Atlas woke up the next morning to a huge headache. Still groggy, he slowly took in his surroundings. The reef didn't look much different than it had last night. The amount of colors from both the coral and the fish were overwhelming.
The fact he was now breathing underwater immediately put the classic, 'was that all a dream' question to rest. Looking down, Atlas was faced with the same fish tail he had since the previous evening.
Atlas could feel his heart beating in his ears.
*I have no idea where I am. I didn't make it home last night. School probably started a few hours ago.* As his thoughts continued race, he could hear his breath quicken.
Suddenly taking a long breath to calm himself, he closed his eyes to more properly think.
*I couldn't have swam that far from the pathway home. I have daylight now, so it shouldn't be that hard regain my sense of direction. Because the house is right on the coast, if I follow the road along the shore, I should eventually run into it.*
Now swimming towards the surface, Atlas has a plan. He glanced down one last time at the small ecosystem, the breathtaking view a momentary distraction from his unbelievable situation.
The icy morning wind felt like a slap in the face as Atlas surfaced. He took a sharp breath in. The air tasted different; this sensation of unfamiliarity only added to his piling discomforts, threatening to break what little composure he had been able to gather.
He squinted at the shoreline. What was once an unrecognizable dark mass of land had become the familiar route to home. Atlas breathed in relief as he swam a little closer to the rocky cascade.
Some time has passed, and from what he could tell he was almost home. As the morning mist faded with the climbing sun, he was able to make out the stoney house in the distance. He was swimming much *much* faster now. Atlas hadn't begun to become aware of his new capabilities.
With disregarded tears brimming in his eyes, he clawed at the sand separating him from reuniting with his family. Now fully out of water, dragging his heavy lower half had proved to be a challenge. Arms giving out, Atlas rested on his back and allowed himself a moment to breathe. And then the realization dawned on him.