Submission (#2963) Approved

Cairo had many wild fantasies about the places he could travel to, the places he could go now that he was freed from the ties of “duty” and “responsibility”. But there was one region in particular that he felt the most attracted to. Ealei. A stark contrast to his home city. From the tales he heard in the busy streets, or from the few friends that he could meet, Ealei sounded so freeing. 

It was both a forest and a shallow ocean, a unique blend of two environments which should not coexist. And yet, apparently the trees stood so tall with roots so strong that they weaved through the waters to create footpaths. Every path was wood, every home was settled high up in the canopies, and it was always kept fresh and fed by the endless streams of water that sat at the base of every tree. His family may have considered it to be too rustic and untame, but Cairo found it to be the most marvelous of ideas. 

To be surrounded by nothing but nature, to wake up to the calls of birds or the rustle of leaves, every aspect of Ealei was serene. Like something out of his storybooks. He couldn’t even begin to fathom what treehouses could look like, let alone what it would be like to live in one. Would all the furnishings be made of the same wood as the trees that held up the homes? Would each inhabitant simply slide down to the base of the roots to have a drink in the crisp, natural waters? Would it be as fresh as dew in the morning? Cairo wondered if fireflies would act as lights for the streets at night - or would there even be streets - or if there were plants to do that job. So many questions that he wouldn’t be able to answer himself. 

Sure, there were so many other regions out there to explore, but something about Ealei called to the young kittom, drawing him to its fantastical wonder. He really hoped he could visit it soon, now that he had no home to return to.