MidReal Story
Mike woke up in the
Scenario: Mike woke up in the morning and found that he had traveled back to 17th century Samoa and had become the son of the local chief.
Create my version of this story
“Wake up, Mike,” a voice called in the distance, shaking me from a deep sleep.
I opened my eyes and groaned, my body stiff and sore from sleeping in an uncomfortable position.
I was in a hammock, shivering from the cold night air.
I pulled the thin blanket closer around me and sat up, rubbing my eyes and trying to remember where I was.
It took me a moment to shake off the cobwebs of sleep, but eventually, it all came back to me: the village, the chief, and my new life in 17th century Samoa.
The dream of my old life in the States had been vivid and cruel, as it always seemed to be on the mornings after I had too much kava.
I missed my bed, my pillow, and the warmth of my comforter.
I missed my old life.
“Are you awake?”
the voice called again.
I looked up to see Leilani standing over me, her long black hair falling around her face like a curtain.
She was wearing a simple white dress that fell to her knees and tied at the waist with a piece of rope.
She looked almost like a ghost in the dim light of dawn.
“Are you ready for our run?”
I nodded and stood up from the hammock, stretching my arms above my head to work out the kinks in my muscles.
It was going to be a long day.
I woke up in a hammock, shivering and disoriented.
My back hurt from sleeping in the awkward position and my head felt like it was going to explode.
The sound of waves crashing against the shore filled my ears as I sat up and tried to get my bearings.
I had no idea what time it was or how long I had been asleep, but judging by the light outside, it was probably late morning.
The dream of my old life still clung to me like a bad memory, making it hard for me to shake off the lingering feelings of unease that it always left behind.
I missed having a real bed, a pillow, and a warm comforter to help me sleep through the night.
But most of all, I missed being able to close my eyes at night and know that I would wake up in the same place the next morning.
“Finally awake, huh?”
a voice called from the doorway of the small hut I was sleeping in.
I looked over to see Tui Masina standing there with his arms crossed over his broad chest.
He was just as big as I remembered him being: tall, with a muscular build that made him look more like a warrior than a farmer.
He was one of my closest friends in the village, and he always seemed to know when something was bothering me.
He had been the one to find me on the beach all those months ago, disoriented and lost in a strange world that I didn't belong in.
He had brought me to the chief's house and vouched for me when they were all ready to throw me in jail for being a spy or a witch or whatever crazy thing they thought I was at the time.
He had saved my life, and for that, I would always be grateful.
“Yeah,” I muttered through a yawn as I stood up and stretched my arms above my head again.
“Good,” Tui said with a nod.
“Get dressed, we have work to do.”He turned and walked away, leaving me alone in the small hut.
I changed out of the dirty clothes I had been wearing for the last two days and pulled on a fresh pair of shorts that I found in my pack.
I didn't have many clothes with me when I washed up on the beach, but the villagers had been nice enough to give me some things to wear while they made me a new set of clothes.
I missed my old clothes, my old life, everything.
But there was nothing I could do about it now.
I checked myself in the small mirror hanging on the wall and ran my fingers through my hair, trying to neaten it up before I went outside.
It was longer than I usually wore it, but I had gotten used to it over the last few months.
I tied it back into a short ponytail and walked outside, blinking against the bright sunlight that filled the village.
I shielded my eyes with my hand and looked around at the familiar faces that filled the dirt streets.
The villagers were already hard at work, tending to their crops or repairing damage from last night's storm.
There were a few people walking down the street, carrying baskets of fish or fruit, but most of the villagers were still in their homes, eating breakfast or getting ready for the day.
A group of children ran past me, chasing a ball made out of woven palm leaves.
They were laughing and shouting as they ran, their bare feet kicking up small clouds of dust as they moved.
“Hello, Mike!”
they called as they ran by, waving to me as they went.
“Good morning,” I called back with a smile as I watched them go.
The sound of their laughter was infectious, and it lifted my spirits for a moment as I turned to continue on my way.
“Good morning, Mike,” a soft voice said from behind me.
I stopped in my tracks and turned around to see Leilani standing there with a small tray in her hands.
She was wearing a simple white dress that fell to her knees, much like the one she had been wearing earlier this morning when she woke me up.
Her long black hair was tied back into a braid that hung over her shoulder, and her eyes sparkled with joy as she looked at me.
She was beautiful, more beautiful than I remembered her being all those years ago when we used to play together on the beach, but she was also painfully out of reach.
“Good morning,” I said with a nod as I walked over to where she was standing.
“Thanks for bringing me tea.”
She smiled and handed me the tray.
“It's no problem,” she said.
“I know you like it in the mornings.”
I sat down on one of the wooden benches that lined the small porch outside of the house and picked up the cup of tea that was waiting for me on the tray.
The steam rising from it filled my nostrils with a bitter scent that made my mouth water with desire for something sweet.
I took a sip of the tea anyway, savoring its warmth as it slid down my throat.
“This is good,” I said with a smile as I set the cup back down on the tray.
“Of course it is,” Leilani said with a laugh as she sat down next to me on the bench and picked up the tray, setting it down on the ground in front of us.“I made it.”
I laughed and shook my head as I leaned back against the wall of the house and closed my eyes for a moment, letting the warm rays of the sun wash over my face.I remembered another time, when we were kids, playing on the beach, and how she would bring me tea just like this one whenever we took a break from our games.
Those days felt like a lifetime ago, and in many ways they were, but I was grateful for the memories nonetheless.
I missed those carefree days, when all I had to worry about was how to spend my days playing in the ocean and exploring the jungle with Leilani.
“I hope you didn't have any plans for today,” Leilani said after a moment, breaking me out of my thoughts.
“What do you mean?”
I asked as I opened my eyes and turned to look at her.
“I mean, did you forget what you're supposed to be doing today?”
I frowned, trying to remember what I was supposed to be doing.
It took me a moment, but eventually it came back to me.
“Right,” I said with a nod.
“I'm supposed to be meeting with Tui Masina this morning,” I said with a sigh.
Tui Masina was the best sailor in the village, and one of the strongest and bravest warriors as well.
He was also one of the potential candidates that Fa'amatai had in mind for me to marry when the time came.
Not that I had any intention of getting married anytime soon, but I knew that it was something that I would have to do eventually, and Tui Masina was one of the best choices I could make.
If it came down to it, he would be more than capable of taking care of Leilani and keeping her safe.
“You don't sound too thrilled about it,” Leilani said with a small smile as she looked at me.
“I'm not,” I admitted with a frown.
“It's not that I don't like Tui, it's just that…”
“It's just that you don't want to get married,” Leilani said with a laugh as she finished my sentence for me.
I shook my head and sighed as I looked down at my hands and tried to ignore the way that her words made me feel.
It was true; I didn't want to get married, not yet.
And if I was going to have to do it, then I wanted to do it on my own terms, with someone of my own choosing.
But that wasn't an option for me anymore.
I knew that now.
“I'm sorry,” Leilani said after a moment of silence.
“It's not your fault,” I said with a sigh as I stood up and stretched my arms over my head.
“I should go get ready if I want to make it in time.”
She stood up as well and gave me a small smile.
“Good luck,” she said as she picked up the tray and headed back into the house.
I watched her go for a moment before I turned and walked back down the street toward my own house, feeling more than a little overwhelmed by everything that was expected of me today.
I spent the morning with Leilani by my side, going through the motions of what used to be just another day for me.
The village was alive and bustling around us, and yet it felt like I was in some kind of dream or daze as I followed Leilani through the motions of our morning routine.
Everything seemed so familiar, and yet strange at the same time.
It was almost like being with an old friend who was now a stranger.
But there was still something comforting about having her there with me this morning.
She reminded me of another time, when things were simpler and easier.
I found myself thinking about all of those times we used to play on the beach when we were kids and how much fun we used to have.
It made me miss those days, when all I had to worry about was what game we were going to play next.
We ate breakfast together in silence after going for a swim, and then I spent some time just sitting with her on the beach while she basked in the sun and read one of her favorite books.
It felt strange and foreign for me to have so much time on my hands, but at the same time it also felt oddly familiar.
In some ways, it almost reminded me of what things used to be like for me back home where I could just do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted.
Later that morning, I decided to go into the village and see what everyone else was doing.
It was a beautiful day, and I knew that I wasn't going to be content just sitting around at home all day, especially after how much time I had spent cooped up there this past week after my arrival in the village.
I spent some time just walking around the village and watching everyone as they went about their daily business.
There were women and children playing in the ocean, men working on their boats or repairing the thatched roofs of their houses, and warriors training with their weapons or fishing out on the reef.
Everything seemed so normal, almost as if nothing had changed here since I was a kid, and in some ways, I guess that was true.
I smiled as I watched a group of children playing together on the beach, splashing each other and racing to see who could swim the fastest around one of the small islands just off the shore.
I was so lost in my thoughts and memories of my old life that I didn't even notice Leilani until she was right next to me.
“Hey,” she said as she fell into step beside me and slipped her hand into mine.
“I hope you don't mind if I walk with you.”
“Not at all,” I said as I gave her hand a small squeeze and we continued on down the path together.
She smiled up at me and said, “I'm going to help my father with some of his work this afternoon, but if you want, you can come with us,” she offered.
“I could use your help in the taro fields today.”
I laughed and shook my head as I looked down at her.
“I don't know how much help I'll be,” I told her.
“Don't worry,” she said with a grin.
“We'll show you how it's done.”
I helped Leilani's father plant taro in the fields that afternoon.
Just like she said they would, they showed me how it was done and then let me do it myself.
