I stepped out of the worn down yellow cab, into a white darkness. For a minute, the headlight beams exploded into fractals as they tried to pierce through the fog cloud that was the island in front of me, but as the cab turned away, the beams disappeared, leaving shadows in their place. I stepped forward slowly, letting my eyes adjust, blinking back the murkiness from before me. In the distance I could make out buildings, large and old, as if I’d stepped into a black and white film featuring an abandoned estate manor.

Walking toward these buildings, I suddenly felt the coolness of water on my hands and face, no raindrops fell, no storm clouds appeared, but the mist was gathering onto me. It was the embrace of the island, welcoming me with its own upright baptism. The mist engulfed me and the seven tolls of the bell tower, hidden in the dark, became the blessing. Then, all at once, I began to see lights dotting to my left and right, a gazebo, pale as a ghost against the morning fog, illuminated my left, a cross and shrine to my right, and the buildings themselves began peeking back at me with eyes, half shuttered, made from lamps on upper stories beginning the day.

I paused for a moment. Standing still, I looked out through the mist once more, and listened as I did. The island was small, and I could hear the echo of the gently crashing waves surrounding me. I was alone for the moment, alone with my thoughts and the early morning. The people inside just waking up wouldn’t bother me or even see me, but they wouldn’t feel the mist either, and they wouldn’t feel the peace of an early morning out on a small island.

So, I waited for the sun to rise, and, as it rose, the warmth it brought began to burn away the mist and the fog. With a bittersweet feeling in my chest, I turned away, knowing that the mist would stay with me in memory. The orange glow of morning shone past me, illuminating the path, and the black and white manor now dazzled with reds and yellows as the island itself finally wiped away the last wisps of sleep.

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