Alzheimers in Atacama
Chapter 2 — El Niño and the Secret Orchids of the Desert
Thomas begins his tale of Atacama — an ancient desert with a secret lover called El Niño, whose tears of rain birth a sea of orchids every ten years. And then he speaks of Chaska, a young Incan girl of poor birth.
← Karl Swainston / Alzheimers in Atacama
"Atacama is a desert as ancient as the stars resting in the heavens," Thomas began. "She lies in the folds of Peru, a land where the Incan civilization once dwelt, which is now lost forever. There are no clouds over Atacama, and each night she can see the great depth of heaven and the vast array of stars resting above her. She has no other company. She is desolate, barren, and alone—but not always.
"Atacama has a secret lover, and he is called El Niño. Once every ten years, his winds blow in from the mighty Pacific Ocean, and with his winds come a thousand drops of rain upon her breast.
"Overnight, Atacama takes to her bosom these offered kisses of El Niño, and by morning, her land is covered with a sea of orchids—desert orchids.
"But El Niño doesn't stay. He blows away again, taking his kisses of rain with him, and Atacama sees her flowers die in the desert sun. She is alone again, but her orchids' seeds have fallen. Atacama takes her new children to her breast and waits another ten years for El Niño to visit her once again with his tears."
Thomas's head dropped down again upon his chest. Gaia stood watching him.
"Chaska, or Bright Star, her name was," Thomas murmured, starting a new tale. "An Incan girl of eighteen, and of poor birth in the infancy of the Incan civilization."
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About Karl Swainston
Karl Swainston is a writer and storyteller whose work is forged from a life lived across the North of England and far beyond. Growing up on a Leeds council estate in the 1960s, Karl's journey was anything but linear. By the age of thirty, he had already lived a dozen lives: from the rigors of grammar school to a degree in Latin, a stint as a fishmonger, a period of discovery living in Marseille, and a return to the hustle of London. Whether working as a postman, a builder, or competing as a county-level chess player, he was, above all, an avid reader—constantly documenting the world around him. This restless spirit continued into his professional life. Karl later taught in Bradford, where he ran a specialist unit for 244 of the most excluded students from across the region—young people whom even the local Pupil Referral Units could not accommodate. Working alongside his old friend Malcolm, Karl spent his days navigating the volatility of Bradford's most aggressive and dysfunctional teenagers. Throughout his life, Karl has been an avid runner and has always shared his home with a rotating cast of beloved dogs and cats—companions who have been constant witnesses to his work. As a writer, Karl's range is as expansive as his history. He works across a wide breadth of genres, including fiction and short stories, autobiography and memoir, biography, non-fiction, and metaphysical writing, as well as providing sharp commentary, opinion, analysis, and essays. Whether writing about his years managing the Harrogate Arms or offering insights from his current adopted home in South East India, where he lives in a simple village with his dog, Bambi, Karl's voice reflects the full, untidy, and deeply human breadth of life. He continues to draw on the rich, decades-long tapestry of his experiences to tell stories that matter, proving that no matter where you live, the human story remains the same.
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