Page 223 of Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt

‘This is wonderful news. Wonderful!’ exclaimed Georg. ‘And, I believe, the perfect moment to conduct one final piece of business... I wonder, could I borrow the Seven Sisters for just one moment?’

The women looked to one another, and started to followed Georg, who had already begun to cross the lawn. The party traversed the side of the house and eventually arrived at the collection of immaculately clipped yews which signalled the entrance to Pa’s hidden garden. They passed through, and were met by the sweet scent of lavender that emanated from the well-tended flower beds. As the sisters filed in, they thought back to their childhoods. Their eyes were drawn to the set of steps that led down to a pebbled cove where they had swum in the clear, cool waters of summer.

The immaculate garden’s aspect was particularly stunning today. It looked directly onto the lake, with a spectacular uninterrupted view of the sun, which was just thinking about setting between the mountains. No wonder this had been Pa’s favourite place.

‘So,’ said Georg, ‘two years later, here we are again.’

The armillary sphere shone brightly before them. The series of intricate, slender bands overlapped and shielded the small golden ball at the structure’s centre – which was, in fact, a globe, skewered by a slim metal rod with an arrow at the end of it.

‘There is one last thing I must show you.’ Georg walked with slow purpose towards the armillary sphere. ‘I was givenprecise instructions from your father as to the design of the sculpture.’ He reached a hand in between the bands, and clasped the central golden globe. He began to twist firmly, until his wrist started to quiver. The girls watched in shock as the globe began to loosen. Georg continued to twist, until the top half came off in his hand.

And there, sitting inside the sphere, was a huge diamond, which sent beams of reflected light dancing around the garden. The girls were silent. They each knew precisely what they were looking at.

‘Wow...’ Maia eventually breathed.

‘It’s incredible,’ said Ally.

‘As you now know,’ Georg said, ‘your pa carried this diamond everywhere with him for years. Even when he was starving. He could have sold it, but he never did.’

‘We all wondered where it could have possibly gone,’ laughed Tiggy. ‘I just assumed that after Pa’s showdown with Kreeg it was at the bottom of the Aegean.’

‘Me too,’ nodded Star.

‘But it was here the whole time...’ whispered Merry.

‘That’s right,’ Georg continued. ‘When I went to see Atlas on what transpired to be the penultimate occasion, he gave it to my keeping, and instructed me to secure it within the armillary sphere. I was told to hand it over to you when the time seemed right. I felt today was that time.’

‘One final flourish...’ Maia said.

‘So, what do we do with it?’ Ally asked.

Georg thought for a moment. ‘Your father left that to his girls to decide. He trusted your integrity.’

‘How much is it worth, Georg?’ asked CeCe.

‘A lost diamond of the last tsarina of Russia?’ he laughed. ‘I am no expert, but once it is validated – which it will be – I would conservatively say ten million euros.’

‘We could change lives with that money...’ Maia commented.

Ally looked to her sister. ‘Lots of lives,’ she agreed.

‘Maybe this is silly,’ Star said, ‘but when we were growing up, CeCe and I used to talk about how we were going to start a charity. Do you remember, Cee?’

CeCe grinned. ‘You mean, the Seven Sisters charity?’

‘That’s right!’ Star laughed. ‘We... we wanted to try and help every orphan find a family as perfect as ours, no matter where they were in the world.’

The girls silently reflected on the idea, each one knowing for certain that it wasexactlywhat they wanted to do.

‘The Seven Sisters charity. I think that’s beautiful,’ said Maia. ‘Here.’ She took Ally’s hand, who took Star’s, who took CeCe’s until the women encircled the sphere. Slowly and silently, Georg slipped away and out of the garden.

The sisters stood together around the armillary sphere for a while, safe in each other’s company. Very slowly, the circle began to move, until it was spinning, and the garden was filled with laughter.

Merry took Christian’s hand and stepped onto the boat.

‘See you soon, everyone!’ she cried, as they began to manoeuvre away from the jetty, which was populated by her newfound family. She returned their enthusiastic waves, and blew kisses to everyone she could. As Christian pulled the boat out onto the lake and started to head around the peninsula towards Geneva’s port, Merry’s sisters, and Atlantis, began to fade from view.

She allowed herself to relax on the soft leather cushions of the speedboat, closing her eyes and feeling the warm windon her face. When she opened them again, her gaze fell on a rocky outcrop. As clear as day, she saw a tall figure in a white shirt waving to her. Without thinking, she returned the wave, and gave a wide smile. As she continued to look at the man, she realised that she knew the face.