A Girl Who Finds a Hidden Island That Shouldn’t Exist

Emilia had always been drawn to the sea. It wasn’t the kind of draw most people experienced, the allure of beaches, or the serene wash of waves against the shore. For her, it was something deeper. As if the ocean whispered to her, urging her to go beyond the horizon, beyond what was known. It wasn’t just curiosity. It was a pull, a longing that ached in her chest.

Her parents used to take her on their boat when she was little, and she’d stare out over the water, wondering what lay beyond the maps. “The ocean is vast,” her father had told her once, “but there’s nothing left to discover.” He was wrong. She knew it.

At 22, Emilia worked as a marine biologist in her small coastal town. She spent long hours researching marine ecosystems, but the call of the open water never left her. One summer evening, she sat on the edge of the dock, watching the sun sink below the horizon. Something inside her snapped.
“I’m going,” she whispered to herself.

Two weeks later, she packed her supplies into her father’s old boat, a sturdy vessel that had seen countless voyages but hadn’t left the dock in years. The weather was perfect—calm seas and a clear sky. But Emilia wasn’t looking for anything on the map. She charted a course into open water, away from known shipping routes, into uncharted territory. Her heart raced with anticipation. She didn’t know what she was seeking, but she knew something waited for her.

The days blurred together. The endless stretch of water, the same deep blue sky. Until one morning, three days in, she saw something on the horizon. A faint shimmer, almost imperceptible at first. As she drew closer, she could make out a shape—an island.
It was impossible.

There were no islands this far out, none that hadn’t been discovered. She slowed the boat as she approached, her heart hammering. The island was unlike anything she’d ever seen. Jagged cliffs rose from the water, with dense, dark trees clinging to the sides. Mist curled around the rocks, giving the entire place an ethereal glow. But what truly unnerved her was the feeling that washed over her as she drew near a deep, primal fear.

She anchored the boat, staring at the island in disbelief. “This shouldn’t be here,” she muttered. But it was, and the pull in her chest had only grown stronger. She couldn’t turn back now. Grabbing her backpack, she climbed into the dinghy and rowed toward shore.

The moment she stepped onto the black sand, a strange feeling washed over her. It was as if the world itself held its breath. The air was heavy with an unfamiliar scent—something sweet and earthy. The island seemed to hum with life, but no birds sang, no wind rustled the trees. It was as if the island was alive, watching her.

She walked inland, pushing through thick underbrush, her steps careful and measured. The landscape was foreign yet familiar, a mix of flora she couldn’t identify. Towering trees stretched high into the sky, their bark shimmering in shades of green and silver. Strange flowers bloomed at her feet, glowing faintly in the dim light. But the further she walked, the more unsettling everything became. Time felt… warped. Had it been minutes? Hours? Days?
Just as panic began to creep in, she spotted something through the trees. A clearing. She quickened her pace, heart pounding. When she reached it, she froze.

In the center of the clearing was a structure. A stone archway, covered in vines, standing tall and defiant against the surrounding wilderness. It looked ancient, weathered by time and the elements. But there was something else something that made her skin crawl. Carved into the stone were symbols, not of any language she recognized, but they stirred something in the back of her mind. A deep, forgotten memory.

As she approached the archway, the ground beneath her feet felt different, softer. She knelt and brushed the dirt aside, revealing what lay hidden beneath—a mosaic. Intricate, detailed, and impossibly old. It depicted a map. Her heart raced. It was a map of the island, with strange markings she couldn’t decipher. At the center of the mosaic was a symbol—a star enclosed in a circle, with lines stretching outward like rays of light.

She stood, her eyes drawn to the archway again. The pull in her chest grew stronger. Without thinking, she stepped through.

The moment she crossed the threshold, the world shifted.
She was no longer in the clearing. The island had changed. The trees, once dark and foreboding, were now vibrant, glowing with an otherworldly light. The air was warm, filled with the sound of running water. She looked down at her hands, expecting to find them trembling, but they weren’t. She felt… calm.
A voice broke the silence.
“Emilia.”

She spun around. A figure stood at the edge of the trees, cloaked in shadow.
“Who are you?” Her voice cracked, but she didn’t feel fear, only curiosity.
The figure stepped forward, revealing a man, though there was something otherworldly about him. His skin was pale, his eyes bright like the sun, and his features sharp, angular. He smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said, his voice soft but commanding. “This place is not for you.”
“Then why did I find it?” she asked, her voice steadier now.
He tilted his head, considering her. “Because you were meant to. But that doesn’t mean you can stay.”
“I don’t understand,” she said, taking a step toward him. “What is this place? Why does it feel like I’ve been here before?”

His eyes softened, and for a moment, he looked almost sad. “This island… exists between worlds. It’s a place of forgotten things, of lost memories. Only those who are truly lost can find it.”

Emilia’s breath caught in her throat. Lost? She wasn’t lost. She had a job, a life, a purpose. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized how empty everything felt. How for years she had been drifting, not just on the sea, but in her life.
“Why me?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

He took another step forward, close enough now that she could see the flicker of something ancient in his eyes. “Because you’re searching for something you cannot name. Something no one else can give you.”

Emilia felt the weight of his words settle on her chest. She had always been searching, always reaching for something beyond herself, beyond the world she knew. But she had never been able to grasp it.
The man raised his hand, gesturing to the island around them. “This place holds power, but it is not for mortals to claim. It is a refuge for the forgotten, the lost, and the forsaken. Once you enter, you cannot leave. Not as you were.”

Her heart pounded in her chest. “What do you mean?”
“You will be changed. If you stay, you will become part of this place. You will forget the world you came from, and in time, the world will forget you.”

The weight of his words settled on her like a stone. She couldn’t stay. She couldn’t become part of this strange, forgotten place. But the thought of returning to her old life, of the emptiness that awaited her, felt equally unbearable.

“There must be another way,” she said, desperation creeping into her voice.
The man studied her, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, he nodded. “There is… one way.”

Hope flickered in her chest.
He took a deep breath, as if the decision pained him. “You must take something from this island with you. Something powerful, something tied to this place. But be warned—once you take it, the island will never leave you. It will haunt your dreams, your thoughts. You will never be free of it.”

Emilia hesitated. Could she live with that? The thought of being tied to this strange, otherworldly place for the rest of her life terrified her. But it was better than being forgotten. Better than losing herself completely.
“I’ll do it,” she said, her voice firm.

The man nodded, though there was no relief in his eyes. He reached into the folds of his cloak and pulled out a small, intricately carved stone. It was the same symbol she had seen on the mosaic in the clearing—the star enclosed in a circle.
“This will bind you to the island,” he said, holding it out to her. “But once you take it, there is no going back. You will be marked.”

Emilia hesitated for only a moment before reaching out and taking the stone. The moment her fingers closed around it, a surge of energy shot through her, so powerful it knocked the breath from her lungs.

The island shifted again. The vibrant trees dimmed, the warmth in the air vanished, and the mist returned, curling around her like a shroud.
The man was gone. She stood alone in the clearing once more, the stone clutched tightly in her hand.

She turned, running back toward the shore, her heart racing. She could feel the island’s presence pressing in on her, heavy and suffocating. But she didn’t stop. She couldn’t stop.
When she reached the boat, she didn’t look back. She started the engine and sped away from the shore, the island shrinking in the distance. But even as it disappeared from view, she knew it was still with her.

The stone in her hand pulsed, a reminder of the bond she had forged. She had found the island that shouldn’t exist, but now it would be part of her forever.
And as the horizon stretched out before her, Emilia realized that some discoveries come with a price, one that can never truly be escaped.
The island may have been forgotten by the world, but it would never forget her.