My Atlantica

On one of the sunny days in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, on the island of Flores, a girl was born. Her birth felt like a release, for three years, a sea storm had been sent upon the island, and its people were attacked by sea monsters. At the very moment she came into the world, a break appeared in the sky, and soon the entire sky turned blue. The islanders were finally able to see the sky and the sun above their heads.

It was the happiest day. They celebrated and praised the girl as a savior, thus dooming her to a difficult yet fascinating life. Her first cry rang out on the shore of the ocean. The ocean, which had recently been black and raging, became blue, quiet, and calm, as if it obeyed her.

When she opened her bright blue eyes, all the trees bloomed and became an unusually beautiful blue-violet color, and the entire ocean shore was covered with jacaranda petals. In the sunlight, the girl’s eyes appeared blue, but as the light fell upon them, they changed color—sometimes gray, sometimes brown, sometimes violet. The number of colors was impossible to count. Her eyes played in the light like two large diamonds.

The islanders showered the girl with gifts and covered her with all kinds of flowers gathered from all over the world.

After her birth, she was placed in a cradle made of white shells and seashells. Above the cradle hung toys made of various plants and objects resembling sea creatures.

An old woman approached the cradle and gently took the child in her arms, saying,

“Ellie — my Atlantica!”

And everyone around began to chant,

“Ellie! My Atlantica!”

Life on the island of Flores followed an established order. The elders handled household and public matters. The younger and able-bodied worked to improve the island and the settlement. The youngest attended local kindergartens and schools. Nature blossomed and adorned the island even more.

And the most interesting inhabitants of the island—who had not yet been mentioned—were the gianas. They were engaged in protecting the island and in handicrafts. They could predict the future and always knew where the island’s treasures and secrets were hidden. These were extraordinarily beautiful beings who sang wonderfully. The locals called them azures—azures, the blue ones—which matched the color of the land and the surrounding waters. The azures were the guardians of the island. They lived in the forest and were at peace with the local people.

Ellie grew up to be a very energetic child. She also stood out for her unconventional way of thinking and her activity. Her upbringing was handled by her grandmother, Nonna, as her mother was away traveling.

With her appearance, Ellie attracted everyone’s attention, and in this, she resembled an azure. It was impossible to take one’s eyes off the azures—everything about them seemed too perfect. Ellie knew nothing about her father and never asked. From childhood, she occasionally heard a voice in her head. Many times, it saved her from childish foolishness. She did not understand what it was or how it worked, and she never told anyone about it—it seemed to her that no one would understand.

During lessons, she could not be found anywhere—she was always disappearing, as her grandmother said. They could search for her for hours, only to find her in the evening. And all because Ellie loved to explore the world by feeling it. She ran into the tropical forest. There, she learned handicrafts from the azures, sang with them, and climbed trees to keep pace.

Her best friend was named Alva. She was like Ellie’s twin: they were inseparable and very similar in behavior. The girls ran to the waterfall through fields full of various flowers. They ran out onto the seashore and searched for shells to hear the ocean’s voice. It was impossible to catch them and make them sit down to study, and eventually, they stopped trying. From time to time, the girls came on their own.

One day like this, the girls were walking along the island’s shore. Ellie approached the ocean, squatted down, and asked,

“What is your name, I wonder?”

Receiving no answer, she stood up and sadly walked back toward the settlement.

Time passed. Ellie grew older and began to ask questions: “Where is my mother? Where is my father?” But no one could give her answers. She was often called Atlantica, and she had grown accustomed to it, though she did not understand why. Nonna also often called her “my Atlantica,” and it seemed ordinary.

More and more often, Ellie heard about the day of her birth—about how on that day she changed the lives of the island’s inhabitants. But no one wanted to tell her what had happened before she was born. Then she went to Nonna and asked. Ellie was so persistent that her grandmother could not refuse to answer. She had to tell her.

“Ten years ago, when the sky was covered with clouds and the ocean water turned black, like a swamp, your mother collapsed and lost consciousness. The cause was the red thread of fate. It is an old belief about the bond between two people—the bond of a red thread connecting two loving hearts. For exactly three days, she lay in a deep sleep. No healer could wake her. At night, her sleep was filled with crying and sobbing, and my heart was torn to pieces. Sometimes she muttered something, but it was impossible to make it out. Only once did I understand what she said: ‘Amar!’ And then I understood. The dream that swallowed my beloved Di was a farewell to the love of her life.”

“And what happened next?! Go on!”

“On the third day, she awoke. I understood what had happened. And when she told me, I was horrified. Everything turned out to be far worse than I had imagined.

Your father—Amar—possessed many gifts. One of them was courage. The second was love. The third was wisdom. As we know, my dear, gifts must be paid to the gods. And the gods took their price. A very small price for saving the entire island. They took your father’s life into their realm until the light of Atlanta saves him.”

“Nonna, what did Mother tell you? What did Father tell her?”

“He was saying goodbye to her. He said that more than anything, he regretted never seeing you again. That their ship was wrecked in the Eye of Eternity at the edge of the world. He did not know where it was. He only said that this was the price he paid to the gods to save the island: ‘One day, the light of Atlanta will save me. But for that, the Ears of Time are needed. Without them, I am doomed. We will see each other very soon. Do not grieve, Di! The gods took so little from us… They spared the crew, and they will return soon. And you are safe. Give my daughter the necklace that Jay will give you. And kiss her for me. Daddy loves her! Farewell, my love! Farewell.’

Di suffered this loss for a long time. When the crew returned, they spoke of the storm, the black sky and waters, and of the gods who descended from the heavens and spared them, taking a different price. Some time later, you were born. And the enchantment truly lifted. But your mother, unable to bear the loss, set out in search of her beloved. That is how it all ended. No one ever heard of them again. Only once did Di send a letter, writing that everything was well.”

“Nonna, Nonna! So Father can be saved? What does ‘the light of Atlanta’ mean? And ‘the Ears of Time’?”

“My dear granddaughter, if only I knew… Your mother went in search of this knowledge. But Jay—one of the crew—said that the god who gave the necklace let something slip: ’The light of Atlanta will save you from the enchantment. When you return, the sky will be clear, and the jacarandas will be beyond counting!

“Do you think the light of Atlanta is me?”

“I do not know. But how could it be otherwise?!”

“Then why did darkness consume the island?”

“Your grandfather Arthur was to blame. A map with an unseen treasure fell into his hands, and he wanted to possess it. He took the best people and set out for Skull Island, but he never returned. By taking what belonged to the island, he awakened it. And the gods, enraged, cursed Arthur and our island. Greed destroyed both him and his people. Your father wished to atone for his father’s sin—and he succeeded. You must be proud of him. He did this for everyone, and this is your inheritance.”

“Nonna, if the light of Atlanta truly is me, then I will save my parents! And finally see them!”

“My dear, it is impossible. Your mother has been searching for an eternity. And nothing.”

“But my mother does not have the most important thing—me. And I have myself. And I will help myself.”

Inspired, Ellie ran to the sea. Sitting on the shore, she began examining her necklace. It looked like a figure eight in an iron setting, made of glass with sand inside. On the back of the metal, there was some dirt. Ellie began to clean it and saw an inscription:

“A T L A N T I C.”

And she realized that she, too, had a destiny—to save her parents.

Happily, she jumped up and ran to Alva. Ellie wanted to tell her everything. She wanted to shout it to the whole world, if only…