Mr Halif a student at the Imperial University of Reading was lying down in his comfy, warm bed in his dorm. As the early morning sunlight ebbed through his window he woke up. It was Saturday so he knew that he did not have to go to his university. But he had to complete his many assignments. Yawning, Mr Halif slowly climbed out of his bed still half asleep. 

Although his tiny dorm was, well small he always said to himself that it was enough for him. In the middle of the bedroom was his small singular bed on one side there was side table on the other side was a wooden work desk and a wooden chair to go with it. Opposite his bed was a white chest of drawer and above that was a picture of his favourite ever holiday as a boy.   

It was him at the beach with his mum, dad and 4 sisters he remembers that day as if it was yesterday. Oh, how much fun he had rolling around in the sand and swimming in salty sea.  

Mr Halif walked out of his bedroom into the kitchen, the kitchen was quite small, there were storage cupboards above the wooden shelf and the stove was about 70 years old! Dust gathered on it, and you would always smell something quite peculiar when you turned it on. On one side was a mini fridge although it was mini, it was only half full. On the other side was a white bar table, even though he was alone in his dorm there were 4 chairs, he kept saying that he can use them if his friends come over, but he had no friends. 

He turned on the stove and the peculiar smell reached his nose. He cracked an egg and waited for it to completely fry. While the egg was cooking, he loaded the toaster with bread once it was all done, he got a plate and put his food on it. He sat down on the table and ate. He was thinking about what he should do today; however, at the back of his mind he knew that the first thing he had to do was complete his many assignments. 

He went back to the bedroom and turned on his PC, he checked his email to see what he had to do. His mouth opened wide. He was shocked! He was flabbergasted! “17 assignments” he screeched. In fact, he screeched so loud that even the pigeons perched on the roof of his dorm flew away frightened. 

He spent the rest of the day working at his desk not even getting up to go to the bathroom. He yawned then stretched then fell into a deep slumber. His snoring was not that loud but loud enough that you could hear him snoring from the kitchen. 

The next morning the sunlight did not ebb into his room as the grey, gloomy clouds covered the sky like a wet but soft blanket wrapped around it. Today was Sunday so he could relax he had no more homework and was free for the rest of the day. He started by making his breakfast and sitting down to eat. He thought about what it would be like to have some real friends, but he couldn’t quite picture it.

Now… what should Mr Halif do? Rest. Sleep. Go out for a walk or make new friends. He thought for a minute as the clock ticked away.   His mind settled on the idea of new friends but how should he make some? Then he remembered about the nearby swimming pool, it was a great opportunity for him. He rushed to the chest of drawer in the bedroom and took out his swimming trunks and put them in an orange bag. He ran out the door so fast it looked like he was winning a race against the speed of light. Finally, huffing and puffing he reached the swimming pool. 

He got into one of the changing rooms and put on his swim wear. He ran out and jumped into the pool. 

A new friend

“AHHHHHH,” he screamed it felt like being stuck in a block of ice in that pool after all he spent most of his time in cozy and warm bed. He swam to the other side of the pool. Oops he accidently bumped into someone. 

“Hi,” he said 

Mr Halif wanted to say hello, but the words couldn’t come out of his mouth slowly he replied, “He-ll-o” he was still pretty cold, and he was shivering with his teeth chattering. 

“I am Decor,” he said in an enthusiastic way. 

Mr Halif suddenly recognised his face it was one of the people in his seminar group at college. 

“Wanna go down the slide?” Decor asked. 

“Yeah sure,” Mr Halif replied. 

They got out of the pool and Mr Halif; well, you can guess was yet again all freezing and his body was stiff. As the two went up the long, winding stairs his nerves struck him he wanted to go down, but it would be extremely embarrassing especially in front of his new friend, in fact they weren’t even proper friends yet. They reached the top and they were given one of those yellow rubber rings, one each. Decor went in first, “Wahooooo!” he shouted his voice slowly started to fade as he went down and down and down. Mr Halif stared downwards at the pool, Decor hadn’t come out of the slide, Mr Halif was starting to get worried. Was he gone? Would he ever see him again? Horrible thought filled his mind.  Finally, after what felt like ages, he came out the slide and swam to the far end of the pool. “Now it’s your turn,” he shouted from the other side of the pool.   

Mr Halif had butterflies take over his stomach but at the back of his mind he knew this was a chance to prove himself brave and bold. He took a deep breath and dramatically got into his yellow rubber ring and went in. He wanted to scream but he was so scared his scream wouldn’t come out. Mr Halif wasn’t sure what was going on outside all he knew was that this might have been his life’s biggest mistake. 

SPLASH!!!!! Mr Halif finally exited what he called the ‘Slide of Doom’, Decor swam from the other side of the swimming pool. This was it. 

Mr Halif’s got a chance to invite Decor to come over for dinner. “Ummmm” Mr Halif was still looking for the correct words. 

“Yes,” Decor replied 

“Would you like to come over to my dorm tomorrow for dinner,” Mr Halif couldn’t believe he said that. 

“Yeah sure,” Decor said 

They said goodbye to each other and went back home. As Mr Halif got into bed, he made himself comfy and closed his eyes, but he couldn’t sleep he was so excited that Decor was coming for dinner, but he also wanted to impress Decor, and he knew that he had to do some shopping.

A new day

Mr Halif woke up to the sounds of the birds chirping as the sun was now visible from above the horizon. The golden glow made Mr Halif think that today will be a good day. He climbed out of bed and this time fully awake went to his wardrobe and got changed. On the side table were his keys, which he soon put in his pocket along with his phone and wallet. The grocery store was only nearby, so Mr Halif knew he had plenty of time.  

He first went to the poultry section, and he asked the butcher for a whole chicken and some boneless chicken too. Carrying his blue bag of chicken, he went to the fruits and vegetable section, over there he got some fruits and vegetables to include in his meal he also got a few extra condiments to use. 

He went back home put the chicken in the freezer and vegetables in the fridge and the fruits in the fruit box. He went back to his room for a little snooze, he was pretty tired.  

His eyes opened and he suddenly jumped out of bed and stared open-mouthed at his watch. It was 6:30 there was only 30 minutes until Decor arrived. He hurried to the kitchen. The race against time had begun and the whistle blew. “Tonight looks like Mr Halif will be making his specialty “roast chicken with boiled vegetables, sticky chicken bites and a fruit salad.”   Oh, this is surely going to be a splendid meal and will 100% impress Decor. Mr Halif was chopping vegetables as quick as he could and ran all about the kitchen.  

He now has 5,4,3,2,1 and done, just in time. Ding Dong, there was also a loud knock on the door. Mr Halif opened the door and welcomed Decor in his dorm. He led him to the small 4-person table even though it was half full at least it wasn’t a quarter full like normal. There was a candle in the middle of the table and the lights were turned off. A plate was in front of two of the chairs. Decor sat on one and Mr Halif sat on the other chair opposite Decor. For the appetizer Mr Halif brought a cold bowl full of chopped fruits. They both chowed down. Decor happily told Mr Halif that it was just the type of food that he had only saw in his dreams. Time for the starter, the sticky chicken bites. As Decor bit into one, he could see warm, melted cheese on the inside. He was not able to control his hand, he kept grabbing and eating the food. Mr Halif smiled and looked content. “Decor must be impressed,” he thought. Dadadada, went the oven, although it was strange noise Mr Halif kept it like that as it was instantly recognisable. He opened the oven and steam bailed out for a moment, Decor thought that the food was burnt but when the food was brought to the table, Decor couldn’t stop staring at the golden roast chicken. 

The two ate and ate and talked and talked for quite a while, until they could see the moon and the stars lighting up the night sky. They both said their goodbyes and Decor praised Mr Halif for the wonderful food he had made.

Back to work

The following day was Monday, so Mr Halif made sure to wake up nice and early. Like usual he went to the messy kitchen which still needs cleaned up from last night. The bins were overloaded and there were dirty dishes everywhere. He didn’t care and thought to himself that he will just do that when he gets home. He quickly ate his normal breakfast and walked over to his room. He opened his wardrobe and took out a black suit and a red tie. He changed his clothes then went to get his bag with his tablet, laptop, stationary, papers and notes. He wore his probably 7-year-old brown leather shoes. Mr Halif pushed the door open, and the sun started to shine into his dorm. It was only a short walk from his dorm to his university. 

Mr Halif entered through big, glass double doors with a sign that read 

 IMPERIAL UNIVERSITY OF READING 

Mr Halif past the lunch time cafe that was yet to open, then used the stairwell to get to his lecture room which was on the 17th floor out of the 24 floors. When Mr Halif reached the 17th floor he was panting and out of breath. He knew he could just use the lift; it was less tiring, but the lift was not that safe. The other day someone fainted as the lift was out of order with him inside.  

The lecture room was just opposite the stairwell, so Mr Halif swung open the door and he peered inside. His professor was at the front and welcomed him in. Mr Halif liked him; he wasn’t the strict kind of person but the respectful kind. He had short brown hair and had a healthy face. He had a pointy chin and powerful legs that could run miles. 

Soon Decor entered the room and was too welcomed, he sat next Mr Halif, and they kept on talking about last night until the lecture had started.

The Puzzle of Demor

During the class the students were leaning that adventures can be good for mental health and boost your confidence level. So, Professor Belgrave was giving each student an adventure, they had to complete with a friend within 2 weeks and tell the entire class about it. As soon as these words came out of Professor's mouth Mr Halif and Decor instantly partnered up. They were given the assignment of the Puzzle of Demor.  

Neither Mr Halif nor Decor knew about this so at lunchtime they decided to eat as quick as they could then do some research at the Grand Library. 

At lunch time Mr Halif and Decor arrived early at the lunch hall and found the more comfortable seats which were always the first pick of anyone at the university. 

Mr Halif opened his lunchbox; it had a cheese sandwich with Jamaican Chicken and strawberries. Decor opened his lunchbox which contained a burrito and an apple. As they ate, they talked about the treasures that could be found during this journey. 

When the two of them finished their lunch, they looked at the giant clock mounted above on the wall opposite them. They still had a good 45 minutes to do their research. 

The Grand Library was indeed magnificent, featuring endless aisles filled with books covering every subject offered at the university. Decor went to the adventures section and Mr Halif sat down and turned one of the computers. Soon after Decor came towards Mr Halif and showed him a book entitled ‘The Puzzle of Demor’. They decided that they should spend the next half an hour to read and search the web, then use the remaining 5 minutes to share the information they had collected. This was quite easy as this was a regular assignment given to them by Professor Belgrave. 

When they finished their research, they shared all the information they found and the most essential thing they needed, where they had to go. And this was a remote island in the Caribbean. 

Decor and Mr. Halif would require an airplane to reach their destination; however, they were uncertain about how to get one. So, Decor also positioned himself in front of a large computer screen, allowing the two of them to search for an airplane available for rent. Decor then went on to a website called ‘Transport for Rent’. He patted Mr Halif's shoulder, and he too was staring at the desktop. A light bulb lit up in both of their brains as if they could read each other's mind. 

It was precisely the item they needed, flawless in every way. So, it was set the next day thy will set out in a long and perilous journey, they didn’t even know if they would come back alive or come back wrapped in bandages lying down in a hospital bed. 

When Mr Halif went to bed that night his mind was filled with thoughts and enquires. Would he ever come back? Will he make his professor proud? Is there any treasure? These questions were about to be answered...

A long journey ahead of them

The next morning Mr Halif found himself waking up and jumping with excitement. “Today is the big day,” he thought. The day he set out for such an adventure. He took a brown leather backpack, and he packed all the essentials such as: 

Toothbrush 

Clothes 

Food 

Water 

Map 

These things would support the pair quite a bit, but Mr Halif knew that one thing that was necessary was not in reach and that was confidence, which Mr Halif had none of. Yes, he did become friend with Decor but since he was a child he had trouble finding confidence. 

Decor had told Mr Halif to meet him at 54 Tang Street which was the address of the man, who let them rent his plane. So, he did as he told he said goodbye to his dorm as it might be his last. He got to a bus stop and waited for 26 yellow buses, which took about an hour to get to the stop! When Mr Halif arrived, he could see a giant plane in the backyard of the man. He was an old man with barley any hair and the ones that were still there were pure white. A RAF badge was pinned on to his smart navy-blue suit and red tie almost like the one Mr Halif had. It seemed that he was a retired member of the RAF, his name was Henry. Henry welcomed Mr Halif and led him to the backyard where Mr Halif saw Decor standing. For a few moments there was dead silence. Then Decor spoke, 

“Come on hurry up we’ve got an island to explore.”