The Voice of Reason

Chapter 5: The Atrium

We traveled another day and spent another night together. We stopped when we came across underground rivers in order to replenish our water supply. The tunnel had begun to grow larger again. The walls stretched upwards for almost as far as I could see. Pinpricks of light fell from the high ceiling. A few of the rays made it all the way to the ground. I liked to hold out my hand into the columns of light and watch the dark shadow it cast on the ground.

When we came across the sparse, wild plants, we collected the ones Aidan said were edible. In our bags, we soon had mushrooms of a plethora of colors: white, brown, black, purple, pink, and yellow. I supposed now we would have colorful meals. I spent dinner examining the tastes and textures of the meaty mushrooms. My favorite was a small, cream-colored mushroom. It had a tiny stem that grew sideways from crevices in the tunnel. Attached was a flat umbrella that flared outward like a shell. It was tiny but very tasty. We went to bed feeling full.

When we woke up on the fourth morning, Cal informed me that we would reach the Atrium today.

Aidan whooped with excitement at the reminder. "We're gonna be clean again!" he exclaimed with joy. I chuckled that he was the one most excited for baths. I realized I had gotten used to the musty, sweaty smell we all gave off.

We walked for half the day. My eyes kept roaming the tunnel walls, which were kept illuminated by the two lanterns. The rock shone various shades of purple, blue, and gray. I pressed my hand against it, and let my fingers glide over it as I walked. The walls were rough, but they seemed smoother when my hands traversed them softly.

Cal only talked when she thought of things she needed to explain. I stopped asking questions. I probably should have had more questions to ask, perhaps infinitely more, but I didn't know what they were yet. Any confusion or discomfort I might have felt were wiped away by her air of calmness.

We started to see more and more color. Water seeped in little trails down the cave walls. On either side of the tunnel, plants and fungi were growing. There were pink flowers, white mushrooms, green ferns and mosses. A few tiny black insects with clear wings fluttered from flower to flower.

We finally reached a tunnel that was man-made. The floor was smooth and polished to the point that we could see our silver reflections in it. The ceiling curved down seamlessly to the walls and met the floor at a right angle. Multiple lanterns hung from hooks on either side, lighting the way of our final stretch. A light glowed at the end of the tunnel.

My nervousness was unbearable. At the same time, so was my excitement. I kept my eyes on the light and almost floated ahead. However, my dirty, doubled-layered socks started slipping around on the polished floor and kind of ruined the beauty of the moment.

I slipped backwards. Luckily, Aidan had been walking right behind me and caught me under my shoulders before I collided with the ground. I gasped.

"Easy there, love," he said to me, laughing. He overdid it, picking me up at my waist as if I really did weigh nothing and setting me down gently on my feet. Cal had been walking in front of us. I quickly scrambled away from Aidan before Cal glanced back to see what had happened.

"I slipped," I explained to her.

She laughed too, not worried. "Now's not the time to start falling over and injuring ourselves. We're literally here!" Cal smiled and looked ahead. She stood at the end of the tunnel and at the edge of the Atrium. I slipped and slid forward to stand next to her, with Aidan close behind me.

We had reached the Atrium! The tunnel entrance was high up, so we could see down into the city. The Atrium was a gigantic, gray, glittering dome. The entire cavern was shaped like a perfect sphere, but I could barely comprehend the magnitude of it! What caught my attention first was what lay on a black marble stand in the very center of the open space. It was like the stones that glowed in the lanterns that Cal and Aidan carried. However, this stone was huge: at least twice my height! It had been polished into a perfect, glowing sphere. White light flowed from it. It was a soft but permeating light that filled every curve and edge of the Atrium.