Tulips
Ivan Denisov
The last war was so long, so hard and terrible that humanity, like the Earth itself, has changed beyond recognition.Joshua, a young tulip, by his own sluggishness ends up on someone else’s land, where he begins to understand how unfairly this post-war world is arranged, and his natural interest in a completely different life and events triggers an uncontrollable social process that leads to the disclosure of the monstrous truth to all people.
Tulips
Ivan Denisov
© Ivan Denisov, 2023
ISBN 978-5-0060-7077-6
Created with Ridero smart publishing system
Chapter 1
When it was all over, humanity began to look for hope. Endless conflicts and wars have mutilated the old world to such an extent that a new world had to be created…
The war was so horrible and long that people had forgotten how to rejoice and found it hard to appreciate peaceful life, but those who were able to overcome themselves, blessed their descendants for their future endeavors and bequeathed them to create a new dream and grow new tulips…
The founding fathers of this new world settled on a miraculously preserved blooming island that lay in the ocean, separated by a strait from the lifeless desert of the mainland. Civilization was destroyed, nations wiped out, lands scorched, seas and rivers poisoned, and this scrap of land was given to the survivors as a last chance.
The slanting rays of the rising sun slid into the valley and melted the white patina of the night fog. The hills glowed with golden light, giving the emerald valley a jewel-like setting. Instantly the birds awoke and chirped in all their voices, the flowers turned their beautiful heads toward the sun, and the orange fruits on the trees flashed brightly among the dense foliage. The valley was serene and majestic, like an earthly paradise.
The boy took full advantage of the morning silence, disturbed only by the singing of the birds, he nestled comfortably under a tree and indulged in daydreaming.
The sun was beaming on the two young men, as they were walking down the trail, laughing, and chatting merrily despite the early hour. They were walking to the village, which was spreading freely among the gardens at the foot of the mountains.
“Look at him, daydreaming and not noticing his friends at all”, exclaimed Hugo.
The boy opened his eyes, looked in the direction the voice had come from, and smiled at his friends.
“Yeah, shame on you, Joshua,” Alba added, wagging her finger reproachfully.
“Judge not, that ye be not judged,” Joshua smiled even more broadly, without raising his head.
The boy continued to lie undisturbed beneath the sprawling tree, its shade hiding him from both prying eyes and the hot rays of the sun. But it was really time for class. He jumped up, picked up his big tuba with a musical instrument from the ground, and joined his friends.
“What were you dreaming about?” Alba asked.
“I wasn’t dreaming at all. I was just revising history homework. It’s easier to concentrate with your eyes closed, so don’t make up things that didn’t happen,” Joshua answered, slinging the tube over his shoulder.
“What did and didn’t happen will be judged by Ana-Maria, “the girl laughed.
Teasing each other, the kids headed for the academy.
“Wait, wait, history, you say? Well, here’s a question for you. Why did our Founders call the children tulips?” Hugo took Joshua by the hand right at the gate and asked him seriously.
“Because it’s the first flower they ever saw in the new land,” Joshua answered confidently.
“That’s not an answer, that’s some frivolous nonsense”, Alba reproached her friend for his flawed statement.
“Y-yeah, with answers like that you’ll never graduate from the academy,” Hugo added with a shake of his head.
The friends carried on their short journey carefree. Who could have guessed what trials awaited them…
These very young tulips were one of the main units of the new society. Humanity’s future depended on them, and they understood that… or, well, they tried to understand it. In any case, society did its best to raise them into decent people.
The tulips wore bright costumes that symbolized flowers, the sky, the sea, the sun; cloaks that reached to their waists and wide-brimmed hats that protected them from the sun and covered their shoulders in bad weather.
The islanders, the older ones, dressed more modestly, with clothes made of heat-resistant cloth that looked more like bark, stone, moss, or grass in their shades and patterns. The islanders worked every day to help each other survive, and they had little time to dress up. They were focused on the tulips only.
The islanders mostly worked in agriculture, construction, various crafts, and more, but they put the training and education of their tulips at the center of community development. The older people, who could already do physical work with difficulty, served as mentors to them in their professions and were happy to share their life experiences with the kids.
The veterans also looked after each of the crafts, were advisers in affairs and simply teachers to the younger workers. These respected old men wore white suits that covered them from head to toe.
The girls, whether very young or older, wore loose long dresses, decorated with simple but colorful beads and brooches to their liking.
The islanders were always neat and good-looking. This helped them morally in their difficult lives, and their past habits and predilections were forgotten forever.
All citizens on the island, divided by age and occupation, were ruled by the Supreme Ruler, whose name was Isa. Ruling is a strong word, Isa was rather the father of the community, a wise leader of people living in such difficult and unusual conditions.
He wore everything black, and on his chest shone the Symbol. A new symbol. The same symbol that had once helped create this new society, the golden rose of the winds. It was so radiant and contrasted so much with his dark clothes that every person who saw the glow of that rose felt touched by the light of hope.
Isa was a rather tall middle-aged man with black eyes, long hair reaching to his shoulders, and a neat beard. Among other things, the Supreme was the spiritual director of the community, so every week he held a service for all the islanders, “There is no power that can break our Rose of the Winds”.
There were always his assistants beside Isa. They wore black uniforms, and their shoulders were covered by short cloaks. These men not only carried out the will of the Supreme, but also helped all the other inhabitants of the island, resolving conflicts and disputes, in essence, being the executors of the ruler’s will. But fortunately, the society was always peaceful, so there was not much disagreement at all. Everyone lived in equal conditions, had equal rights, opportunities, and possessions, so there was no point in dividing anything.
Knock…
Knock, knock …
The game in the meadow was in full swing.
“No-o-o-o-o, you’ve won again!” Alba said with regret.
“It’s my game,” Hugo said with a smirk.
“Yes, you’re a natural, you are,” Joshua confirmed.
“Smart hands and no tricks,” Hugo continued to be amused.
“Let’s do it again,” declared Alba petulantly.
“Aren’t you tired of losing?” Joshua asked.
“Come on, it’s my pleasure to prove my skills,” said Hugo.
“You could give in to a girl for once,” Alba muttered.
“But that would be cheating,” said Hugo indignantly.
“But it would be very pleasant for me”.
“Then we’d both be liars,” the young man smirked.
“Oh, you…” Alba exclaimed and swung her little fist at Hugo.
“Friends, don’t fight, it’s just a game,” Joshua tried to calm the heated heads. “I suggest we take this as a practice, and at the end of the school year, when the graduation contests are held, decide everything honestly, on general terms”.
“You can’t compete with contestants like this,” Hugo sneered.
“Your pride will ruin you. Don’t get burnt by your brilliance,” Alba joked viciously.
“My light is enough for all,” said Hugo pretentiously, and the friends finally laughed.
The students often spent time outdoors, running, jumping, and playing various games on the grass. Their favorite game, taught by their mentors, was to use a club to send a ball into a hole, thereby earning themselves points. It was just one of the games the academy students were taught to develop their dexterity. But active sport was not welcomed by mentors, considering it too dangerous for children’s psyche. The curriculum was mostly simple games, though a competitive version, which did not provoke violent passions as they might have if they had been more adventurous. In this way, the tulips were taught restraint and humbleness, which was a part of their general training.
“Next time we’ll play without him, let him look for an equal opponent,” Alba said.
“Right, let him compete with his teacher,” Joshua added.
“Oh, well… And I thought we were friends,” smirked Hugo.
“We’ll have to be friends off the field, for here we are rivals,” Joshua said.
“I agree, and it’s even better that you play away from us,” Alba continued.
“Let me give you some treats, as an apology for winning and a sign of eternal friendship and love,’ suggested Hugo solemnly.
“Love? We didn’t agree to that,” Alba replied, grimacing.
“Like it, dislike it, bear with me, my beauty,” Hugo laughed.
“I have to be the girl who lost to you to get your treats?” Joshua asked.
“I can’t waste my feelings on everyone else,” Hugo smiled.
“I’ll have to get my own treats,” Joshua sighed.
“Don’t worry, I’ll share it with you,” Alba said.
“There goes the reward for unselfish friendship,” Joshua said contentedly.
Leaving the clubs and balls behind, the tulips picked up their things and headed for their next lesson.
Joshua lingered, still fiddling with the heavy tuba and the broken clasp that wouldn’t go on and off.
“When will you fix the lock?” asked Hugo, seeing the anguish of his friend.
“I can’t get my hands on it,” Joshua answered, “I’ll ask Giuseppe to help me after school, he’s a jack of all trades.”
“Yes, he’ll help,” Hugo added, nodding.
“He will definitely take you under his wing after the exams. He’ll teach you how to make watches, and not just locks,” Alba said.
“I don’t think I’m destined for anything else” Joshua said with a smile.
Tulips headed to a music class where students learned to play various instruments, vocals, and everything else related to music. The academy had its own orchestra where all the gifted children played. One of those gifted children was Joshua, who played the bassoon beautifully. Though, to show his talents, he had to carry a huge tuba for the instrument and bother with its lock. But Tulip loved music and was ready to endure more than such hardships for the sake of it.
The choir and orchestra of the academy performed only those works that were authorized by the Supreme. This did not mean that there was any censorship. Rather, the Supreme, himself having a good taste in music, selected melodious and optimistic songs, symphonies, and suites to please the ears of citizens and educate young people in the right way. There was never any overly loud and informal music, or at least none that anyone remembered. Back in the olden days, the Founders forbade any aggressive music that would evoke unwanted aggressive emotions.
The Young Tulip Orchestra played and sang at all the festivals and was very popular. There were individual singers and musicians too, of course, but due to tradition they were not as successful, and more often performed only at family parties or for friends.
Individualism was not encouraged in the academy at all, which was evident in everything. In sports, work and art. It was considered indecent and not welcomed by the tutors. Such restrictions made it possible to avoid conflicts and did not give people cause for envy. All this was considered vicious.
The Founders, those who survived the Last War, learned a good lesson from the past and drew up a new set of rules and laws for human existence. People wanted to live in peace, in harmony with nature, and to see only the beautiful. That is why those in power decided to create a world like the Garden of Eden, which they had heard about from people who remembered how happily, in their opinion, they had lived before. The Founders had no other sources of information, everything was destroyed by war.
The basis of the new power was faith. Why faith? Because any form of government in the history of mankind has always displeased someone and was constantly questioned. And faith, religion has lived for centuries, albeit changing its attributes, leaving the principles unchanged. Similarly, in times of hardship, living under bombardment and bullets, the Founders saw clearly that people involuntarily rejected technological civilization in their minds and began to reach for nature. This manifested not only in their way of life, but also in their simple clothing. It made both they and their children, young tulips, wear outfits emblematic of the world around them. No wonder, as you see nothing but gloom and death, and flowers are the only thing that can make the soul happy and help it escape its misfortunes.
The wise Founders knew that nature can be cruel for the sake of life itself. They had learned by painful experience that since this life was given to man here and now, the punishment for sins for those who overstep reasonable limits would come at once by the will of the Supreme Ruler, not at some distant afterlife.
Yet the idea of eternal torment, which the Founding Fathers received from the ancestors, they also laid at the foundation of the faith and threatened all unfaithful spirits. All those who did not want to accept the new order were threatened with eternal punishment. Most people followed the Founders, for the horror they had already endured made them trust only in a higher power.
The new human community has resisted and even gradually, year by year, transformed itself to resemble to the kingdom of God.
The islanders called their home Paradise, and the opposite wounded shore, which had endured all the horrors of war, was Hell. It was exactly as their ancestors had told them. Paradise was a blooming land, and Hell was a dead desert, with eerie sounds and the light of devilish flames in the night. On the mainland the earth was so mutilated that its entire surface was covered with a charred crust, and it became impossible to use it for cultivation because it killed any plants. Fortunately, the island and the Black Earth were separated by a Dead Ocean strait with poisoned water. The strait was relatively wide, allowing the inhabitants of Paradise to witness the terrible shadows and infernal outbreaks firsthand. It served as an extra admonition to the inhabitants of the island. Yes, the islanders were very fortunate, for on their land, clear water flowed directly from the mountains, ready for them to enjoy.
As time passed, the misfortunes and the old ways were forgotten, each new generation moved along directly to the course of goodness and peace that the first settlers had instilled in the people since childhood.
It took decades before the principles and ideas that the Founders laid down in the structure of society became common to people and were followed unconditionally.
“Eh… Here you go. The clasp is very flimsy, I suggest you go to Master Alberto, and have it changed,” Giuseppe said as best he could.
“Thank you, I’ll be sure to visit him if I don’t forget,” Joshua replied, bowing.
“The true virtue is to live in harmony with your thoughts, otherwise your life will become chaos,” the smiling grandfather finished his work.
“I can’t do it all, the whole day is packed and there’s no time to think,” Joshua said with a wave of his hands.
“You have to start small and work your way up. Take, for example, that bush you’re pruning. A little seed sprouts out of the ground to become a lush plant, but it takes a step-by-step process to get there. So do you, start with observation, try to write down your day, separately write down the moments in which you fail or that you forget, and solve them in the first place. Paper to the rescue, when you’re foolish,” Giuseppe laughed.
“Did you come up with that all by yourself?” Joshua asked.
“Sure! When I was your age, I was known for my sharp wit, and I wrote many plays that are still in the theater,” the old man answered modestly.
“Is it about the donkey and the goat?” asked the young man with a smirk.
“And not only that, but you young people grab what’s on the surface and don’t see the rest,” Giuseppe replied thoughtfully.
“Tell me, Giuseppe, what’s the point of cutting these bushes? So what if they were round or square? Why shape them?” Joshua asked another question.
“Look for yourself, son,” the old man said with a smile as he looked around, “nature is beautiful and its creations are truly incomparable. But our work is also worth something. We give meaning to nature, we saturate it with new colors and create a human-friendly environment, without disturbing the overall picture. A solitary bush becomes part of a beautiful garden. I like it better this way, so let’s do less talking and more doing,” Giuseppe laughed when he saw the young man’s indignation.
Each tulip, at the end of the school day at the academy, went off to obligatory assistance to others, which lasted until evening, finishing their work at the same time as the adults.
Joshua worked in the garden, where the counselors often spent time enjoying the solitude of nature, reflecting among the fragrant plants. Day after day in the garden, Joshua became friends with Giuseppe, who became not only a friend to him, but also a sort of spiritual mentor, which the young man himself did not notice, considering the old man to be simply his older companion.
After finishing his business and saying goodbye to Giuseppe, Joshua went home.
The islanders lived in families and each family usually had two children. Two adults and two children, usually a boy and a girl. Joshua’s parents’ names were Anna and Klaus, and his little sister was named Pietra. But the parents didn’t choose the names, they were given by the Supreme at birth.
The houses on the island were the same size, although they had different facades. And each family’s household was more or less the same. There was nothing to envy. Everyone worked equally, which helped all the inhabitants to live well, because the nature of the island was really beautiful and prolific. Most of the food came from their own farms, and the lacking was given to them at work once a week. The temple counsellors distributed particularly valuable gifts of the Lord, which were rare on the island. Tea, coffee, salt, spices, family coupons.
Everyone was happy and no one had any problems with food. The crops grew lushly and abundantly. Yet the big trees such as oak, hornbeam, sycamore, pine trees were much worse. Of course, they existed and grew beautifully on the island, there were even dense forests in the mountains, but the number of trees, their growth and use were strictly controlled. All timber was accounted for, so many houses were built of stone and the roof was made of turf on arched structures. But the soil gradually sprouted grass, and the roof itself sometimes turned into a pasture for the ubiquitous goats, who inexplicably climbed up and pecked at the living roof. They were chased away, of course, but…
Joshua always chuckled when he passed another herd of goats that were eating their lunch on the roof of some apartment building, bellowing like crazy. He could not drive them off, the goats obeyed no one. And sometimes he had to run away with all his might, if, for example, to throw a stone at the robbers, or swing a stick at them and get into sight of the leader of the herd. The goats did not bear grudges. They were feared by everyone because they were so violent.
“Mom, Dad, I’m home,” he said as he entered the house and closed the door behind him.
“Joshua, come in, dinner will be ready soon,” Anna answered.
“How is old Giuseppe, did he not bother you with his lectures?” Klaus asked with a smirk.
“Everything is all right. Here, he helped me with the buckle on the tuba belt”.
“Go to Alberto and change it, don’t wait till it breaks”, father answered.
“Yes, I got it, thank you,” replied the son.
Joshua went to the sink to wash his hands and rolled up his sleeves, when he suddenly exclaimed indignantly,
“Aha! Why do I always get an empty hand basin?!
“Don’t grumble, go get water and fill the washbasin, that’s all!” replied the mother.
Joshua, sighing, took two buckets and went to the water tap. Every street in the township had a tap from which everyone could get their own water. As a rule, the taps were built near a group of houses, so that all the families could use them equally.
After collecting one bucket for the washbasin and a second for the reserve, the young man headed back. Suddenly there was a wild scream,
“Baaaa!”
It was a goat bleating.
Joshua shuddered and thought that he was the only one going to get water, but the goat made him laugh, and he returned home in good spirits. On the doorstep he was greeted by his little sister Pietra in a fancy yellow dress.
“Hello, little brother,” said the little sister cheerfully.
“Hello to you too, Pietra! Do you want to help me?” Joshua asked with a smile.
“Yes, I do,” the little girl answered kindly.
“Well, come on, hold on to the hand, we’ll carry this heavy bucket together,” replied the brother.
Pietra grabbed one of the buckets and with all her strength began to help her brother to carry it to the washbasin.
“Oh, we did. I couldn’t have done it without you, thank you,” Joshua continued his role.
“Hee-hee,” laughed the little girl, twirling around and holding the hem of her beautiful dress.
“Well done,” Anna remarked from the stove and took Pietra in her arms, “come and help me too”.
“Is everything ready? Let me rinse my hands,” Klaus said, walking first to the washbasin that Joshua was filling.
The young man was a little upset with his father, for he had filled it, hence he should have been the first to wash his hands, and if his father had long wanted to wash, he could have fetched water himself without waiting for his son. The young tulip did not hide his displeasure. But Klaus didn’t even notice it, not even thinking to apologize, for he was the head of the family. Klaus washed generously, and his son had to refill the water and rattle the pimple a lot to wash his hands. Finally, when it was his turn, Joshua washed his hands. The hand basin looked like a bucket, but with a hole in the bottom that was blocked by a metal valve in the shape of a rod. And to open the tap, you had to lift it up.
All the preparations were completed, and everyone was seated at the table.
Traditionally, the family said a prayer before the meal and only then had the right to begin the meal.
“History was given to us not to make the same mistakes again, and you are neglecting it. Appreciate what you have, including the knowledge of the past, which, unfortunately, is not much left,” Ana Maria said with a stern voice.
The knowledge that mankind has acquired over the millennia has been tremendous. The same knowledge that led to the terrible war threw humanity back into the Middle Ages, depriving it of all the achievements of civilization. Of course, some information was saved, but only what people were able to recreate from memory or convey at least in words. Everything else was burned in the fires of hell…
“Who can tell me what reasons led to the Last War?” Ana-Maria asked the class a question.
One of the students raised her hand to answer her mentor.
“Alba, please,” Ana-Maria said, pointing to the girl.
“As mankind evolved, people began to forget about the spiritual component of their lives, causing their souls to become black as tar, and our ancestors had no choice but to wage war against evil,” Alba answered.
“Okay. And what lesson should we learn from this?” the mentor asked again, looking for a student to answer her question.
Alba held out her hand again, but it was as if Ana-Maria hadn’t noticed.
“Joshua, please,” the mentor said pointing to her student.
“Hmm…” the boy said, slightly embarrassed.
“We’re listening to you,” Ana-Maria insisted.
“Each of us must remember this tragic lesson and put our souls first, for when it is not pure, our existence has no meaning,” Joshua answered firmly this time.
“Well done! It would be all the better if you could have those thoughts,” Ana-Maria said, looking sternly at him.
The mentor heard Alba, who was sitting next to Joshua, whisper to him.
“Remember, no one will live your life for you. Appreciate it and reflect on your life. But as you reflect, don’t shy away from hard work. Labor is a virtue that brings us closer to God, and laziness is a vice that hurts everything,” Ana-Maria said sternly.
“Everyone is ready to share the fun, no one wants to share the sadness,” Hugo said quietly, while the mentor was admonishing his friends.
During the longest break between classes, the tulips would go out into the fresh air, under a special tent where all the students would gather for a communal meal.
During this time, the students of the academy were frequently visited by the Supreme, who periodically went around the island, talking to the inhabitants and helping them in any way he could. Today, Isa decided to visit the young tulips. He unexpectedly entered the tent, where students sat at tables surrounded by their mentors. Everyone stood up to greet the Supreme and show their sincere respect for the great man. Isa graciously accepted the recognition and immediately urged everyone to sit down.
The Supreme was, as always, all in black, with a star shining on his chest. He walked through the rows, nodding to his students, and left contentedly. Everything was in order here.
The friends stared at Isa with admiring eyes, before they spoke.
“What a man! Maybe I will be lucky to stand beside him someday, like those guards of his,” said Hugo dreamily.
“Be jealous,” said Alba.
“I don’t envy him, I admire him,” said Hugo.
“I wish I were as old as Giuseppe, not as old as Isa,” Joshua said thoughtfully.
“You should always look up to the best, then you’ll be the best,” he replied.
“You are a treasure trove of wise sayings today, what else can you remember?” Alba asked.
“Well…” Hugo thought for a moment and then answered, “I love you, what more can I say? What more could I say?”
At that he put his hand over Alba’s palm. The girl was embarrassed and pulled her hand out of Hugo’s grasp.
The boys laughed.
“It’s not funny, you can’t talk about such adult things yet,” said the girl angrily.
“You asked, I answered. Why do you ask a question if you don’t want to hear the truth?” Hugo asked.
“Because she wanted a simple answer, not the truth,” Joshua answered for the girl.
The boys laughed again.
“You two insufferable troublemakers, how am I even friends with you?” Alba said indignantly.
“It’s just that we complete you. You’re smart, you’re beautiful, and we’re everything else,” Hugo said again.
“See, listen to me more often,” the girl said with her nose proudly turned up.
There was a loud ringing sound. The head cook hit the pot with a ladle to draw attention to himself.
“Gentlemen,” said Hans, “today on the menu, eggplant caviar, chicken pâté, fresh bread, coleslaw, pea soup, boiled corn, chicken from the oven, potatoes on the fire, pork shish kebab, fresh herbs.
While the cook announced the menu, his assistants distributed all these treats to the tables. No one on the island ever complained about food, for there was enough for everyone, and whatever was left over was given to our little brothers. All this was achieved through a moderate use of resources and the proper distribution of the harvest. When there was little, they ate it all; when there was more, they preserved the surplus, thus stocking up just in case.
“As they say, bon appétit,” said Hugo, and the friends began to eat.
After the school day was over, Joshua headed out to the garden for some obligatory help.
"…And she replied that no one will live this life properly for us if they don’t study. That’s why we need to love the academy and appreciate everything we have,” Joshua retold Ana-Maria’s words to his old friend.
“Wise woman, hee hee hee!” Giuseppe laughed. “I remember her as a little girl. Everyone was running and playing, and she was seating the dolls and explaining things to them. That’s what a real vocation means, hee hee hee!”
“We don’t really shy away from studying, but we’re reminded of it too often,” the young man said, picking leaves from around the trees.
“Hard in your studies, easy in your labors, you know that one?” Giuseppe asked.
“Well, yes…” the boy muttered grudgingly.
“Sit down and listen to an old man and I will tell you a story.”
The young man carefully put his work tools on the ground, shook himself off, and sat down next to Giuseppe.
“One day, while working in the fields, a man unexpectedly found a real diamond. He was very happy but was not in a hurry to part with it easily, knowing its value. The man took the precious stone to the master, hoping to exchange it for the goods he needed.
The master examined the stone and shook his head and said, “There is a crack in this stone.”
The man who found the diamond was very upset; he found the stone dirty and could not immediately see the defect.
But the master continued “This stone can be split into two pieces, which will make two diamonds and each of them will be more valuable than the diamond itself. But the problem is that a careless blow to the stone may break it into a handful of tiny stones. The diamonds made of these tiny stones will be many times cheaper than the diamond itself and will be worth practically nothing. I won’t take that risk, and I won’t do the job.”
– Other craftsmen in many cities, where the man went in search of a worthy jeweler, said the same thing. Then he was advised to go to an old master who had golden hands. The same hour, the man went to a distant land and found the old master there. Looking at the stone with interest, the man also began to warn him of the risks. Then the man told him that he had heard all this before, and more than once, but that no one had solved his problem. The master thought about it and, after quoting the price, said that he would do the work. When the master of the stone agreed, the wise old man turned to the young apprentice, who was sitting with his back to them in the workshop, doing his work. The boy took the stone, put it in his palm, smashed it once with his hammer, and then, without looking back, returned it to the jeweler.
The stunned owner of the diamond asked, “How long have you had it?”
“Only the third day,” replied the master. “He does not know the real value of this stone and so his hand was steady and did not tremble.”
Giuseppe finished his story and looked at the young man with interest.
“What does it mean?” Joshua thought about it.
“You don’t have to be someone else; you always have to be yourself and you can be like everyone else, heh heh heh!” Giuseppe said.
“Yes…,” the young man said dreamily, staring up at the sky. “It used to be great, lots of cities, new places…”
“As Ana-Maria says, appreciate what you have,” the old man replied with a smile. “Now help me up, it’s time to stretch my bones.
Joshua got up from the bench on which they were sitting and helped his friend.”
“You helped me, now I’ll help you. I have distracted you from your work with my stories, so let me hold a bag for you to put the leaves in,” said Giuseppe.
Together they finished all the work that was left to the young tulip for today.
Joshua ran as fast as he could toward the bluff where he and his friends often sat.
It was a steep, high bank above the ocean. It was stormy today. Foamy waves rolled over the rocks, shattering into a myriad of shiny splashes and creating an unimaginable rumble. Giant waves tried to destroy the paradise island, but it stood as an indestructible wall, and it was unlikely that the stronghold of the new humanity would ever waver.
The storm below contrasted sharply with the weather above. Here, on the bluff, it was quiet and peaceful enough. All that reached here was the soft howl of the wind and the indistinct sound of waves beating vainly against the rocks. On the paradisiacal land by the ocean, curly cypresses and blooming jasmine bushes grew freely, with no fear of crashing into the raging waves.
From here one could see the opposite shore of the strait, and even through the whirlwinds of the storm one could discern the black scorched surface of the mysterious Hell.
Mystery was much of the attraction of the friends who had chosen the cliff for their regular meetings. They had watched the place for a long time and knew every bush here, and still the raging ocean, the opposite lifeless shore pulled them to it. It seemed to the boys that it was about to reveal its secrets to them. Besides, not many people were here, and no one stopped the tulips from spending their time the way they wanted to.
“What took you so long?” Hugo asked him.
Joshua collapsed on the ground, exhausted, and didn’t answer.
“It’ll be sunset soon, we thought you weren’t coming,” Alba said.
“Let… me… breathe,” Joshua asked, barely catching his breath.
“Giuseppe must have really talked your ear off,” Hugo suggested.
“Yeah, he’ll be your only friend soon,” Alba interjected.
“Ewww! Don’t speak ill of the old man,” he said with a sigh, “he’s the cleverest man in the world.
“Well, since you came late today, tomorrow, after the meeting, let’s go straight here,” said Hugo.
“I agree,” Alba nodded.
“I don’t mind either,” Joshua answered. “What was discussed without me?”
“Nothing much,” Alba answered.
“We were discussing how we were going to live together,” Hugo smiled.
“Hugo-o-o-o,” the girl yelled.
“But it’s the truth, and the truth is a virtue.”
“It’s the will of the Supreme who decides who lives with whom. Maybe I was meant for Joshua, not you,” Alba said, taking the boy’s hand in hers.
“Well, we’ll have to live together,” Hugo said, hugging Joshua on the other side.
The friends laughed.
““Oh, it’s a beauty of life!” Hugo said, lying down in the hammock that hung between two cypress trees.
“You know, Giuseppe told me a story from the past, when there were different cities, and you could travel freely around the world. I can’t stop thinking about it,” Joshua said.
“Alas, there is a reason why Ana María devotes so much time to the other places that used to be. It is impossible to see them now, they no longer exist. But we shouldn’t complain, because God’s kingdom is on earth now, and it used to be in heaven,” Alba said.
“Yes, there is both Heaven and Hell now,” Joshua sighed.
After such profound conversations, they sat back and enjoyed the sunset with their eyes fixed on the opposite dead earth. Against the black backdrop, it was a most spectacular sight. When darkness fell, there was a wavering light on the other side of the strait every night, something flashing and glittering, sometimes strange sounds, and even demonic laughter, but it was impossible to make out anything through the mist over the water. The friends stared in fascination at these incomprehensible phenomena, which they believed to be produced by devils.
Every islander strongly knew and believed that on the dead earth there was a real hell with a fiery hell and a red-hot frying pan, so they considered such sounds and pictures to be scary, but quite natural. All the evildoers were there, thought the good Samaritans, and deservedly receive punishment for their sins.
“And here, on the island, is the kingdom of God on earth.”
Chapter 2
“The book of God cannot be voluminous. His instructions are short and clear. God gives us direction, guidance, meaning… But he also leaves us a huge field of possibilities. He loves us and we love him, which is why we have such beautiful and intelligent tulips. Let’s give a friendly welcome to one of them. Hugo, come up to me,” Isa said solemnly, clapping his hands together with all the islanders.
Today, on the day off, there was a weekly meeting for which the whole island gathered. Isa, as Supreme Ruler, led a general prayer and then moved on to the latest news and messages for the people.
Around the meeting in an open field, they built temporary sheds under which the family workshops displayed their work and distributed their handicrafts to all who wished to see them. Wood, stone, glass, metal, and other craftsmen exhibited their art. Such exhibitions were more for the amusement of the human soul than for earning money. People came to the meetings to listen to the Supreme, and, except for children, paid little attention to the colorful decorations. They could always visit the masters in a neighborly way and enjoy this beauty, because all the doors on the island were always open.
The fresh wind breathing cold,
The swaying grasses turning gold,
Flying over the rivers,
Passing over the trees,
The shadow shivers,
Starting to freeze.
This is how it goes,
When the winter shows.
The young man, standing in front of the whole world, as it seemed to him, recited his poems with inspiration.
“Bravo… Well done… " there were shouts and loud applause.
Hugo, embarrassed, bowed. It was the first time he had ever read his poems in public, and he was very nervous.
On the island, art in any form was encouraged-not only that made by hands, but also poetry, music, literature. Interestingly enough, only in poetry was it allowed to be the sole author, for it was believed that only collective creativity carried the truth.
After the meeting, the residents usually held general activities like dances, sports competitions, funny contests, and much more.
“This is a cat.”
“Nah, a dog.”
“Matryoshka,” the children, surrounded by one of the artists, tried to guess whose portrait would eventually appear on the canvas.
Listeners froze, listening to the beautiful sound of the flute, while someone was playing a ball across the field, trying to hit the opposing team’s goal with a good shot.
This kind of gathering of all the residents was a great way to bring the children together and to socialize for the adults who rarely saw eye to eye because of their daily work.
Isa, after the general prayer and communications, went by tradition to the confessional temple. But not in the one that towered over the whole island, but in a small building that was situated a little away from the meeting place. There the Supreme received all citizens who wanted to ask for advice, to speak out, or who needed spiritual support. He did all these things on ordinary days, but since it was a day off, he could receive more people, since he could not disrupt his work or study schedule. The whole way of life on the island was based on discipline and adherence was strictly controlled. But the locals had lived under strict supervision for many years and were so used to order that they considered it a blessing. There was no longer any need to force anyone to do anything. This regime had become their way of life, inherited from their great ancestors, and was quite natural for them.
“You did great,” Alba said.
“Yes, you did great,” Joshua congratulated his friend.
“Thank you very much!”
Hugo read his poems to them more than once, and with occasional chuckles, they acknowledged his talent.
“Of course, I still have a lot of confidence to build up. It’s hard to perform in front of the whole settlement, though,” Hugo grinned.
“One day you’ll be working side by side with Ana-Maria, too,” Joshua said.
“That’s the kind of happiness you want for me, is it? “Hugo jokingly resented it.
The friends laughed.
“Do you remember that we are going to our place today?” Alba asked.
“Of course, but I’ll just run home and go straight to the cliff,” Hugo answered eagerly.
“Yes, only I promised Pietra I’d play horseplay and ride her on my own neck,” said Joshua.
“And he didn’t even want to carry me in his arms,” pouted the girl.
“I’m always ready to serve you in every way possible, Alba dear,” Hugo said eagerly, turning to her.
Suddenly, he bumped into someone.
The friends froze in place, and Hugo glanced defiantly at the culprit of what he thought was an accident.
“Keep your eyes open, or you will cause trouble to your good fellow citizens”!
It was Isa. The boys had been chatting and had not noticed the Supreme, who had come out of the tent with the ornaments. But he did not seem to hold a grudge and took the young man by the shoulders with a smile.
“I beg your pardon,” Hugo mumbled, stammering.
“Hello,” the friends said, bowing their heads.
“And you, my children. You read your poems beautifully Hugo, we are grateful to you for your art,” said Isa softly.
“Thank you very much,” Hugo thanked his mentor.
“And you, young tulip,” the Supreme addressed Alba, “you keep blooming and blooming. Your beauty can only be compared to your intelligence. I have heard about your successes in the academy, do not lose your knowledge!”
Alba opened her mouth at the flattering words but could not find the answer.
“Joshua,” Isa said, turning his gaze to the young man.
“Yes, Supreme,” said Tulip.
“Has Giuseppe given you all his wisdom?” the Supreme asked with a smile.
“Giuseppe is a wonderful man, he always gives me advice,” Joshua answered.
“That’s why you never came to see me. Pick a day, pick a time, I’d like to talk to you,” the Supreme said.
“Yes. Of course. Thank you,” Joshua replied, stammering out each word, startled by the attention.
“All right, children, I have to go now, I have people waiting for me. Don’t hit anyone else, be careful,” Isa said with his last words and left.
“See you later,” the tulips shouted after him.
They waited for the Supreme to leave and his men to go and spoke at the same time.
“The Supreme himself… He knows all of us… He wants to meet me…”
“Wo-o-o-o, did you see that? He touched me. I’ll never wash my suit now,” Hugo said enthusiastically.
“Hmm, for what it’s worth, did you hear the words he said to me?” Alba was mortified.
“I say things like that to you every day,” Hugo sulked.
“Oh, no, the great Isa himself told me that,” Alba looked back at the Supreme and said reverently.
“How can one admire the women after that,” said Hugo with a sigh.
“Come on, let’s go, or our parents will be worried,” Joshua pulled his friends with him.
“Right, let’s go,” Alba agreed.
“Have you really never had any one-on-one conversations with Isa?” Hugo asked.
“Unfortunately, no,” Joshua answered.
“How is that possible? Every islander can talk to him,” Alba wondered.
“I didn’t want to distract him. It was always Giuseppe who helped me when I was in doubt,” Joshua answered.
“What a nightmare, I have to tell your parents so they can send you to confession right away,” she said.
“No need,” the young tulip frowned.
“Yes, your parents don’t need to know, but you should pick a time, as Isa said,” Hugo added.
“He can’t visit Alberto, let alone meet Isa,” Alba reproached her friend.
“Okay, calm down. I’m a grown man, I can take care of myself,” Joshua said
“Oh, I bet you can!” ironically agreed with him Hugo.
Friendly advice could already have turned into a quarrel. But in a moment, they forgot all their worries and arguments, as it often happens in carefree youth, and went on their chit-chatting.
After spending some more time at the gathering, Joshua’s family headed home for dinner.
“Flap, flap, and land,” Joshua explained as he showed his little sister the flight of the bird, carrying her on his shoulders. Pietra, hugging her brother tightly around the neck, happily accepted the game.
“Ha-ha-ha! More, more,” cried the little girl enthusiastically.
“That’s enough, more than enough is too much,” Anna remarked, fearing that they were both about to fall over.
“Ooooh,” pouted Pietra, as her father set her on the ground.
“Come on, you’ll be flying around again, and you’ve got to get something to eat,” Klaus said as he pressed his little girl against the stubble on his cheek.
Here is home. While playing games and Pietra’s cheerful chirping, neither of them noticed how they reached the manor house.
“Joshua, fetch some water,” my mother shouted from the kitchen.
“But I had already taken my shoes off.”
“Don’t argue, obey your mother,” said my father, carrying Pietra in his arms.
Joshua groaned heavily but put his shoes on and walked.
As he stood at the water faucet, he noticed drops starting to fall on top of him. Tulip looked up and saw that a cloud was coming over the island. He got some water and quickly went back home.
“I think it’s starting to rain,” said Klaus, looking out the window.
“It’s already pouring heavily,” said a drenched Joshua as he entered the house.
“Everyone to the table!” shouted Pietra.
The family gathered in the kitchen and sat down at their seats. Klaus lit the wick and lit the oil lamp, and it was bright and cozy.
“How did you like the meeting?” Anna asked her son.
“It was good. You saw me listening to Isa,” answered Tulip.
“Yes, but then you disappeared.”
“I didn’t disappear anywhere, I just talked to Alba and Hugo. Alba is a beautiful and hardworking girl. Might make a good match for you,” Klaus stated bluntly.
“And Hugo performed beautifully,” Anna interrupted her husband, “you could do something like that, too.”
“Not yet,” Joshua said seriously, “I’m not ready.”
“What about Alba?” his father continued his theme.
“Klaus, you’re impossible,” Anna exclaimed with a laugh.
“Joshua and Alba sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” Pietra sang, catching the gist of the conversation, as she dumped the chewed food back on the plate.
“Ew, how rude you are, Pietra, don’t talk with your mouth full,” said Anna sternly, wiping the little girl’s mouth.
The men looked at each other.
“Alba has his eye on Hugo, and he’s a friend of mine,” Joshua said after a pause.
“Ask old Giuseppe how to impress a lady. The old ways do the trick,” advised his father.
“Hee-hee-hee, tra-la-la-la, the wedding will be afterwards,” the little girl continued to laugh.
“Pietra!” Anna made a remark again.
“Maybe throw the ball with the neighbors? What do you say, son?” Klaus asked.
“I promised to meet my friends. Promises have to be kept,” Joshua answered firmly.
“Well, let’s play backgammon while you’re still here. I’ve got a couple of mars to play,” Klaus said, just as firmly, and went to get the board.
“You’d better do something useful,” Anna remarked.
“Can’t the game wait till tonight?” Tulip asked.
“Don’t argue with your father! Finish your meal and come here, while I arrange the chips,” said the father of the family.
“And you should find something for yourself to do, all the games, balls…” said the mother again.
“Eh, parents, you do not let me live in peace, now fetch, now clean, now play!” the son got up from the table and grumbled.
“You will settle your life, and we will leave you alone… I guess…” smirked Klaus.
“Don’t listen to your brother, he doesn’t know what he’s saying,” Anna held her daughter close to her.
“Now we’ve talked. Roll the dice,” the father said to his son.
After playing a few times in a row, Joshua went to the cliff, where his friends were waiting for him. The rain had stopped, and the strait was calm today, with a light breeze overhead and the evening sun peeking through the clouds.”
“Late again…,” Hugo muttered, lying in the hammock they’d long ago tied to two centuries old cypress trees.
“Excuse me… My father made me play backgammon,” Joshua answered.
“He made you play backgammon? I haven’t heard that word in a long time,” Alba laughed.
“I suppose so,” said the young tulip.
“They don’t bother me at all. I have my way, they have theirs,” Hugo jumped up from the hammock.
“I’m lucky, but I’m being patronized,” Joshua said with regret.
“Just like children! I don’t know whether to be happy or cry!” Alba continued to laugh.
Let’s drop it and talk about something else,” Joshua said.
“Come on, let’s talk about something else,” Joshua said.
Hugo agreed, and after a pause, he continued, “It’s almost graduation time, I think it’s time to think about adulthood.”
“What’s there to think about? You just have to do it,” answered Alba.
“And what do we do, that’s the question?” Joshua interjected thoughtfully.
“Well, it’s more or less clear with you, Alba. And me too, but our friend here needs help,” said Hugo.
“Yeah, well… The future is a mystery to me,” Joshua agreed.
“Go backwards. Pick out what you don’t like and leave out what suits you,” Alba suggested.
“I certainly don’t intend to trim the bushes,” Joshua said.
“Too bad, people were counting on you,” Hugo joked.
“Well, what else wouldn’t you like to do? the girl asked.
“I don’t think I’m suited to the work of craftsmen either, my hands aren’t suited that way.”
“You’re picky, aren’t you? Are you aiming for the
Ruler’s job?” Hugo suggested.
“Certainly not. Where’s me and where’s the word of God,” said Tulip.
“Well, you’d better be a Councilor,” said Alba sadly, referring to the fact that he’s only fit to be a helpless old man who only gives advice.
Joshua understood, and grimaced.
“Speaking of advisors, tomorrow ask Giuseppe that question, or better yet, talk to Isa, like he told you,” Hugo wagged his finger at his friend.
“Come on, I’m not going anywhere. Otherwise, I’ll stay a gardener,” Joshua sighed.
“Maybe you should become a cook. You can be Hans’s errand boy, and then you can take his place,” Hugo suggested.
“It’s not a bad idea,” Alba said.
“I can barely help my mother, and you’re talking about a shared kitchen,” Joshua smiled.
“Don’t be afraid. You won’t know until you try it,” said Hugo.
“Maybe you’re right… I’ll consider the craft,” Joshua replied.
Everyone remained in contemplation, only the sound of the wind on the cliff broke the silence.
“I saw a goldfish in the pond today,” Alba suddenly exclaimed.
“Yes, I’ve heard about the goldfish, too, and I wonder where it came from”, Hugo asked.
“The mentors say that sometimes such miracles happen. It’s God’s will,” Alba smiled.
“Mom told me that cats can’t be three-colored,” Joshua interjected when he thought the subject of fish was over.
“What do you mean?” Hugo didn’t get it at first.
“Well, in the sense that only cats can have three colors, and cats can have two at most,” answered the young tulip.
“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” Hugo said pointlessly.
“Me, too. We’ll have to ask the mentors,” Alba said, making a note to herself.
There was a pause again. The friends sat brooding on the cliff, each in his own thoughts.
“Soon, friends… Soon we’ll be adults,” Hugo said, looking out at the setting sun.
The moment the crimson sun touched the horizon, twilight fell and the fire on the other shore was lit. It was time to go home.
The next day, having attended the academy, the young tulip headed to the garden again for his obligatory help, where, as always, Giuseppe was waiting for him. On the old man’s lap lay a kitty, nestled in his arms. It was entirely white and not at all different in color from the old man’s costume.
“Oh, there’s real harmony here,” Joshua said instead of greeting him.
The old man stroked the cat, and replied, chuckling,
“Yes, my boy, I’m approaching complete harmony with nature, and soon, hee-hee-hee, I’ll dissolve into it completely…”
The young man took his tools and diligently set to work, but he couldn’t do without Giuseppe for long.
“At the meeting we ran into Isa. Hugo almost knocked him down. We were taken aback at that moment, but we apologized and talked. Hugo even said he wouldn’t wash his suit after the Supreme had touched it,” Joshua smirked as he recounted yesterday. “He also looked at me intently and told me to pick a day to meet him. Turns out he had everyone but me. My parents didn’t make me, and I didn’t need to. Isa remarked that I had you for advice.”
“Ha-ha-ha! That’s right,” laughed the old man. “Isa used to come to me for advice himself.”
“You?! And now?” Joshua asked.
“No, he doesn’t do it anymore. Times have changed,” the old man answered. “With each generation people become…”
Giuseppe said something silent, as if he were afraid to say too much.
“They become?” Joshua asked again.
“They become more obedient,” the old man smiled.
“What does that mean?”
“Hmm… Stop working and come sit with me. There used to be many crafts, in my working days, that no one even knows now. The Supreme Ones felt they had lost their relevance, had become archaic, and were no longer needed in our settlement”.
“After all, you were a mentor. Don’t we need mentors?” Joshua asked.
“Ha-ha-ha! No, of course not. But mentors have different specialties, as you’ve probably noticed over the years,” laughed Giuseppe.
“Yes, I did,” he smiled grinningly.
“My job was to know the unknown. I knew too much and saw too much. I read, studied, tasted and heard too much. I analyzed, pondered, and turned it all into a form of instruction. I am many years old, and Isa, the third Supreme in my lifetime,” Giuseppe said.
“What have you been doing, anyway?” the tulip was confused.
“I taught, I explained, I instilled, I was an outsider’s opinion, if I may say so.”
“Opinion?” The young man was surprised.
“Yes, I was the advisor and tutor to the Supreme Ones,” Giuseppe answered.
“The Supreme Ones? Why didn’t you tell me about it before?” Joshua asked excitedly.
“Hee-hee-hee! It would have spoiled our friendship then,” replied the old man.
“Not at all! But why were you appointed to look after the garden? Why did your business become archaic, since it is very important,” the young tulip pestered the old man with questions.
“Isa decided that he would educate his successor himself. It was his right. He felt that the Supreme One should not seek answers on the side,” Giuseppe replied, stroking the kitty that continued to lie on his lap.
“Isa asks God for advice, isn’t that the highest knowledge?” Joshua asked.
“You’re right… You’re right, son,” the old mentor said with regret as he looked at his young friend, “I should get some rest. It’s been a long day, and I think I’ll head home.”
“But I haven’t asked you about the final exam yet,” the young man was surprised by Giuseppe’s reaction.
“We’ll reschedule it for the next day. Now I have to go. Have a good day, Joshua, have a good day…
“Today’s lesson topic is medical emergencies,” the mentor began, calling for everyone’s attention. “You are old enough to learn how to help each other in an emergency. This applies not only to friends and family, but also to anyone who needs your help. Let’s start with our island’s biggest and most serious problem, sunstroke. As I hope you know, our daytime sunshine brings down on us a merciless radiation capable of killing anyone, so sunstroke is a very dangerous thing! But we have learned how to deal with it as well as with its consequences. First of all, we made a law requiring our citizens to wear wide brimmed hats and lightweight suits made of special thermo fabric, which protect against the sun’s rays. And secondly, we have remedies to help quickly restore the functions of the body. But what should we do if a stroke does happen? For a better example, let’s play out a scene that’s closer to the real thing. Joshua, Hugo, please come to me”.
The named students stood up and approached their mentor.
“Let’s assume that I am the sunbeam that struck the careless Hugo, who for some reason wasn’t wearing his headdress, right out of the sky. Bang!” showed the mentor, conventionally depicting a sunbeam with a hammer. Hugo falls down and has an unpleasant sensation. “Come on, fall! Clearly this boy needs help. What will his friend do?”
The mentor stared at Joshua questioningly. When he saw that Joshua wasn’t doing anything, he continued with a look of reproach, “Oh, Joshua, you must put the man in the shade, free him from tight clothing like belts, suspenders, etc., give him water, and cool him down either directly or indirectly by wetting his clothes or any other cloth.”
Joshua unbuttoned his pants and pulled out Hugo’s belt, and he resisted vigorously. There was an uproar, and the whole class watched with interest to see how it would end. The mentor tapped the table with his pointer, and continued, “Quiet, quiet! That’s enough, we get it… But most importantly, you need to contact the healers immediately. Trust in God, but make no mistake, remember this. The Almighty will help us in everything else, but it is the responsibility of each of us to help our neighbor. Let us thank our actors, who played their parts very naturally. A visual example is always better remembered,” grinned the mentor.
The mentor’s name was Richard. He was not only a practicing physician but also a professor at the academy. In addition to his medical studies, he taught children the basics and explained to them about certain diseases, so that from a young age he could instill in the tulips the rule, in a healthy body, a healthy spirit. In addition to theory, Tulips took more difficult practical classes. On them the young people learned how to provide first aid for fractures, wounds, fainting, animal bites, insect bites and much more. Richard was one of the most respected people on the island, and he enjoyed the unquestioned authority of parents and children alike, who always listened attentively to his lectures.
…“Love can never be without sadness… I loved you; love can still be… If it weren’t for you…” Hugo looked at the ceiling, agonizingly searching for the original lines for his poem.
“Leave your poems at the threshold of the dining room,” said Alba sternly.
“I am a free citizen, I can do as I please,” he said.
“Hans says that before meals we should concentrate and say a prayer, not some frivolous poetry. I’ll tell him that and he won’t feed you anymore,” Alba said.
“That’s all right, my friend will soon be his apprentice, so I won’t be without food,” said Hugo smugly, and winked at Joshua.
The friends sat at the dinner table during a long break.
“You haven’t said much today, Joshua, what’s wrong?” Alba asked, noticing her friend’s serious mood.
“Me? No, nothing’s wrong. Just thinking,” said the young tulip.
“Tell us what’s worrying you?” Hugo asked.
“It’s the same. I don’t know what I want to do myself,” Joshua answered.
“If you don’t know what you want, Isa will find the right place for you,” Alba said.
“That’s for sure, by the way, have you been to see him yet?” Hugo asked.
“No. When? I was with you the whole time,” Joshua said.
“The weak seek the cause, the strong the opportunity,” said Hugo in the tone of a mentor.
“That’s right. It’s all excuses, that’s all,” Alba added.
“Calmness, friends, only calmness. I said I would settle this matter, and I will. Have I ever broken my word?” Joshua said firmly.
“Hmm! It’s true, what’s not there is not there,” Hugo replied with a shake of his head.
“I’m sure you’re right,” said Alba shortly.
“Actually, you’d better watch yourself, don’t tell me how to live my life,” Joshua said angrily.
“That’s called friendship, you, ungrateful tulip,” scolded his friend Hugo.
“After saying that, never come to me for help again,” said Alba resentfully.
“Honey, he did not mean it, it was a bad joke. Now apologize to my woman at once,” ordered Hugo.
“Alba, I was only joking, why? I’m sorry, I didn’t think you’d be offended by what I said,” Joshua said.
“You should think about what you’re saying. Don’t make me your wife, that’s for the Supreme and only him to decide,” said Alba, pointing one by one at her friends.
“Do you understand? Hue-go,” Joshua said, stressing his friend’s name.
“Come on,” said Hugo.
“By the way, my father advised me to look at Alba as a possible option for my life together. He said he would get off my back then, and that was very important. Don’t be so sure, dear friend,” Joshua smirked.
“Ahh, you, too?” exclaimed Alba.
“Well, that’s it, the matter is closed! Soon Isa will settle our disputes, and then we’ll see,” said Hugo.
“I’m going to go and serve in the Temple. Then we’ll see how you sing,” Alba said, teasing the boys.
“What’s the matter with you,” Hugo said.
“You don’t get this kind of girl so easily,” Joshua smiled back.
The tulips ate lunch for a while longer, chuckled and joked, and then, refreshed, went on with their day of study.
After finishing his studies and quickly gathering his books and notebooks, Joshua decided not to go straight home, but rather, on his father’s advice, to talk to Giuseppe about his marriage. The old man was, as usual, sitting on a bench in the garden, and Joshua cautiously sat down with him.
“When I was young, people chose who they would live with, but the change took place before my eyes,” Giuseppe said.
“We weren’t told it used to be like that,” the young tulip replied.
“Phew, there’s a lot of things they don’t tell you about what used to be. If you’ve noticed, I’m the last of my generation, the rest are…”
Giuseppe stopped in mid-sentence.
“In the garden?” Joshua said for the old man.
“That’s right. They’ve all been in the garden for a long time,” replied the wise man with a sigh.
“If it was so good before, why did the Supreme Ones change it?” the young man asked.
“It is impossible to say what is good and what is bad here. Everything, one way or another, changes and becomes suitable for its time. The old generation didn’t understand the young, the young didn’t understand the old, so change has come to erase this contradiction,” Giuseppe answered.
“But you were more comfortable living in the past, weren’t you?” Joshua asked.
“You’re right! In fact, I’m much more comfortable living in the past now than in the present. Life doesn’t bring me much more than that. I’ve seen and experienced a lot, and I know for sure that I will leave this world without regret,” Giuseppe smiled.
“You talk about death that easily?”
“Of course, I do! You’ll live to be my age, and you’ll look at your life the same way, with no regrets about losing it. You’re on the threshold of adulthood, just entering it. I’ve lived it, so I don’t need to worry about anything, to change anything, or to strive for anything,” the old man answered.
“What about the inheritance?” The young man asked perplexedly.
“Inheritance? That’s a very good question, my son,” the old man thought about it.
“Surely you want to leave something behind? Not just a memory,” continued the young tulip.
“Hee-hee-hee-hee! Well done!” Giuseppe laughed. “I have made many mistakes in my life, and our Founders had as many, and I think that our existence here is meaningless. No one learns from other people’s mistakes, everyone strives to make his own, so that year after year we see the same things. We don’t aspire to anything; we have no goal…”
“Meaningless how?! What are you saying, Giuseppe?”, the young man exclaimed excitedly, stunned by the old man’s words.
“We live in a closed world, we do not dream of the stars, we do not even want to know what is over there, on the other side…”
“But there’s hell over there! Can a righteous man go there?!”
“That’s God’s will, son, and I don’t grumble.” Joshua was completely confused.
He shook his head, and, out of harm’s way, returned to the subject of marriage as a solution to his domestic problems.
“Should I go to God, or should I listen to Isa’s decision?” Joshua asked.
“I think it’s better to think with your head and be a man first of all,” the old man answered, raising his hands to help the young man up from the bench. “Live your life, look around more, study the world, study and analyze everything you see, and then you will understand more than anyone else.”
Giuseppe took Joshua by the shoulders, stroked them, and went home, thanking the tulip for the conversation.
Joshua remained standing in the garden, looking after the wise old man.
“You’ve been reminiscing a lot about the past,” Alba said.
“What else could it be? Giuseppe says that our future is in the past,” Joshua answered.
The friends were sitting by the cliff watching the sunset after all their business.
“We have to ask Anne-Marie that question,” Hugo said.
“What kind of question? Joshua has a lot of them,” Alba asked.
“Well, about the future…”
“To do what? Another lecture on our freethinking? No, thank you,” Alba said.
“Yes, I don’t want to be called a troublemaker,” Joshua said.
“Well, then, let’s enjoy the finer things. And I’m not talking about you right now, Alba, I’m talking about the sunset,” Hugo smiled.
The friends were reflective today. Alba sighed and said, “I’ll give in to the sunset…”
The friends sat down, leaning against a thick fallen tree, and watched in silence the triumph of farewell to the sun, which illuminated the floor of the sky with magical light. The sun reluctantly touched the ocean, scattering thousands of sparks on the waves, and just as reluctantly disappeared. Darkness set in, and only sometime later the stars lit up on the velvet dome of the firmament.
“We’ve seen it, and that’s okay. A little of the good stuff,” Hugo said at last, rising to his feet first.
“I think I’ll stay a little while longer, I’m the closest one to go anyway,” Joshua answered his friend on the outstretched palm of his hand.
“Then don’t stay up too late; you know it’s forbidden to walk after sunset, and it’s dangerous. If you trip in the woods, no one will find you,” Alba said one last time.
“What a grim future you foretold for him. Look for answers in the past, my friend,” Hugo smiled.
Alba and Hugo waved and disappeared into the darkness, leaving Joshua alone.
He was more serious than ever, but he was smiling and happy as he looked up at the stars.
He turned around but his friends were no longer in sight, and the light from the settlement windows was far away. Joshua sat for a while longer, pondering both the past and the future, and the academy, and… himself. But it was time to pack. He stood up, shook himself off, picked up the tuba from the ground, and put it on and began to fasten the strap.
At that moment, unpleasant sounds began to come from the dead earth. That’s what happens when the ocean is quiet; over the water, any sound can be heard for miles. The young tulip did not pay much attention to them, but remembering Giuseppe’s words, he thought about it and decided to listen. He tried to make out the indistinct cries of the martyrs, and suddenly he heard the familiar words, “try to catch it!” and “damned!” What wonders!!! He moved closer to the edge and listened carefully. And again, he understood the cry, “creatures!” Strange, of course, but what else could one hear from hell…
He felt uncomfortable, because he had never heard such screams before, considering them to be nothing more than the noises of hell. He stared at the dead earth, which at that moment glowed with another flash, hoping to spot someone alive, as suddenly the ground moved from under his feet and he plummeted off the cliff. Joshua tried to grab onto the rocks, the grass, and hold on with his hands, but it was as if the shoreline didn’t want to help him, and the grass clipped, the ground crumbled, and he finally fell into darkness.
He flew down, hitting the cliffs, and the heavy tuba only hastened his fall.
Luckily Joshua fell into the water rather than onto the rocks, but he immediately went under, for he could not swim. The thick fog or smoke that covered the surface of the ocean hid even the splash. In a panic the young tulip still realized that it was necessary to unbuckle the cumbersome tuba, which dragged him to the bottom, but here’s the problem. He still had not changed the unfortunate lock, about which his friends had reminded him so many times. As he tugged at his belt, it became more and more clear to him that he was doomed.
Suddenly, some kind of light appeared from the depths. Joshua could hardly understand what it was, and was beginning to
gasping for breath, when suddenly, this light began to approach him, until it swallowed him whole.
The tuba snagged on something, and the rushing current ripped it behind him. Tulip kept clinging to life, and tried again to unbuckle the strap, until finally he succeeded. Joshua was forcefully thrown to the surface. Licking the water and losing the last of his strength. Still, he tried to figure out where to swim, and when he saw the bright light ahead, he plunged straight toward it as best he could.
Another wave tossed him onto the rocky shore, and Joshua lost consciousness…
Chapter 3
The sun was rising from behind the distant mountains, and the domestic animals began to wake the citizens of the island with their various voices, demanding food. The elders always woke up before everyone else, and they took their time and made thorough preparations for the next day. The adults woke up their children and got ready for work. The day began, as always, peacefully and quietly.
Young tulips, yawning, were already reaching for the academy.
“Hello,” said Hugo, seeing Alba on the trail.
“Good morning,” replied the girl.
“I didn’t sleep well; I was up half the night.”
“Why all of a sudden?” Alba asked sleepily.
“Who knows. He’s probably getting ready for adulthood, and doesn’t want to sleep alone,” Hugo said, smiling.
“There are your inappropriate jokes again. Where’s Joshua? I can’t stand you alone.”
“By the way, yes, he should be here by now, the lesson is about to begin,” Hugo looked around.
“That’s strange, it’s not like him to be late at all,” Alba said, also glancing around.
“Once again, we haven’t seen him since yesterday! First, he was at the academy, then he worked in the garden, and then he went to a meeting with friends,” the mother of the missing tulip explained to the counselors.
“Good. We’ve looked all over the island, but he’s nowhere to be found. Now let’s go to the academy and ask his friends about yesterday’s meeting. Don’t panic. We’ll find him, God help us,” Claude concluded.
It was a thin man who was in charge of order on the island. In addition to keeping order, his men were engaged in searching for missing animals, helping the inhabitants resolve rare disputes, and whatever else it took to keep Paradise calm. Claude and his men wore clothes symbolizing authority, namely, black tight suits with a small gold star badge on the chest, high-laced boots, a robe that fell below the knees, and a light headdress. A comfortable and practical uniform that made them feel comfortable in all conditions.
“I beg you, hurry, this is a great tragedy for the whole island, not only for our family,” said Klaus, almost crying.
“I understand everything, but you also remember the responsibility you have for the peace of every citizen of the island. Don’t tell anyone about it yet. We have no need for premature excitement and panic,” Claude replied stiffly. After interviewing Joshua’s family, Claude led a small unit to the academy to fully recreate missing Tulip’s last day.
At school, Claude summoned Hugo and Alba to talk to him, but quietly, so as not to create unnecessary rumor and gossip. The tutor escorted them out of the lesson, and the head counselor took the tulips to a separate room.
“Now, I don’t want to alarm you, but your friend didn’t come home last night,” Claude began.
The boys looked at each other, and each of them shuddered.
“Tell me about what you did yesterday after the mandatory help. Joshua’s parents tell me you’ve been making frequent visits to some place near the cliff, is that true?” Claude continued sternly.
“Yes, it’s true,” Alba began first, “we almost always go there in our spare time and watch the sunset.
“We just sit and talk,” Hugo added.
“And what happened yesterday? You watched the sunset as usual and then you went home before it got dark, as usual?” Claude clarified.
“Yes, but not exactly,” he answered and looked at his girlfriend.
“Please, be more precise,” said the counselor.
“Alba and I left a little earlier, because it’s much farther to our house, and Joshua was still there, because it’s a couple of steps to walk,” Hugo explained.
“We didn’t think anything could happen, he wasn’t often, but there were times when he was alone. But there was never a problem,” Alba added.
“Anything else? Did you notice anything suspicious in his behavior?” asked Claude another question.
“No.”
“No, nothing like that,” replied Tulips. After a few more minutes of questioning, Claude,
finally let the students go to class, and he and his men went to the place Joshua’s friends had told him about.
Claude saw nothing suspicious or anything to add to the story of the missing young man on the cliff. The counselor looked over every rock, then walked around the hammock, walked to the cliff, looked down, but saw nothing, and neither did his men. After he stepped away from the edge, the ground collapsed, but Claude simply didn’t notice the insignificant event.
“What do you mean, missing? It’s not the mainland with its gigantic expanses, it’s a tiny island,” Isa didn’t understand.
“Yes, of course, but my men and I have found nothing, and everyone else has seen nothing. If the boy had been on the island, they would have found him by now, Claude reported.
“May God forgive our sinful souls for not looking after the innocent boy,” Isa turned to God, then turned to Claude and ordered, “Gather the people, let every citizen take part in the search. Paradise has never known a case of a missing person, and I will tolerate nothing of the kind while the burden of power rests on my shoulders. God bless us.”
Claude, having received a clear instruction, bowed and immediately set out to carry out the task. As the chief left the walls of the Temple and the doors closed behind him, one of his guards approached Isa. He was a rather tall and strong man, like all the others in the Supreme’s service. Isa’s guards wore the same uniform as Claude’s men, but their faces were covered by dark masks. These masks made them unrecognizable, so the locals called them “faceless.”
“What do we do?” one of them asked.
“Nothing yet…” The Supreme hesitated, and after a pause he spoke, “Well… I need to have a word with someone.”
Wait for me at the exit, and don’t accompany me.
Rising from his chair, which could truly be called a throne, Isa rushed to the exit.
All the citizens of the island, sooner or later, when they learned of the disappearance of the tulip, immediately went in search of it, except for those who could not do so because of illness or duty. People searched everywhere, going under every bush and into every crevice, sparing no effort to find the missing young man. Unfortunately, the search came to nothing.
“What’s going to happen now?” Alba asked her friend.
“I don’t know. This happened for the first time in the history of Paradise, no one prepared us for this,” Hugo answered.
“I don’t believe anything happened to him. I don’t want to believe it,” Alba cried.
“Relax, we’ll find him, I promise you,” Hugo said, putting his arm around the girl as he pondered the loss of his friend, “Joshua… Stayed sitting there with his…”
“Alba, he stayed there with his tuba,” suddenly it hit Hugo.
“With a tuba? So what?” Alba wondered.
“Come quickly, we must report it,” he grabbed her arm and raced to the Supreme.
Meanwhile, Isa entered the very garden where Joshua was working. In the same place where he always sat, tranquilly, Giuseppe. His legs were out of place scouring the island with everyone else.
“Hello, father,” Isa said, sitting down next to him.
“Good day to you too, Supreme,” the old man replied.
“Hmm, how flattering of you to address me. It has been a long time since I heard you say that.”
“You haven’t been around in a long time,” Giuseppe muttered.
“I haven’t had time, you know… Businesses and troubles,” Isa smirked.
“I hope they haven’t figured you out yet?”
“Ha-ha-ha! What are you talking about? My fellow citizens know only the good things about their mentor. But let’s not start an old record, tell me this, where is the boy?” Isa asked with a serious look at the old man.
“If I only knew… You don’t think I could have kept it a secret, do you?”
“I think you might have said something unnecessary to him, as you did before. You were sent away from everyone else, but here you found someone who believed you. As you saw, I didn’t interfere, but tell me honestly, was it your doing?” Isa asked, implying that the old man might have revealed to the young man some old truth that prompted the tulip to act recklessly.
Giuseppe looked calmly into his son’s eyes and answered, “No, I had nothing to do with it.”
“That’s good, because I was afraid, I would have to take the sin.”
Isa got up from the pew and continued, “If you are well, then I dare not trouble you any longer, father. The next helper I promise to send a deaf-mute, so that you do not corrupt him with your freethinking,” he grinned.
“Find him,” the old man said, looking at the ground.
Isa did not answer. They froze, understanding each other without words.
But then the tulips burst into the garden.
“Isa… Supreme …” said Hugo, out of breath, “there is one thing we forgot to tell you!”
“Don’t hurry, take a breath. What did you remember?” Isa asked with a change of face.
“Yesterday we had a music lesson… " Hugo blurted out.
“We went to the precipice with the instruments without running home,” Alba interrupted him.
“Joshua was carrying a tuba with a bassoon as big as his own,” he continued excitedly.
“Tuba… Bassoon… Well done you for remembering such an important detail. May God bless you, my children, run to Claude and tell him and everyone who is searching for it,” the Supreme answered the young tulips.
“Yes, of course. Thank you,” they shouted as they ran.
Isa waited until the tulips were out of sight before he said,
“I have nothing more to say to you, father. See you soon.”
He left, and Giuseppe looked after him for a long time, shaking his gray head.
“Ehhh! Brainless beasts!”
“Stinking pigs!”
“Try and catch me, you bastard!”
“Sea jerks!”
“Ha-ha-ha!” The young men laughed and called names as they gathered by the shore.
“Yes! Come on, let’s go, or the hard-headed ones will be here soon,” ordered Leo.
“That’s a cool thing to say, isn’t it? Sea cretins, ha-ha-ha!” said Aldo rather loudly.
“You said morons, not assholes, that’s right, brother!” Mateo corrected him.
“Ha-ha-ha-ha!”, both brothers laughed.
“You mean jerks? Which one of you jerks had forgotten to bring a flashlight?”, Eva asked, rummaging through her backpack.
“She asked you,” she said, turning the question back to her brother Aldo.
“Nah, you’re the only one who’s a jerk,” Mateo said.
“What did you say?”, Aldo was indignant.
“What did you hear,” Mateo hissed, shoving him away.
“You’re both jerks, now you don’t have flashlights,” Eva summed up, giving one flashlight to Leo and taking the other.
“The hell with it, let’s go this way,” Leo spat, “It’s not the first time!”
“You forgot to put it in.”
“You forgot, I remember everything,” the brothers continued to argue.
The young men were having fun hunting sea monsters, an old pastime for idlers on the coast. The old men used to say that giant squids would swim to their voices at night and tentacle their way up the cliffs to catch any “hunters” who wandered out of sight. Those who liked risk and wanted to make the blood run faster took pleasure in teasing fate. But there were occasions when people did go missing, so such games were considered chic and the height of courage by the local boys.
“Leo, wait,” Eva said suddenly.
“What else is there?” Leo stopped.
The girl lit up the shore, and saw a lifeless body.
“What is that, a person?”
“It’s a parsson, ha-ha-ha!” The brothers went on joking like they usually did.
“Leo, I think he’s still alive, he needs help,” coming closer and touching his pulse, said Eva.
“Leave it, he’s been in the water, he’s not alive now anyway,” Leo replied indifferently.
As soon as she turned him over, he coughed and water spurted out of him.
“Ew, that’s disgusting!” Mateo jumped away; he was covered with slime.
“You’re such a clean freak! Leo, help him,” said Eva.
“Oh, my gosh! He’s really covered in slime,” Leo growled, and leaned over the man, who was coughing convulsively and lying motionless on the stones.
It was Joshua. He was still unconscious, and he didn’t understand anything, but he was choking of vomit, saying one word “alive!”
Leo laid Joshua on his side and started hitting him on the back to get all the water out of his lungs.
“Damn, you dumbheads!” Mateo screamed.
“Leo, what are we going to do?” Aldo asked quickly.
“Take the kid, I’ll distract them,” Leo commanded and climbed into the backpack that hung behind Eva’s back.
“Leo, hurry,” said the girl.
“Coming…”
“Hurry up, Leo, they’re coming,” Eva kept pushing him.
“Now, hold still,” he repeated sharply.
“Leo-oh-oh!”, she screamed, pointing to a group of men who had sprung up suddenly from between the rocks near the shore.
At last Leo took out his silencer, depressed the safety, and threw it violently in the direction of the squad. The boys threw themselves to the ground. There was a pop that instantly stopped the hardliners. It was a kind of mechanism whose explosion disorients a man completely for two minutes and stuns him, leaving a strong whistling in his ears for a long time. It was enough to make the rascals easily pick up the young man’s body and disappear into the night.
“Hurry, hurry,” Eva worried.
The friends dragged Joshua back to their shack, where they vigorously began to bring him back to life, for the dead ocean water was deadly.
“Quickly! First, put on the ointment and gloves. Mateo, take off his clothes and burn them. Aldo, get some rags. Eva, get water,” Leo ordered.
Leo himself began to rummage through the large box in which they kept medicines for all occasions, and there were many such occasions in their lives.
“Ready!”
“Bandages and rags.”
“Here, Leo, take the water,” the friends reported one by one.
“Now, use this jar for rubbing and Eve, hold the lamp over his face where I can see him,” he ordered.
The brothers began to rub Joshua with a special ointment while Leo treated his eyes, ears, nose and mouth with a special solution.
“Well… He’s got a chance,” Leo muttered.
There was a sharp creak of the door, everyone shuddered. An older woman appeared on the threshold.
“Eva said we had a drowned man. Here, give him this,” and grandma Rosa, the lady of the house, gave the boys a hot, fragrant infusion.
Eva gently took the pot and began to slowly drink to Joshua, holding his head.
“Breathe calmly, don’t open your eyes, it will soon pass,” she said as she helped Joshua in his distress.
Tulip, half asleep, was unaware of where he was and what was going on. Sometimes he tried unsuccessfully to get up and say something, but each time he lost consciousness until he was completely unconscious.
Chapter 4
After waking from a sound sleep, Isa languished in a half-slumber for a while before he finally woke up. He rubbed his nose, took a deep breath, and looked up at the ceiling, painted with antique scenes of beautiful nymphs. He was lying on burgundy silk sheets, and the whole bedroom looked as if it had been transported from a prehistoric palace, repeating in detail the interior of the distant past from the preserved pictures.
There were elegant statues and crystal vases of flowers everywhere, marble columns intricately wrapped around unusually beautiful plants, and picturesque paintings hung on the walls. There were no windows as such, and they were replaced by television projections of the surrounding area, which looked quite realistic. And in general, the whole space of the room where Isa was resting was saturated with automatics and electronics. There were voice sensors everywhere, activating literally everything on command, lights, humidifiers, music on, movies on, temperature control, and much, much more.
Isa got out of bed and went to the bathroom, stepping on fluffy wild animal skins. He took a shower, fixed himself and went into the next room, where his clothes for the day were laid out.
In the time when no one saw him, Isa could afford any luxury, eat only delicacies that people had long since forgotten about, drink any rare wine, could wear outfits to any taste, but most of all he loved his leopard robe. He could not, of course, go out to the settlers dressed like that; in everyday life Isa dressed relatively modestly, but here, in his secret abode, there were no restrictions. He dressed much the same in public, except on feast days, when tradition had to be observed. Usually, Isa wore a light dark suit, but on solemn occasions he wore white with gold inlays, which were in perfect harmony with his pendant around his neck.
After examining himself in the mirror, Isa took some drops from his pocket and dosed his eyes. He blinked and went downstairs. A horde of servants was already there to greet him. For years everything had been arranged. Some guarded the Supreme, some cooked the food, some did everything to make the ruler feel comfortable. Some of the servants went straight upstairs to clean up, while others escorted the master to the dining table, where the pre-prepared dishes appeared in an instant. For breakfast, Isa preferred to eat toast with butter and lightly salted salmon. Sometimes Atlantic salmon or crab. For dessert, avocado or mango. He would wash it all down with a cup of hot coffee and some fresh cream.
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