The Keepers (or The momentum).
Kent Harris
Copyright 2015 Kent Harris.
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For Gail.
Contents
Prologue: The Keepers
Chapter 1: Lysei.
Chapter 2: The self-god
Interlude 1: The Keepers
Chapter 2: The self-god.
Chapter 3: One of the victims.
Interlude 2: The Voice.
Chapter 4: The beginning of death.
Interlude 3: The Keepers.
Chapter 4: The beginning of death. Continued.
Chapter 5: The death of a soul.
Chapter 6: The Death.
Interlude 4: The Keepers
Chapter 7: The saviour.
Epilogue: The Keepers.
Prologue: The Keepers.
These stupid lower ranks think they know all…what a laugh, thought The First rank keeper.
Do I also think I know all…well I do share much of the same DNA, he thought again.
I am the first rank keeper…how dare they question my judgement. I am their superior. In the end the truth is that I don’t know all…But the truth is also that I know more, I am an original, I wasn’t taught keeping, I derived the need to keep, he thought angrily and justified.
“I don’t agree that the step up of the sex character to the momentum is a solution, Sir First,” the First-rank-opposite said.
His job was to disagree. It was part of his job description. The keepers were separated into two factions with respect to The First rank keeper. One side was to agree with what The First rank keeper said, the other side was to oppose The First rank keeper. Agreeing or disagreeing was just part of the job, the real business was to come up with reasons. If The First rank keeper said that the step up of entertainment would decrease (or rather change the shape of) the momentum, the side supporting The First rank keeper would first support, then derive as many reasons which support what The First rank keeper said. The same is true for the disagreeing side.
“Elaborate, if you may,” said The First-rank with as much superior arrogance a hominid can muster from its rank. Your choice may be the final, but some opposition still annoys. He imagined what it must be like to be employed just to disagree with your superior. He thought about which was the hardest; agreeing or disagreeing.
“Surely, if the sex character is stepped up, the integrity of it will diminish, it’s what we were all taught. The more something is, the less value it has.”
“I was not taught,” reproached The First, “but I see what you mean, but you must understand, they sought and found freedom to the extreme, but contrary to what they think, more freedom gives more problems.”
The whole assembly shifted uncomfortably in their seats. What was said was said matter-of-factly, without any attempt at an explanation. The First noticed, and let the confusion fume its way through the room.
“Elaborate, Sir First,” the one next to The First-rank-opp said. The First smiled, this was only the second time in his career that a lower ranking opposite had spoken to him directly. It was total misbehaviour, everyone else in the room sat still, awaiting the reproach. The First-rank-opposite smiled to himself. He knew that being questioned by lower ranks was a sign of weakness.
“Recorder, please record that a lower rank whom I have no inclination to refer to directly has misbehaved in the congregation and shall be penalized accordingly,” he said to the meeting stenographer. “I will elaborate.” He folded his arms to add effect and explained “the concept of freedom seems appealing. Well from a case where society has been poorly managed by the rulers, it definitely does. But freedom also gives way to disrespect, ill-discipline and such. You are welcome to disagree but ‘freedom’ is really just a nicer word for ‘rebel’. Freedom is attractive, because from their viewpoint it is a way of attaining happiness in ways which they choose. But with a population of the eleven-billion people on earth, happiness must be relative.
You see that when it is not relative, one would be allowed to achieve happiness at the cost of anything, good or bad and thus the problem with freedom is that freedom knows no limits.” He stopped and took a breather.
They all looked at The First, but their minds were elsewhere. They were contemplating what he was saying. The First observed the effect, and chose to elaborate further.
“During school,” The First continued, “You were told the meaning of life. That it is to keep the momentum going. You also saw that the best momentum is one where there is a god and you also learned that the best god is one which is chosen to be arbitrarily absolute. It can also be easily deduced that if there is a god, there must be an anti-god too, where when the god says live, the anti-god says the opposite. How long have humans been living with (even though the practice was not severe) a god? For a long time, so long a time that a child needs not to be told but can derive the need for a god on its own.”
The First paused again, he was on the podium standing as would a lecturer stand looking at first-year students on the first day of college. His stern, assertive voice and his tall and lean figure drew attention to himself, even when not talking, the eyes of his peers were on him. He was the man. He walked around the podium to the desk near the desk where the meeting stenographer was seated. The brilliant light from the chandelier made the water in the decanter on the desk sparkle and gave it the colours of the rainbow that alternated as he approached it. In an easy manner he took the decanter and poured himself a glass of water. He drank and as he drank, his masculine neck made his large Adam's apple move up and down. During this act, not one in the room looked away from him. He was the man. He lowered the glass.
“Now, stepping up the sex character to a point where it means happiness will make sex the reference point. Gentlemen, understand that the human race is fresh from war, fresh from oppression, fresh from hurt, they are vulnerable, the anti-god effect will act. Considers us lucky that we can focus the attack. If not sex where then should it be focused? On fighting again? On their emotions so that they curse God? Yes the value of sex and its integrity will be lost but there are more things of value than sex, if we focus the attack on sex, then sex itself will relieve them.”
He paused again and drank the remaining water in the glass. From the expressions on keepers' faces, the pause seemed to annoy them, they wanted him to talk, to make a choice because after all the supporting and opposing reasons, really, all that mattered was the choice he would make.
“We know what sex is. We can control sex.” He allowed the statement to sink in by stopping. The First-rank-opposite took this chance to ask a question.
“So, Sir First, what is the plan?”
“The plan, first-rank-opp, is simple. We will simply need an orphan who we will raise to save the world.” The First smiled self ingratiatingly. “Meeting adjourned, I and the First-rank-opp shall remain.”
The rest of the keepers reluctantly rose from their seats and headed for the exit opposite the podium. The stenographer was not sure whether to stay or to leave but The First nodded for the latter and she also rose and left. The First stepped down from the podium, went down the stairs of the stage and made his way to where The First-rank-opp was seated. The First-rank-opp shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He knew that when it was just the two of them, there was no opposing The First’s judgement.
He knew that whatever
The First said, he would just have to take in as would a private do with a general.
The First took the seat next to The First-rank-opp on the right and sat down with a heavy sigh, as would a man do after sex. This made The First-rank-opp even more uncomfortable. Even more so when The First turned his head and looked at him straight in the eye with his deep black eyes that were as a pit which stored years upon years of wisdom, eyes that told that to every problem, there is a solution. Pitch black eyes which told that the solution was not always a benevolent solution. He looked down and sighed, fearfully, but The First maintained looking directly at him.
“The antigod effect has never been more powerful, in all my years of keeping, that is.” He folded his arms and he let his elbows rest on his knees, “but luckily, we are smarter.”
“Care to elaborate further about the plan, Sir First?” The First-rank-opp was annoyed by the way The First spoke, in fact he was annoyed by how all those carrying wisdom spoke. To him, it was as if the wise did not want to impart their wisdom, but having no choice but to impart it, they spoke it in such undecipherable, ambiguous enigmas. He waited and hoped that The First would elaborate.
“Find me an orphan, I will control his experiences and wealth and problems, and I expect you and the others to follows instructions. Do not ask for assistance in finding one, I leave that only to your judgement. But, an exception, choose one who is nearer to the glide-scope of an absolute god. ”
“You are the boss, Sir First.” He looked at his hands then continued “How can freedom be bad? You said freedom knows no limits, Sir First, but surely they have the law.”
“I agree that the law may become a limit to freedom” said The First “but, you have to observe that their law is simply an attempt of a passage into the system by the antigod effect. We know that after all the trials and tribulations, respect to and the belief in their god will dwindle, and the anti-god effect will find passage through the law. I have told you that the antigod is now more dynamic than ever, the plan is to focus that power on something we might be able to control.”
“We know the sex character? Sir First?” The First-rank-opp asked.
“Exactly” replied The First.