The Land of Ateames

The Land of Ateames(Alana Lafreniere) The Land of Ateames

The land of Ateames was always told to be a dreamy and humble place where
there were frequent disturbances, but the situations rarely ever tragic. The dense forests of Ateames were a part of what made the land so spectacular. Tall, strong trees covered the area, running up into the earth occasionally reaching five hundred feet tall. The tree’s long branches and leaves spread themselves over the area like a large, green knitted blanket, spotting the earth with light. Orange lilies and Orchids of quite a few colours surrounded the area, while Siam Roses crept up every rock wall. It was a mystery to the people as to how these flowers grew since it rarely ever rained in Ateames, with the sun usually taking control in it’s brilliant blaze. Deep in the forest was a small, shady clearing with the only light source being the rays that glistened through the trees.

Sitting on the grass, leaning against a large boulder, was a young girl. Her name was Chloe. Chloe was about seventeen years old. Her long fire red hair and fair complexion were just a few of her natural qualities that made her so beautiful. She had bright green eyes, and her long legs made her a great runner. Chloe however, was not just any girl, and some of the people in Ateames were not just any people. They had gifts, as some might say. For ten years, Chloe managed to use her power only in times of danger. The little clearing in the forest was one of Chloes favourite places. She always came to it when she needed to think. She was never interrupted because many people wouldn’t dare come so far into the forest.
She had been sitting there for about an hour, just admiring the scenery and
listening to the birds, when she decided it was time to head home. Chloe made her way through the deep forest, stepping over any logs that crossed her path. It was starting to get dark and she knew better than to stay out late.

Chloe reached her front porch and there sat her mother Reenie. Reenie was evidently just as beautiful as Chloe was when she was younger. Like Chloe, her mother shared the same fiery hair, but hers was even longer than Chloe’s. Chloe never understood why her mother aged so slowly. Reenie sat in a rocking chair, waiting for Chloe to arrive home as always.
“Hello Mother.” Chloe said acknowledging.
“Where has my dear Chloe been?”
“I was taking a walk mother, have you not noticed the darling day?”
“I couldn’t possibly have noticed with my mind in such a worry, now could I?
“I have not the slightest clue of what you are talking about”
“I think you know very well of what I speak Chloe. You may act foolishly
sometimes but my daughter is a bright one.”
Ignoring her mothers comment, Chloe gave her a kiss on her forehead and
headed into the home she has lived in all of her young days. It was quite a dim house, although the rays of Ateames were sure to give any room a misty feel.
The wood was dark with age and the numerous ivy plants would grow for
miles if Reenie had not taken such a liking to trimming them. The room
always seemed to be at the hour of dusk during the day because the ivy plants wrapped around the whole house almost as if it were consoling it with a possessive love, covering up any windows it should encounter.

The next morning Chloe awoke to a subdued knock on her door.
“Morning has arrived Chloe, Ava wishes for you.” The dew still lingered in the morning air as Chloe stepped outside. The sky was slowly changing from
violet and pink to blue in the horizon that hung over the top of the thick, green trees not too far from her home.
“What did you do yester night?” Ava offered conversationally as they walked
down a forest trail. “I went to the clearing” Chloe replied.
“Oh, is that so? Lost inside your head as always?” Ava said with a friendly
smile.
Ava was the only one who knew about Chloe’s hide out. They both had the
gift of great beauty. Ava was a girl of short blonde hair, and she possessed the pinkest lips Chloe had ever seen. Her eyes were more of a grey than a blue. She had been her closest friend growing up together in such a strange and mysterious world. At least that is what Ava thought of it as. Chloe simply felt that the only way to stay sane in such a world was to spend as much time inhabited in the woods, as nature had once intended for humans. It gave her peace of mind to think of herself as a creature of the earth, and not as a person. Sometimes she felt rather ashamed of being a human. She looked at her species as egotistical and too proud, a disease that took over the Earth like cancer, multiplying. She hadn’t eaten meat for years and although her father tried to convince her that animals were made to be eaten, she just assumed that his
attitude was just another selfish emotion that we all were born with. She would prefer to run free, like a doe, or perhaps a fox, but most of all; to never have the undying question of life’s existence, and why? Chloe felt different than other people. She was always inside of her head, observing, feeling as if she was a little more connected to her subconscious than most.

The long forest path in which they headed down lead them to a large open
meadow where purple lilacs and white daisies grew freely. Beige wheat grew
tall and fluffy dandelion seeds scattered around the area making it too seem like a vague dream. Hundreds of green Bird Wing butterflies fluttered throughout the meadow as if it were constantly the first day of summer all year around. Chloe followed Ava to the end of the field and down a dirt path, where they approached a lazy sapphire-blue river leading them a short walk to Piscin Falls. The water fell about thirty feet before crashing into a round pool of spring water. Tight trees encircled the body of water and large boulders relaxed on the side of the bank. Chloe sat near the edge of the land where she could admire the shiny, colorful pebbles that collected themselves on shore. Ava climbed the tall rock wall before plummeting straight into the water. Chloe lay her head down knowing it could very well be a long time before Ava even joined the surface for air for she was quite different too, reminding Chloe of some sort of celestial angel fish.

Later that night Chloe and Ava lay on the grass staring at the dark, black sky. It looked as if a large diamond exploded, giving beauty to the blackness. “Do you ever wonder why we are here Chloe?” Ava asked. “I mean… Look at the sky. It’s as if the world was made so flawlessly. It’s as if whatever created us thought the black sky to be too boring, and decided to design it. It just doesn’t make sense for the world to be some sort of beautiful accident.” “All the sky is…”, Chloe said with a sigh, “Is a constant reminder of how small and insignificant we are in this universe. We are merely a speck of dust. I’d rather not be mindful of it, actually. That’s why I wish to be a bird. No questions, no morals, just instincts. The biggest instinct they have is to be free. They also have the instinct to love though… Do you know why they call these creatures love birds? Because, some birds stay together all their lives, until their mate
dies. I believe that we imagined ourselves here. That our souls are energy and it is so strong that we created ourselves, like a burst of beautiful matter in a single moment. There is no one God, no higher being. We all exist in our minds, our mind is our universe and no one is responsible for it but ourselves. We are all equal and beautiful, attracting whatever energy we give off.”
“Yes” Ava said. That makes sense. “I completely believe it too… about the
energy. It’s as if pessimists are always expecting the worst and so that’s what they get. When you are looking for the worst you can’t possibly recognize the good.”
“Exactly. Then you have your optimists... annoying the dark thinkers. I find some sort of magic in expecting the best, it’s as if the more you wish for it, the more it is likely to come true, at least that’s how it’s always worked for me.”
Chloe thought for a moment.
"Let's be optimists. Let's be beautiful," she said. And it was decided.