1st 5 Pages April Workshop - Dover Rev 1

Jeanette Dover
Middle Grade Fantasy
The Lost City of Atlantis


Adam wakes up on the first day of his vacation in the Caribbean. He bounds out of bed excited that he will be going to the beach with his family. Every year the Smith family spends a month at their home in the Caribbean. It’s a time everyone in the family enjoys; they spend many hours at the beach near their house. For Adam, it’s a magical time.

Adam throws on his swimming trunks. He stops for a moment to pick up the sea shell sitting on his dresser; he puts the shell to his ear. Adam not only hears the ocean, he feels the ocean waves wrap around him; the smell of the sea water engulfs him as an intense surge of energy races through his entire body. What he experiences is beyond his ability to describe. The beach calls to him, draws him like a magnet attracts a piece of iron; it’s a pull he can’t resist. Adam smiles as he drops the shell into his pocket. He rushes to the kitchen eager to get to the beach.

“Eat your breakfast, we’re going shopping in the village this morning,” his mother announces as Adam sits down at the table.

“Oh No!” Adam exclaims. “Can’t we go to the beach first?”

“It won’t take long. We’ll go swimming after,” assures his mother as she passes behind him and ruffles his light brown hair.

Adam’s shoulders slump. I don’t want to go shopping. I need to go to the beach. Why can’t I go to the beach?

“Mom?” Adam pauses as his mother turns and looks at him with one eyebrow raised. “Can I go for a walk on the beach while you go into the village?”

“By yourself?”

“Just for a walk on the beach,” Adam looks at his mom with wide eyes. “When you get back then we can go swimming.”

She looks back at him with an expression that suggests she is not sure what he is up to; Adam smiles. With a stern glare she says, “All right. But don’t go in the water.”

Adam jumps up and races out of the kitchen. “Thanks Mom!” He yells as rushes through the back door.

Adam wanders down the path heading to the beach. He looks down and sees his fins and mask in his hand. When did I grab those? Maybe I should take them back to the house. Nah, I wouldn’t want Mom to change her mind I’ll just keep them with me.

As Adam steps onto the beach his feet sink into the sand; the warm, granular particles squish between his toes. The energy flows in warm waves up his legs, into his body and arms; the wave reaches his brain and he sighs. He has come home; it feels so right.

Adam knows these thoughts are different from anything his family and friends experience. When he was younger Adam tried to talk to his dad about the strong feelings he has at the beach. His dad just laughed and said he enjoys the beach too. Adam knew that his dad just didn’t understand what he was trying to explain. If his dad couldn’t understand Adam knew his friends wouldn’t either. They would probably just think he was being really weird. Because Adam knows the way he feels is not normal at all he hides it from everyone.

Does any twelve year old boy believe he’s normal? They think some pretty strange things and do some weird things too. Their families often wonder why they think and act the way they do. The people in Adam’s life don’t seem to notice that he’s different than any other boy his age. Adam recognizes he is very different and it’s not something he wants to feel.

Adam looks down the beach at the contrast between the white sand and the beautiful turquoise water. What could be better than walking on the beach? Swimming in the water would be better. I can look at the fish and the world beneath the waves.

The sounds of the waves lapping on the shore whisper his name. His mothers’ words replay in his head “… but don’t go in the water.” If I just swam for a couple of minutes who would know?

There was no one else on the beach so who could tell his mom. Besides she always said he swam like a fish. It wouldn’t hurt anything and it would feel so good.

Adam continues this argument with himself as he walks down the beach. As the waves get closer his mother’s sensible voice is drowned out by the sound of the waves calling to him.

Adam thrusts his feet into the fins and adjusts the mask on his face. He takes exaggerated steps allowing him to walk with his fins and heads for the water. When the ocean is up to his waist he begins to float face down in the water kicking his legs to propel himself forward. As he moves away from shore he can see the coral reef begin below him. Adam likes to watch the fish as they play in the coral searching for food. As he swims in the clear Caribbean water he spots many of the fish he knows so well; there are angel fish, butterfly fish, black and yellow rock beauties, and striped damsel fish.

As he watches the natural aquarium below him Adam sees a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. An orange fish with bright blue stripes darts away from him. I’ve never seen anything like this before.

Adam loses sight of the brightly colored creature only to see him pop up further away. He’s playing a game of hide and seek with me.

Adam races through the water trying to get a better look at the little fish; he has almost caught up to it when again it dives out of sight. Adam swims up to the point where he last saw it and pauses. I’m deeper in the ocean than I’ve ever been before. I’m not running out of breath. How is that possible?

Looking down Adam sees he is at the edge of a small ridge. Below him are two large stone statues standing on either side of a massive iron gate. The statues are lions with wings on their backs, each lion has a front paw resting on a globe; they seem to be guarding the gate. Adam notices the colorful fish swimming through the gate. It turns and looks at Adam daring him to catch up. Adam dives down and reaches towards the fish. His hand brushes against the gate. The water begins to swirl around him. Everything goes dark. I should have stayed on the beach.