by M J Dees
“Dear friends of Ozli,” Ozli’s mother began. “He has spoken of you both often and I am sure that there is no-one else that he is as close to as you. We would appreciate it if you were to show us this courtesy to stay with us for a while. Your help will receive the thanks fitting the gratefulness of a president.”
“You could command us, rather than ask us,” said Tafazolli.
“We both will do what you ask,” said de Wijs. “We are completely at your service.”
“Thank you both, Tafazolli and de Wijs,” said President Man.
“Thank you,” said Ozli’s mother. “Please visit my much changed begotton as soon as possible, our staff will lead you to him.”
“We will help him in any way we can,” said Tafazolli.
“Thank the better place,” said Ozli’s mother.
Tafazolli and de Wijs were led away by the President’s staff. No sooner had they left than Kellen Kader entered.
“The ambassadors you sent to the outer regions have returned, sir,” he said.
“You have brought good news,” said the President.
“Have I, sir? I assure you, I am doing my duty. And sir, that I may have identified the source of Ozli’s madness.”
“Tell me, what have you discovered?”
“Speak to your ambassadors first, then I shall share my thoughts.”
“Very well, bring them in.”
Kellen left the room, and the President turned back to Ozli’s mother.
“Kellen tells me he has discovered the source of your begotton’s madness.”
“I doubt it is anything more than his begetter’s death and our over hasty union.”
Kellen returned with the ambassadors, Lichaj and Mazuch.
“Welcome, my dear ambassadors,” said the President. “Tell me, Lichaj, what news do you have from the outer regions?”
“Greetings and good wishes,” Lichaj began. “There are movements in the outer regions to try to suppress the desires of those groups who wish to regain the territories they feel they have lost. The outer regions did not wish to attack the Republic, but were actually making preparations against the inner territories. On further investigation they revealed that there were elements which intended to assault the Republic. These elements were arrested but, on their arrest, they vowed never to attack the Republic and have now been funded to make a mission to the inner territories. They asked us to return here with a request to give them safe passage through the Republic so they might attack the inner territories.”
“I am pleased that they claim that they do not wish to attack the Republic. I will study their request in more detail and consider it before giving my response. Thank you for your efforts. Go and rest, this evening we shall have a feast. Welcome home.”
CHAPTER 4: THE FORGOTTEN
The President and Kellen Kader waited in the great hall until the ambassadors had left.
“This is a good resolution to the business,” said Kellen. “I will be brief, Ozli is mad. This madness comes with a cause. I have a daughter who has shared with me, this message: ‘You must have come from the better place, I idolise you, Zarah. Within your wonderful vapours etc etc.’”
“Ozli sent this to Zarah?” asked Ozli’s mother.
“Wait ma’am: ‘Doubt that the stars are fire, doubt that the planets move, doubt truth to be a lie, but never doubt my love. Oh, dear Zarah, I am not good at poetry, I cannot produce art to express my feelings, but that I love you, believe me, goodbye. Yours forever, my dear Zarah, as long as I live, Ozli’. My daughter shared this with me and she has more that she has shared to me as he sent them.”
“How has she reacted to these messages?” asked the President.
“You know that I am your faithful servant,” said Kellen. “I could have ignored this insignificant love affair, done nothing about it. But even before she showed me the messages, I explained to her that Ozli is in line to the presidency and that she should have any expectations with regard to him. I advised her to ignore his advances and reject any invitations. She did as I asked and, as a result, Ozli fell into a sadness following which things got gradually worse until he entered the madness where he resides.”
“You believe this to be the case?” asked the President.
“It sounds plausible,” said Ozli’s mother.
“I will endeavour to find the truth,” said Kellen. “You know that he roams the palace for hours on end?”
“He does,” said Ozli’s mother.
“I will allow my daughter to meet him and we will observe and see what happens, whether or not he loves her.”
“Let’s try it,” said the President.
Ozli wandered into the great hall.
“There he is now,” said his mother.
“Might I respectfully suggest that you both leave and I will greet him,” Kellen suggested. “I will communicate with you using our devices.”
The President and Ozli’s mother agreed and left the great hall.
“Ozli!” Kellen approached the President’s nephew. “How’s it going?”
“Thank you,” said Ozli.
“Do you recognise me, Ozli?”
“You are a pimp, your daughters are prolific breeders.”
“Not me, Ozli.”
“Then please be honest,” said Ozli.
“Honest?”
“Yes, honest. Only one out of ten thousand are honest.”
“That is true, Ozli.”
“The stars rot the flesh of dead beasts. Do you have a daughter?”
“I do.”
“Don’t let her walk in the starlight, it is a blessing to get pregnant, your daughter might get pregnant. See to it.”
“He talked about my daughter and yet he claimed not to know me,” Kellen whispered so that only the President would hear him. “He called me a pimp. I think he is far gone. When I was young, I suffered extremities of love very near this, I will speak to him more.”
Kellen followed Ozli who had wandered off.
“What are you doing, Ozli?”
“Words, words, words, words.”
“What is wrong, Ozli?”
“Between who?”
“I mean, what troubles you?”
“Slander.”
“He is mad, but he also has reason,” Kellen whispered to the President before turning back to Ozli. “Shall we go outside, Ozli?”
“To my death.”
“I suspect his answers have meaning,” Kellen whispered to the President. “His madness appears to give him contentment. I will leave him and try to arrange his meeting with my daughter.”
“I will see you later,” Kellen called after Ozli, who had wandered off again.
“You will see nothing, except my life,” said Ozli.
“Goodbye.”
“Old fool.”
On his way out of the great hall, Kellen passed Tafazolli and de Wijs.
“If you are looking for Ozli, he is in there,” he told them.
“Thank you,” said Tafazolli.
They entered the great hall and approached Ozli.
“Ozli!” they shouted their greeting together.
“My best friends,” said Ozli. “de Wijs! How are you? Tafazolli! How are you doing? You must think I had forgotten you.”
“We are as good as anyone could expect and we don’t feel forgotten,” said Tafazolli.
“Things are neither excellent nor terrible but somewhere in between,” said de Wijs.
“That’s good to hear,” said Ozli. “What is the news, my friends?”
“No news,” said Tafazolli, “All in the Republic is good, I believe.”
“Then the universe is about to end,” said Ozli. “It is not true. What have you both done so badly that someone has sent you here to this prison, the presidential palace?”
“Prison?” asked de Wijs.
“The presidential palace is a prison. Future is a prison.”
“Then the universe is a prison,” said Tafazolli.
“A good
one,” said Ozli. “In which there are many cells. Future is the worst.”
“We don’t think so,” said Tafazolli.
“Then it isn’t to you,” said Ozli. “There is nothing good or bad about the universe, it’s just thinking about it that makes it so. To me it is a prison.”
“Is it your ambition that makes it prison?” asked Tafazolli. “Is the universe too small for your mind?”
“For the love of the better space,” said Ozli. “They could trap me in a pish nut and be the president of infinite space if I didn’t have these terrible dreams.”
“Are the dreams your ambition?” asked de Wijs. “The stuff of the ambitious is the shadow of dreams.”
“A dream is a shadow.”
“True,” said Tafazolli. “And I have such little ambition that my dreams are shadows of shadows.”
“Then do our beggars have no ambition and are our leaders impressive figures or ambitious actors?” asked Ozli. “I am pestered by the most irritable things in this place. What are you two doing here, anyway?”
“To visit you,” said Tafazolli.
“Thank you. Did no-one send for you? Did you come of your own accord? Tell me.”
“What should we say?” asked de Wijs.
“Anything. They sent you. You cannot hide your silence. I know that the President and my co-begetter sent for you.”
“Why?” asked Tafazolli.
“That is what I want you to tell me. On our friendship, tell me whether they sent you.”
“What do you say?” Tafazolli asked de Wijs.
“They sent us,” said de Wijs.
“I’ll tell you why,” said Ozli. “To prevent your exposure, then your secrecy with the President and my co-begetter can remain intact. I have recently appeared to have lost my sense of humour and changed my habits. In fact, this entire universe holds no interest for me. Also, everything in this universe. I am not interested in anything or anyone. Do you doubt me?”
“Not at all,” said Tafazolli.
“I sense that you do.”
“Are you sure you have no interest in anyone? We understand that they have invited a group of actors to the palace. We know how much you enjoyed the theatrical arts when you were younger. Have you forgotten?”
“What actors?” asked Ozli.
“They are Future’s own troop, The Forgotten Theatre Company.”
“The Forgotten players? Are they as good as they used to be?”
“Not as good.”
“How come?”
“They try to maintain the same standard, but they have a lot of young actors.”
“How young? Are they children? Who finances them? What do they do when the company no longer needs them?”
“There has been some controversy about them, it’s true.”
“Then, is it not strange that the President should invite them to the palace?”
“Here they come,” said de Wijs, who had moved to a window.
“Tafalozzi and de Wijs, you are welcome at the palace. Let’s meet the actors. I will show you a proper welcome, but I have deceived the President and my co-begetter.”
“How?” asked de Wijs.
“I am mad when the wind blows one way, but when it blows from the other I am sane.”
Kellen Kader returned.
“Are you well?” he asked as he approached the three.
“Did you hear that?” asked Ozli. “That great baby? I will make a prophecy he has come to tell me about the theatre company.”
“Ozli, I have news for you,” said Kellen.
“Kellen, I have news for you,” said Ozli. “When Pascia N'Sauri was an actor on Future...”
“The Forgotten Theatre is here, Ozli,” said Kellen.
“Blah, blah,” said Ozli.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Each actor arrived...”
“These are the best actors in the region.”
“O M'Zanti, Flame of Supa, what a Stellar Enterprise you had!”
“He had.”
“Why? ‘One beautiful begotton, and no more, the which he loved very well’.”
“Zarah?”
“Am I not right, old M’Zanti?”
“If you call me M’Zanti, I have a begotton whom I love very much.”
“That makes little sense.”
“What makes sense then?”
“Why...as the better place knows, and then you know: ‘It came to pass, as most like it was,’ so goes the devout song. Look, my entertainment is arriving.”
The actors of the Forgotten Theatre entered the great hall.
“You are welcome,” Ozli called out to them. “Welcome, all of you. I am glad to see you all, good friends. I recognise some of you, even though you have changed since I last saw you. Give me a sample of your work, a passionate speech, something that I might know.”
“Which speech would you like,” asked one actor.
“I heard you speak a speech once. It was like the finest pish, though I think the population did not appreciate it as they should have. It was excellent work. One speech in it I particularly liked. It was Odubajo’s tale to Dicko, when he speaks of Toral’s slaughter. If you can remember it, it begins like this: ‘The rugged Tomori, like the M’Mineon beast..’ no, that’s not right, it was like this: ‘The rugged Tomori, he whose dark arms, dark as his purpose did the night sky resemble. The New Thyophans besieged the Living City of M'Mino. The M’Mineons withstood every onslaught, and the New Thyophans could not find a way through. All was stalemate until young Tomori came up to present the M’Mineons with a gift as a sign of goodwill,’ you know the speech I mean?”
“I do,” said the actor. “So the New Thyophans constructed a mighty M’Mineon beast and presented it to the M’Mineon’s as a gift. The M’Mineon’s were sceptical at first, but, they took it into the Living City. As soon as they did, the rugged Tomori, who had hidden within the beast with the New Thyophan army, leapt out of the beast and slaughtered every one of the M’Mineon’s without mercy.”
“This speech is too long,” Kellen complained.
“Please carry on,” Ozli urged the actor.
“And so, through his trick, Tomori delivered retribution on the evil M’Mineon’s who had taken his father from him.”
“I can’t hear any more, I have to go,” said Kellen.
“Fair enough,” said Ozli. “Just make sure that you treat the players of the Forgotten Theatre very well while the stay in the palace.”
“Don’t worry, Ozli, I will.”
When Kellen had left, Ozli turned to the actor.
“Can you perform that play tonight for the President?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Good, I want you to include a special speech that I will write for you.”
“As you wish.”
“Thank you. Follow Kellen, he will see you are looked after.”
The actors did as Ozli instructed and left in the same direction as Kellen.
“My dear friends,” Ozli said to Tafazolli and de Wijs. “I will see you later at the performance. There is something I must do.”
CHAPTER 5: CATAPULTED TO TOMORROW
Sevan found Ozli wandering the palace grounds, alone.
“I was enjoying a moment of solitude,” Ozli explained.
“How are you managing things?” asked Sevan.
“I’ve been terrible Sevan, I’ve been awful.”
“How come?”
“You should have seen the actors of the Forgotten Theatre, they were here. I asked one of them to make a speech and he did it with such emotion. How can he find such emotion for someone that means nothing to him, that he has never met?”
Sevan shrugged.
“If he can summon that level of emotion for a character,” Ozli continued. “What emotion must he display if he felt strongly about something that mattered to him?”
“I’ve no idea,” Sevan admitted.
“Yet, here I am, cowardly moping around, not able to motivat
e myself for the revenge my father has asked me to seek. I am scared, Sevan, scared to take revenge on that treacherous villain. The victim was my father, Sevan, and yet, despite his own request for revenge, I behave like the lowest of the low.”
“I’m sure together we can come up with a plan.”
“I have the semblance of a plan, Sevan. The President has invited the theatre and I will ask them to perform something very close to his murder of my father, and then I will scrutinise him to see whether he flinches.”
“Sounds like an excellent plan.”
“But what if the image was not my father, but someone trying to take advantage of my grief to get me to do terrible things?”
“Don’t worry, Ozli. Stick to your plan. You will tell from the President’s reaction if he is guilty.”
*
The President, Ozli’s mother, Kellen and Zarah Kader, Tafazolli and de Wijs were all gathered in the great hall.
“You haven’t been able to determine the reason for this apparent madness?” asked the President.
“He confessed that he felt mad,” said Tafazolli. “But he did not speak of the cause.”
“He’s also not too keen for us to question him,” said de Wijs. “He is aloof when we come onto the subject of his condition.”
“Did he welcome you?” asked Ozli’s mother.
“Yes, very well,” said Tafazolli.
“But he was forcing himself,” said de Wijs.
“He was unwilling to talk,” said Tafazolli. “He answered our questions though.”
“Did you urge him to occupy himself with something,” asked Ozli’s mother.
“He was very pleased to see the theatre company,” said Tafazolli. “And he seemed very keen on the idea that they would play this evening.”
“This is true,” Kellen confirmed to the President and Ozli’s mother. “He seemed very keen that you should both witness the play.”
“That is wonderful news,” said the President. “Please continue to encourage him.”
“We will,” said Tafazolli.
He and de Wijs left the hall.
“Would you mind leaving us too?” the President asked Ozli’s mother. “We have secretly asked for Ozli to come that he might ‘accidentally’ meet Zarah. Her begetter and myself intend to spy on them. We will hide ourselves behind these curtains and see whether his behaviour results from love.”
