A-a-a-a-a-a! There you are! Our new Hero! exclaimed a man in a velvet cloak. On his chest where the heart would have been a fylfot-like cross was painted. He was approaching me very quickly. Sometimes it even seemed to me that he was flying Like when gravity-free. Then he vanished and appeared again. I wanted to call Shaitan as he always helped me out of trouble but he didnt happen to be there at the moment. I had to act on my own.
I am Mr. X. And what is your name?
I havent made up my mind yet.
Ok then. Well call you Hero. Well, Hero, have you completed your mission?
What mission?
Have you killed the dragon?
No.
Have you conquered the kingdom?
No.
Well, have you killed the spies which had penetrated on the territory of our Empire?
No.
Then you are not a Hero.
Not a Hero?
Of course not. A Hero is somebody who kills others for the sake of Empire. Have you killed anybody?
Not yet.
Im pleased you say «not yet». Does that mean that you will soon realize the necessity to kill?
I have to kill someone?
Yes, certainly. Youll do it tomorrow.
Tomorrow?
Well, not today anyway. Or would you rather kill today?
No, not today, thanks.
Ok then, tomorrow will do. Maybach, come here!
Im here, sir, replied Cylinder wearing a cap.
Write him a merit certificate. Just like this: «Hero». Put it in big beautiful letters. And then well organize a real show with light chasers, special effects and even with parade and fireworks. It will be a real feast or a costume party; I havent made up my mind yet.
But I havent killed anyone yet.
But you will do it tomorrow, wont you? he stared at me and put his head very closely to what I had for head. Youll do it for sure.
The merit certificate is ready, sir, said Cylinder. A black hole opened in his stomach and a metal pallet appeared from it bearing the word «HERO» in big beautiful letters.
Music, Maestro! exclaimed Mr. X.
Small metal pea-size balls appeared out of nowhere; they began to swell and turned into yellow roly-polys with metal legs like spiders. Each roly-poly had more than eight legs and there were black marker smiles painted on their faces which were saying: «Were alright». And these roly-polys began to dance. Music resounded from under their legs. It was an opera with jazz tunes; I heard clarinet, bassoon, violin and saxophone my favourite musical instruments. Then roly-polys rounded me. They made a tight circle and I had no way to escape any more. Then several roly-polys ran up to me. They gave me a lift with their heads and I began to jump on them like on a trampoline. They were made of rubber! But sure enough, they had no brains. Everyone around me shouted «Hero, Hero!» But I didnt feel a hero. And thenI fell and hurt my head. Somebody ran up to me, hoisted my body ona wheeled hospital bed and drove me off. Through the mist and the dark I discerned the words: «You forgot your merit certificate, Hero!» Then there came a loud metal clank. It was apparently Cylinder who got a clip on the back of his head from Mr. X. It was the last thing I had in mind that day.
A great noise woke me up. I felt very awkward. I was still lying on the hospital bed and everyone seemed to have forgotten about me. At the moment everything was according to their plans but not mine. It definitely wouldnt have happened if I had stayed with the roly-polys. But probably everyone there is a Hero?! However, it didnt seem true. They were all caressing each other and moaning. Whether it was an orgy or it was just their way to show their love and tenderness, I couldnt tell.
What are you doing? I asked. Finally they noticed me and I began to hear their words in real time.
Silence everybody The Hero has woken up.
Come on, Im not a Hero. And by the way, do you know who this Hero is? Or you reckon that the Hero is the one who kills others for the sake of the Empire as Mr. X states it?
There started a commotion.
He is acquainted with Mr. X.
Mr. X
Oh goodness, its awful! Has he come to kill us all?
And I saw fear in their eyes, but only for a fraction of a second. A dog with a sun for a head was the first to answer.
Calm down, he wont kill you, at least until I give him the permission, and than the dog addressed to me. You see, the point is that a Hero can kill another Hero or someone who is not a Hero at all. The point is that a Hero has a goal and this goal justifies all means. There are good Heroes and bad Heroes. But if you come to look at it in another way, all these things are relative Good and Evil Thats banal. There are just Heroes, that is all. And whether what they are doing is good or not, its up to the society to decide, but the society is always prejudiced.
So when you call me a Hero you want to say that Im a Murderer? Am I right?
Not completely. You have understood only what you wanted to because you heard only what you wanted to hear. You must pay attention to what Im trying to tell you but not to the things you expect me to say. Otherwise you will not hear anything. Well, I didnt tell you that you were a Murderer. I was just answering the question you had asked before. If you can remember it now Nah, the Hero
But I
You, he interrupted me, should understand that youre probably a new Hero. Like those you can see standing behind me (he showed to the crowd I can hardly describe now). Theyre would-be Heroes and in their time they also considered themselves Heroes. They came to me in order to find out whether it was true or not. I kept looking at them carefully while I was tapping with my stick, lighting a candle, swinging one of the two balls, visiting Father
You mean the Pope?
You speak in a quite unusual manner. Yes, thats him I wrote letters to him and even prayed in order to find out whether they were indeed Heroes. And I want to tell you that my answer is still «No». Like the Fathers.
So you mean to say that all those people behind you are not Heroes just because you told them so?
Exactly. What a clever New Would-be Hero you are! NWH as a call you lot
NWH?
Well, you see, NWHs are the most powerful among us, those who can create the worlds. But in fact they dont exist.
But why? I asked.
Because its just impossible. We call them Dreamers.
And who are Dreamers?
They are very odd extraterrestrial people who are always dreaming about something But they left this world long ago.
Are you sure?
Its my job to be sure in things others have not a slightest idea of.
Then how come these Dreamers dont exist if youve just told me that they did exist and left our world long ago?!
I wont tell you that.
Then how come these Dreamers dont exist if youve just told me that they did exist and left our world long ago?!
I wont tell you that.
That was the end of our conversation. In that world nobody was thinking of anything. They were just wagging their tongues, taking everything on trust and never asked questions Well, their brains were absolutely nonfunctional. Or rather not everyones? Anyway, I hadnt yet met other representatives of this world. But if such thinking people exist they should make the world go around. «I should try and find some of them», I thought.
Sphere 2. Space apple
Soon I saw a little fairy fluttering not very far away. I ran up to her:
Hey, fairy! I said.
Hi, stranger, she replied, putting something into her basket.
Tell me please, who I am?
But dont you know it?
Well, I think I guess.
So?
Im Abragadabra, I said proudly.
Hes Abragadabra.
Ha-ha
Nah!
He saw Abragadabra!
Now there were not less than ten fairies around me. They appeared from a nearby flowerbed and at the moment they were looking at me with interest, smiling and giggling. I liked feeling someone flirting with me. Their presence calmed me down.
So you want to tell me that Im not Abragadabra?
Exactly. Youre not.
Thank God, I just thought Anyway, thanks. But who am I instead?
Youre Lucifer.
These words did little to comfort me. It was not me but Shaitan who always claimed to be Lucifer.
Im Lucifer?
Hes Lucifer!
Yes
He is
Lucifer A cool guy!
Well, then Im the Devil?
No, mate, youre an Angel of Light. Thats what being Lucifer implies.
Then Lucifer isnt Satan?
Yes, he is. He has a lot of names.
He has a Legion of names.
And every name is Him.
Well, lets go to the Universarium, said the Chief Fairy (she had a brighter cloak) and pulled my hand. We went through a garden up to stealthy rooms and halls. When my legs stopped supporting me she began to drag me on the floor. Besides, I became more flexible, like a chewing gum. Thank God it didnt occurto her to blow and pop me! She seemed so little and fragile but she was easily dragging me. How strong she must have been! I didnt feel pain but it was rather uncomfortable. Her grasp was very strong and I couldnt free myself from her fingers, no matter how hard I tried. But to be honest I didnt try hard. I liked being dragged like this. At least, I didnt have to do anything.
Then we appeared in a great hall where little creatures were having a kind of meeting. They were very thin but they had enormous round eyes Or rather oval. I quietly took the place nearby and began to listen.
Well, what are we doing here today? askeda spectacled Jinn with a pointer, smiling. More than everything he looked like their chief or a teacher. And then everybody chorused:
We are studying underdeveloped planets and civilizations!
They shouted so loudly that I jumped and decided not to sit back for a while.
This is our professor, explained Fairy, he made an exchange with Academy and came to our Universarium. He masters quantum physics, mechanics, interplanetary philosophy, transgalactic logics and psychology Now sit down.
I sat down. To be honest, I would have sat down from what I had just heard even without her request.
And with whom did he do an exchange?
With Luis Laporré, the creator of the art gallery.
That gallery which has blank sheets of paper instead of pictures?
These are not blank sheets of paper, you little fool. Luis creates white pictures. This art takes a very long time to master. You dont know anything about it.
At this very moment Teacher spoke. Everyone was listening to him very attentively. When I heard his voice it seemed to me that it resounded inside my head, in my brain.
Today there are newcomers among us. They have just arrived at the Space Port 666 in Sector 13. Please state your names and the place you are from.
My name is Amalgon, I came from Sirius.
My name is Zoran, Im from Orion.
Im Lauly. From Pleiad.
And my name is Mary. I came from the Earth.
«She is from the Earth It cant be so", the creatures said surprisingly in an under voice.
Well, lets greet our newcomers, everybody clapped their hands. So, which planet are we going to study today? Jinn asked.
The Earth and people inhabiting it! chorused the hall.
All right then, calmed them down Jinn, you all know that The Fifth Race people are absolute morons.
We agree! People are backward creatures, said all the students in unison. They replied as though they were one organism. I couldnt find an explanation for that, but not thatI very much wanted.
Today Im not going to plunge into peoples backwardness and nearsightedness. Their era terminated long ago. Instead I will tell you about what was there before peoples era and how they became humans.
So you want to tell us about how people appeared?
You never touched the subject
That sounds great!
I never told you about that but today I will, said Jinn and went on. Just imagine the world so wonderful that it can hardly be real. It is so fantastic that its impossible to describe it, so rich and beautiful, but only in termsof Good as this world is a mere Kindness. It is free from malice, hatred, pain, disappointments and tiredness, grieves and troubles Everything is perfect in this world. Everyone gets everything he needs and he doesnt have to give anything in return. It is only God the Creator who bestows his love to a Legion of Angels (beneficiaries) through their leader (intermediary) Supreme Angel Lucifer.
You mean the Angel of Light? asked the children.
Exactly. I am speaking about the Light Giver. The Angels were not able to get Gods love without Lucifer because his love is very powerful and it would have burned them. That is why God used Lucifer as a vessel in which he could pass his love to the Angels.
Teacher took a hologram blackboard and beganto paint on it with his finger.
It should be mentioned that Lucifer was created by God together with the other first Angels but his power was second only to that of God, his creator. Moreover, Lucifer is the First Angel. Even Michael and Gabriel were created later and therefore they were less powerful than Lucifer. However, there are some ways to reach the power equal to the Creators and even exceeding it but we are not talking about that now. We should remember that our Creator, like us, always invents new ways that is why only the most deserving can excel him But where was I, kids?