Zoe brushed off her dreadful dream and hid it at her subconscious mind. She will not let her haunting past destroy what she has been building for so many years. She put on her red lipstick, lifted her chin, and swayed her hips as she walked out of the hallway. Since Grand Oak Memorial Hospital, the nearest medical clinic, is far from her hotel, she rode a taxi to get to the place and buy her medicine.
"Wow," Zoe couldn"t help herself from blurting out. As she peered into the window of the taxicab she was riding, she viewed the luscious giant trees and the famous kentia palms outlining the lane to the hospital.
Half of Lord Howe Island"s native plants have been known to be endemic, and a great number of the isle"s unique plants grow on or throughout the mountain summits. On the farther side of the lane, she could see the vast blue ocean waves lapping on the reef"s white-sand beaches.
She remembered the popular tourist activities included in her tours such as scuba diving, birdwatching, snorkeling, surfing, kayaking, and fis.h.i.+ng.
"I must not leave this island without trying them all!" Zoe yelped.
She stared in wide eyes as she looked at the magnificent scenery pa.s.sing her as the transport vehicle take her to her destination.
"Is it your first time to this isle, mam?" the driver of the cab asked her.
She glanced at the old man who was driving for her. He has gentle eyes concealed under a thick eyegla.s.s and a kind feel towards him. He appeared to be like a typical inhabitant in this region. She beamed at him.
"Yes, sir. I didn"t know there was such a beauty such as this in the world," she greeted him as she closed her eyes and rested her back on the seat.
The mature man grinned at her through the rearview mirror. "What you see is only a glimpse of G.o.d"s wonderful creations."
"Were you aware that there is a location that is more breathtaking than what you are seeing right now?" he added as he continued to drive.
"Really?" Zoe replied. "There is something better than this?" she curiously pleaded as she opened her eyes with knitted brows.
The aged man pointed at a mountainous peninsula that could be seen beyond the horizon from where they are.
"But that"s the Ball"s Pyramid. No humans can go there or even live there," Zoe remarked as she leaned her face forward to peek in the direction that the venerable man was pointing.
She has read it in books. The Ball"s Pyramid is 23 kilometers from Lord Howe Island, uninhabited and volcanic in nature.
"Well, it"s a legend among the folks in the neighborhood that there is a city concealed inside that land that is as fascinating as Garden of Eden itself." The aged man told her.
Zoe turned her body towards the old man and listened intently as he proceeded to share the story behind the protected city.
"Three couples built it so they could start a new civilization that is pure from poverty and corruption which is happening around the globe. Because there is an area in the land which is fertile and is capable to provide everything that they need to survive, they settled and lived there, hidden in the eyes of men and the world."
"That"s cool!" Zoe exclaimed in a slow mode, amazed at the story laid in front of her. "I wish there was indeed a city like that." She mused as she checked herself in the mirror. She can already recognize the building of the hospital from where they are, according to the picture in the pamphlet.
"If it is real, would you live there?" the driver inquired on her as he looked ahead at their destination.
Zoe froze. Then she peeked at the enclave that they were talking about. Can she actually thrive in such a beautiful but secluded place?
"I don"t really know." She responded to him. "If I"ll be the queen I guess." She returned the mirror on her bag. As she pulled out her wallet to pay the chauffeur, the picture of her parents fell without her noticing it.
"Thank you for your service and your wonderful story," she flashed one of her sweetest smiles.
"The pleasure is mine, your Majesty." The driver smiled back and bowed to her. Zoe chuckled and closed the door of the car.
It was not extraordinary for her to be called "Your Majesty." When she was a child, her favorite pastime is drawing. She would repeatedly draw a castle with herself as the queen. When they made codenames at school for special activities, she would always name herself as "the queen".
She was used to people addressing her as "your majesty". Even though some mocked her for calling herself in such a way, especially Savanah and her group, it is innate in her that she cannot stop seeing herself as otherwise.
She walked to the hospital daydreaming about what the city must have looked like. "What if it was true? And the Crowned Prince come to this island and take me away to be her queen?"
Zoe blushed as she thought about it. She laughed at herself. "Silly! How could you still believe in fairy tales? You"re a grown-up, Zoe!" She scolded herself.
She shook her head to get rid of her childish thoughts and continued to walk towards the hospital. As she did so, she b.u.mped into a person she wasn"t expecting to meet. Zoe grimaced.
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