It all began with rumors of an island, a tropical Eden of palm-fringed beaches and stunning turquoise waters, of budding woodlands and old growth forests and of blue gems found deep in a cave. Long people had lived on the island in harmony with nature but slowly they came to worship the gems, believing them to be the source of their blessed lives. There was indeed a power at play to which no one was immune though its effects were manifold. Of their decline little is known except that, forsaking the land that had sustained them, it is said they became blind and deaf to its beauty until they were no more. A tale now long-forgotten by most save a few who have attempted to find the island, recover its lost beauty and uncover its mystery. Washed up on the sandy shores of an unknown land. This is where your journey begins. The sun is high in the sky; the sand is warm under your feet. All of it so bright. Already the memory of how you got here is silenced by the wonder of what lies ahead, beyond those dunes. So, with the ocean’s salty breeze against your back and the sound of crashing waves reminding you there is no turning back, you begin your ascent. Sinking deep into the golden sand, climbing step by step, the land reveals itself as you look up and with it the promise of shade and shelter. Already you can breathe easier, there is life ahead, trees and birds you can’t yet hear. This is the hidden island called Hajmiin, a land of mysteries, a natural spectacle of sounds, scents and sights, of myths and moods and music. What will you find along the way? Stumbling across the vast expanse of sand, you begin to find your footing as the ground gradually stiffens underneath your bare feet. You find yourself in the middle of an oasis of coconut palm trees, the leaves of which swaying in the breeze above cast ever-moving shadows over the ground. All is quiet, the distant waves but a murmur behind you as you come out from beneath the canopy to behold a pristine white sand beach. A semi-circular recess in the coast, a cove almost entirely secluded from the open waters except for two narrow gaps on each side of a large rock barring the entrance to the secret bay. Peering in, you can see fish swimming swiftly like flashes of silver in the shallow crystal clear waters. In this moment, your delight is complete. It feels almost too good to be true, a bliss only shrouded by the dimming light of day and the feeling of somehow trespassing on a private paradise… Already you can see the land rising and the path ahead, but as dusk draws near you will linger here in this place for a little while longer and spend the night. Collecting driftwood along the still-unexplored edges of the bay, as the tide rolls in, you set out for the eastern end of the beach where, against a tall rock wall, sheltered from the wind, you set camp and start a fire.

As your surroundings slowly disappear in the twilight gloom, the veil of night reveals the many sounds of the island, still brimming with life. As if suspended in a dark void, your entire world shrinks to the small fire-lit area that cocoons you. With the fire as your companion, your thoughts begin to drift as you stare into the blaze, feeling its warmth against your face. How many men and women before you have looked into the same flame and smoke, finding in it refuge and comfort, over the ages? Many more thoughts pass through your mind before you finally lay on your back under the stars while the crackling fire lulls you to sleep. The sun won’t rise for another hour and night remains, for now, undisturbed. From last night’s fire, only a few embers remain, glowing red and quietly releasing a pleasant fragrance. Gently waking up, you become aware of your surroundings, now only visible as various shades of deep blue, the closer the darker, against the slightly paler sky. As your eyes get accustomed to the dark, you look up to your right, towards the heart of the island. There lays your path.

Leaving the stillness of the beach behind, almost reluctantly, the sand feels cool but not cold and a gradual slope brings your feet to a new terrain. Soft sand gives way to rustling grass, becoming with each step forward, more dense and wet with dew. Birds are still asleep but for a barred Owl, perched on a branch high up above. The air is thick and filled with the noise of countless nocturnal bugs, at times louder or quieter as you move between them. Now, the echoing call of frogs and the occasional splash of water suggest a large pond ahead, its black water invisible if not for the small ripples across its glassy surface telling of the increasing light of dawn. Looking around you, the deep end of the pool, on your left, backs up to a vertical stone cliff, there is no going through that way. But on the other side, to your right, past two large boulders, its banks gently meet the rising ground, green with grass and dense with trees.