ancient and vague. The map showed an island with a unique shape, resembling a pen that was writing. Under the map, a sentence was written in ancient Lampung language: "Where the golden pen traces, there the mystery is revealed."

"This is it!" Rara exclaimed excitedly. "Skull Island! It looks like a pen! This must be the Thousand Pen Island we're looking for!"

Bima examined the map carefully. "This map is very old. But it seems like a real map of the island. We have to find out if this island really exists and where it is."

Citra nodded in agreement. "That last sentence... 'Where the golden pen is, there the mystery is revealed'. This is like a clue. Maybe the golden pen really is on that island."

The three of them felt increasingly excited. The legend of Skull Island and the old map were the main inspirations for their short story. They decided to combine the legend with a modern adventure, where the main characters in their story were a group of junior high school students who found an ancient map and searched for the Thousand Pen Island.

Chapter 3: The Journey Begins

With burning enthusiasm, Rara, Bima, and Citra began to compose the outline of their story. They determined the main characters, the plot, and the moral message they wanted to convey. They also began to write their first draft of the story, exchanging ideas and giving input.

However, in the midst of their busy writing, their curiosity about Skull Island grew stronger. They wanted to prove whether the legend was real and whether the old map could lead them to the mysterious island.

"What if we really look for this island?" Rara suggested one day. "This could be an exciting adventure, and we could get direct inspiration for our story."

Bima was initially hesitant. "Looking for a mysterious island? That sounds like a crazy idea. We're still in junior high school."

Citra, who was usually quiet, suddenly said firmly. "I agree with Rara. We have to try. We can ask an adult to accompany us."

After a long discussion, they finally agreed to try looking for Skull Island. They knew this would not be an easy task, but their sense of adventure and curiosity were too strong to ignore.

They began to plan their trip carefully. First, they showed the old map to Mr. Anton, their history teacher who was known to be very knowledgeable and fond of old stories.

Mr. Anton was surprised to see the map. "This is a very old map! I have never seen a map like this before. The legend of Skull Island... I have heard the story, but I did not know if the island really existed."

Mr. Anton helped them research the map further. He also helped them find information about small islands in Lampung that might match the description of Skull Island. After several days of searching for information, Mr. Anton found a small island called Wayang Island, located quite remote in Lampung Bay. The shape of the island on modern maps did not look much like a pen, but Mr. Anton suspected that the ancient map might depict the island from a different perspective or with an artistic interpretation.

"Wayang Island," said Mr. Anton. "This island is rarely visited. In the past, there was a story that this island was once a hiding place for Lampung warriors in ancient times. Maybe it has something to do with the legend of Skull Island."

Mr. Anton agreed to accompany them in search of the island. He also contacted Mr. Joko, a senior fisherman who lives in a coastal village near Wayang Island. Mr. Joko is known as someone who is very familiar with the waters of Lampung and has a strong boat. Mr. Joko agreed to take them to Wayang Island.

With the help of Mr. Anton and Mr. Joko, their adventure began. They prepared travel equipment, starting from maps, compasses, food, drinks, tents, to stationery and notebooks to record all their experiences.

Chapter 4: Exploring Wayang Island

That morning, the sun was shining brightly. Rara, Bima, Citra, Mr. Anton, and Mr. Joko set off for Wayang Island on Mr. Joko's motorboat. The sea journey took about two hours. During the journey, Mr. Joko told various stories about the sea and islands in Lampung. He also told stories about Wayang Island, which he said held many mysteries and folk tales.

"In the past, the old people here often told stories about Wayang Island. They said that the island was inhabited by spirits and held hidden treasures," said Mr. Joko while steering the boat.

Rara, Bima, and Citra listened to Mr. Joko's story enthusiastically. They were increasingly impatient to arrive at Wayang Island.

Finally, after a fairly long journey, they arrived at Wayang Island. The island looked quiet and deserted, with a white sandy beach surrounded by lush green trees. The shape of the island is not exactly like a pen, but there is a part of the island that is slightly elongated and curved, which could perhaps be interpreted as the shape of a pen if seen from a certain angle.

They landed on the beach and began to explore the island. Mr. Joko helped them set up a tent on the beach, while Mr. Anton took out an ancient map and compass to guide them. Rara, Bima, and Citra enthusiastically began to record and draw everything they saw.

It turned out that Wayang Island has extraordinary natural beauty. They found a dense forest with various types of plants and wild animals. They also found small caves hidden behind the coral rocks. In one of the caves, they found an ancient wall painting depicting human figures and animals in a very simple style.

"This painting must be very old," said Citra while observing the painting carefully. "The style of the painting is similar to prehistoric paintings."

Mr. Anton nodded in agreement. "This could be proof that this island has been inhabited since ancient times. Maybe the legend of Skull Island is rooted in the history of this island."

They continued to explore the island, following the directions from the ancient map. They followed a path hidden behind the trees, climbed a small hill, and crossed a small river with clear water. They hoped to find traces of the legend of Skull Island and perhaps find the golden pen told in the legend.

Chapter 5: Traces of the Golden Pen

As the day began to fall, they arrived at a place that looked like the center of the island. There, they found the ruins of a stone building that was already overgrown with moss and wild plants. The ruins looked like the remains of an ancient building, perhaps a palace or temple.

"This must be the remains of an ancient building," said Bima while observing the ruins carefully. "Maybe this is the remains of the king's palace told in the legend."

They began to explore the ruins more carefully. They found several pieces of ancient ceramics, shards of glass, and worn carved stones. In one corner of the ruins, they found an old well that had dried up.

Rara suddenly shouted. "Look at this!"

Rara pointed to a large stone located near the well. On the stone, they saw a very unique carving. The carving was in the shape of a pen writing, just like the shape of an island on an ancient map. Under the pen carving, they saw a small hole covered by a small stone.

Carefully, Bima opened the small stone. Inside the hole, they found a small, weathered wooden box. They opened the box slowly. Inside, they found a pen made of golden yellow metal. The pen looked ancient but still looked beautiful and shiny.

"A golden pen!" whispered Citra in disbelief. "This must be the golden pen from the legend of Skull Island!"

The three of them were very happy to find the golden pen. They felt as if they had found a real treasure. Mr. Anton and Mr. Joko were also happy and amazed by their discovery.

However, their joy did not last long. Suddenly, the sky darkened and the wind blew hard. The waves began to grow and the sound of thunder could be heard from a distance.

"A storm is coming!" shouted Mr. Joko in panic. "We have to get back to the boat and leave this island!"

They quickly packed up their equipment and ran towards the beach. However, when they arrived at the beach, they saw their boat was already drifting far out in the middle of the sea because it was hit by big waves.

They were trapped on Wayang Island!

Chapter 6: The Storm and the Shelter Cave

The storm was getting worse. Heavy rain poured down on the island, the wind blew hard, and big waves hit the beach. They couldn't possibly return to the mainland in these weather conditions.

Pak Joko quickly looked for shelter. He invited them to take shelter in the cave they had found earlier. The cave was quite large and protected from the wind and rain. They immediately went inside the cave and felt a little safer.

Inside the cave, they lit a small campfire to warm themselves and cook food. They ate dinner with the remaining supplies while listening to the sound of the storm raging outside the cave.

Fear and anxiety began to envelop them. They didn't know when the storm would subside and when they could return home. Rara, who was usually always cheerful, looked gloomy. Bima, who was always calm, also looked worried. Only Citra looked calmer, maybe because she preferred to be alone and face difficult situations in silence.

"Don't worry," said Pak Anton trying to calm them down. "The storm will definitely subside. We just need to be patient and pray."

Pak Joko added. "We are safe in this cave. This cave is strong enough and protected. Let's just wait until the storm subsides."

That night, they slept in the cave with anxiety. The sound of the storm continued to rage all night. They had difficulty sleeping and kept thinking about their fate.

The next day, when the sun began to rise, the storm began to subside. The rain had stopped and the wind was no longer blowing hard. The sea waves were still big, but not as bad as the night before.

Pak Joko went out of the cave to check the sea conditions. After a while, he returned with a relieved face. "The storm has begun to subside. We can try to return to land now."

They immediately packed up their equipment and left the cave. They walked towards the beach and saw their boat still drifting not far from the beach. Pak Joko with his skills managed to bring the boat back to the beach safely.

They immediately got into the boat and left Wayang Island. The journey home felt more tense because the waves were still quite big. However, Pak Joko patiently and carefully steered the boat until they finally arrived on land safely.

Chapter 7: Wisdom from the Mystery Island

Upon reaching the mainland, they felt very relieved and grateful. They had survived the storm and returned safely. They also brought home the golden pen and an unforgettable adventure experience.

They told their story to their family and friends at school. They showed the golden pen and the mural they found on Wayang Island. Everyone was amazed and impressed by their adventure.

The short story they wrote for the competition was finally finished. They told their story about their adventure on Wayang Island, combining the legend of Skull Island with their real experiences. They named their story "Pen Footprints on Mystery Island".

A few weeks later, the announcement of the district-level short story writing competition was announced. And who would have thought, the story "Pen Footprints on Mystery Island" by Rara, Bima, and Citra won first place!

They were very happy and proud of their achievement. They received prizes in the form of trophies, cash, and certificates of appreciation. Their story was also published in the local newspaper and read on the radio.

However, for Rara, Bima, and Citra, the most valuable prize was not a trophy or cash, but the adventure experience they had together. They learned many things from their adventure on Wayang Island. They learned about the history and legends of Lampung, about the beauty of nature, about friendship, courage, and resilience in the face of adversity.

They also realized that the legend of Skull Island and the golden pen might not just be a fictional story. Wayang Island, with all its mysteries and natural beauty, had given them inspiration and valuable experiences that they would always remember.

The golden pen they found was finally handed over to the regional museum as a historical object. However, the traces of the golden pen remained engraved in their hearts, as a symbol of adventure, friendship, and the power of imagination.

Since then, Rara, Bima, and Citra have become more enthusiastic about writing and exploring the world around them. They know that every place and every experience can be a source of inspiration for interesting stories. And their adventure on Wayang Island is the beginning of their long pen trail, which will continue to write beautiful stories in the future.

THE END

Disclaimer :

This story is purely fictional. If there are similarities in the names of characters, places of events or stories, it is purely coincidental and there is no element of intent.