part four ... I. SOLLA ... page 247

His figure, a thin, vertical stripe of blue, contrasted the immense fields of muted greys and browns; the horizontal planes of the tundra, mountains and sky which created the panorama surrounding him. During these moments, alone in the vastness of the landscape, Jurgen would often reflect upon the reasons he had chosen to purposefully separate himself, both physically and emotionally, from the people he had cared about by transporting himself here, to the edge of the world. Perhaps he had needed the tranquility of this barren terrain to isolate and examine his thoughts and feelings; to re-acquire the sense of self and purpose that he had lost in the chaos of the inhabited world. Perhaps he had needed the peace of mind to put the cultural turmoil behind him and rearrange the components of his life into some logical order. The pursuit of this personal quest was a path that he had to walk alone. In order to reach the destination of the journey, he would need to dedicate the time to concentrate on his work and commit his entire energy to the challenge of overcoming the obstacles which had presented themselves to him.