An Invention More Precious than Gold
by Markiza de Sada
Far away in the South, there lived a Pauper who was so poor that he had to walk for days through plains and forests to find anything edible, and to feed the three daughters he lived with harmoniously in a large house on the outskirts of the city. Luck was once on his side, he used to be successful and famous in science. Hard times for the entire planet came which affected some countries more than others.
A huge financial crisis struck, people started buying less, production got reduced, so many lost their jobs and income. That also happened to the man who became the Pauper. Despite difficult living conditions, he was cheerful and hardworking. Besides everyday activities that were the hardest in winter months, the Pauper would find time to do what he liked best – inventions. He spent hours, days, weeks and months trying to realize an idea that was occupying him. One day, he started working on a completely new patent – an ampoule that was supposed to eliminate any possibility of the occurrence of blindness. Like a horrific disease, the blindness dominated the planet; it pillaged all over causing mass hysteria, wildfires, oil spills into oceans and seas, car accidents, forest arsons and animal extinctions.
No one could determine what was it actually about, what caused this pestilence, cos science couldn’t even come into spotlight due to profit personified in megalomaniacal spectacles which people found more important for the development of civilization.
Anyhow, in this situation, the Pauper found ways to remain focused on what he does best, but he didn’t means for further work on the ampoule due to the lack of money. For days, he pondered how to earn enough money, but he simply didn’t know, he couldn’t. So, he decided to turn to the King of the state in the South where he lived and ask him for credit so he could finish his invention, help humanity and give his daughters and himself a safer life in every sense.
After several pleas to different Ministries, the Pauper was forced to ask some of his former colleagues who remained influential to mediate and after several months, the King granted him audience. The Pauper was aware of the importance of the ampoule and the financial necessity for its production, but he put strong efforts to also explain them due to the strong wish to end blindness. The King gave him a disinterested look and said: I have no idea who you are, but when I see you that pathetic in those rags with eyes of a wounded lamb, I take pity. The credit will be granted, but you also have to give me something in return before you head onto your mission.
The Pauper got completely confused, and asked the King: Your Grace, I don’t understand which mission you are talking about. The King answered sharply: top secret information all nations of this world have is that the cause of the blindness, and of the horrific migrations that disturb everything is a terrifying monster called Miss RONA. An unseen hybrid, something between an animal and a machine. They claim it’s indestructible.
The Pauper turned pale and said: But I am only a poor scientist… I’m not a warrior, I don’t know anything about battle, let alone against a monster. The King laughed loudly and answered: Now it’s time to become a warrior. You owe it to your people, your nation and me. The Pauper barely said a word, when the King continued: Besides, I know you have three beautiful daughters. Unless you accept the mission, don’t be surprised if they go on their ways and forget their father. the Pauper had no choice, he bowed his head and said to the King: Your Grace, I accept anything it takes to preserve the dignity of my daughters and of our kingdom. I am off to search for Miss RONA this instant.
At his disposal, he only had a well-equipped seaplane, a bag of food and a pneumatic crossbow. the pauper knew statics, wind roses and other stuff necessary for successful piloting. He managed it quickly, flying over green plains, deserts, river flows and mountain tops all over the planet. In the summer, he would often find sights of abandoned settlements thinking that the inhabitants must have run off to other places due to the monster’s attacks.
However, he was curios to determine the reason on the spot, so he landed the seaplane on a cold lake and visited the small town in the vicinity. Walking along, he spotted wild animals cross the town square, the market and sports playgrounds undisturbedly. To his huge surprise, he quickly saw people in the windows of the houses he thought were abandoned. For a moment, he stopped and he was just about to knock on the door of a house, when the five-headed RONA appeared like a fury, let out a throaty scream, then quickly stormed by like a hurricane. The Pauper quivered, but decided to find out how is it that people still lived in their homes with the monster as a constant threat.
A third-gender person opened the door and addressed him: Can’t you see, you nutcase? Confused, he said: If you’re asking do I have sight – I do, no problems. But how come all of you are in the houses? Didn’t RONA blind you? The Third-gender Person said: The only way to avoid encountering it is isolation. If it doesn’t scan our sight, it can’t blind us. I don’t know how you remained intact. It’s a miracle. The Pauper reflected, but asked: Does anyone who knows more about the monster live here? My mission is to destroy it, so I could use any help. The Third-gender Person said: I don’t know much about it, but to the North in an ivory castle lives an unusual Rich Woman known for her impertinence, but also for a large collection of artwork and other objects. She might be able to help you, but be careful how you speak to her. She’s sensitive to words. The Third-gender Person slammed the door, and the Pauper confusedly started walking through the empty town. There was nothing left to do, but to look for the Rich Woman.
After a few hours of searching through the thick rainforest, in the mist he saw unusual buildings that looked like temples of forgotten gods. Rustic pillars, spiral staircases and gothic arches were covered in lianas and vines, and the dreamy atmosphere was complete with undefined noises of wild animals. just as he stepped, he saw a tall blonde dressed in a simple crimson bodysuit, long cape with tons of golden jewelry, a monocle on one eye and a small monkey on the right shoulder dressed the same as her. She turned and spoke to him dramatically: Alright Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up! The Pauper was confused, but with calm voice, he said: Good day, I am the Pauper, I mean the scientist… I am currently working on an ampoule against blindness. I am here to defeat Miss RONA. I was told you could help me. She looked away from him, uttered the name of the beast silently, picked a banana and fed the monkey. She spoke to him again: You don’t look like a warrior, a hero that will save the world, or an almighty wizard. I don’t know how to believe you. Hearing this, the Pauper remembered an old saying: We are what we repeatedly do. So, the power to control our actions is the power to control our character, and the power to control our character is the power to control our life. The Rich Woman shivered and started quickly walking through the thick vegetation of the surreal garden. A flawlessly designed botanical garden appeared, and then a huge ivory palace, and a narrow path to the nearby cave where the collection of different objects was with a large casket among them. She took out a key, opened a casket, and said to the Pauper: This is a sword made of the fifth-generation stainless steel connected to myths handled within numerous religions that no longer exist. Use it wisely and you will destroy RONA.
The Pauper recoiled, thanked her, and rushed back to the seaplane. He looked for the monster for days, but found only desolation and human fear. On a really sunny morning, when the air smelled of nitrogen and the world looked like it was going to disappear, he stumbled upon RONA resting on a clearing. He carefully snuck up, climbed upon her with the noiseless shoes he had constructed himself, and plunged a 5G sword directly into her stomach, then cut her heads one by one, and burned the rest of her trunk with a flamethrower.
The news on RONA’s defeat spread in the speed of light around the planet, everyone was saying the war was won. The Pauper returned to his country; he was welcomed a hero in the streets. He was proud and confused, but eager to see his daughters and produce the ampoule. He returned home, but they weren’t there. He rushed to the King who praised him a bit and approved his credit without saying anything about his daughters. The Pauper asked: Your Grace, I fulfilled everything you asked of me, where are my children? Where did they go? The King smiled and said: Are you really that naïve? Did you really think I was fulfilling your wishes? Your daughters lost faith in you and the only thing left for them to do was to soar into the stars. They transited; they became a data base. Although you can’t see or feel them, they’re all around you, watching you from distant spaces you can visit with the help of other media. Broken-hearted and incapable of speaking, the Pauper retreated to his laboratory, realizing that the only thing to do was to produce the ampoule. He completely isolated himself, sopped following the world’s ongoings. People forgot about him, and about the monster that threatened to exterminate them. They continued what they were doing before, led by a wish for profit.
In spite of that, the Pauper finally made the ampoule. He wanted to test it, but had no one to test it on, realizing that he might have been the blind one in the belief that his invention might give a new hope to humanity. All efforts might have been futile, RONA was perhaps a part of a radical plan to establish a completely new, more natural order in the planet inhabited not with people, but with a completely different species. He realized he valued forests more, where he felt totally relieved, so the Pauper left everything and became a Hermit, a green nomad, a druid in search for a better world that can be found somewhere in the depth of the forest…
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