The World's Game

by Jacobo Izquierdo

  “Have you seen my family?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where are they?” He asked leaping out of joy.

  “Calm down,” he said taking him by the arms. “According to what I was told, they are always in the same place: in the tulips valley. To arrive there, you have to cross those hills in the background.”

  “I’m so willing to see them,” he said visibly touched. “I’ve dreamt so many times with…”

  “So run! Do it!” He shouted.

  Chapter 54

  The transport cabin’s light located in Racot went off and a fraction of a second later, it lit up again with the bodies of the two midarians inside it. They got out of it hastily and walked to the panel that opened the Ralex door. Suddenly, darkness. Both of them turned around abruptly. Palac was the first one in noticing his father’s presence and hurried to press the symbols that opened the door, but it was too late. Cabolun threw a powerful ray against the walls.

  “Where are you rushing to?” He asked in a severe tone. “Did you think you could escape from me?”

  “How have you found us?” Palac asked.

  “To be honest, it wasn’t you who I thought I would find here. Where’s the piromeiso?”

  “It’s only the two of us,” Beiler answered in a threatening attitude. “Let’s finish with this.”

  “Have you come here to kill a simple racot?” The novice asked in a mocking tone.

  “Shut up! You’re as useless as my father!” The midarian leader clenched his fists.

  “Now!” Beiler shouted.

  Palac closed his eyes and focused all his power on paralyzing him. Cabolun could not move. He was completely paralyzed and at his captor’s mercy. The captain started throwing hundreds of rays to try to weaken his protection helmet. He knew about its extreme resistance, so he kept on throwing rays nonstop for several minutes. The young midarian felt how his mind power diminished favoring his father’s. He tried to resist as much as he could, waiting for Beiler to destroy the shell that covered his head, but eventually the strongest one took control of the fight. The rays stopped and both attackers fell to the floor paralyzed. The situation had reversed in a matter of seconds and they knew a single blow could be enough to kill them.

  “Did you really think you could beat me?”

  Cabolun threw a powerful ray on the head of who once was his captain and his helmet resulted visibly damaged. The blood flowed out of his head at high speed and nothing could be done to stop it. Palac closed his eyes waiting for his turn.

  “Get up!” The midarian leader ordered him.

  “Come on, kill me!” He shouted standing up.

  “Calm down… don’t anticipate events.”

  “You killed grandpa and now you’ll do the same to your son.”

  “You’re not my son,” he said contemptuously. “You’re just another midarian…”

  “That’s not true!” He shouted.

  “Well… to tell the truth, I don’t know what you are. You’re incomplete!”

  “Why did you do it? Why did you stop the machine of life when I was five hundred years old and you didn’t let me complete the cycle? Was it because you were afraid of forming someone stronger than you?”

  Cabolun shook his head no and cornered him against one of the wall. He took his neck with one hand and lifted him. Palac tried in vain to free himself. The eyes of the midarian leader lit up and the light hit his head with violence. It was over. The bodies of the youngest and the most long-lived inhabitants of Mida lied immobile on the floor. The satisfied attacker walked some steps until he reached the panel and in precise moment in which he was about to leave the room to go and find the piromeiso, the darkness stopped him.

  Chapter 55

  Josef, following Henry’s indications, went up the hill. Everywhere, hundreds of people enjoyed the pleasured of eternal life. Well-known and unknown characters were talking lively. Singers, actors and sportspeople of all ages gathered in that magical scenery. On the top of the mountain, there was a great esplanade with hundreds of thousands of newly born babies crawling restlessly all over the floor. They were also wearing white robes. None of them was crying; all of them were laughing nonstop orchestrating a catchy melody. A singsong that ended up inoculating Josef, who now laughed without knowing if the babies were the responsible ones of his laughter or if it was because he was nervous about being so near. A few meters from where he was, he saw a woman carrying a baby and he decided to approach her.

  “Hello,” he said shyly. “Where is the tulips valley?”

  “Right there,” she said pointing to an area situated on the mountain lap.

  “Thank you.”

  The tulips valley was a large extension of land in which only that kind of flower existed. Millions of tulips embellished the landscape in a perfect contrast of colors. The green stem of the plants served as canvass for the thousands of plants that drew the surroundings. Some people sat on the top of the hill to imagine drawings and shapes, as if they were clouds.

  “Look, a cat!” A boy sitting on the floor shouted.

  “It’s a mouse!” A second boy shouted.

  “I think it’s a dog,” Josef said joining the conversation.

  “A dog?” Both little boys asked at the same time.

  The three of them started laughing. Josef said goodbye to them and went down the hill. Suddenly, he heard suddenly that made him walk faster. His mother’s sweet voice singing the famous song resounded in the mountains.

  «When the owl goes out hunting the night will have fallen

  on the sugar cane, it’ll hide

  but don’t be afraid, my hand will protect you

  and the small vulture will look after you.»

  “Mum?” He shouted at the top of his lungs. “Where are you?”

  The melody kept on sounding, but Josef could not find his family. He was looking everywhere desperately when a deep and authoritarian voice raised over the others.

  “You’ve made it!”

  “Grandpa!”

  It was then when, at a hundred meters from him, he saw a noticeable group of people he did not know, in which his father’s, his mother’s and his grandfather’s heads stuck out. As fast as he could, he ran towards them and he melded into an embrace with the oldest one; that one who had given up to everything for him.

  Generation and generations of family members were patiently waiting for his arrival. After having been introduced to all of them, they decided to move away to talk calmly.

  “I knew you’d be able to complete my investigation,” Mike said surrounding his grandson’s neck with his arm. “You were the only person capable of decoding the numeric mumbo-jumbo.”

  “It wouldn’t have been possible without your book. How do you know I’m here thanks to the number and not because I’ve died?” He asked surprised.

  “You were so little when we separated,” his father said. The resemblance between both of them was astonishing. “We’ve seen every single moment of your life. Your joys and your sorrows; your loves and break ups.”

  “How’s that possible?”

  “You’ll see,” his grandpa said.

  They walked through the tulips valley until they reached a great river. The water was transparent and it must be kilometers long. As if it were the Ganges itself, hundreds of people were bathing in it. Other were sitting on the shore; some of them were talking, while others were simply looking at the water.

  “What are all these people doing there?” He asked pointing to them.

  “Talking with their relatives,” his mother answered. “The mediums of the Earth are capable of making contact with this place. The river is the point of connection between life and death.”

  “Do you mean the spirits?”

  All of them laughed.

  “Something like that,” his mother answered tenderly. “On some occasions, it’s not necessary to be in the river to be called. The mediums use very advance means of communication.”

  “W
hy didn’t you ever communicate with me?” He asked troubled.

  “Because you never visited a medium,” his father answered. “He had the hope that you did so when you read on your grandpa’s book about the contact your grandpa had with your grandma.”

  “But he didn’t use a medium to contact grandma. He did an astral travel!”

  “There are different types of channels,” his grandpa said. “On some occasions, the astral dimension is used to enter your world in a physical way. Those people in the water are trying to use it. And I say trying because only the most experienced ones are capable of connecting both worlds.”

  “What are the ones that are just looking at the water doing?”

  “They’re observers,” his grandpa answered. “A small percentage of the people inhabiting this place don’t manage to get disconnected from the other world and they look at the water all the time, reflected on it, they see what happens on the Earth.”

  “Here is where we’ve seen you grow up,” his father said smiling.

  Josef started to look at the river.

  “I can’t see anything,” the only thing he could see was the sky reflected on the surface.

  “Look at the water steadily and visualize a person or place on your mind,” his father said.

  His mind drew Margaret. She was smiling with her golden hair and her perfect teeth. However, the image shown by the water did not suffer any change at all. The sky was still there.

  “Nothing,” he said desperately.

  “How strange,” his grandpa said. “Try visualizing another person.”

  He repeated the procedure, but this time he imagined Steve. A few seconds later, he appeared talking with one of his scientists in the lab. The accuracy was total.

  “It’s incredible!” He exclaimed fully surprised. “I’ve just seen Steve as if he were right there. Grandpa, why wasn’t I able to see my friend Margaret?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “It’s weird, he said worried. “We were inside the spacecraft, we pressed the destination at the same time, but when I got here, I was alone.”

  “We saw that,” his grandmother said. “It’s a pity. We were looking forward to meeting her. Your friendship is beautiful.”

  “Yes, but it’s just that, friendship,” he blushed. “I like her as a friend. Nothing else.”

  “You needn’t have justified yourself,” his father joked.

  “I know. Grandma, you’re very quiet. Don’t you have anything to tell me?” He asked caressing her hand.

  “I love listening to you,” she answered with a smile. “You remind me of your father so much. In the end, the son has brought you here.”

  “Did you compose it?”

  The old lady nodded.

  “I first sang it to your father when he was a little boy so that he never forgot it. Then, your mother did the same with you.”

  “Why did you want him to remember it?”

  “Because I knew it hid something.”

  His grandmother took his hand and together, they started walking along the lakeshore. Some of the observers who were watching their relatives through the water, smiled at them as they passed by.

  “As you know, I was in Egypt in my previous life. It was when the pyramids where built. One day I woke up and I saw there was a big commotion outside my house. According to what the witnesses said, a stone board had fallen from the sky. On it, the word PASSWORD was written along with four hieroglyphics: an owl, a sugar cane, a hand and a vulture.”

  “Mida, right?” Josef asked.

  “When the pharaoh heard about that, he got very angry and ordered to kill all the people gathered there. When I was born in my current body, I remembered even the slightest detail of all what had happened. In order not to forget it, I decided to compose a song containing the four symbols. Now that I know what the password was for, I understand the pharaoh.”

  Josef’s mother, father and grandfather were walking behind them unaware of the conversation. They did not need to take part in it; Josef’s mere presence was enough.

  “Incredible! Were you here before coming back to the Earth?”

  “Yes, but I don’t remember almost anything.”

  “Are there more people you know that have reincarnated?”

  “More than what you’d ever imagine. There are people that come here and in a few days their memories go back to Earth on another body. Others, as it happened to me, take thousands of years to come back.”

  “Have you ever seen your former body?”

  Mery shook her head no.

  “It’s fine that you talk, but don’t leave us aside,” his mother said.

  “You’re right,” Josef said turning back to them.

  After hours of talking and talking, he decided it was the moment to leave. His relatives went with him to the top of the mountain, where the pyramid was, and they saw him off.

  “Have you tried getting inside it?”

  “I think every person here has tried it at least once,” his grandpa said smiling. But when you try getting into the pyramid, there’s an invisible force that impedes you.”

  “Search your place in life, and once you’ve found it, fully enjoy it,” his mother said.

  “I’ll try to,” Josef said hugging her.

  “Some day we’ll meet each other again,” his grandpa said. “Don’t rush to be here again. Now you know we’re fine.”

  “I would’ve liked to teach you so many things,” his father said feeling sorry. “I can’t do anything now. The only thing I can do is to give you one last piece of advice. Open your eyes wide and listen to the people you care about. No job or anything is more important than people. Money won’t grant you happiness. You’ll find it when you learn to listen and appreciate the people around you, so take care of that girl who stayed by your side while you were in hospital.”

  “Although you weren’t there when I needed you most,” he said in tears “I’m sure you would’ve been the best father on earth.”

  Chapter 56

  Horror took control of Cabolun at seeing the Cyclops silhouette getting out of the transport cabin. Anticipating to the visitor’s moves, the midarian leader started throwing rays nonstop. Crizal seemed unmoved. He soared to the top of the room and descended at only two meters from him, making Cabolun step back.

  “Who are you?”

  “Don’t you remember me?”

  “No. Who are you?” He asked again, this time raising his voice.

  “You don’t deserve to know it,” he said gasping and showing his forked tongue. “First, you killed Yewut, and now you’ve done the same to your son.”

  “You don’t know anything!”

  “That’s what you think. Now it’s your turn!”

  “No! I’ll give you whatever you want. I have tons of plistor in Mida. Don’t do it!” He begged.

  Crizal went to the transport cabin. Then, he threw a powerful ray that fully crashed against the midarian. A slight earthquake shook the pyramid. Cabolun’s body completely disintegrated, turning into a handful of ashes. The Cyclops rushed to Palac’s body and used the healing power to heal him. He soon woke up.

  “What has happened?”

  “It’s not a good moment for explanations.”

  The Cyclops proceeded in the same way with the captain, but he realized that it had passed too much time.

  “We can’t do anything for him.”

  “Don’t let him die!” He shouted desperately. “Use your powers to heal him. All this has been my fault. He didn’t want to come to Racot.”

  “The healing power heals wounds, but it can’t give him back the blood he has lost.”

  “It can’t be true!” Palac said knelt in front of his friend’s body.

  “To be honest… there’s a way to save him,” the Cyclops said sitting by his side. “There’s a fourth alternative in the occupation power that I didn’t show to your grandfather. Using that option, two bodies can be joined, even though one of them is dead.
Fusion is irreversible, but it’s the only way I can save him.”

  “What will happen with your planet? Are you going to give up your life for him?”

  “My life? Look at me, I’m a monster!” He exclaimed soaring in the air to the top of the room. “Since my species disappeared, I’ve been practically alone. I don’t think anybody cares if I leave my planet. When we join as one, we’ll keep Beiler’s body, but any of us will be able to control it as he pleases. Each of us will keep his memories in a different area. He won’t know I’m inside him.”

  “What will happen if one of you wants to do the opposite of what the other one wants?”

  “The part of the mind used to give orders will be controlled by both of us, and although I decide to do something, he won’t be aware of that. He’ll think the decision was taken by his own will.”

  “What’s your benefit with all this?”

  “A new life,” he answered hastily. “Although I will lack my current appearance, I’ll still keep my memories and experiences. No one will notice anything. You’ll have to be cautions and never tell this to anybody.”

  The Cyclops descended and started to concentrate.

  “What shall I tell him when he wakes up?” Palac asked before he vanished.

  Crizal did not answer. His body became a small blue light and he got into Beiler through the wounds on his head. The process lasted some minutes, until his body was fully recovered. After this, he opened his eyes and got up a bit startled.

  “What’s happened?” He asked getting up quickly.

  The question took Palac by surprise. He did not know what to answer.

  “My father paralyzed us and he first threw a ray against your head that killed you instantly. After that, we fought a harsh battle and I used all my mind power in a fulminating blow that put an end to his life.”

  Beiler looked at him astonished. He walked several steps all over the room and he turned around.