Meet 16-year-old best friends Halle and Sage, two young adventurous girls easily influenced by their curiosity, imagination, and creative minds. Halle wore a baby blue t-shirt, navy shorts, and some white high-top Converse while Sage wore a lavender long sleeve, skinny jeans, and some white tennis shoes. Halle usually participated in soccer after school while Sage preferred to watch from the stands. They shared an unbreakable friendship bond and interest in true nature they only heard of in stories from their grandparents.

“Whoosh!” The two girls floated upwards beyond the buildings and into the sky. The wind brushed across their skin as they traveled on their boards. It was the year 2050. This futuristic society and simple way of life extinguished all traces of nature. Halle and Sage traveled through the crisp cool air as they made their way to their destination, Central Ave Park, located in the center of town. When they arrived, the girls parked their gliding boards and set out onto the bright green square patch of synthetic grass and plastic trees surrounding it. The calm sky was clear and blue. Halle and Sage looked out to the crowds of families and friends on picnic blankets that occupied the majority of the park. Laughter and joy filled the air as children threw frisbees and kicked soccer balls with delight. Murmurs came from parents exchanging memorable conversations as they smiled at the pure happiness surrounding them. 

Halle exclaimed, “Let’s choose a spot to lay out the blanket!” 

Sage replied, “How about here near this tree!” 

The girls blissfully agreed on a cleared spot beside an enormous tree. After some conversation, Halle noticed a glowing plastic butterfly that fluttered by. 

Halle said, “Sage look at that butterfly. Look at how unique it is.” 

Sage replied, “Should we follow it?” 

“Yes, let’s go!” said Halle. 

The girls sprung to their feet and began to follow the creature with curiosity. They have led to a mysterious hidden small door in a large plastic tree tucked in the secluded corner of the park away from the crowd. Their creative minds took over and they decided to explore further. Sage grasped the doorknob, then slowly and slightly pulled it. A bright light overwhelmed the girls drawing them through the door. A light brown sturdy bridge appeared in the walkway leading them to an island that appeared to have real grass, trees, and everything else you would find in nature. As the girls crossed the bridge with slight hesitation, the landscape opened wide. They sensed sweet aromas they had never smelled before. Bright flowers, bushes, and trees greeted Halle and Sage as they discovered this new location. The sky was bright blue, powdered with a few crisp white clouds. A family of deer pranced in front of them. The deer had cinnamon-colored coats, white chests, and big dark brown antlers. The three fawns followed their parents as they made their way to the lake nearby. Halle and Sage were fascinated by what they found.

 Halle exclaimed, “Woah, what is this place? Let’s keep exploring!” 

Sage replied, “I know, this place is amazing!” 

They set off onto the island with adventurous minds. The island was surrounded by a freshwater lake that glistened in the sun on a warm summer day. There was no civilization, only dirt roads, beaches, and nature. You could say this was the only trace of nature in the year 2050. After a few hours of exploring the beaches and wooded trails, the two girls headed back to the tree entrance. 

“Halle, we have to keep this place a secret until we find more information about it!”

“Okay, Sage!”

Halle and Sage creaked open the door and slowly tip-toed out onto the synthetic grass. The girls descended from the door entrance quietly and discreetly into the modern-day plastic world hoping nobody would catch on. Luckily no one peered over at them. Eager to get home and plan another trip back, the girls quickly packed up their belongings, grabbed their boards, and hovered to Sage’s house. 

Later that evening, they were in Sage’s room planning the next time they would go explore the island and what they would do. 

From downstairs, Sage’s Mom said, “GIRLS, DINNER!” 

They both ran down the stairs so fast they sounded like a herd of elephants. As they came down the stairs they smelled the delicious pasta dinner and the scrumptious blueberry pie Sage’s mom made for the upcoming library community fundraising event. Halle and Sage bolted to the table ready to feast on some delicious pasta and salad. Halle’s mom always made the best rich and creamy pasta. Over a delicious meal, Halle’s family shared their highs and lows from their day. Both of the girls wanted to say that they found this amazing island but they needed to keep it a secret. 

 “So Sage, what was your high from today?” asked Sage’s mom.

“Well, Halle and I had a picnic and played games!” Sage replied.

Sage’s mom said, “And how about you Halle?” 

“Same here!” Halle replied. 

The two girls acted suspiciously with their heads slightly tilted down looking at their dinner plate trying to play it cool and hide the truth. 

Mom knew the girls were hiding something when all of a sudden she said, “Do you girls need to tell me something?” 

They quickly replied, “NO!”

They ran upstairs for the remainder of the night. 

Early the next morning they grabbed their gliding boards and headed back to the park. They had a plan to set up a picnic spot to avoid others being suspicious of them. They laid out their red and white checkered blanket and their favorite board game, Scrabble. Once everything was unpacked and secured they made their way to the tree. 

After crossing the bridge to the island, the two girls decided to explore a nearby beach where the family of deer went previously. When they arrived at the beach they noticed an unusual duck-like creature with its babies. It was not an ordinary duck with its cheetah patterned feathers. The mother duck stood tall and had a coat filled with white, brown, and black colors. Her neck was long and light brown and her beak was jet black. The babies were similar-looking but smaller. 

“Sage, are you seeing what I am seeing?” Halle asked. 

“Yes, what kind of duck is that?” Sage said.

“I am not sure but they are magnificent looking with their beautiful contrasting colors of black, brown, and white and cheetah print feathers!” 

“We need to know more!”

The girls were fascinated by what they observed on the island so they rushed home to do some research. With a simple Google search of what they saw on the ducks, they discovered that they were called Wandering Whistlings. They are large ducks with maroon, black, brown, and white plumage with a pale beige face and a dark black beak. When they took to flight, their wings spread long and wide and underneath the color is dark brown. There is a dark-colored stripe traveling down the back of their neck, and the rest of their body consists of a crisp white and cinnamon color. Online resources stated the species became rare and endangered in the year 2020. Halle and Sage immediately gathered as much information regarding this species and took it to the island the next day hoping to encounter this species again. 

Upon returning the next day, they crossed the bridge leading them back to the island.  Once they got to the end of the bridge, they turned left and began to head down a small narrow trail with trees drooping overhead, creating a dark, dreary, and spooky feel. Halle and Sage suddenly felt nerves arise in their stomach. Both of their heads turned to one another and their eyes did all the talking. Although they felt hesitation going down the trail, they continued and hoped for the best. 

“VROOOOM!”

Both the girls were startled as a loud noise filled their ears. 

They thought to themselves, “There can’t be anyone else here, can there?”

 Confusion filled their heads and they began questioning what just happened. 

“Did you hear that?” Halle said.

 “Yes, what was that, and what is going on?” replied Sage.

 “I have no idea,” exclaimed Halle. 

All of a sudden a large yellow truck drove right across the trail they were on. The name on the truck read Grover’s, so they took out their smartphones and Googled the name. They found out that Grover’s was a company that cleared woodlands for construction. The girls realized that they must have plans to clear the woods to expand on their modern-day civilization. They immediately thought of the safety of the ducks and preserving the last traces of nature in 2050. They had to act quickly or else the endangered species of Wandering Whistlings would lose their habitat. This island was the only place left with authentic nature and they had to fight to preserve it. 

Back at Sage’s home, the girls had to think quickly about what they would do to preserve the island’s species and the land's beauty. Since they were only 16 years old, they knew they needed the help of others for this fight against construction and building. That meant they had to tell someone about their secret. 

Back at home, Sage said, “Hey, mom, can Halle and I tell you something?” 

“Sure, honey, what is it?”

“Well, the other day we decided to head to the park to play games and have fun when we saw a mysterious butterfly,”

“Ok, and...” Mom exclaimed.

“We followed the butterfly to a large tree and we noticed a hidden door so we decided to go through the door,”

“Girls, that was dangerous!”

“But wait, it led us to a beautiful island filled with nature!”

“No way, that’s amazing!” said Mom.

“We even discovered a rare and endangered species that need our help!”

“Oh no!” replied Mom.

“We immediately decided to explore the island more when we came across a construction truck,” said Halle, “and we think that they are going to tear down the island’s woodlands for buildings.”

After the girls explained to Sage’s mom their concerns, she immediately agreed to help the girls save the island! The next day, Halle and Sage took Sage’s mom to the island so she could explore and understand their fascination. As soon as they arrived at the park, they did what they had to do. They set up a picnic as if they were spending a few hours at the park and slowly made their way to the hidden door in the secluded tree in the corner of the park. They brought Sage’s mom through the entrance and she was immediately astonished by the beauty surrounding them. She was greeted with bright yellow and orange natural flowers and oak trees that stood tall. 

“Wow! Beautiful!” said mom.

“Isn’t it amazing?” exclaimed Halle. 

The three girls wandered down the path to the beach where they hoped to find the endangered species of duck. After some time searching, they encountered them once more. 

“Mom, look over there! This is the species we have been telling you about!” said Sage.

The ducks were standing on a long brown wooden log that laid on the light beige beach next to the water. The mother duck was cleaning herself and her babies. 

“Wow, they are so fascinating with their unique coat and elegant movements!” replied Sage’s mother. 

Sage’s mother quickly became aware of the beauty of the colorful flowers, bright blooming trees, bushes, and the sounds of the birds chirping and animals communicating. The overall natural and organic essence of the island was so fascinating. After Halle and Sage showed mom around some more, they headed home and began their research. 

After countless hours of research on the rare species and ways to get the community to come together and fight against the construction, the girls had a plan. Sage remembered that earlier that week her mother was baking a pie for a local fundraiser to build a community library. The fundraiser was going to be held that Sunday at the park where the girls discovered the door to the island. Sage and Halle knew they could bring awareness to the community through being at this fundraiser. On Wednesday, they constructed a flyer and a petition for their town members to sign. Although this would help, the girls knew they needed to do more if they really wanted to fight against the construction.

On Thursday morning, Halle and Sage got together at Sage’s house and built a homemade carnival game called skee ball and prepared small prizes for Sunday. They used wood from the hardware store to build the structure then took pink and blue paint to decorate it. They also made large bags filled with candy for prizes. The goal was to attract as many people to their game as possible to get signatures for their petition. On Friday morning, the two girls set out on their gliding boards to hang up their posters around town letting people know they will have a carnival game station at the fundraiser event. 

POW! The girls used a staple gun and stapled their flyers on every plastic tree in town. 

“Halle, do you think people will know that we are going to be at the fundraiser?”

They looked around to the flyers on every single tree in the town.

“Yep Halle, I think they will!”

They went home that night feeling accomplished and ready.

Sunday came around quickly. That morning at 11:00 am, the entire town was at the park for the fundraising event. It was a warm sunny day and the sky was clear and a crisp baby blue. Laughter from children and their parents greeted Halle and Sage as they arrived to set up their station. Halle used all her power to lug the giant homemade skee ball game to their spot while Sage took out all the prizes and game accessories from her purple duffel bag. A large booth was already there waiting for them so they were ready to go.

Sage said, “Nice job Halle! Now let’s get some signatures!”

With a determined tone, Halle replied, “Yes! Let’s do it!”

The girl’s booth was a hit! Children were participating in their game with bliss while their parents signed the petition. Their plan worked out splendidly. As the girls tallied up their signatures halfway through the event, they noticed a formal-looking woman observing their booth at the town event. She wore a lavender suit, black heels, and white sunglasses. The woman held a clipboard and stood tall as she overlooked what was happening. 

“Halle...psst, look over there! Is that who I think it is?” exclaimed Sage.

“That… um… looks like Mayor Bloomingdale..” said Halle with nervousness.

“Okay, okay, try and look professional,” said Sage.

The two girls tried looking professional, but instead, they stood nervously with an awkward smile. 

“Halle don’t look now but the Mayor is coming right for our booth,” said Sage.

Immediately after that comment, Halle stared right at the Mayor.

“HALLE?! I said don’t look.” 

“Sorry...I just couldn’t help it.”

“Okay, just stay cool.”

Mayor Bloomingdale approached their booth and said, “Hello ladies, what do we have here?”

“Oh, um, hello. We have a booth and we are getting people to sign our petition sheet,” said Halle nervously. 

“Is that all?” replied the Mayor.

“Uhh, yeah, that’s about it,” exclaimed Halle.

“Wonderful, I will be on my way now.”

“SAGE!! Why didn’t you back me up?!”

“Sorry Halle, I completely froze.”

“Great… now we have to face her in our proposal in two weeks after this awkward conversation,” said Halle.

“Ugh. We didn’t even tell her why we are doing this in the first place, just wonderful…” replied Sage.

The town library construction fundraising event ended at around three in the afternoon. As the event came to an end, the girls began tallying up all of the signatures they had received! They had to receive at least 200 signatures on their petition. 

“167, 168, 169....Halle do you think we will have enough signatures?” questioned Sage.

“I hope so, let’s keep counting,” Halle replied.

The girls continued to slowly count with nervousness. Their palms become sweaty and their faces filled with fright. This was their last chance.

“197, 198, 199...Halle, it looks like we are short one signature,” sadly exclaimed Sage.

“Hey!” said a voice around the corner.

Sage’s mom walked up to their station with a grin.

“Looks like you are looking for your last signature!” Sage’s mom exclaimed.

“Yes, we are short one!” replied the girls.

With 200 signatures, they were ready to approach the town mayor with their petition. When the girls arrived home, they made their call to set up a meeting with the town Mayor. 

“Hello, we would like to set up a meeting with Mayor Bloomingdale to propose a plan for our community,” said Halle and Sage.

“Okay, one moment please,” said the receptionist, “we have a spot open for Monday at 4:00 pm in two weeks, does that work for you?” 

“Yes, that is perfect!” replied Halle.

It was two weeks later and the girls arrived at the Townhall located near the community park. Yellow and pink plastic tulips lined the entrance leading them to a large door. As they entered the building into the waiting room, their hands began to shake and their minds started to race. 

Halle said, “Sage, you got this, we got this, keep your head held high.”

With that statement of encouragement, they were ready for their proposal.

“Halle! Sage! Mayor Bloomingdale is ready for you!” said the lady at the front desk.

They got up out of their seats and made their way to the conference room. There was a big oval-shaped dark wooden table with large black chairs surrounding it. The Mayor sat at the head of the table. All eyes were on the girls as they entered the room and tension grew. They knew they had to win over Mayor Bloomingdale after the awkward encounter at the fundraising event. 

The girls finished, and Mayor Bloomindale appeared impressed after hearing their proposal. The girls left the town hall feeling fulfilled and hopeful. It took about a week for the Mayor to consider their proposal and formulate a decision.

A letter arrived in the mail. The girls ran out to the mailbox where the crisp white letter from the town awaited. 

They went back inside and Halle read it out loud, “On behalf of…” 

Halle paused for a moment and looked up at her family and friends surrounding her. 

“Wellll… keep going Halle!” yelled Sage with excitement.

“Okay, okay..”

“The island construction will be halted…”

“YAY!!” everyone cheered.

The room filled with joy and people celebrated the victory gleefully. Positivity and happiness filled the room like sunshine. 

“Sage, we did it,” Halle exclaimed with a grin ear to ear. “We saved the island.”

That night the girls had a sleepover and just could not sleep, as if their eyes were glued open. After hearing the news, all they could think about was returning to the island. They just could not wait. Halle and Sage got out of bed and tiptoed down the stairs. Luckily Sage’s parents were still asleep in their room so they did not hear or see them sneak out the front door. Halle and Sage grabbed their boards and hovered over the homes and upwards into the night sky.