Atlas

Each new destination was entirely unlike the next. Atlas had never seen so much greenery in one setting, but was easily tempted by the low-hanging canopy and the fields of tall grass that stretched beyond. Narrow trees were interspersed alongside clusters of tawny bamboo stalks that grew as far as the eye could see.  Moss and thick foliage shielded most of the walkways, but there were still a few that were discernable to some degree if one looked hard enough. Of course, they quickly disappeared into the thickening forest, whereupon slender vines reached down from the tree branches to wait for unsuspecting victims. The man was hesitant to navigate the labyrinth, but his eagerness to explore and to stumble upon adventures, outside the complications of life itself, forced his hand. 

Slowly, and with slight hesitation, Atlas pressed into the green sea like a cautious sailor upon the ocean. He wasn’t quite sure what he’d find, but he was comfortable in playing the role of conquistador while the rest of the world grew quiet around him. As he imagined himself the part, he began to paint the stories that accompanied him. He thought of Lena and pictured her as his devout mistress (for a man could dream, no?), who would be waiting diligently for his return. Then he thought of Ashamin, the peculiar creature he’d met upon his first visit to Helovia, and decided he would make a good first mate. Even Johnny could make a decent deck hand if Atlas needed it. In a sense, Atlas was quickly realizing that those were the only friends he’d ever known… and none of them had ever truly claimed to be as much.

As he wandered, pushing against nature just as hard as it pushed against him, Atlas pondered where he would turn from here. What was his purpose now that he’d come back? He’d promised Lena that he would follow her anywhere, but of course he couldn’t expect her to always be at his side- they’d only just met after all. Their relationship, whether friends or otherwise, was complicated and Atlas wasn’t sure that Lena had spoken true anyways. Did she really desire his company or was it just a lie to keep him from prodding her for more information than she was unwilling to give? 

Either way, he hoped that their paths would cross once again…. He hoped that she would prove just as honest and virtuous as he believed her to be. Atlas had never been able to depend on anyone other than himself, and for the sake of finding his way in Helovia, he desired for nothing more than for Lena to be his guide.