The Curious Case of the Map Reader.

Dawn

He sits sedately breathing in the heavy smoky air of the study. Dust particles illuminated in a beam of light drift gently to the floor. A rare sight, this beam of light. Rebelliously creeping in through a crack in the thick mauve drapes. On the desk is a cartographical creation. 

Map marked by marvel, marvellous map, make sense. Sense failure, sense truth. True outstanding tall peaks, mountains, valleys, deep caverns, darkness, dampness earth. Mother earth drawn on, a sketch, a scrawl. No plan. A mess. Torn, dirtied, broken, forgotten, ageing map.   

His neck aches from the length of time he has spent examining this map. A tear leaks out of the corner of one of his weary eyes. It trickles down his nose and splashes gently onto the parchment before him. It lands in the centre of a lake labelled ‘Novusunda’. The ink blooms a pale blue shimmer, welling up and bursting out towards the shore. Colours begin to emerge. The colour of pebbles. The colour of mountains and grasses, trees and meadows. The map comes alive. 

He leans back in his chair astonished at the sight of the rippling waters. The crisp smell of icy mountains. The sound of the gentle breeze rustling through the miniature pine trees. 

Heaving himself out of his chair, he stumbles to the window and throws open the great drapes. Light washes over him. The ache in his neck eases. He feels steadier.

He makes his way back to the desk and once again gazes at the map. It is clearer now. His eyes are sharper. He runs his hand over his bald head. Not bald. Thick with hair. Shocked he looks at his hands, his arms. The age spots have faded. The joints are no longer swollen. He runs his tongue along a full set of teeth and laughs. Marvellous map. 

He stares at the new world before him. Stomach churning. Knees buckling. The floor slips away beneath his feet. He falls. A great pressure pushes in on him. Blackness.

He is still. Breathing in the cool air. Refreshed. Opening his eyes he sees clear blue sky. His back is uncomfortable. Pebbles. Sitting up he takes in the view of the lake. He is finally here.