by Arthur Zulu
CHAPTER 2
CELEBRATING PEACE IN WAR
Now I have not dreamed a dream like this before. As the kings and their soldiers assemble in a field at the end of their third failed attempt to catch Inferno, I know that this is going to be a bad dream.
And I begin to think of a word for “bad dream,” but I cannot remember. So I make for my study in order to check my dictionary for the word. But neither my study, nor my dictionary, do I find. And remembering that I am dreaming, I give up the attempt.
Then I begin to pray that I might awake, so as not to see the end of this bad dream. But I do not awake, so I remain to see the end of it.
As I sit in the expansive field, I hear the kings, Sunrise and Sunset, ask: “Why does Inferno have so many names?” But neither they, nor their numerous soldiers, seem to have the answer.
When the mission began, they were looking for Inferno, but now he is changing faces. For in First Inferno land, he changed to The Vanishing Child; at Second Inferno land, he became The Disappearing One; while at Third Inferno land, he became known as The Man with the Mask.
They cannot understand why this Inferno has many faces, and it dawns on them that this war is going to be a difficult one.
“So what are we to do next?” the two kings ask each other.
Then they begin to think of better things to do to incapacitate Inferno. Knowing that he has an enormous amount of money, they call on the banks to track and freeze all his accounts. As for the houses and training facilities of Inferno, they vow to seek them out and destroy them.
But as to what they would do if Inferno refuses to keep his money in banks, or if he indeed decides not to live in houses, they are not able to provide an answer. Neither do they know how to seize the scientific knowledge of Inferno, for it is well known that he can make weapons of mass destruction.
And they suddenly turn attention to the seven deadly spirit-parents of Inferno: Hatred, Oppression, Frustration, Injustice, Mistrust, Fear, and Enmity. They wonder why they happen to be the gatekeepers in every land that they go, and why they are playing the game of deceit.
“I have these seven dangerous spirits in my country. Do you have them in yours, also?” one of the kings asks the other. And the one that is asked looks and nods in agreement, for he has them, too.
Then they become aware that if these seven spirits who gave birth to Inferno live in their lands, then this wrecker of powerful lands, is right in their midst. So it seems that their search for Inferno, several thousands of miles away from home, is an exercise in futility.
They now raise their heads in regret to see the damage that they have done to these lands. And I see that the fire, which they have caused, is still burning, and that people are still mourning their dead.
As we look at the untold damage done to these lands, which are supposedly keeping Inferno, we hear a bugle. The kings and the soldiers immediately make for the location of the alarm. But it turns out not to be the discovery of Inferno. Instead, people are gathered at the glass tower that is the headquarters of the Talking Nations Organization.
Now this organization was established to bring peace to the world by ending all wars. I raise my eyes toward the walls of the towering building called the Isaiah Wall, and see the text of Isaiah chapter 2 verse 4 inscribed on it which reads: “And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”
And I begin to laugh and ask why such a golden scripture was inscribed on the building. Instruments of war transformed to agricultural implements? A farewell to wars? And they even made an illustration of a man fashioning a sword into a farm tool!
I begin to say to myself that the ancient prophet will be dazed to see the application of his writing to today’s world by these war-mongering nations. Ironies!
As to the reason for the alarm, I learn that the Secretary General of this Talking Nations Organization and the body itself, have been awarded a peace prize for keeping peace all over the world. The call, therefore, was sent for the whole world to come and celebrate with them.
I see all the assembled mighty men in this great building wave their handkerchiefs before half-clad dancers all day and night. All the world leaders make glowing speeches for peace and praise the world body for bringing peace to the world, which they had thought, was impossible.
I begin to doubt whether I understand what they are saying. Is there peace in this world now? Or are they talking about another world? And is this the right moment to award a peace prize to the Secretary General and the world body that was created to ensure peace, when the kings of both East and West have been waging atrocious wars in foreign lands in their search for Inferno? I cannot understand.
But the Secretary General himself, who is called Mr. Loudmouth, rises to speak. He is decorated in gold—a mark of the prize—and plenty of money is given him, too. Thousands cheer him as he speaks, and I begin to hope that I get the meaning of all these.
But I am mistaken. For he is saying familiar things—things that I have heard before.
He says that there is peace in the world for the first time since the founding of the organization. He speaks of the enormous time and resources that went into making it possible. Then he speaks in memory of all those who had died in the course of keeping the peace—soldiers, civilians, and humanitarian workers. And he asks all that are present to stand and remain silent for a minute in honor of the dead. They all do so.
After that, he thanks them for giving the dead the great privilege of keeping quiet for the whole of 60 seconds! He even says that if the dead could see, they would have been gladdened to be so fondly remembered for sacrificing their lives in pursuit of world peace.
I find it difficult to hear him because each statement that he makes is punctuated with a thousand cheers, and the more he speaks, the louder the applause becomes. He is promising greater peace in the future now.
But there are so many ifs attached to that—if the world leaders respect the decisions of the Talking Nations Organization, if the nations cooperate in all areas and work as one world body, if they pay their financial dues, if the workers are dedicated, if they are allowed to work in the right atmosphere, if the people learn to be their brothers’ keeper, if…
I cannot remember all the iffy things. The last thing he says, however, draws the greatest applause: “There can be no peace without war, because war is the road map to peace.”
For a long time, the deafening noise of approbation refuses to die down. And when it does, I see the world leaders give him golden handshakes and pat him on the back, for such a beautiful speech. For they have not heard such a speech in their lifetime.
And they pledge their support to him and the world body in their quest for peace. They say that they particularly like the closing sentence in his speech, “There can be no peace without war, because war is the road map to peace,” and wish him many more years as Secretary General of the Talking Nations Organization.
After the celebration, the kings of Orient and Occident and their soldiers, roll out their deadliest weapons, vowing to destroy Inferno, whether he be The Vanishing Child, The Disappearing One, or The Man with the Mask. And even saying to pulverize the seven deadly spirits: Hatred, Oppression, Frustration, Injustice, Mistrust, Fear, and Enmity.
And they march out to accomplish this suicidal mission. It is then that I remember the other word for “bad dream”: Nightmare!