Page 30 of Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt

‘Your father created a haven for his family, a refuge where he could ensure your protection and well-being. This is why he built Atlantis – an idyllic corner of the universe where you were all cut off from the cruel realities of life. There, he was able to care for you, nurture you, and provide you with all the love any child could ever wish for. It is why he hired myself, and Marina, and Claudia too. The world of Pa Salt was created for you, his children.’

‘Georg, whatever you’re trying to say here, spit it out,’ Maia said.

‘I apologise. You would like some answers. Well, perhaps we should start with your father’s name. Pa Salt. This is what you have all called him, for as long as you were in his care. Indeed, it is how practically all visitors to Atlantis referred to him. The same went for your teachers, your friends... he was Pa Salt to everyone around him.’

‘Yes. He was just... Pa,’ Tiggy muttered.

‘He was,’ Georg continued. ‘This is how he wanted it to be.’

‘We all asked him about it loads of times. I remember.’ CeCe frowned. ‘He’d just laugh and say, “You know my name! It’s Pa Salt.”’

‘Whenever we had to write it on an official form, he just told us to write “Mr D’Aplièse”,’ Star recalled.

‘Yes, that’s right. It is why I do not want you to experience any... difficult feelings about the fact that you never questioned that it was somewhat odd.’

‘Oh God,’ Electra moaned. ‘We didn’t even know his name. The most important person in our goddamn lives, and we didn’t even know his name.’

‘Once more, you must not berate yourself for this, Electra. It was of his design. Your father fully intended for this to be the case,’ Georg attempted to reassure her. ‘It is a credit to him, and the world he built, that you never felt a burning desire to debate it fully.’

‘Georg, you’re scaring us. What was Pa’s name?’

Georg looked at me, and gave me a sympathetic nod. It seemed that my moment had come. I inhaled deeply, and steeled myself.

‘Atlas,’ I muttered meekly. ‘I think that his name was Atlas.’ The table turned to me now. I looked into the eyes of the sisters, who were clearly desperate for more information.

‘Floriano, Charlie, Miles, Chrissie... would you mind awfully giving us some time together?’ Maia asked, after a moment.

‘Oh gosh, of course. Absolutely. We’ll leave you to it. Tiggy, give me a shout if you need anything,’ Charlie stood up at lightning speed, and was through the salon doors quicker than a whippet.

‘You all right, Mum?’ Jack leant in to ask me.

‘I am, thank you, darling. You and your sister can make tracks. I’ll be okay.’

‘Are you sure? We’ll just hang around on the aft deck for whenever you need us.’

Jack and Mary-Kate both stood and left. Only Ma, Georg and the sisters remained.

‘Sorry, Merry. You were saying?’ Maia prompted.

‘Yes. Your father. Atlas was his name.’

The girls looked at me with a mixture of confusion and suspicion. Apart, that is, from Tiggy, who was sat there with the most enormous smile on her face. I held eye contact with her, and she nodded at me supportively.

‘No big prizes for working out the anagram,’ Ally said. ‘Pa Salt...’ she mused as she doodled on a napkin. ‘It contains the letters within Atlas. Plus a spare P.’

‘What does the P stand for? As we’re continuing to learn, it would be unusual of Pa to have done anything by chance,’ Star said.

‘I think I can answer this question...’ said Ma. ‘The P simply represents Pleiades.’

‘Marina is right,’ Georg confirmed.

‘Well, I suppose it resolves one fairly large mystery – our names,’ Maia said. ‘The daughters of Atlas.’

‘I remember something about him being called Pa Salt because Maia said he always smelt of the sea. Did he make that up?’ Electra asked.

‘I honestly don’t know,’ Maia replied. ‘I just accepted it was true.’

‘We all did,’ nodded Ally. ‘But Merry, tell us more. How do you know our father’s name?’