The King Is Dead; Long Live the King
Desiree is a senior lecturer in ecology at Utrecht University and was almost one of the chosen ones to do research on climate change in Antarctica for six months. The blonde, who’s in her mid-thirties, was even allowed to bring her husband, Johan, and their two young children. The latter wasn’t going to happen anyway because Johan considers the trip far too dangerous for the two little ones. Johan, who voluntarily doesn’t have a day job, does household chores and takes on the lion's share of the upbringing of their two boys.
He himself would never pass on this icy trip. Not only because he can't live such a long time without his wife Desiree, but also because, as a self-appointed conspiracy theorist expert, he might just catch a glimpse of the secret Nazi base that, according to well-established sources (any fool on the Internet), might be somewhere in Antarctica.
The children would have stayed over with their grandparents. Three months with his mom and dad. And another three months with Desiree's parents. But alas, much to the disappointment of Desiree, the Arctic Commission preferred some Japanese dude over Desiree, and so the whole plan is off anyway.
At the end of the work day, Desiree has been invited to the office of the university's chancellor, Herman Mundic. She is on her way to his office right now. When she arrives, she knocks three times on his door.
"Enter!" sounds a heavy voice from behind the door. Desiree opens the door and walks in.
"Hello, Desiree. Please sit down."
"Thank you, Herman. You wanted to see me?" Desiree sits down in a chair across from the chancellor.
Herman casually drops back in his manager's chair and says, "Desiree, I have great news for you. You are going to Antarctica for six months!"
Desiree can't believe her luck, and she would love to dance on the chancellor's desk: "Oh, Herman, this is fantastic news. Why am I suddenly allowed to come along, if I may ask?"
Herman hands Desiree a printed-out e-mail: "I just got the confirmation e-mail. The rest of the team is already there, but that Japanese guy died on the way over there. A cardiac arrest. The guy was in tip-top shape, and he just passed away in his sleep." Herman snaps his fingers. "Just like that! And since you were the second choice, the committee designated you as the replacement as of immediately."
—A little later
Desiree drives home with one arm hanging loosely out the window. Her fire-red nails tap against the door of her silver-gray Mercedes convertible. Her thoughts wander off—I will miss them so much, my darlings. Oh, Johan, I know you don't count on this anymore, but please be happy for me.
—Home
"Goddammit, Des! Why now all of a sudden?" Johan's head is like a tomato. "The kids have been counting on us not leaving! I mean you and I together! We're still going together, right? I'm still allowed to go, right? I'm just asking! Because everything keeps changing around here!"
Johan always has a little trouble finding the nuance when he is overwhelmed with new information. Desiree is used to it and knows his instruction manual by heart. But she still gets a little irritated and shouts, "Yes, of course you can still come along! Jesus!"
Johan cuts her off: "Jesus has got nothing to do with this, and you can go tell the children that we’re still going to miss their birthdays!"
Johan walks to his study and slams the door shut behind him. A couple of minutes later, Desiree sneaks into the study.
"What?" replies Johan gruffly from behind his computer.
"I informed the children, dear. They were happier than you."
Johan turns his head, "Des, I’m sorry. I can get so angry sometimes, over nothing."
Desiree immediately seizes her first opportunity for revenge: "It doesn't matter. It's because I make a living for both of us. You just feel your manhood has been compromised."
"Oh, that’s fantastic, Des! Now I really feel a lot better! Thanks!" replies Johan sarcastically.
"Ah, Johan," laughs Desiree, "don't be so worried. Look on the sunny side of things."
"In Antarctica?" remarks Johan insolently.
Then Desiree hands out the final blow: "You know, maybe we'll go on a field trip and catch a glimpse of that old Nazi base of yours."
Even before Johan can explode, Desiree has fled the room. Johan angrily looks at the closed door, yet it doesn't take long for a smile to appear. They are opposites but love each other dearly.
Desiree sits down on the couch in the living room and looks a little angry at the closed study door as well, but a smile soon appears on her face as well.
Thijs Barentsz
After flying halfway around the world, Desiree and Johan arrive in Argentina. From here, they will continue by boat to the Esperanza base in Antarctica. In the small Argentine port of Ushuaia lies a medium-sized white boat on which a big, chubby guy is scrubbing. A weathered head, a big beard, and a big pair of hands stick out from under the sleeves of his Arctic coat. The boat's name is Nova Zembla.
Desiree shouts at Johan in excitement, "This is our boat!"
Johan nods silently in agreement.
Desiree climbs aboard and holds out her hand to the skipper: "Good morning! I'm Desiree Van Der Laan."
The big man stops scrubbing and sticks out his hand: "Thijs Barentsz, ma’am!"
Johan, who hates the cold, introduces himself and asks if there is still time for some hot coffee in that one cozy but especially warm cafe near the dock. The captain is implacable and wants to leave immediately. So the three of them set sail for the Esperanza base immediately. Desiree and Johan lean against the railing and look at all the beauty of this frozen world.
Look, Johan, penguins!" shouts Desiree as she points at them.
One of the penguins stands watching the trio pass by them as if asking himself, Who on earth would come here voluntarily? Johan pulls Desiree tightly against him and whispers, "Our captain is really a dick, isn’t he?"
Desiree looks back and enjoys Johan's firm grip, which makes her feel safe and loved at the same time. "He's just used to being alone, don't you think?"
Meanwhile, Barentsz silently pilots the pair between ice floes and past glaciers. He has been navigating the same route for years. His dead eyes stare at the ocean, which no longer holds any secrets for him.
Thijs Barentsz, descendant of the famous Willem Barentsz. Some four hundred years ago, it was his ancestor who fought with polar bears and lost his life at Nova Zembla on the other side of the world. If only Thijs could do or find something extraordinary. Something that would set him apart from the rest. Something so great that the world would remember him, and he will be included in all history books. Something that might free him from the almost soulless existence he lives today by navigating his boat from one quay to another.
Once ashore at the Esperanza base, Johan and Desiree get extensively acquainted with the rest of the team. Thijs Barentsz is smoking a cigar at the dock when he notices a giant naval vessel. A heavy voice sounds from behind him: "That's my ship."
Barentsz looks over, and a navy captain comes to stand beside him. It's a big, strong guy with snow-white hair. He introduces himself: "I am Captain Marinus Zeevaardig. Are you Thijs Barentsz, descendant of the famous Willem Barentsz?"
Barentsz confirms the question with a brief nod. The captain smiles and is honored to be so close to one of the descendants of a legend. "I have something that will surely interest you, sir."
The captain and Barentsz have a conversation lasting about fifteen minutes. Then the captain hands Barentsz a map, shakes his hand, and walks back to his ship. Thijs Barentsz runs to the barracks and storms into Johan and Desiree's room without knocking, saying, "Mr. Van Der Laan, pack your things; we are going to the new world!"
Johan doesn't know what hit him and responds irritably, "Say, can't you knock like normal people do, Barentsz?"
Barentsz is absolutely thrilled: "Don't you want to be the discoverer of new land? In the twenty-first century!"
Johan opens the door and asks Thijs to leave, but Thijs does not give up, unfolds the map, and shows Johan what he just got from Captain Zeevaardig.
An hour later, when Desiree returns to their room from her new workplace in the laboratory, Thijs Barentsz and Johan jump off of the bed and both stand still in front of the bed. Desiree looks a little suspicious: "What are you two doing?"
Thijs and Johan step aside. On the bed lies an old map of the world.
This map shows the Earth, but Antarctica is not on it. That is, Antarctica is on it, only it is stretched out in a circle. This circle surrounds the earth that we know from the atlas. After this circle of ice, there is more water and land depicted. It is written that there are two more suns and two more moons.
"Are you playing pirates, boys?" responds Desiree mockingly as she looks at the map.
Johan is almost hysterical and begins to explain to Desiree, "This map was given to Thijs by an old captain."
Desiree stops Johan in his tracks. "Thijs?" Says Desiree with a lot of indignation in her voice. "Thijs? You're calling him by his first name now?"
Johan responds irritably, "Yeah, I am! Now shut up for a minute, Des!" and he continues, "Well, this Captain Zeevaardig once inherited the map from his father." Johan puts his finger on the map near the Esperanza base, "Right where we are, there is a hole in the ice wall. It's actually more like a canal. It's dead straight and miles long. We have to go through that, and from there, we come out into the new sea. Then we sail to the new land, Des. Do you hear what I'm saying? New land!"
"We?" asks Desiree.
"Jesus! Is that all you have to ask? We?" Johan looks at Desiree in disbelief and says, "Yes, we! Thijs is going on a voyage, and we're going with him!"
"Are you completely out of your mind? The earth is not flat!" shouts Desiree at Johan.
Johan keeps his cool and explains to Desiree: "That's not what this map says, honey! The earth is still what we think, only many times larger."
Johan makes a circular motion with his hands, "Our world sits on top of the globe. We are the North Pole of this map, but Europe and South Africa exist too!"
Desiree asks, "Then why doesn't anyone know about this, guys?"
Thijs interrupts her, "Because the US Navy is hiding this passage for some reason! The rest of the world knows nothing about this at all. But the map is real."
Desiree asks Thijs Barentsz why this "Captain Iglo with his stupid map" doesn't go see the new world for himself.
Love Always Wins
Thijs Barentsz sits down on the bed and starts to explain: "Captain Zeevaardig is terminally ill, and he regrets that he never had the guts to go and see for himself what’s out there. The captain heard about Willem Barentsz at school, and ever since then he has wanted to be a skipper. He favors me because I am descended from Willem Barentsz. We have a unique opportunity to write history, ma’am. Actually, to write history again. After all, those who made the map must also have visited all those unknown countries before. In a few hours, Captain Zeevaardig will be relieved and go home to die. Then another captain will arrive, and our chance is gone forever. Captain Zeevaardig now offers us a free passage."
Desiree's head is spinning from all the information. "Then why do I have to come along?"
Johan walks up to Desiree and looks at her penetratingly: "Do you think I'll go without you? Listen, Des! I've never asked anything of you before! But I'm asking you now! Please?"
Desiree walks to the window and looks into the distance. There she sees the Navy ship, and even further away is the ice mass where Captain Iglo says the entrance should be.
For a moment, Desiree gets lost in her thoughts—what a ridiculous map! I can't sacrifice my career for such a ridiculous trip, can I? But I've left Johan out in the cold so many times. I've made a fool of him so many times. Even in front of my colleagues. Damn it, Johan! Why now?
Desiree suddenly sees, in her mind’s eye, all those smiling faces of her colleagues when she tells them about Johan's hobby, conspiracy theories. She now suddenly feels very guilty. But there's more; it's crazy, but for some reason I trust Johan's judgment.
Also, Desiree has to admit that it does excite her to see Johan in his element, and she loves how he acts like a real adventurer. A real man! Desiree makes up her mind, and for the first time in her life, she submits to her husband. She turns toward Johan and Thijs and says, "Okay, guys! Let's go!"
Barentsz collects the boat from Captain Zeevaardig and navigates to the harbor of the Esperanza base. Desiree, Johan, and Thijs have been given a medium-sized motorboat by the captain that is also suitable for sailing. They bring a lot of food, and they carry fishing nets. Barentsz asks if there are any cameras on board, to which Desiree and Johan both hold up their cell phones. When they are all on board, the adventurers set sail. After half an hour of sailing, Johan shouts, "Look! The hole in the ice wall! Over there!"
Barentsz comes out from behind the steering wheel and shouts, "Wow! I can't believe it!"
Desiree is also perplexed and films the hole with her phone: "Unbelievable!"
It is a hole about fifty meters wide, and according to the map, this passage is perfectly straight and its waters are forever ice-free due to a local anomaly in the thermohaline circulation process of the ocean. The three explorers feast their eyes as they sail through the crystalline, clear, and hundred-meter-high canal walls.
After hours and hours of traveling through the canal, Barentsz shouts out, "The end of the canal is approaching, guys!"
The three of them watch as the blue dot at the end of the tunnel gets bigger and bigger the closer they get. Until finally, after a journey totaling twenty-four hours, they arrive at the end of the canal.
"Unbelievable!" Cries Desiree.
Johan looks over the infinite blue ocean with goosebumps all over his body and films everything: "We're going to be famous, guys!"
Barentsz is silent and hangs in the mast, smiling as he looks out over the new waters with satisfaction and he has a big cigar in his mouth.
Moments later, Barentsz stands at the back of the boat and calls to Johan and Desiree, "Come take a look at the compass, guys!"
The three world explorers run to the back of the ship, and together they look at the compass in disbelief. They see how the little needle slowly begins to turn. The little needle slowly turns from south to north. The further they sail from the ice wall, the further the needle turns. Until finally, the needle points completely north to the opening in the ice wall.
Barentsz is amazed: "Look, guys! The South has now become the North."
The explorers sail on toward the point where the map indicates the nearest land. They take turns sleeping, and they eat fresh fish fried on the boat’s stove. After one week of sailing, Barentsz stares ahead with tears in his eyes and a big smile on his face. He’s hanging from the mast of the boat. He holds on with one hand while holding the other hand right above his eyes as he stares into the endless void of the ocean. Far off in the distance, the screeching sounds of seagulls can be heard. The captain shouts in excitement as loud as he can, "Ahoy! Land! New land!"
Epilogue
After returning home, Johan started his own online conspiracy channel and now holds lectures throughout the world on conspiracy theories, especially about his journey to the new world.
Desiree is still a senior lecturer in ecology at Utrecht University and sometimes goes along with scientists on expeditions to the new world to make new discoveries. Johan and Desiree are still married, and they are very happy together. Their parents are also very happy that they get to see their grandchildren so often.
Thijs Barentsz was the first man to set foot on the new land, and the continent was officially named Barentszland. The canal through which they traveled is now called the Marinus Zeevaardig Canal. The old captain was still alive to witness this announcement on television from his deathbed. Thijs Barentsz retired not long after his return and occasionally sails in a small boat to escape all the media attention. He is immensely proud and happy to have been able to make a difference in this world.