by Yossi Soika
“It was a delicious meal, Your Majesty,” I replied politely.
“Of course, of course,” the king added with a chuckle. “Better than a carrot,” he repeated and again burst into loud laughter. Soon we were all swayed and swept up in his intense laughter, until it seemed that the king was the director of a comic play. Finally the king lifted his hand and everyone immediately stopped their laughter.
“And now sir, please tell me about the Outer World wherefrom you arrived, a place I have never visited.
For a long time I told him about the Outer World and about my life story and the sequence of events that I’d been through up until I reached this place. Once every now and then the king stopped the flow of my stories, demanding explanations about things he deemed strange or inconceivable, and even marveled at my words. Of course I tried hard to express myself simply, but I noticed his knitted brow and his puzzled look. How can you tell a man who was awakened after thousands of years of all the changes in the surrounding world?
You can be sure that I tried my best to tell him all about it in simple and dull language, but despite all my efforts and explanations I realized that many things remained vague, inconceivable and beyond his understanding. One such unbelievable thing was the airplane. I had to explain again and again how a metal body can fly in the air and how people can board it in one place and descend from it in another, far over the horizon. To my great surprise the king accepted with understanding and calmness my stories about the Ten Tribes and other astonishing things.
“From now on, wise sir, you are invited to the big feast of the day, and we shall listen attentively to the stories of the Upper World.”
“And now, Your Majesty, would you kindly tell me how the Sons of Sodom and Gomorrah are living today as if the great disaster never happened? Every boy and girl knows the stories of Sodom and Gomorrah, the two cities that were reduced to ashes. And how could it be that you are here safe and sound after thousands of years, living here like nothing has happened? And from where did you emulate the style of your attire, which looks so biblical?
“Looks so biblical?” the king broke into a rumbling laugh. “But, you heard it right now – I’m the King of Sodom and Gomorrah.”
“Your Majesty, your words seem incomprehensible to me – every child knows the story of Lot who escaped from Sodom and Gomorrah with his two daughters and wife who turned into a pillar of salt after she dared to look back. The catastrophe of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by brimstone and fire was a terrible one.”
“Your words are true, young sir. The flight of Lot and his household is the last memory of the sons of Sodom and Gomorrah before the catastrophe began. Unfortunately we don’t know what happened then and what destiny befell Lot and his family; this is the first time that I’ve heard about his wife who became a pillar of salt.”
“What a terrible end to such a pious woman,” claimed the sages that sat around the king and I, their mouths gapping at my words about the end Lot’s wife.
“I see, young sir, that you are very familiar with the great catastrophe of the two towns, Sodom and Gomorrah, and now I shall tell you the story of the most notorious cities in the world.
“Long before the catastrophe, I warned my people to stop their wickedness; but my townsmen just mocked me and even threatened to destroy my palace. To tell you the truth – I’m not sure what was wrong with them! There was an onset of evilness in Sodom and Gomorrah – nobody could resist the devil of evilness. Thus, during one of those burning hot summer days, black clouds started to cover the sun, and a thick darkness started to blanket the mountains. All of a sudden and without any warning the wrath of God started to broil Sodom and Gomorrah: gigantic, powerful bolts of lightning and thunder hit the houses that started to topple like drunks falling down and, shortly afterwards, they collapsed and burned. Strong winds burst from all directions, their shrill whistling silenced the horrified screams of the city people. Heavy rains that were joined by caustic smells and black burning dust which sunk on the city homes poured from the sky.
“At first the townspeople tried to dash from their homes to the outside of the city; however the stormy winds that raised burning clouds that were incited with fire and with their bolts of lightning forced them to flee back to their homes. It was not long until the townspeople witnessed a new type of horror; big drops of highly transparent but thick liquid started to stream down from the hills to the streets of the city and very soon the level of this liquid rose high until the whole city was immersed in it. My grandfather, the king of Sodom, was the last one to witness, from the top of his palace, how both towns were covered underneath the translucent liquid that finally reached the top of his palace. This is how the end came to two prosperous towns that man destroyed because of his infinite wickedness.
And now I want to reveal to you a fantastic miracle, that you, and for this matter, nobody on Earth, has ever heard of before. About one hundred years ago a strange-looking figure visited the two cities and worked a miracle there that was out of this world. The figure raced here and there and suddenly the most fantastic thing in the whole history of my people, or of the world, happened. The trees, the fields, the wildlife that had been covered underneath the transparent liquid for more than four thousand years, came back to life.”
“That’s simply impossible!” I yelled excitedly. “Your story is beyond imagination! Actually I find it hard to believe that such a tremendous thing happened… My mind cannot picture such a fantastic event!”
“Personally I never saw that hovering figure my father and grandfather described to me, but it flew like an angel; it dwelled in faraway worlds, somewhere in The Light Triangle.”
“Unbelievable! Your Majesty is talking about the Son of the Planets.”
“Do you know who this flying figure is, sir?” the king responded in surprise.
“Yes sir, but I shall tell you this only after you finish your miraculous story. Your Majesty! The story about the Son of the Planets and your rescue story are extraordinary, unlike any I have heard before; and the Son of the Planets story has been told in our own world and in the Land of the Ten Tribes.”
After agreeing with me, the king continued and portrayed how his people were transferred straight from the depths of the Earth to the Third World.
“This incredible story was transmitted directly into my grandfather’s mind by the Son of the Planets, and this is how, learned sir, my father conceived them, and from him I drew all of my knowledge about this flying miracle who dwells in the infinite skies.
“And this is how it goes: One day the Son of the Planets peered through his magical eyes, the Himbonim, an amazingly strong telescope, which he regularly used to observe the world we live in. With the Himbonim he was able to peer into the depths of the earth, where the great fire burns, and here is where my long story begins.
“It was a hundred years ago when he peered into the Judean Desert and the salty lake, the Dead Sea, the lowest place on Earth. While nothing can evade his eyes, this time the Son of the Planets was surprised to see two unfamiliar cities, Sodom and Gomorrah, immersed underneath a strange transparent liquid. Rather than being surprised by the discovery of the buried cities underneath the Dead Sea…”
The king paused his eloquent speech to take a large gulp of wine, and continued, “Wait, you will soon hear about the great miracle. As I told you, the Son of the Planets visited these cities, and after a profound observation he discovered that rather than being dead the city dwellers were in coma… after giving it fair thought he returned to his miraculous chariot that had brought him and dug for him a gigantic tunnel to the Third World, and in an incredible and unheard-of project he started to transfer big portions of Sodom and Gomorrah to the Third World. Do you understand the enormity of his deeds? In fact, I have my doubts about my grandfather’s story, although I respect the tradition inscribed on deerskin parchment, and I even celebrate the day of
our second awakening, actually I still doubt it to this very day.”
“Is this your whole story about the immense miracle?”
“As a matter of fact my ‘grandfather’s story is long and boring, but I could tell you some more of it.
“Simultaneously with the transfer of parts of the city and reuniting them, the Son of the Planets also removed the transparent cover that blanketed the sleepy city, and then a breathtaking miracle happened. All the people and animals of Sodom and Gomorrah awakened to life.
My grandfather, the King of Sodom and Gomorrah, gathered his people and announced to them, ‘I must share with you what the Son of the Planets has telepathically relayed directly to my mind. Right now we have come back to life after 4,000 years of stagnation. From this day on we won’t have any evilness or human beasts in our towns. I will do my best to keep human laws and we shall adopt the Ten Commandments, the universal law of the entire humanity in the Upper World. From this day on Sodom and Gomorrah will stand as a symbol of honesty and truth.”
“Your Majesty,” I said in wonder. “Why did the Son of the Planets transfer Sodom and Gomorrah to the Third World? Why didn’t he awaken you in your homeland where you had lived 4,000 years before?”
“My wise sir. Picture to yourself what might have happened to my people if they were to appear in a new, unknown world after four thousand years of stagnation? I was told by Sons of the Third World that the world of today is very different. How can you live in a world where people travel in the air in iron boxes, gallop speedily inside wheeled tin cans powered not by horses, but on wheels, according to what you told me. And more such marvelous things I have heard from you with my own ears but have not yet digested. Ultimately, I’m not sure whether to celebrate or mourn our coming back to life. Believe me, my young man, the place that was reserved for us in the Upper World in the past is no longer ours. What hope is left for those who live in a world unknown to them? If it were not for the Son of Planets who discovered us, we wouldn’t have met, and now, my conversational partner, there are a few surprises in my bag and I have no doubt that you don’t want to miss them.”
When I heard him my curiosity piqued and I stretched my neck to full capacity – I was so eager for him to introduce them to me.
Upon sensing my curiosity the king lifted his hand and said, “Listen, my learned friend, you must be patient; I have many such nice things you’ll probably be happy to see.”
A Threefold Prince
With a wave of his finger two servants jumped up from their place and informed me, “Your time is over, sir, and now we shall escort sir to his room.”
“Do I have the privilege of staying in a room in the king’s palace?” I asked and was answered with a shorter reply.
“Sir, please follow me. Sir has a room in the king’s palace.”
I thanked the king for his hospitality and followed the servant to the second floor of the palace.
With its basic design the “room” contained a stone bench and a bed, the latter was covered with sheepskin. In the corner of the room stood a pitcher of cold water and an oil lamp on a stone shelf for lighting. I climbed onto the bed but couldn’t fall asleep.
What surprises await me? And what has happened to Melanie and the man who has stolen my identity? And will Melanie discover the deception? Then what will be her reaction be? Many questions went through my mind without any answers. What am I, a prisoner or a free man?
After a long, deep sleep, I awoke to a noise near my bed. I opened my eyes and realized that someone was standing next to my bed. I asked him in a half asleep voice, “What are you doing in my room?”
“In this palace I am known as the Simple Sapling and I’m the king’s servant, but right now I’m your servant, and I’m at your service day and night,” he concluded in a pretentiously pious tone, and bowed deeply to his toes. He pointed to an odd-looking dog and said, “Sir, this dog and I will guard you day and night from any harm.”
To be honest, the servant and his dog weren’t my soul’s desire right then, but what could I do?
It is the king’s order to honor me with a private servant and a guard dog, I thought and sighed. “Where are my clothes?!” I uttered in surprise when I noticed they were missing from my room.
“Honorable sir, you are going to be a prince. Sir, you are going to receive some regal garments; it is not proper for sir to wear strange-looking clothes that ridicule him.”
“What’s all this nonsense?” I called in surprise. “I’m not interested in regal garments. I’m not going to be a prince either! Who filled your head with this crazy story?”
“I’m really sorry,” said the attendant modestly. “This is the High Priest’s order which was submitted to him by the Minister of Ceremonies. Sir, all the people of the city already know that you are going to be a great prince, and it’s an honor for me to serve you, sir. And today, sir, at the sound of three blasts of the horn, my Lord is going to be brought before the king and all the dignitaries of the kingdom, and you will be granted a great honor.”
“I don’t need a great honor; please leave and bring me back my clothes. That is all I ask of you.”
He departed hurriedly but soon returned with a strange-looking garment, painted in bright colors.
“Is this a carnival?” I exclaimed mockingly. “I’m going to be a prince and Melanie the queen! What a stroke of luck. I asked you for my clothes back but got a ridiculous jester costume. I don’t want to be the Court Jester again! I received that position in the City of the Dreams!” I yelled in great anger and frustration.
However, the attendant maintained his composure and responded politely, “Sir, I’m really sorry. The High Priest burned your clothes – they were impure; a prince should not wear impure clothes.”
“That’s unbelievable! My impure clothes were burned!” I reiterated and paced the room like a caged lion.
Three horn blasts interrupted my complaints; the attendant froze in his place; however it didn’t take long until he recovered and called to me in excitement, “Please, sir! Sir hurry up and put on your clothes, and put on your new sandals too! You are going to be introduced to the king and to all his dignitaries.”
I found it futile to continue arguing with him, as he seemed so agitated. I put on my new prince’s clothing hurriedly, and went forth to the over-crowded Court of Ceremonies. Upon my entrance to the Court I could feel a host of inquisitive gazes piercing me and accompanying my every movement. The wave of speculation and whispers was cut off by the heralding of the arriving king. The crowd of dignitaries and I rose to our feet and stood at attention until the king sat in his throne.
Then he relaxed his position on the throne and started, “Today is a holiday. We are privileged today to see and hear our first visitor from the Upper World. Today my joy is doubled because I’m going to announce a new prince who will inherit the Kingdom of Sodom and Gomorrah, and who will be my son-in-law.”
When he concluded all the dignitaries rose to their feet and cheered with standing ovations. A cold sweat covered my body. My God, I’m the one… I’m the one who is going to be a prince… oh no, what a disaster! disaster! disaster!
My heart pounded frantically and I was about to faint.
“Please… would you please? What’s going on here?” I clamored, “I don’t want to get married! I’m not asking to be a prince or a king!” I yelled hoarsely. But no one paid attention to me. The sound of the applause deafened my loud cries of protest. Soon the applause subdued, and a long convoy of servants carrying trays heaped with delicacies entered the Court. The visitors started to voraciously devour the mountains of refreshments that were heaped in front of them. Before long dozens of dancers started dancing to the rhythm of tambourines in the aisles between the diners’ tables. For a long hour the dignitaries devoured the food and clapped their hands at any nonsense that came out of the king’s mouth, after he had drunk him
self into a stupor.
I was dead tired when I went to bed after dancing for a long hour in a big circle after being forced to participate.
Queen Melanie is leaving the Third World accompanied by an imposter wearing my image, the thought flashed through my mind, while I’m going to marry the daughter of the king. I was crowned to be a prince and I am going to be a king… It’s a mad world! What madness had a hold on me? Why did I leave home? What is going to happen next? All these words reverberated in my mind before I sank into a deep sleep.
“Wake up please, Prince, today is your big day; you are going to choose three wives; you are going to choose your dream princesses.”
“What princesses! Which princesses? What nonsense are you talking? I have so many troubles! Get out of my room; get away from here, for crying out loud!” I cried furiously.
“Prince, please don’t get mad at me; today you will be treated with the greatest respect.”
“Listen, Mr. Attendant, I do not need flattery. If you want to help me please find a way to get me out of the City of Sodom, and naturally I’ll reward you with precious gifts.”
“Are you serious? Precious gifts - that’s wonderful! I’m really willing to do anything for the prince. Little nice precious gifts…” he mumbled again and again. “Prince, Your Highness is the most generous man in the world!” the servant uttered in a saccharine voice, rolling two greedy eyes to the sky. “Just tell me what you want and I’ll do my best fulfill all your requests. Prince, the king has seventy beautiful princesses and you are allowed to choose the most charming ones. I, Prince, know all of them and I’d be delighted to serve the prince if only you will give me the honor of advising Your Highness.”
I was sure then that it was pointless to continue the conversation with my servant, whose sole desire was greed. So I quickly changed my clothes into the new fancy clothes that were arranged near my bed. I freshened up and followed my servant who ran ahead of me and announced to passersby to move away. It made me angry but I didn’t say anything.