Aquari
Page 12
Eistia the Investigator, Grega his partner, and Morgamor
Before persuading the crazy disturber of the peace into Grega’s vehicle to be taken in, both investigators took interest in the interrogation of the crazy man. They both made a note of one thing he said with some coherence. “The Sun is dieing. Soon will be the day.
Our world’s one hope is Beataphoriah.”
Eistia pointed out to Grega that “Beataphoriah” was a name the guy had used before. Grega had heard of the name. Beataphoriah is a very ancient name of the devil in the Aungtalli religion. “You remember. It wasn’t all that long.
Don’t you remember the old church song?” Grega reminded Eistia. “Sleep little children. Sleep sound in your bed
With only good thoughts to think in your head.
Heed warnings left behind that the gods say
None’s more despised than Beataphoriah.
There is an evil. It’s called the devil
who comes just to start nothing but trouble.
He must be shunned by all till judgment day,
the devil we call Beataphoriah.”
That was where Eistia had heard that name before. The most ancient cultures from probably even pre-history times, before the current age of Aungtalli re-written history, had referred to an ancient god called Beataphoriah. Most scholars agreed that Beataphoriah had been assigned the role of the devil by the later Aungtalli religion established after the mythical ancient day of the god’s wrath, which mind control obsessed Aungtalli priests never stopped reminding common Uranians about. The truth of history was that Beataphoriah was the ancient god of the pod-pollen tree who taught the ancients agriculture. He became a god of civilization and appeared in several ancient myths to advise the heroes of the ancient mythology on Urania. It had all been ancient history, but it also provided the genesis story that explained the current age where Aungtalli controlled society like superior overlords.
The guy must have driven himself crazy with some kind of forbidden devil worship had been Grega’s theory about the guy. Eistia remained skeptical when it came to all things superstitious since they always turned out to be the lies that a good investigator knows must be overcome. They would bring the guy in and then find out who he was, and investigate from there. The crazy man rambled on, desperately trying to explain as they pushed him into the car. “To dream is the experience of change,
and change is only a dream.
Mortals remain forever … hanging
on bloody chains of love and lies,
until they plant their own trees.
I CRIED
OUTSIDE THE WALLS
OF THE CURE!”
Beataphoriah became the name of one of the most ancient gods on Urania, and in the present age of the Aungtalli, Beataphoriah had become synonymous with the devil and evil incarnate. Devout followers of the Aungtalli faith lived in fear that Beataphoriah would come in some spiritual form of pure evil to tempt them into committing a sin that would incur the wrath and judgment of the gods. Eistia had to admit the crazy guy looked like a classic case of devil possession, which had become rare indeed in these more enlightened days.
They arrived at the crime investigation and prosecution headquarters, very much like a police precinct on Earth. Desks were further apart to accommodate bird torsos, but jails were made of metal bars just like on Earth. They eventually identified the crazy naked man as Morgamor who had been a productive member of a radio entertainment business before losing it and becoming the schizophrenic they brought in today. Acquaintances were contacted to bear witness that Morgamor had suffered from migraine headaches that just could not be cured with any conventional medicine.
He eventually enlisted as a subject for experimental research conducted by a Ministry of Science specialist named Eromot. Evidently the research project had been cut short because of the Aungtalli priest’s recent shutting down of the historic Ministry, which sent the guy out in the streets naked and crazy, although he currently didn’t seem to be suffering from migraine headaches at all.
As they placed the crazy nudist in protective custody for processing, probably to a mental health facility, Eistia and Grega were stopped by a Uranian who told them that they located the vehicle that they had issued an alert on. As it turned out the vehicle number was traced to a government truck that did display recent damage on the side, confirming the suspicion that it had been used to run another vehicle off a bridge earlier that day. At first Eistia became thrilled with the information before being informed that the driver and vehicle were released, the investigation was closed, and the entire matter officially classified.
At that moment there was then nothing poetic about what Eistia’s commander yelled across the room of the headquarters. “Eistia! Get your follicle ridden ass in my office now!!!”
Everyone always stood waiting for the Chief to finish what he started chirping. Eistia already figured out what he said, and tore himself away while Grega continued to incarcerate the crazy guy. Eistia foresaw being yelled at by the boss since he first arrived at the murder scene that morning. It was just waff shit rolling down the hierarchy, and no matter what the Chief said, Eistia still wanted to document this evidence, which for Eistia became a partial victory for his hampered investigation. When he arrived at the crime scene it already had been reported in the news and other programs as a tragic suicide of a scientist who became more and more depressed since Aungtalli priests were forced, for the sake of all of us, to close down the infamous Ministry of Science. Entertainment programs also speculated on the unknown corruption that must have been rampant in the now defunct Ministry, and then along came assurances from the Aungtalli Bishop that the closing had been necessary because, “The Ministry was corrupt and broken.
It must be closed down. The gods have spoken” and Uranians were assured that the closing would be only temporary.