Reyn felt sand and woke up. She brushed her golden wheat-colored hair out of the way. The last thing she remembered was drowning to death in the ocean. Her blue eyes looked around. She was on a beach that was part of a tropical island. Around her were four other people.

  One was a young girl with raven hair and crimson eyes. She looked nervously and cautiously at the people around her. If Reyn had to describe her, it would be cautiously afraid. She was a young girl who looked like life had put her through a lot. The clothes she wore were tattered and old.

  Another was a young teen with grass-colored hair and grass-colored eyes. To Reyn, she looked quite unique. There was a small smile on her face as she looked around at the others with calm focus. The clothes she wore were comfy and fit.

  Another was a young man with white hair and gray eyes. He also looked very unique. The air around him was silent. He looked like a mentally unstable person. The clothes he wore were clean and fresh.

  The last person was a young boy with soft sandy-brown hair and fox-like eyes. His face was calm, and he looked gentle. The clothes he wore were comfy and soft.

  As everyone stared at each other, a piece of paper appeared from thin air. It hung in the air with words to read. "Welcome to this humble Paradise Island. I am the Host, a being from beyond the stars. I’m sure you have many questions, so ask away.”

  Reyn blinked; it seemed she was somewhere that defied the laws of physics. Her heart thumped with some apprehension—what kind of afterlife was this?

  The girl with grass-colored hair was the first to speak. “Where are we and who are you?”

  The paper turned to dust, and another piece of paper appeared from the air. “You’re on Paradise Island and I’m the Host, a being from beyond the stars. Sighs, perhaps you all should introduce yourselves first.”

  The girl with grass-colored hair looked at Reyn and everyone else. “I’m Poki, and I like green I guess.”

  Reyn decided to go next. “I’m Reyn… and I like blue.”

  The boy with white hair decided to go next. “Atero.”

  The boy with sandy-brown hair went next. “Pera.”

  The girl with raven hair went next. “Aespia.”

  The piece of paper turned to dust and another piece of paper appeared; it seemed every piece of paper would turn to dust before another appeared. “Nice. Now then, shall we continue with questions you have?”

  Poki decided to word her question differently. “What is this Paradise Island and what do you do?”

  A piece of paper appeared. “As the Host, I’m the caretaker of this little Paradise Island. A place where some dead people end up."

  Poki was unimpressed. “That’s all?”

  A piece of paper appeared. “Yep, that’s all.”

  Poki seemed to roll her eyes. “Alright, keep your secret. Are there any rules on this island or anything?”

  A piece of paper appeared. “Rules? Hmmmm, you can’t feel pain, you can’t starve, and if you die, your body will turn to magical dust and you’ll reappear back on this island after 24 hours.”

  Poki arched an eyebrow. “What kind of afterlife is this?”

  A piece of paper appeared. “Shrugs, if you don't want to stay, I can reincarnate you without your memories if you want.”

  Everyone looked at each other, wondering what the others thought. Reyn fell into thought for a moment and came to a decision. She would stay on this Paradise Island until she wished to reincarnate.

  Poki looked at where the paper appeared. “So that’s it? We just stay on this island until we wish to reincarnate? Is there anything fun to do?”

  A piece of paper appeared. “Hmmmm, of course. You could play a game with me.”

  Poki narrowed her eyes. “Like normal games, or games with souls on the line?”

  A piece of paper appeared. “Shrugs, who knows?”

  Poki wanted to sigh. “Can you not be so cryptic and tell us things we need to know or would like to know?”

  A piece of paper appeared. “Of course. If you clap your hands, whatever you need will appear in front of you or where you wish. However, there are limits to what you can do with hand-clapping. Other than that, right now you’re all Castaways who’ll live here until you wish to reincarnate without your memories. If you wish to do something like reincarnate with your memories, you’ll have to become players and play games with me until you win a wishing star.”

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  Atero tilted his head. Pera seemed to become curious. Poki seemed surprised and then grinned. Aespia seemed to be filled with awe. Reyn wondered what she would wish for. She decided to ask her first question. “What kind of games, and how do we win a wishing star?”

  A piece of paper appeared. “Oh, I don’t know. As for how to win a wishing star, hmmmm, let’s just say you’ll have to really impress me. Any other questions?”

  Pera asked a question calmly. “Are you benevolent or malevolent?”

  A piece of paper appeared. “Shrugs, that’s for you to decide.”

  Atero asked a question inquisitively. “How powerful are you?”

  A piece of paper appeared. “Powerful enough to remake reality with a thought. Any other questions?”

  Everyone looked around at each other. There were definitely more questions, but they could probably ask later.

  A piece of paper appeared. “Alrighty, with that, my hospitality ends. Any questions from now on will come with a price unless it’s free. Have fun exploring. Later.”

  Atero immediately clapped his hands and an ice cream cone appeared in front of him. He licked it and threw it into the air. He clapped his hands and it disappeared. He clapped his hands again and the Castaways nearby were still around instead of being erased from existence.

  He clapped his hands again to transform himself into a dragon. The transformation did not happen. He noted the limits of the hand-clapping. Without hesitation, he bit flesh off his arm. The girls watched, shocked, while Pera looked on curiously.

  Atero swallowed his flesh. He clapped his hands again and his wound healed. There were definitely more tests to be done with the hand-clapping. Looking at Atero, everyone decided to start testing their own hand-clapping.

  Aespia clapped and a bowl of creamy potato soup appeared into existence. She looked at it hungrily and drank it. It was the perfect temperature and delicious. Remembering how she had died of starvation in a forest, she quickly drank more.

  Poki clapped her hands and a coconut drink appeared in her hand. She drank it; it was fresh and cool. The warm sunlight made her feel quite nice. She decided she could get used to this life.

  Pera clapped his hands and a flower appeared in his hand. He smelled it and took in its scent. It was fresh and nice; it reminded him of flowers he had grown.

  Reyn clapped her hands. A piece of garlic bread appeared in her hand. She ate it and it tasted like the real thing. Many thoughts went through her head of what she should clap into existence.

  The day passed by as everyone tested their hand-clapping. Night came and everyone went inside their houses. Pera's house was a small, modest treehouse in the forest. Atero's house was under a tree in the forest with a door at the roots leading inside. Aespia's house was a small old shack deep in the forest. Poki's house was a mansion by the beach. Reyn's house was a small, modest house by the beach.

  The night settled in. Aespia, in her bed of thick blankets, thought of how Atero ate his flesh; it disturbed her. In her giant bed, Poki still had the memory of Atero eating his flesh—he wasn't like them; he was abnormal. In her modest, comfy bed, Reyn remembered how Atero looked at them; it wasn't the gaze of someone looking at other humans. In his comfy hammock, Pera studied a clear, beautiful knife he had clapped into existence; out of everyone, only he and Atero weren't normal. In a comfy cabinet for himself to sleep in, Atero feasted on his hand silently. The memory of how an Insanity Mushroom tastes scratched at his mind.

  Morning came and Reyn slowly opened her eyes. Feeling comfy but wanting to move, she got up and stretched. She went into the bathroom and cleaned herself up. As she was about to get dressed, she wondered if anyone was spying on her. Deciding to play it safe, she clapped her hands and her clothes replaced themselves in a blink of an eye.

  With coffee in her hand, Reyn headed outside her house. She looked at the beautiful morning sun. The sky was clear blue with clouds on the horizon. Hearing footsteps, she turned and found Poki. Poki greeted her.

  "Good morning, how are you?"

  "Doing well, how about you?"

  "I'm doing perfect; I've never felt so relaxed. Knowing there's an eternity of this until I want to reincarnate saps all the negativity out of my body."

  "Indeed, I feel relaxed too."

  Poki looked up at the sky. She had tried to make herself physically stronger yesterday to run faster and jump higher but couldn't. It was most likely one of the limitations of hand-clapping.

  "Hey, Host!"

  A piece of paper appeared from the air. "Yes, Poki?"

  Poki gave a smirk. "I'm guessing one of the limitations of hand-clapping is altering our physical form, right?"

  A piece of paper appeared. "Yep. Imagine you turned yourself into a rock; you'd have no brain to think at all."

  "I see..." Poki fell into thought. "Then I'm guessing the games are the only way to alter our physical form?"

  A piece of paper appeared. "I guess. Are you interested?"

  Poki grinned. "You bet I am."

  A piece of paper appeared. “Very well, simply say ‘I’m a fluffy wuffy’ and you’ll become a player.”

  Poki stared at the paper. Her mouth hung open. Reyn, too, was at a loss for words. With a nonchalant attitude, Poki decided to do it.

  “I’m a fluffy wuffy.”

  A piece of paper appeared. “Congratulations, I own your soul now.”

  “What?!”

  A piece of paper appeared. “Just kidding, but do know I can tickle your feet now.”

  Invisible fingers tickled Poki’s foot. She suddenly yelped and jumped while Reyn stared, shocked. Poki fell to the ground and her legs kicked frantically as laughs escaped her mouth. Her legs tried to kick the invisible fingers away but couldn't. “Stop!”

  The invisible fingers stopped tickling. Poki managed to regain control of her legs and feet. Her limbs shivered with remaining fear. Her face looked like it had experienced unimaginable horror.

  A piece of paper appeared. “You have quite the cheery laugh. I’ll give it an 8 out of 10.”

  Calming herself, Poki thought about how and why the Host tickled her feet. It seemed the Host enjoyed being mischievous. It only did this when she became a player. Perhaps it could—or would—only act upon people if they became players.

  “Can’t believe you did that. I’ll get my revenge on you.”

  A piece of paper appeared. “Shrugs. Anyway, for our first game, you must last ten minutes of feet tickling without saying stop. Interested in playing?”

  Fear fell upon Poki’s face. “No, absolutely not!”

  A piece of paper appeared. “A shame; it’s the only game I want to offer you for now. Perhaps I’ll have a new game for you tomorrow, if you’re interested in playing, that is.”

  Poki stared at the paper. “I’ll think about it.”

  A piece of paper appeared. “Great, see you later.”

  With that, the paper turned to dust. The beach became silent. Poki looked at Reyn, wondering what to say.