Atlantis
The floating city of Atlantis whispered echoes of dead stars that exploded too long ago, but the dark sky still carried their light down to Earth. The night knew secrets nobody uttered to acknowledge, for the morrow that was to come washed them all away. Two friends sat together in silence, at the edge of the city, where the murmur of the city’s engine could faintly be heard, holding up the domes and tall bodies of buildings up into the clouds. Kiran could smell the oncoming storm that was brewing with the air, frizzing her hair into curls, taking shape. Mária watched her from the side, breathing in this moment before it became a memory.
“…the city’s platform,” Kiran mumbled.
“What?” That caught Mária’s attention.
“People say Atlantis is endless, immortal, constant,” Kiran paused, staring into the distant fog. “I mean, even people like us are starting to live longer.”
“You mean the surgeries and drugs?” the other asked.
“Why would people want to live longer?” The question Kiran asked hung in the air.
Mária stared at her friend, at her hair, her face, the bridge of her nose, her eyes. “That’s a dumb question. Having children has been illegal for two decades, so wouldn’t it be better if the current generation lived forever? We don’t want humanity to die out, you know.”
“That’s not what I meant…Is it worth it?” Kiran seemed disturbed. “Mária, tell me, have you never thought about the ground our ancestors left behind? The soil down below us?” Kiran faced Mária now. “The only time we actually touch the Earth is when dead bodies are thrown over the edge of Atlantis to make room for more buildings.”
“Oh…Kiran, are you spiraling again?” Mária said, scooting closer to her friend. “You’re just overthinking. What good will mud do except bury the dead?” She tilted Kiran’s chin up to the sky. “Look at how close we are to Heaven. And the Earth? It gave us the ability to live in the sky. Humans are evolving. This regret you feel will pass.”
Kiran dropped her gaze back down to the plastic grass her hands played with. She didn’t see Heaven, couldn’t even reach for it if she could, didn’t even taste or smell the sweetness of this like she should. Atlantis was like a drug rejecting her, not the other way around. “Why do the people tell us not to think of the Earth? Why do the people on the ground choose to die rather than come up here, with us?”
Mária looked around them, her eyes darting to every dark corner and shadow before replying, “Because the people on the ground are backwards. They procreate illegally, even though the population is over 12 billion! They chose the wrong path? So be it.” Mária’s voice started to get angrier, but it didn’t get louder. “You have no reason to sympathize with them.”
“But…I just don’t understand.” Kiran mumbled.
“You don’t have to. It won’t matter.” Mária said. “…just stay with me, like I always do with you.”
Truth is, Atlantis was the city of miracles. Technology had advanced beyond what anyone could imagine. Ironically, the lost city once told through ancient stories was now reborn as a large flying platform in the sky, giving shelter to the “chosen ones,” taking its residents far away from war and the turmoil down below. Humans didn’t have to fear aging, nor death here. It was a piece of Heaven, almost. For Kiran, she didn’t understand why a part of humanity chose to live away from Atlantis, to sacrifice this city and what it has to offer. What was it about the Earth that people wanted so much? Earth would end one day, and plants would rot, and then the animals, and then the humans, if they were still alive, anyway. Why couldn’t a chosen one, like her or Mária, not understand the reason for all this? What was good about living outside of Atlantis? People here would kill to live forever; why not them? This made Kiran go mad over the endless questions; she wanted to think like a person on the ground would to understand their point of view. To Mária, it only sounded pointless, and perhaps it was.
Atlantis was good at hiding secrets, and the sun was starting to rise now. Their words retreated into silence, but the two girls sat together still.
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