Inevitability of Loss: Chapter 3 – Buying Seconds

Chapter 3 – Buying Seconds

Five years have passed since Icarus and his wife discovered the orbs that are able to float the ground. Atlas sits on a balcony across from another balcony as he watches Teela in a dress talk to other people at a party. He plays with a ring in his hand and hides it when Teela looks over to him to wave and smile. He smiles and waves back before Teela and the others rejoin the party. Atlas then goes back to thinking while playing with the ring and looking out into the distance at the ground with large chasms in it.

“Atlas, how come you aren’t joining the party? It’s one of the few were allowed to have in these troubled times,” Icarus says as he sits with him.

“You know me. I’d rather keep to myself. It’s too much of a headache for me to be involved with the decisions that decide the fate of the kingdom.”

“I know what you mean since it’s my job. When are you finally going to tell Teela?”

“Tell her what?”

“I know that you have feelings for her. I’ve known ever since you two became friends.”

“I think your job is getting to your head.”

“That ring in your pocket says differently.”

“O-okay.”

“It didn’t take me long to propose to my wife. It did take long for us to be comfortable to have kids, but God provided us this place and it happened. You know it can happen with you too.”

“Is this why you came out here to bother me?”

“It’s one of the reasons. Another is because I need you to get another orb-”

“Yet another orb. How many do we need?”

“As many as we need to survive.”

“Well, look out there and see the holes in the ground. This solution of yours will only work for so long.”

“What do you think we should do then? Just let all of our hard work fall into nothing?”

“If God so wills it. We don’t even know what these orbs are yet after all these years. We don’t know why they can float mountains and houses, but can barely float people, animals, and trees. I say we should stop relying on these orbs especially since so much conflict and so many people have been hurt over it.”

“Do you want my children and your future children to grow up in this world? Do you want them to go through the same thing we did with our parents or did you forget that they even existed?”

“Tch.”

“Do you want them staying in a place for what ten maybe five years in a place like we do before moving away?”

“Some places like this have stayed solid for generations until now.”

“That’s beside the point. It’s a hard life and a constant fear for all of humanity. Do you want everyone to live like this?” The ground begins to shake as Icarus and Atlas watch as the perimeter of the kingdom falls down while the rest of it manages to stay afloat. “Do you see what I’m talking about?”

“Fine. I’ll help you get another stupid orb if it makes you feel better but mark my words when I say that God will tear down this place if He feels like it, so you shouldn’t be relying on those orbs all the time.”

“Thank you. I’ll be joining you on this errand.”

“It’ll be the first time in a while that you’ve done anything with me,” Icarus says as they walk through the castle, “Why is your special presence needed?”

Icarus and Atlas descend the castle via an elevator that is operated by a person slowly moving an orb away from the elevator.

“My face and name are famous across these lands and we’ll more likely get the orb if they see that I’m the one buying it.”

“Why not just have an escort with you instead of me?”

“It’s for old time’s sake. Besides, most of our deals have gone through without a hitch. I don’t think anything will go wrong with this one.”

“Let’s hope you’re right.”

“Hey, I’ve been right about a lot of things so far.”

“Tch, sure. If you say so.”

Atlas and Icarus mount their horses and go to the deal location. At this location is a large group of men and women on horses with swords, shields, and bows with them. Atlas looks at Icarus who gives him a reassuring smile before the negotiation begins.

“Good afternoon,” Icarus says to the leader of the group.

“Good afternoon to you as well. The messenger said that you would be coming with your friend as your only escort, but I didn’t completely believe it, especially with how in demand they are.”

“This is my show of trust. What do you say? Do we have a deal?”

“So, we give you the orb, and you allow us sanctuary in your kingdom?”

“Yes, and the promise that you will never have to fear the ground falling.”

“Really? With so many holes in your land and so many people looking to take these orbs, are you sure that your home is so safe?”

“I’m sure of it and that the fact that it hasn’t fallen yet is proof of that.”

“I see. Well, I’ll put my faith in you and in God with this blessing that He has given us.”

As the leader of the group gives Icarus the orb, a separate unknown group attacks them. Atlas protects Icarus who has the orb and runs away. When they escape the ambush, they find that the large group that was meeting them is now reduced to a few people with everyone else being dead.

“Do you still think it’s worth it when stuff like this happens?” Atlas says.

“I do when so many more lives can be saved. It’s like you say when the ground falls and people die. This is just something we can’t help, so we have to deal with it.”

Atlas is about to say something but is silenced by what Icarus says. Once he gets back home, he throws his things aside and goes back to his balcony and playing with his ring. He then feels like he needs guidance from God so he goes to a nearby church and feels the ground shake along the way. Fearing the worst, he heads to where Icarus and Teela are to see that they’re running towards the center tower of the kingdom.

“We have to leave!” Atlas says while pulling on their arms.

“All of the orbs are collected at the bottom of the tower! They’ll save us from this!”

Icarus runs ahead without another word.

“Teela? You know that God will get what He wants because He has that right. We’ve been depending on these orbs too much and it’s finally coming to bite us. Please. Leave with me.”

“No, it’s going to be fine. We have to trust Icarus!”

“If I’m wrong, then we can come back and we’ll have a laugh and-”

Parts of a building start coming down and separate the two.

“Atlas! I’m going to join Icarus! It’s closer and safer!”

“Wait! Don’t!”

Atlas fidgets with the ring in his pocket thinking that it could change her mind, but the moment for it quickly disappears as more rubble separates them and the distance between them increases. The people running towards where Icarus is makes Atlas thinks he might be wrong. That God might’ve gifted the orbs as a way to save them, however, something tells him that he should leave the kingdom just in case and he rides his horse and does so. By the time he reaches the outer walls, everything has fallen down except for the inner part of the kingdom where Icarus and everyone else is supposed to be. He gets down on his knees and thanks God then begins to think about how he’s going to get a bridge to connect the floating island to the rest of the land.

Using his binoculars, Atlas sees that the floating island is crowded with people. Some even push others off in the fear that they won’t be able to survive long on such a small island. It isn’t long before the rest of the island begins to fall apart. Atlas gets on his knees and prays that this stops. Unfortunately, his prayers aren’t answered in the way he wants and the island falls to the abyss below.

“Icarus…Teela…I’m so sorry,” Atlas says as he begins to cry.

He tries to pick himself up and use his binoculars to see if anyone else survived. Atlas travels around the area and finds that he is the only survivor.

Again, collapsing to his knees he prays and says, “Why, God, have you stranded me like this? Why have you taken everything away from me? I know that you know better than me and I don’t deserve the kindness you’ve shown me so far, but still? What do you want me to do? What am I supposed to learn?”

With no immediate answer, Atlas assumes what he has to do and tells the allies of the kingdom what happened to them and even shows them to convince those who are in doubt. Once this is done, he settles down in a small farm town and eventually falls in love with a woman and marries her within a week. Throughout the rest of his life, he thinks that the ground will fall down, but it doesn’t and the same farm town miraculously because a prosperous city much like the kingdom he was in before. In his last breaths, Atlas thanks God before joining Him and everyone he’s known in Heaven.

The End