Error

Samuel prepared all his life. He was a hard working fellow and everybody saw him as a hard working lad. Decades had passed and finally he was about to get the job he worked his whole life for. And that day came sooner that anyone could imagine. His first day, he was gazing through the huge window, realized, as if nothing else mattered anymore. The secretary entered and gave some papers to sign, suddenly his eyes went blank and his soul was lost in the abyss. He soon realized that he understood nothing of what the papers contained. He then went to Magda his secretary, and she explain he was in top lawyers firm. He was devastated, he was back to the initial job he detested. Then he went to Penny, the lady that was in charge of arranging his glorious promotion. He asked Penny, what the hell had gone wrong, she did not understand. After a few minutes of revising papers, she realized that she had made an terrible mistake. Samuel then asked if she could fix the wrong doing, she said that it was done, and nothing could be done. Samuel kept pushing, and after a few days of exhaustive work in the computer, Penny finally made it, she was about to succeed in giving Samuel his dream job; but she pressed the wrong button….ERROR.

The day rats spoke out

Millions of them, everywhere, many refer to them as vermin, some just as rats, and other radicals call them the pest. You see, for many centurions vermin have been living parallel lives with the human race. In logical terms, vermin should be our closest allies in the war against terror, but reality differs, for they are just victims of our own actions. Few years ago a renowned journalist who was exploring the lands of the East shared an experience which was left unnoticed in the western world.

This is the article published in a popular magazine two years ago:

As I went further into the unknown , something seemed to disturb me, but that something, I did not know what it was. So I followed my gut and tried to ignore that gruesome feeling. This land, you see, is a land that a few decades ago was the place of a great civilization. For reasons of confidentiality, I shall not reveal the place, for it would be flooded by robbers, merchants and more; these because I would be revealing a horrendous truth to the world.

The smell is unbearable, it is like death itself lived in this area. But even death is prohibited to enter this land, for she would be terrified by the doings and happenings of this place. Why am I here? Many of you may ask. Simplicity, gentlemen, nothing more.

Three weeks, had I spent in this place, and even then I could not understand what had happened. Everyone seemed to know, but to my impression, they just pretend ended or ignored what had happened. I could not go around enquiring, for it was a dangerous ordeal and the answer was not in them, but with the other ones I was looking for, the vermin.

When I refer to vermin, I do not intend to talk about the gruesome species that inhabit the underworld of our cities, no, I refer it to the ones that live parallel lives in this place, ones who have a knowledge of the other underworld; the ones that know what happened here. But the search, after these three weeks has been in vane, not only have I failed to make contact, but I have failed to even prove their existence.

I do not intend to leave until I have found what I am looking for. And thus, I have asked my fellow local guide and translator to retrieve my findings and my writings in case I disappear.

A month of intensive investigation has finally shed some light on the vermin. I managed to get an interview with one. I was overwhelmed with a feeling of inner realization, but it was soon overshadowed by the initial disturbance I felt when I arrived to this forsaken place.

The meeting was all right, but nothing happened, the vermin talked a lot, but said nothing of importance. He knew what I wanted to know, so he just went around speaking worthless things. But not all hope was lost, for he said he could arrange a small meeting in their headquarters. They said they were going to contact me, and that I should get rid of my fellow translator. I acted according to their wishes, but told my translator that if anything was to happen to me, to get my journals, and send them to the publisher.

Until now, I have not been able to reveal something knew, only that the vermin are willing to receive me. That is no revelation, for everyone knows they exist, but does not know how they operate. I can say this, they transmit pure vile, and although I have no clear idea of their intentions I know they are brutal and cunning. I am about to embark to find out all of that, but my mind is uneasy and I have a feeling that nothing good will come out of these.

The following was all that was written by the journalist a few years ago. The publisher did publish the work, but it was received by skepticism for its confusing and unclear message. It was entitled: The day rats spoke out. And it is left to readers interpretation. One thing was cleared out by the translator months prior to the publication, the place was the city of New York

40 years gone

The philosopher talked with the commoner for 40 years. Never in that period of time did they understand each other or did they ever agree in something; nevertheless they talked endlessly without interruption. One day a humble hot dog vendor passed by, he had seen them ever since he started his food venture, and until that day he dared to interrupt their talk. “Would you like a Hot Dog, gentlemen?” The two men stopped their chat, and for the first time in 40 years the chat stopped. “Well I am kind of hungry. I’ll take one.”said the philosopher. “Hmmmm, me too. Two Hot Dogs, please.” Said the commoner. They went about to eat their hot dog, when they finished their meal, both looked at each other and said: “I must admit, this was a very delicious meal.” “Agreed.” Said the other. The vendor finally said: “Well gentlemen my work here is done.”

Update

It was 6 o’clock in the morning, and something was going terribly wrong. As soon as the first sunlight hit the city the chaos began. Traffic jams, noise and people going crazy; and no it was not a normal day. Today was a special day, for something was about to happen. But for no reason the city was in chaos, as this new event required no movement at all, no street lights, no sellers, no taxis, maybe but just maybe, shoe polishers, nothing more. It was all going to happen at 9 in the morning, everyone awaited in silence for there were five minutes till nine. 3…..2…..1….0! As everyone gazed into their screens they could see that the new update was up. Everyone clicked on the download button, but nothing happened, the server was saturated. Click. Click. Click. Nothing. The computers froze and people started to switch them on and off. Suddenly the electricity went out, it was a blackout. Everyone waited silently for the power to come back, for everyone wanted to be first in the server. At exactly 10 in the morning there was a big explosion all around the city. Seconds passed and our fellow townsmen realized their computers had been fried by the strong electrical comeback current….. An old man walked about in the city park, he only thought it was time for everyone to buy new computers. “The update worked after all” He thought.

Old man

Old man was too old, and probably in his last hours. But old man wasn’t quite done. And when I mean that he wasn’t quite done, I mean that he did not want to go alone; he needed to take as much people as he could with him, for he did not find it fair to go into another life. So he went on, dear friend, to think of a wicked plan to take everyone with him. Time was not on his side, so he worked around the clock, this obviously was about two hours. Finally he did it, and as he was about to execute his master plan, someone entered the room. Old man pretended to be asleep, as the odd fellow wondered around the room. Few minutes later he took a state of the art cell phone, whose model I am not in the liberty to reveal, anyways he made the call: “Ready sir. Should I proceed?” Seconds passed. “OK sir, I understand. Yes sir.” Odd fellow proceeded. Old man only hoped for odd fellow to leave the room as soon as possible. This, my dear friends, did not happen, let me tell you what horrible thing happened next, something so horrendous that to this day, no one dares to talk about it. You see, minutes later a lady entered with a tray containing a dish of jell-o, and old man loved jell-o. Minutes later he forgot his master plan and enjoyed his jell-o, but something was wrong, he started loosing energy and then he passed again. His last thoughts: “They knew of my plan all along, and they knew my weakness….” Old man’s master plan was never executed, but it still serves as great inspiration to those who don’t want to go alone.

Little Spanish Guitar

Little Spanish Guitar waited her whole life to be played. But no one did. Forty years passed, when one day a small kid with a red bandana discovered Little Spanish Guitar. “Hello” said small kid. He heard no reply. Little Spanish Guitar heard noises but could not understand, for she only knew spanish. “Hello, hello!” repeated small kid. But no reply. Small boy left the room, and came later with an old man. “Hello” said old man. But still no reply from Little Spanish Guitar. Old man gazed for a moment, and left the room. Hours later he returned with a band of musicians. They all looked at Little Spanish Guitar. “Hello” they all said simultaneosuly to Little Spanish Guitar. No reply. Little Spanish Guitar felt frustrated, for she did not understand a word they said, worse, she feared she would be left alone for the next forty years. No! Not this time she thought. About fifty people were silently staring at the guitar when suddenly they heard something. “Hola, hola, hola, hola” Although they did not understand what Little Spanish Guitar was saying, they carried her anyways, and ever since she has never been left alone.

On the line

Two days ago they made public the ultimatum: “It is your last chance.” The day arrived and we all knew that it was our last chance, but we had not done anything. He arrived on time, as always, and asked us: “OK you know today is your last chance, so this is the first question.” He went on and asked questions, which we tried to answer, we did not know, but then again we did not loose anything if we made up the answers. One, two hours passed and it all ended. He was silent for a minute, we all waited for the verdict anxiously. “Well” he said, “I guess you all did a terrific job, although in somethings you were not quite clear, you passed, from now on you won’t be on the line, you are all approved.” We looked at each other, and we all were very surprised. It was a risky business, but I rather try when I have nothing to loose than not trying at all.

Mustard

About two pieces of bread were hanging out in the table. They talked about politics, and were aware of their faith. Time passed and one of the breads felt his time was coming, it was then that he said goodbye to his fellow bread-mate. Minutes later mustard appeared, and told them that both were to suffer the same faith. They did not want to have THAT faith, but it was inevitable. The mustard proposed them to hide, “where?” asked one of the breads. After a few moments, the mustard came with a brilliant solution, “Hide inside myself”. The two breads agreed and jumped into mustard. After a few minutes both breads drowned and faced that terrible faith which they feared so much.

Wrinkle

I was an enemy of time. Hated clocks, timers, sand clocks, Rolex’s, everything. I knew time was ultimately win the war, so I just proposed a cease fire. Because I was stranger to time, years did not pass, days and nights did not exist; I worked out of society, were no one could be found. As I was drinking water from a pond, I saw the image of me, my reflection, and I noticed that I had some wrinkles in my face. After I sat down, and thought for a while, why did wrinkles appeared, since I had forgotten time?

Suddenly I heard some foot steps, I turned and saw a man dressed in black robes with long white beards.

“Hello Jacob, remember me?”

I found his face to be familiar, but could not quite remember who he was.

“Sorry, you seem familiar, but I do not recognize you.”

“I am an old fellow, whom you decided to forget, you even declared war on me.”

He spoke with a secure tone, and he was not lying.

“Jacob, your time has come.”

Inmediatelly, everything came back to me, that old friend, was indeed Time, but he was not my friend.

“But we agreed to a cease fire, remember?”

“Indeed Jacob, but today that agreement comes to an end. For your first wrinkle has appeared.”

The wrinkle, of course it meant something, but not that!

“Sorry Jacob but we have to go.”

“Just a few minutes more, till the sunset.”

“OK, but after that we are gone.”

“Certainly.”

I gazed that LAST sunset, and I realized that it was this one that I really enjoyed, because it was going to be the last time I enjoyed a sunset, all the others were just there and I never enjoyed them as I was enjoying this one.

Jacob and Time spent that last sunset together and after Jacob followed Time to the unknown for his time had come at last.

48

“The answer is…..48!”

“What! But I was sure it was 50.”

“Sorry lad, better luck next time.”

“Bu-bu-but, there won’t be a NEXT time….”

“I am sorry there is nothing I can do.”

“But there’s nothing else, I have nothing, nowhere to go.”

“Look kid, I have nothing against you, but that’s that. Why don’t you try somewhere else.”

“Somewhere else! Are you out of your mind! There is nowhere, weren’t you listening! I beg you I need this.”

“As I said before, I can’t help you, go talk to the supervisor.”

“The supervisor, he does not know anything, what good will it do!”

“I am sorry….”

“50, I mean I was close wasn’t I, there must be some exceptions.”

“It was close all right, but the answer was 48.”

The young man left, disappointed, thinking how was it possible for the answer to be 48. He could not understand why 48. He slept that night with one thought in mind: 48.

For rest of his life he searched the answer in order to get 48 and get in. He did indeed find the answer, and tried again. Excited to get in, he did the test, 48 he got!

“84, the answer is 84.”