ATN: THE ELEMENTS OF BEAUTY

THE JOURNEY- ATN SHOULDN'T EVEN EXIST

We got in a bus that took us  to the plane. We got down and saw a small aircraft standing, waiting for us. "A private plane!" I screamed.

"When did our parents get a private plane?" Dadai asked.

"Oh, its not your parents'." One of the flight attendants said, "The place you are going can only be reached through these planes, that is, our airlines."

I looked at the plane. It was all white, and had 'ATN Airlines' written over it.

"Excuse me," Riya asked the attendant, "What's ATN?" 

The attendant looked at her as if she had faced this question many times, and new exactly what the answer was. "All in good time. Please get inside." She said, smiled and left. I would have been suspicious, had it not been my family arranging this trip. I trusted them, and knew that it was some huge surprise.

We got inside and saw the arrangements. The seats for the attendants were right beside the door, as always, behind the cockpit and the pantry. Behind them, there were a total of six seats. Two in the front faced the cockpit, while the four at the back faced each other. A small platform was attached to the seats in front, while the four at the back had two small tables placed between them. There was a corridor through the center. The best thing was, all the seats were beside a window each.

Hiya asked the same attendant how much time it took to reach ATN. She said it took twelve hours. And then, the plane took off. I took a back seat. Riya was sitting opposite to me. Hiya sat opposite to Abhro beside us, while Dadai took a front seat, and put on his headphones. I did the same after ten minutes, when I saw Riya snoring. Hiya and Abhro were already asleep. Dadai normally slept late, so I didn't think he would be sleeping already. I looked outside to see the clouds. We had just risen above the clouds. And, then I slept, hoping to be in that mysterious ATN when I wake up next morning.

That night, I had yet another dream. I could see a man in it, a very tall man, with dark skin, yellow glowing eyes, and clean shaved head and face. He was talking to someone. He said, "I won't be stopped. Once you have done your magic on that thick headed chick, we will destroy the great land. Our brethren and the allies would be pleased."

And then, the images faded, and grew dark. The next thing I knew, I was woken up by a ray of sunlight warming my face. I opened my eyes and found the rest already awake. Dadai was drinking tea (our parents had paid for some unlimited food package in the plane). Abhro was eating a banana, while Hiya concentrated on cookies. Riya was looking at me, and as soon as I opened my eyes, she said, "Our King is awake." 

The same attendant came over after I had freshened up. "Good evening. We will land in ATN in an hour. Would you like to eat something?"

"A little black coffee would be nice." I said. "But hold on. Did I sleep all day?" I asked after she had left.

"Nope!" Hiya answered, "Apparently, this ATN is six hours behind. So, when we boarded the plane, it was morning there. And now, its evening."

An hour later, finally, we landed in ATN. We picked up our luggage and got out of the plane. What I saw mesmerized me. We were in a tiny airport, and around it were beautiful mountains. They were not snow covered, and definitely didn't look like being snow covered in winters. They were full of greenery. We got out of the airport, and the same attendant came with us. She showed us a BMW, and said, "There's your ride. It'll take you to the Royal Area."

"Royal Area? We are gonna stay in some Royal Area?" Dadai asked.

"What is this place?" I asked her, "It has mountains, greenery, such good roads. The air is fresh."

"It also has the ocean. This is an island in the Atlantic Ocean."

"What?" my eyes opened wide, yet again.

Riya asked, "Now, is it a good time to tell us what this place, ATN, is?"

The woman gave her the same smile she gave the last day, and I feared she would have the same reply too. But she asked, "Would you believe me if I told you?"

"Why wouldn't we?" Riya said.

"Fine." she answered, "Welcome to Atlantis."

We looked at her with blunt eyes. Perhaps, we didn't hear her right. Atlantis? THE Atlantis? But that wasn't even real. The attendant read my mind.

"Yes, you are in Atlantis. The lost city, the one that submerged under the sea, and for the last fifty years, the Great Land. You don't believe me, do you?"

"No, absolutely not." Dadai said, "Atlantis isn't real."

"Is compelling people by just talking real? Is controlling water real? Or creating waves in them? Or even changing your appearance at will?" she asked. We were stunned. How did she know our secret? She went on, "Listen. You guys are different. And once you reach the Royal Area, you will understand why your parents sent you here, or how I know all this. Please, have some patience, and get in the car."

We got into the car. It was a dark blue BMW. I took the front seat, while the rest took the back seats. Four people didn't fit. So, Hiya came to sit with me in the front seat. We adjusted somehow. I looked at the driver. He had a scar to his right cheek, had a buff body, tanned skin, and his hair was covered by a small turban. He wore glasses over his black eyes. He wore a red T-shirt. And then, I looked at his feet. I guess Hiya looked at it too, at the same time. We both screamed together.

The man's legs were made of brown fur. And his feet...he had no feet. There were hooves, but not feet. This man wasn't a human. He was some supernatural creature I had heard of. I just couldn't remember the name. The man, however, laughed.

"Didia," Hiya called Riya, and pointed towards the driver, "He is half donkey."

"Hiya, you shouldn't be behaving like that." Riya said, and then looked at the man's legs herself, and said, "OH MY GOD!"

"Gods, please." the man said, "and no, little one, I am not half-donkey. I am half-goat. I am a satyr."

"What?" Dadai asked. Apparently, he and Abhro had seen the man's legs too.

"You'll see things you can't believe. Just don't lose your mind." 

I looked straight through the windshield. Supernatural creatures, superpowers, Atlantis, all seemed like a fairytale even an hour ago. Now, suddenly, I was in the same mythical island, with superpowers, and sitting beside a supernatural creature. My mind could explode, but the satyr prevented it, by saying, "We have reached."

Oh! Finally I would get to know what was going on.