Being a spoiled brat Danladi did not think of the value of education until he failed the SSCE he sat for and saw another man in his father. “ I will not re-enroll you for any WAEC and your mother won't either,” Mr Usman, his father, said angrily, before leaving the sitting room and leaving him in a state of limbo.
“What can I do now?”, knowing that he has nothing left in his account due to his thrifty ways of life.
“Let me call uncle Yisau,” he soliloquizes.
His uncle picked and gave him some bad news too.
“ I can't pay for that too, I'm sorry, as I won't ram heads with your father. The only thing I can do for you is talk to him, so you can come work with me to raise money for the exam,” he said bluntly.
Feeling disappointed and heartened, Danladi knew he had caused that to himself and decided to change for the better.
“I will appreciate it if you can help me talk to daddy,” he replied before Uncle Yisau hung up.
Later, on the second day, his father told him that he would be walking on office errands for his uncle to raise the money, which he accepted, having no other options.
“ For me to know you have really improved, I will have to enroll you in a government school in an isolated environment where you have to face the music,” his father noted, and he nodded his head in acceptance.
So during the weekdays, he will be in Uncle Yisau’s company and afternoons and weekends, he does exam lessons sponsored by his father.
The next year, he was able to save as much as he could, as his Uncle had directed him to reduce his spending habits, and his father also saw a change in him.
One afternoon after work, his father called him up.
“ You will be doing your exam in Osolu grammar school,” his father said.
Danladi was as confused as confusion itself, as he had never heard of that name before, but he had to just play along.
“Checking around the Lagos axis, I decided you go and rewrite your SSCE on an island very far away. I have pleaded with your Uncle to follow you there, and you will spend a month there before coming back home,” his father concluded.
At first, Danladi knew he had to face the circumstances, and secondly, he was extremely happy, knowing that he had never been left alone apart from going to school, “ this is an opportunity to explore and go on an adventure,” he ruminated with a smile, knowing he had never boarded a ferry before.
A week before the exams, Danladi prepares for the long journey. He packed all the needed things and moved with his Uncle Yisau on a Saturday morning. They got to the ferry terminal after a two-hour ride, paid for a boat going to their destination, and boarded the ferry without a delay.
The morning sun shimmered on the water’s surface as the ferry prepared for takeoff. All passengers were already on life vests then with a sudden surge, the engines roared, and the vessel skimmed the waves like a bird testing its wings. It splashed against the windows as the hull lifted, gliding gracefully above the water.
From a broader view, the sea looked like a sheet of glass streaked with turquoise and deep blue, dotted with fishing canoes and the faint outlines of reefs below. The winds brushed against his face through the hatch, carrying with them the salty tang of the ocean. Within minutes, the mainland faded behind them, and the nearby island, the Osolu village, appeared ahead, lush and green, framed by a ring of gold sand.
The descent was as thrilling as the ascent. The boat’s body tilted down in a smooth arc, wings slicing the air before the hull touched the water with a soft splash. Ripples spread onward as they coasted into the breeze, welcoming them to a place that felt both close and far away, reached not by roads but by flight over the sea.
Getting there, Danladi asked Uncle Yisau why he was mute throughout the journey, and he said. “ I thought you were scared at first but later I confirmed that you really enjoyed the ride with the glow in your eyes watching nature, and I have to just let you be,” he replied.
Uncle Yisau has already rented an apartment where they stay throughout the exams which Danladi really enjoyed. Every time he wants to study, he will visit the nearby shore, sit on a mat he brought, and read along.
“I have noticed that you took your studies seriously,” Uncle Yisau said after visiting him at his favorite spot.
“It is a cross, I have to carry it on my own,” Danladi answered.
“ I have been discussing with the friendly villagers, and they told me about some Archipelagos just after the village, so I have decided that after your exams, we shall pay a visit there,” he said.
Danladi's eyes brightened up like the sun as he had only heard of Archipelagos in books and hadn't seen one yet, and he replied sheepishly, “ I would gladly love to “.
“ But it is only on one condition, and it is not to swim, no matter how tempting it looks, as it has carried mostly visitors away in its record,” he stated.
“One is a mistake, twice is a knowing, and thrice is a pattern,” Uncle Yisau concluded by raising his eyebrow while drawing one of his ears with his hand as a sign of warning.
Danladi nodded in acceptance, as he wouldn't want his uncle to change his mind, and due to the curiosity they were all driven by, after the final paper, they boarded a small boat and crossed the short stretch of the sea, the winds pressing gently against Danladi’s face as his anticipation grew within him.
When they arrived, the sight exceeded every tale they had heard. Before Danladi stretched a scatter of islands, each rimmed with white sand that shone like pearls beneath the sun. The water shimmered in lines of turquoise and deep blue, calm and inviting, while palm trees swayed lazily in the breeze. The air was scented with salt and blossoms, and the sound of the waves blended into a rhythm that stilled his thoughts.
As they stepped ashore, a sense of peace washed over them. The quiet harmony of the place silenced the noise of the world they left behind. Walking along the beach, feeling the soft sand beneath their feet and watching seabirds glide above, they realize that it was more than just a visit. It was a memory being etched into their souls. In the embrace of the archipelago, they felt tranquility as if time itself had slowed to let them simply be.
“ Isn't this beautiful?” Uncle Yisau breaks the silence.
“I would love to live around something like this in the near future,” Danladi replied silently.
“It is La Island Bonita,” Uncle Yisau said, and Danladi nodded even though he didn't know what it meant.