Sometimes at dusk, we could see him come out from the hidden interiors of his island. For years, we had no idea who he was or what he did until it was my seventeenth birthday. My favorite thing to do is explore. That’s why I ran away from home on my fifth birthday years ago. That’s when I first saw him. He was hunting animals and viciously screaming out on the island. As I was only five, I ran to get someone- Jace. I ran back and awoke my brother. He was nine and although he was tired he followed me outside.

I ran as fast as I could and dragged my brother behind me. He has a protective soul, so when I was so traumatized by what I had seen he wanted to assure that the man was nothing to worry about. When we were at the location where I had seen the man, Jace began to shield my eyes, for the man had a body of another little girl around the same age as I was at the time. The girl was hung on one of the many trees that cover the island. Jace swooped me up from the stone we sat upon and he ran us back home. We had to get home before the sun was fully risen anyway.

Ever since then, I noticed Jace was gone certain mornings. He would tell me of the things he saw the man do on the days he saw him through the trees of the island. The year I turned seventeen was the first year Jace was gone; The first year the man wasn’t monitored by Jace. When he returned for my birthday, he and I were just too curious. Yet again at dusk Jace and I went to view the man. When we reached the point where you could view the island, we were confused. The island was there, but instead of trees, all we saw were stumps.

Suddenly, we heard the wheels of a car crunch upon the red dirt road behind us. Slowly, Jace and I turned around and saw red, white, and blue lights blind us. The police had found the man. They asked us various questions about him. Then we questioned them and asked why the trees were cut down, and why the man was captured. They told us of the body they found that seemed about twelve years dead. They also said the man had angrily chopped down the trees and that was what alerted them. They knew nothing of the man except for the fact that he was scientifically crazy. They said all he did his whole life is draw bright, happy drawings that they found on the island.

Jace and I were stunned when they showed us the drawings. One drawing was of two children who looked like Jace and I sitting on the stone when we first watched him. All we could think of was our first dusk we spent here.