by Yossi Soika
For a long hour I told them the rest of my life story and the story of my journey to the Second World, the Land of the Ten Tribes, that was accomplished with the help of Mr. Da Costa who disappeared shortly after my arrival there.
“You are an educated person. Your knowledge of biochemistry may be of great help to us. We need your help with some important studies we are conducting that aim to assist our return to the family of humanity,” the leader addressed me.
I quickly answered him, “I’m sorry, my most honorable sir, but I have different plans: I have family members, friends and acquaintances who are all awaiting my return. I cannot stay here for long.”
“Of course, Dan the Science Man,” replied the leader sarcastically, “you will be back with your family very soon, but first you will help us reclaim our previous state. For many years we have a dreamed of returning to the human family of humanity as human beings and not as a miserable result of failed trials. We must think about future generations. You should not feel sorry about your visit here,” the leader explained. “We are humane and will make your stay here cozy and nice. You were very fortunate not to be caught by the Bird People, which potentially would have brought a tragic ending to your good luck.”
“Yes, that’s true; not long ago I saw the bitter end of a Sheep Man who was caught by the Bird People.”
“The Bird People are very strong but their brain is small, like an ostrich’s brain, while their body is a human body. And you, my well-educated sir, are really fortunate that you did not to fall into their hands, because otherwise your good fortune would have ended in the transition to the next world,” he concluded, chuckling.
In response to their request I told them again about life and the doings of human beings on Earth, and about the impressive developments that have advanced man so greatly. In the end I told him about man’s wars and their devastating results.
“I don’t believe,” he said, “that such a thing could happen – because humans have received all that they were lusting for and what else do they want?”
Afterwards, the leader went forth and told me about life at the bottom of the lake and about the great successes of his people in building their new cities.
“You are a young, educated person. If you are willing to help us we will grant you great treasures like you have never seen before.”
When he finished his talk I was taken to a nearby gigantic bubble house.
“This is your new home, and here is your laboratory –both for your and our future! Go ahead… and good luck!”
In the Depth of the Lake
For a long hour I examined the equipment of the laboratory and pondered about my Holy Land trip that ended at the depth of a lake in the Third World.
I’m not going to stay in this miserable place; I must escape! I told myself repeatedly. How could I get out of the depth of this lake without a diving equipment? Can I turn these miserable creatures back to human beings? Undoubtedly, I’m going to let them down. I pondered the issue for a long time without reaching any conclusions to my many questions. Weariness started to creep into my body, and very soon afterward I was sound asleep. When I awoke I saw many dozens of tiny Dolphin People dancing around the half-transparent laboratory building and gazing at me with curiosity.
“Now I’m your pet, damn creatures!” I shouted angrily at them and threw a laboratory instrument at the wall. Instantly two Fish People entered with a huge syringe in their hand. “No!!!” I shouted out menacingly, but my screams wouldn’t help because they immediately injected a very painful shot into my right arm. Wait what are they going to do to me? They must be very angry at me…
One creature went out and quickly returned with a stretcher. They lifted me almost effortlessly, bound my arms and feet and moved to a spacious ball that immediately sank down. Suddenly the ball stopped in its place; they released my arms and feet and nudged me gently into a narrower and smaller ball.
When I lifted my eyes I saw two Bird People lying on the floor of the ball, chained tight to a big wedge at the middle of the ball.
Why didn’t they tie me? I thought curiously, but the answer was quick to emerge. My inflating belly was the answer. What new trouble is upon me? For a few minutes I had no clue, but my body slowly became swollen like a ball. My skin became bluish, then it turned reddish, and finally, to my horror, it became transparent like glass. Now I was able to see my inner body parts with no difficulty. That is too much for me, I thought appalled, I cannot bear it.
“Who are you?” I suddenly heard the shriek of a Bird Man who had come to from his fainting and had also awakened the other one.
“How did you manage to get to this place? Are you one of the Sons of the Ten Tribes?”
“Not exactly. I’m a son of the Upper Terrestrial Tract. I came for a visit to the Land of the Ten Tribes, and then went on to visit your miserable world, a terrible, bad world that has resulted from erroneous genetic trials.”
The two Bird People held a secret conversation in faint nestling-like whispers, and it seemed to me that they have were arguing about me.
“Listen, Son of the Upper Continent. You are not an enemy. We are willing to help you escape, but you must avow that if the time comes you will repay us and do your best to free us from this terrible place. If you can’t do it our destiny will be as bitter an end as guinea pigs in the laboratories of the Fish People, our intimate foes. We are very afraid of their cruelty, especially of those laboratories they experiment on us as if we were animals.
“It’s true that ours is a small and limited mind but we too have families that wait for us.”
“Now listen well. In three days the Fish People will come to visit us. They will ask you if you have any regrets about your deeds. You must give them a positive answer; it’s the only way you can go back to the laboratory. That’s the place where you can jump back out of the lake. Just remember that after you get out of here the Fish People will monitor your behavior for several days, and upon regaining favor they will authorize your return to the laboratory where we shall meet.”
For three days I lay down and neither moved my body nor nourished it with food. After three days three Dolphin People entered the Balloon Jail, examined me for a long moment, and asked me if I was sorry for my wrong doing.
“Of course,” I answered quickly, “I’m really sorry for my reckless and unthoughtful deeds, and from now on I shall never repeat such awful deeds.”
“You’ve learned your lesson, that’s for sure. That’s great! You are going to get out of prison and soon you’ll start working in the laboratory,” they responded.
When they had finished they gave me two shots and left. It wasn’t long until my body began to return to its natural state, and my big belly shrank.
It’s good to return to myself and look like a human again, I said to myself with joy.
“You’ve done the right thing!” the Bird People shrieked, “Don’t forget your promise!”
Soon after they had retreated, the three Dolphin People returned and ordered me to follow them. Walking along with them, we moved to a ball that was attached to the prison, and from there we continued to the big city.
What am I going to do here? The questions swirled my mind but I could not find answers to my many questions. For one week I lived in a spacious balloon house in complete boredom and isolation. On the seventh day I saw a man standing at the opening of the bubble and for a moment I was too overwhelmed to believe my eyes.
“Greetings!” I said in surprise, “Who are you? How did you get here?”
The man examined me at length and replied, “My name is Lonic bon Bonique, Son of the Ten Tribes. I have made plenty of visits to the Sons of the Dolphin People and have helped them with the establishment of the laboratory.”
“Son of the Ten Tribes?” I asked in wonder, “And what are you doing here? Were you also been caught by the Dolphin Peop
le?”
“I haven’t been caught; I came here of my own free will.”
“Of your own free will?!” I exclaimed in astonishment. “Who wants to visit such a crazy world of his own free will? Are you sure about that? What are you looking for in such a terrible place?”
“It’s a long and tedious story, but I will tell it to you briefly. As you might know, the scientists of the Ten Tribes conducted many trials in an attempt to hybridize plants, animals, and human beings. In a very short time it resulted in many strange monsters that appeared in the Land of the Ten Tribes. In the first years local scientists were overcome with their excitement about the hybridization of both astonishing and devastating monsters, first among plants and animals, then among human beings and animals. Genetic engineering research became widely popular. Every boy and every girl dreamed of becoming specialist scientists in this fabulous field.
Laboratories and research institutes sprung up like mushrooms after the rain. Everybody learned the theory of genetic engineering and delved into it. Scientists of the Ten Tribes began to compete with one another. The big question was who would generate the greatest changes in the realms of fauna and flora. Soon they met with some amazing results. All seasonal fruits disappeared and fruits were not differentiated to summer or winter fruits. New fruit varieties began to emerge that gave fruit all year round. But that was not enough and vegetables were transformed too and stopped growing flat on the ground. All species of vegetables no longer grew on the ground and were transformed and began growing like bushes. Even bulbous plants like potatoes and onions were transformed into thorny bushes. The biological and botanical revolution transformed our world too. Each month saw the new and surprising strains of hybrids. But they were not always successful. Quite a number of these crosses resulted in the emergence of different and surprising creatures, some of them were horrible monsters.”
Lonic bon Bonique continued to talk tirelessly, like a lecturer at some prestigious university.
“And thus we created a uniquely sinister hybridization of a tiger and a vole, a mammoth of an animal that, like a vole, burrowed great holes underground. From time to time the voltiger emerged from its huge tunnels and caused tremendous damage to its entire surroundings. Another very difficult and bitter hybridization was between a wolf and an eagle. Can you imagine the critical amount of devastation a flock of flying wolves can cause? And you have already seen something of these creatures which are not from your world. And more of these disastrous hybridizations were made between beasts of pray and human beings.”
“Unfortunately I witnessed the Bird People hunting a flying sheep, and now I’m a prisoner of the Dolphin People.”
“My dear friend, actually you are not a prisoner! Let’s say that you’re going to contribute some years of your life to research work and when your work is done, you’ll be paid squarely for it and will be free to go wherever you want.”
“Years?!” I yelled bitterly. “Do you mean to tell me that this prison is going to be my home for damn long years?”
“What are you afraid of, young sir? You are going to enjoy a fascinating job, not to mention full freedom of movement and you can visit any place you want.”
“Aren’t you afraid that I will cut and run back to the Land of the Ten Tribes?”
“We fear nothing of the kind,” he said, “you won’t find any recourse to return there. We are well aware that you have lost the black hood, and now there is no way back.”
“Yes, you are right,” I whispered desperately, “I don’t have any means to retrace my steps without the black hood.”
“Tell me please, who is your connection in the Land of the Ten Tribes?”
“Mr. Da Costa” I answered shortly.
The man standing next to me nodded.
“I personally know this fellow,” he said and a subdued smile emerged on his face. “Well, my friend, don’t worry your head about it. I believe that Da Costa will try to trace your steps; he will leave no stone unturned until he takes you back to the Land of the Ten Tribes. And until then, my young friend, you will serve the Sons of the Dolphin People.”
“Please sir; I really don’t want to stay in this terrible world. I don’t have the strength needed to spend all my time in an underwater laboratory. I’m very weary and naturally I want to return to my home on Earth.”
“The truth is that I’m extremely happy to see you here. I need your help in the laboratory. Unfortunately the Dolphin People find it difficult to be much of a help in my work, and you are the right man. I vowed to help the Dolphin People the best I can. They are clever creatures, and I can’t bear to see their suffering and misery. You, my talented friend, and I will be a great help to them, and all that I ask of my learned friend is to have little patience. In a few years you will be free as a bird, and can fly anywhere you want in the world. But I, my young friend, will have to stay here many years after your departure.”
“I must think about it before I can give you my answer, sir,” I said and a chill ran down my spine.
“Give my offer a fair thought, because it can yield a fortune. Your work won’t be in vain. Look out through this window please. You can see the unique greenhouses where fruits grow year-round. Not to mention the vegetables you know and many other such species you have never encountered before in your whole life.”
“How is it possible to grow fruits and vegetables underwater?” I asked. “It’s clear as a bell that without the sun and many other factors nothing will grow.”
“You’ve got that right, but wait till you hear the answer. And now behold the marvelous yields – unheard-of before by man, the fruit of the Ten Tribes scientists’ development. They endowed it to the locals to compensate for our wrongdoings. The Dolphin People are grateful for this beautiful gift but all they want is to be like everybody else, nothing of the kind of human-dolphin hybridization. Currently my mission in life is to bring these clever beings back to the bosom of humanity, and if we can only achieve this mission you’ll be the richest person in the world. Down there at the bottom of the lake there are enormous troves. You could extract from that mass as much as you can carry. All you have to do is to enter the orange ball next to yours and push the red button.”
“I really do not know what I want to do.” I felt remorse and depressed. What awaits Melanie, and where is she right now? the questions pierced my conscience and saddened me enormously. I was confused about what I should answer.
He noticed my perplexed mood and said, “I’m not pushing you my wise friend; take your time to think it over, and I’ll wait for your reply.”
A Different Outcome
After a long time had passed, Lonic bon Bonique entered the laboratory and said, “My young friend, I can feel the perplexity and depression you’ve been drawn into. Take my advice, go out and travel about in the Third World, and I promise that you will see extraordinary things.”
I immediately responded with expressions of thankfulness and appreciation for his honest desire to pull me out of my gloomy mood.
“I have to organize my thoughts,” I uttered automatically, “I need to have a rest, and I’ll respond to your offer later.”
“Excellent. Do as you please. In three days, I’ll be back.”
The next three days are going to fly by fast… I must find a way to get away… I must leave this damn place… but how? Clearly there was no way to dive directly up to the water’s surface – any amateur diver knows that. Suddenly I was struck with an idea. “The diving ball!” I called out in elation. I must find the ball with which I had made my way to the depth of the lake. Because I was given total freedom of movement, I must use it urgently… but what if I couldn’t find the ball, then I would have no way, other than to fulfill my obligation to Lonic bon Bonique, and to be his assistant for long years. Maybe there is an overt or covert way to get out of here. I owe it to both Melanie and my family… We shall show you a
n escape route… the words of the Bird People echoed in my mind. How could I have forgotten the escape route they had promised me, and was there any truth to it? It took me only few moments to return to Lonic bon Bonique.
“I need no vacation. I’m ready to start my job right away.”
“Great,” remarked the scientist, somewhat baffled by my words, “I can see that your mood has largely improved, and now my young learned friend, we shall make every effort to repair the aftermath caused by the wrongdoings of the Ten Tribes’ scientists. It’s crystal clear to me that you are going to greatly enjoy your job in the laboratory. For a long time I have been searching for a faithful and industrious assistant, and fortunately you came along at the right time. You are going to be of great help to me.”
Shortly afterwards Bon Bonique stepped into the laboratory, again bringing dozens of glass containers of various kinds, and said, “Please pay attention, we are beginning our research. I provide you with these very rare substances, unfamiliar and priceless – they were given by the Son of the Planets to the Ten Tribes’ scientists.”
“Unbelievable!” I exclaimed in surprise. “These substances – how did you get them? What are you going to do with them?”
“I’m aware that the Ten Tribes’ scientists have experimented with these substances that caused the terrible fallouts, which are evident in the Third World. Do you understand the massive power these innocent-looking substances possess, my friend? Since they caused terrible results, the Ten Tribes’ scientists stopped using them. They ceased all their trials to transform animals and plants, and immediately all plant-animal hybridizations were stopped. Today scientists only use genetic engineering to trace lethal genetic defects. Unfortunately, I must resume the trials that were ceased by the Ten Tribes scientists. The secret of the fatal outcome that turned human beings into fish and then back into humans lies in the accurate reconstruction of the results. I must say, that I have great anger at my fellow brothers, the Sons of the Ten Tribes.