“What would you like for breakfast?” Josef asked sitting in front of the kitchen screen.
“For breakfast?” She asked smiling. “It’s three o’clock in the afternoon.”
“To eat…” he answered nervously, “I meant to eat.”
“Surprise me. Honestly, I’ve never tried food made by a robot.”
“I’d say you have. Have you ever eaten at Parker’s?”
“Of course I have. Who hasn’t eaten there?”
“I know the owner and he was who recommend it to me. He has robotized industrial kitchens installed in his five restaurants.”
Margaret’s face showed total astonishment. «One of the most valued restaurants in Albuquerque managed by robots?»
“With the money I save in cooks, I capitalize the kitchen for five years, he told me. Well, then he added a misfortunate chauvinist comment.”
“What did that caveman say?”
“This kitchen won’t get pregnant, he commented laughing.”
“Such an asshole,” Margaret said. “But surely it has a good deal of expensive breakdowns”
“That was also my reply. But he convinced me when he told me that the manufacturer gives you ten-year warranty.”
“Spaghetti Bolognese,” Margaret answered changing the topic.
SPAGUETIS BOLOGNESE
At hearing her words, the system sent the order and the robotized arms started with the elaboration. The girl was surprised to see the efficacy and the speed with which the kitchen worked.
“I can see you like Italian food.”
“Can you explain me what happened yesterday?” She asked hardening her expression. “Was it for something I said or did?”
Josef shrugged.
“I don’t know.”
“What? You run away from a party and you don’t know why?”
“The first,” he said crestfallen, “time that it happened to me I was only twelve. It was during a drill carried out at the shelter house.” His words showed a persistent feeling of pain. “The sirens started to emit a striking and deafening sound that made me get dizzy and fall over. I was incapable of getting up. It was as if that sound had taken my body over. A black stain covered my left eye almost completely. I thought my head would explode out of so much pain. The tutors of the center shouted my name. «Josef, get up. We have to go to the playground.» Meanwhile, my partners jumped onto my body.”
Margaret looked at him, comprehensive and grief-stricken. The robot had finished mincing the meat and now it was frying it. A small saucepan was hitting the water slowly.
“That day…” Josef continued, “… I fainted and I was hospitalized. No test revealed the reason for such a dreadful situation. Six months after the incident, a factory near the city town caught fire and we were evacuated. The sirens of the fire trucks aroused that horrible sensation in me again. That day I didn’t faint, but I was taken to hospital again terribly dizzy and with an unbearable headache. Over the following days, I was made countless tests and the conclusion they drew was that my mind, at being exposed to the sound of a siren, it produced me an intense migraine. I was prescribed pills for when it happened again.”
“And why don’t you take them with you all the time?”
“I’ve tried them and they have no effect on me. Besides, they’re extremely expensive.”
“And what do you do then?”
“I lie down. Over time I learnt that the only thing that makes me feel better is lying down without any kind of noise and in total darkness.”
“I’m sorry,” Margaret said stroking his hand. “Now it’s me who says sorry for having thought you jilted me at the party yesterday.”
“Don’t apologize. How were you supposed to know such a thing?”
The water started to boil and the robot introduced the spaghetti inside the saucepan. The meat was starting to change its reddish color to the light brown one.
“How do you know where I live?” He said, serious and amazed.
“I asked the cleaning woman, yesterday. She told me that she gets on very well with you,” she answered blushed.
Ms Adeline had worked as a cleaner at the university for thirty years. Although her face was endearing and charismatic, her hair was dirty and shabby. Some students constantly insulted her cruelly. Adeline never answered when being teased. One day, Josef came close to her.
“Why don’t you inform the headmaster about the attitude of these students?” Josef asked.
“Why should I?” The woman answered with an age-battered voice.
“They insult you. Every day.”
“Son, no swearword may ever hurt you if you’re self-confident.”
The young boy, who had just arrived at the university, never forgot Adeline’s words. Every day, the middle-aged cleaner asked Josef how his day had been and soon she became his confidant.
“You’ve been lucky. She’s the only person of the university that knows my new address. Why did you want to know where I live?”
“Because I was planning to come for you in case you didn’t come to the party,” Margaret said with a smile. “Once I saw you two talking and I noticed an unusual complicity between you two. That’s why I thought that if someone could know your address, it should be her.”
“On Monday, when I see Adeline, I’ll thank her for giving my address to the first girl that asks it,” he kidded.
Margaret laughed out loud. 1 MINUTE. The screen on the kitchen indicated that the food would be ready within that time. Josef chose the drink they would have and one of the arms placed it on the stool quickly. Although it had a braking system, the manufactured recommended that no one circulated around the kitchen during the elaboration process.
“How are you doing with the book?”
“I’ve almost finished it.”
Margaret’s telephone started ringing inside her bag. After rummaging, she answered it. A few seconds later, she put it inside her bag again. Her face had changed, she was sad and it looked as if she were going to cry.
“Everything ok?” Josef asked at seeing her sudden change.
“I have to go.”
Without giving any explanation at all, she avoided the arms that transported the just prepared dishes and got out hastily. Josef guessed it was a delicate situation and decided not to ask.
He finished eating and ordered the console to pick up the dishes. He spent the whole afternoon watching some old films he had recently acquired. He decided on two classics: Braveheart and The English Patient. Despite having seen them dozens of times, they still aroused a disproportionate motivation in him.
Chapter 13
After several hours lost inside the Sinz Palace, Palac managed to find the exit. «It always happens the same to me.» The description his father had made of his grandfather did not match with the one several midarians had given him. Sad and thoughtful, he started to think about some way to get a different point of view. Knowing the hate the majority of them felt for him, he preferred not to ask anybody and to try to find another source of information. While he was crossing the great esplanade inside the city of Nalactia, he thought it would be a good idea to visit his grandfather’s tomb. His father had totally forbidden him to go near it, but that day he decided to skip the rules. With firm step, he approached to one of the transport cabins and got into it.
GOLDEN PYRAMID. He selected on the screen.
The Golden Pyramid was on the top of Buialan Mount, fifty kilometers south of Nalactia. In order to get to it, it was necessary to ascend the four thousand meters of the mountain along a very steep path since the transport cabin was on its lap. The pyramid had colossal dimensions: three hundred meters tall and five hundred meters on each of its sides. It was built with eight million solid gold blocks which had been collected from different planets over hundreds of years. Contrary to the rest of the constructions, infested with chambers and galleries, the Golden Pyramid was a simple and minimalist space. A cabin located in the central spot held Yewut’s body. It was
a cylinder as tall as a three-storey building and as wide as a utility vehicle. It was made of gold and totally waterproof and impenetrable. The cabin was made by two equal parts. The lower part was the first one in having been placed and inside it Yewut’s body was placed. Later, it was covered forever with the upper half. Both pieces were joined with plasma. This way the gold was melt and a unique compact cabin was made.
After ascending the steep path, Palac reached the summit. He went close to the door and he entered. Once inside, he felt a powerful force that made it impossible for him to walk normally. He was moving very slow, as if he were carrying a load of thousands of kilos on his back. At few meters from the cabin, he saw a legend engraved on it.
Only honorable beings will be able to spot the niolars that have passed away. All unworthy beings will face midarian force.
“Where have I heard that phrase before?” He murmured.
He continued moving. The resistance was stronger every time. He struggled against his own body to go on until beaten he tripped and lost his verticality bumping against the cylinder base. A loud rumble was heard inside the pyramid when his head bumped into the funerary structure.
At coming into contact with it, his body started shaking violently, as if it were receiving a discharge of thousands of volts. At the mercy of that strange force, he was incapable of getting rid of the situation he was going through. Suddenly, Palac’s body stopped moving and a small light ball started to come out of his eyes. «Where is my niolar going?» He thought terrified. The spark rose towards the upper part and as soon as it came into contact with the surface, it disappeared.
Without knowing what had happened, his eyes showed what it was an unknown scenery for him: a place full of vegetation and huge trees. Despite it was at night and darkness predominated, a big white light in the sky allowed seeing some landscape details.
The novice tried to move to explore the area, but his body was still incapable of following the orders his mind sent it. Suddenly, his head moved towards his left side without his consent and he realized that he was surrounded by several midarians His head turned round again and Palac startled at seen that, a bit far beyond, there were some strange beings much shorter than him. They walked half straight and were covered with hair.
Again unsuccessfully, he tried to gain control of his body. In one of his very many head moves performed without his consent, he saw his reflection in a midarian’s helmet. For his surprise, the image he saw was in no way similar to his appearance. That body must have been four meters tall and weighed three hundred kilos. The armor, as Cabolun and Palac’s, was made of gold.
«I’m inside my grandfather’s body!» He exclaimed to himself. It was in that moment when he understood what it had happened. When bumping against the cylinder, his niolar had stemmed from his body and had penetrated inside the funerary structure. Now he was visualizing one of his ancestor’s memories.
On that precise moment, he remembered an old conversation with Beiler.
“Tell me how he died,” Palac insisted.
Beiler looked at him with compassion.
“I understand your interest, but I can’t. Some day, if you’re worthy, you won’t need anyone to tell it to you.”
“What do you mean by?”
“Only honorable beings will be able to spot the niolars that have passed away. All unworthy beings will face midarian force.”
“What does that mean?”
“There’s an old belief that says that any rational being can visualize a dead person’s memories as long as his or her niolar authorizes so.”
Palac came back from his dreaminess. «My grandfather’s midarian force has allowed me to enter his niolar. Now I’ll be able to know how he died.»
Suddenly, one of the aborigines went close to him. His companions adopted a defensive attitude. The racot stopped and started to retreat, frightened.
“I’m trying to gain your trust,” he said in a deep voice, “stop acting defensively and behave naturally,” he ordered.
His companions relaxed. Yewut made a gesture to the racot so as he approached him. For some seconds, he doubted whether to go near or not, but he finally did it.
“Welcome, god Yewut,” he said bending his body forward. “Our ancestors told generation after generation the story of a god that came from the sky and helped with the development of our people. We’ve waited for your return for so long.”
All the midarians had a communication system incorporated which translated any language. That allowed them to talk with any rational being without any problems at all.
“Hello, sons of mine. The trip has been long, but we’ve finally arrived,” he said in a soft and paused voice.
«Welcome, god Yewut? Sons of mine??» Palac thought astonished.
“We’ve hunted an animal and we’d like to share it with all of you,” he added pointing to the rest of the midarians.
“Your hospitality is very rewarding, but our bodies don’t need any food to survive. Go with your people and enjoy the fruits the planet has given you.”
The racot nodded and went back with the other aborigines. Using some very primitive tools, they started to batter the animal to tear it off and to eat it next. Sitting around the piece, they ate following the settlement’s hierarchy: men first, then children and finally women. A loud roar could be heard. It was closer every time. Yewut turned his head to the right and saw how several trees moved violently. All the aborigines had stood up alarmed. The companions looked at the midarian leader with questioning looks, ready to attack as soon as he ordered them to do it.
“Don’t do anything. Let’s see how they solve the situation.”
Suddenly, and making its way through the trees like a spring, a huge mammoth appeared and beat the racot that had received it with one of its tusks. The blow was terribly violent and his chest was pierced as if it were a bar of butter. With a quick head-butt, it set him free from one of his tusks and left him agonizing on the floor.
The rest of the aborigines, totally out of control and scattered everywhere, threw sticks and stones to the animal making it no harm at all. The beast waited patiently, examining his victims. Some hours before, during his absence, one of its babies had been murdered and now it was being eaten merciless. Its extraordinary sense of small had led it to the settlement in search of its daughter. Yewut continued impassive before the situation he was witnessing. When everything led him to presage a terrible slaughter, one of his escorts threw a powerful ray that produced the beast’s instant death. All the racots ran terrified to a nearby cavern’s interior.
«What a ray!» Palac thought. His grandfather’s head now only projected the image of the helper who had disobeyed his orders.
“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?” Yewut yielded strongly. “I asked everybody under no circumstances to use their powers.”
“I’m sorry, sir,” the midarian said regretful. “I thought we were in danger.”
“Are you really so ignorant as to think that an animal can break our armor?”
“No, sir. It’ won’t happen again.”
“This project is very important to me. I want to gain their trust, but it’s impossible with the lack of self-confidence you show at every minute. That’s why I’ve decided that you and the others go back to Mida,” he said pointing to several of the escorts. “Beiler will be my last escort.”
«Beiler is with grandpa?» The four soldiers disappeared from the scene and a few seconds later the craft took off. His grandfather turned around completely and he showed the captain for the first time. Until then, he hadn’t appeared in his field of vision, since he was behind his grandfather. A slight sob coming from the area of the attack caught Yewut’s attention. His body started to get near the area and there he saw a girl sobbing on the dying man. The blow he had received in his chest was mortal.
He was predestinated to fade out in a few seconds.
“Can’t you do anything for my father, Yewut?” The little girl, covered in blood, beseeched.
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“I can’t refute you planet’s decision. Its resources had been the responsible ones of this situation.”
“Skip the rules only once,” the girl begged. “Without my father, our people are hopeless.”
The midarian leader turned back looking for Beiler and he made an approval gesture. He turned to the dying man’s body once again. He kneeled down by his side and carefully turned the girl away. He raised his right hand and rested on the man’s head. The wounds started to close and a few seconds later, there was no track of them. The racot opened his eyes and rose scared.
“He’s healed you, dad. God Yewut has healed you,” the girl shouted.
“What’s happened?” The resurrected man asked nervously.
At a few meters from his spot, several aborigines watched with fascination a small fire originated by the ray. Some bushes had begun to catch fire and along with them part of the animal as well. Little by little, more and more racots went close to that magical branch devourer show of lights. Beiler went close to the bonfire and tore off one of the mammoth’s legs. He held it over the fire for several minutes and then offered it.
“Try it. Like this is better than raw.”
All of them looked at Yewut waiting for his approval.
“My companion’s words are as truthful as mine.”
Without hesitating, one after the other approached to try such stunning and tasty delicacy. The gestures of joy were evident. Their god had created a light comparable to the sun, which not only hid darkness but also did improve the food taste, to light up that night. A new setback was due to spoil the party that night. Without anyone who fed the insatiable fire hunger, this ended up fading away.
Darkness reigned once again in the area. The fear of being attacked again was stronger than the protection any god could give them. All of them, with no exception at all, went back inside the cavern.
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