Epilogue

You snap to alertness, blinking in bright sunlight. Where are you? You feel dizzy, as if you just got off the world’s most massive roller coaster.

Like a tidal wave, your memories come rushing back. You’re in the condo that your parents rented. You look down at the book still clutched in your hands: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Was it all just a dream? It doesn’t feel like it. Your mind is awake like never before. You are strangely aware of yourself and your environment.

You slide the book back onto the shelf and rush to the window. You hear the crash of the waves, and you can’t wait to get out there.

You quickly find your goggles, and you race down the steps and across the hot sand. The crashing waves that terrified you before now call out to you.

There’s an amazing world under them, just waiting for you to explore. Who knows what you’ll find? And as you plunge into the ocean to join your family, you realize that’s the whole point.

You grin through a mouthful of tangy saltwater. The unknown isn’t something to fear... it’s an opportunity to discover.