Winter break has finally come for the exhausted children and parents around the country. All the books, tests, exams...it´s all over for now. Several families from the same town are all vacationing together on the seaside during winter vacation, escaping their colder climates for some much needed relaxation. Beaches, palm trees, hotels, free breakfast and the occasional TV marathon all beckoned to these families who had a week to spend however they chose in paradise.
While walking the palm-lined boulevards of the beach community, a couple of the high school boys saw an advertisement: Pleasure Island, where all is available and nothing is off-limits. Obviously...an advertisement like that is going to appeal to this demographic.
By Day 2 of the vacation, nearly everyone in the family group had seen at least one advertisement for the world-famous Pleasure Island, with many of the kids started begging their families to check out this amusement park to end all other parks. Among those families, several boys and girls from the same school were had all received permission from their parents to head to the offshore Pleasure Island for the day.
Brothers Robert and Gonzalo, as well as their friends Martin, Miles, Angela, Luis and other acquaintances were happy to get away from their parents...with little idea of what was coming for them as they boarded the boat to the island.
The ferry ride was not so long, but still, kids have energy and they needed to play around. Brothers Martin and Miles (7 and 15 years old, respectively) kicked a soccer ball around with Miles´classmate Angela and her little sister Claire. Rodrigo was enjoying a brief reign as king of the foosball table, an impressive feat for a 9 year old. Tranquil Gonzalo stood at the edge of the ship, hands tight on the railing and gazing at the dolphins playing alongside, smile plastered to his face nearly as bright as the noon sun itself.
Only Luis felt his stomach beginning to turn as the Pleasure Island shoreline came into view...something was off. Clearly. Although he could not distinguish what it was, he felt his entire body shudder as they approched the site of Pleasure Pier. Why the hell were there so many donkeys and dogs wandering around? Why had he heard so much about famous this place was, but never actually met anyone who had been there? His teenage brain tortured him with all sorts of potential scenarios.
Luis turned to his old buddy Gonzalo, with whom he had first seen the Pleasure Island advertisement, and muttered, ´´We shouldn´t get off the boat. This is just wrong. There is no way this place is above board or safe for our little brothers and sisters. Let´s just go back to the hotel, they have air conditioning.´´ Gonzalo replied calmly and slowly, as he always did´´Chill out man, you are uptight even on vacation. This is why she dumped you, you know. Relax and unclench your jaw for 3 seconds, and enjoy life. Save the doom and gloom for our next exam week.´´ Gonzalo had no idea that he would not get another exam week, at least not in the near future.
The group of vacationing kids would soon find out that not everything fun stays that way, and that life is incredibly unpredictable.