HOPE IN THE SOUNDS OF THE COLORS OF TIMES

The swirling whirlwinds of times rapidly cascaded through the universes as they streaked towards their lone destination. The separate chords of measurement intertwined with each other to give the appearance of a singular force. As they twisted, turned and spiraled through the darkness that knew no dimensions and no boundaries the individual threads produced shooting colors of cosmic dust to match their unique personalities.

It was the ravage of millennia and eons that had taken this once thriving globe and turned its fortunes into a cesspool of rot and death. Upon learning of its condition the threads of all compiled themselves into a single band of prism-like salvation in hopes of forging their way through the ever closing cloak of destruction. The masterpieces of a Picasso, Pollack, Van Gogh, Rembrandt or a myriad of others had been rendered senseless and useless as the mere words for the differences in pigmentation had been lost centuries ago. All was colorless, tasteless and toneless as this once thriving sphere had evolved into nothing more than differing shades of black, white and grey. And the mood of the humans that inhabited this ball of doom matched its lack of soul and consciousness.

There are an infinite number of threads of time to match the number of spheres that reside in the untold equation that make up all that exists. Of the exponential combinations that equate themselves with the breadth and depth of all creation a mere seven threads were used as the basis needed for this lone globe that was situated in the far corner of one of the newest universe structures. The call went out by the one who made all and through meanderings, twists and turns the seven met in the center where all had started. Brief instructions were given and understood. The seven now one maneuvered their way through the maze of obstacles that comprised the path towards their destination.

Further and further the seven now one traveled from all that was to all that could be. Starts and stops were necessary as the grouping passed from one universe to the next. Portals had to be found and energy waves discovered that affected the path and length of travel.

Finally the grouping neared the universe that required a special sound tone to proceed through the milky consistency towards their destination. After success was accomplished their focus was on the third globe as it orbited around a fiery ball needed for survival. Past images would have shown this planet as a thriving existence of color and energy. But now the atmosphere was clogged with darkness which sapped the much needed energy vital to its survival. As the seven now one approached the dismal atmosphere thread number four extended itself to act as the point of a lance. Threads number three and five also extended themselves but not as far as number three. This maneuver allowed the thread spear to penetrate the atmosphere with far less resistance.

Upon entering the atmosphere threads one, two, six and seven encircled themselves around the lance thread acting as a braking mechanism to decrease the amount of friction, heat and velocity. This action served to stop the lance thread from exploding into flames and being destroyed. As the lance thread neared the surface of the planet there was burst of energy which enabled the seven now one to separate into their individual threads. Now they descended closer to their destination.

He sat on the largest hill in the middle of the sands that were ever decreasing in life and substance. Surrounding him on all sides were seven dunes that changed their character with the whims of increasing and decreasing winds that blew the stench of death and despair on a consistent basis. To combat the deepening depression that was crisscrossing the grey/black sky above him and was overtaking the planet he resided upon the man found this place of isolated sanctuary where he felt semi-safe as long as no one followed him when he partook of his journey. Always accompanying him was a satchel of food, a water pouch and the flute he had hidden from the authorities. It was the only piece of memorabilia that he treasured as a remembrance of a time and an ancestry long since passed. The trips to this particular spot became more and more frequent as the world he wished to leave behind sank deeper and deeper into blandness and despair.

As he drank from his water pouch he heard a loud explosion coming from above. He witnessed as flames shot across the skyline in all directions. The man sighed heavily thinking the end of this planets existence had finally come and with a certain amount of contentment he was glad to be a witness to the final event. But the flames stopped and what appeared to be a single energy force began to separate. He marveled as the now seven energy beams circled, twisted and turned above his head. Though it was impossible to keep track of the seven beams the man turned round and round and nearly fell from the top of the large hill, Astonished he watched as one by one the energy beams seemed to choose a separate sand dune and sank behind it and out of sight from the man. When this was done all was quiet once more but the man turned slowly to see each dune. He wondered if more explosions would follow but none came. After a lengthy period he grew tired and sat back down. Eventually hunger and thirst overcame him and he resolved to satisfy those urges.

Quietly he scanned the sky once more but it remained the same as if the energy threads had never happened. More earth time passed and the man returned to his thoughts of the lifeless and colorless place he resided upon. Depression started to set in once more and he subconsciously reached for his flute.

He had read of a time oh so long ago when the voice, heart and soul of the people were listened to. Great conflicts had been fought and won in order for the people to breathe, think, love and lose. A time when the powers that were comingled with the slaves that are. But all that had changed and changed ever so slowly. Hence the myth of the voice of the people was just that a myth that never really existed. The powers of the masters had duped the populace into thinking they had the people’s interest uppermost in their actions. These intentions were even written in what was termed as sacred documents. But actions speak louder than intentions and the actions of those in control made sure the people remained slaves to their whims and segregated from actual representation. One by one laws’ were passed by all factions to inhibit expansion and freedom of thought and action. All done, of course, for the good of the people as a whole. The chains of bondage crept slowly around the globe and freedoms ring was silenced and finally eliminated in the name of safety and growth. The man remembered seeing pictures in books hidden from the controlling powers of people laughing, singing, dancing, writing and painting. But these were dreams and visions long ago crushed and that type of deviant behavior was no longer tolerated and death would come to anyone who exhibited these psychopathic traits. The end result was a colorless, lifeless planet suffocating under the crushing weight of a clone-like and oppressed people. So he sat and placed his fingers overall the holes of the flute that had eben hidden for centuries by the ancestors of old.

Not knowing what to do the man searched his thoughts for any hint as to what noise would come from this relic. He turned the instrument over and found letters on the underneath side of the corresponding holes. Flipping the instrument over and over he reasoned the holes were some sort of coding pattern that was developed to send signals. He knew the flute made some sort of noise when he blew into the end as he had tried that without covering any of three holes. Now he had a new clue. He turned the flute over once more and read the following letters. A,B,C,D,E,F,G. What they meant was a puzzle and mystery to be solved. Meanwhile unbeknownst to him the energy threads had burrowed themselves in each of the seven sand dunes and surrounded the man in a sacred circle waiting for the key to unlock their mission.

He placed a finger over the hole that was designated by the letter A and blew into the end. Nothing except air. He tried doing the same with all the holes and had the same result. Then he reasoned if that didn’t work maybe he should cover all the holes except for the letter designate. Positioning his hands so they were comfortable he blew gently into the end. The result was a sweet hypnotic sound that came from the flute. The man changed the positioning of his hands so different individual holes were left exposed. By doing so different tones came from the end of the flute. The man stopped and studied the flute as if he was trying to unlock some sort of secret. Satisfied he had learned of the instruments intent the man placed it to his lips once more leaving the hole marked A uncovered and blew a strong, steady stream of air into the end.

To his amazement the sound that emanated from that letter designated hole acted as a tonal magnet. Instantly the man and flute were flung around to face the direction of a particular dune. The slow exhale of the tone caused the middle of the dune to ripple and spew the sand that was locking a hidden portal previously formed by the energy thread. The man stood in amazement as he witnessed the uncovering of the portal.

Next he tried the hole with the latter B and was immediately turned to face a different dune. As he kept exhaling another portal was uncovered.

“Only five more to go,” he reasoned. The same action provided the same result

“Now what?’ he questioned.

Turning slowly he made sure none of the portals had been left covered which they weren’t. Sitting down and facing the A portal he rested and thought. Unconsciously he raised the flute to his lips as if this action would help his concentration. He then played the A tonal while facing the A portal. To his astonishment a liquid started to dribble from the opening. It was something he had only seen in the illegal books that had not been destroyed by the government and the Office of Correct Behavior. Memories drifted back to a book he had seen written for the young ones. It was a book of flash cards to teach the new speakers something called colors. His mind raced to try and remember the word which corresponded to the dribbling from the A portal. Then he remembered. The color was called Red.

He turned to the B portal to see if more Red would come forth. But to his surprise as he played the tonal the color Orange appeared. As he continued each tonal produced a different color through its appropriate portal. C was Green, D was White, E was Black, F was Blue and G produced Yellow.

Now the man was thoroughly excited. He was witnessing something extraordinary that humans had not seen for centuries. But what to do with his discovery? If he brought this to the attention of others he would surely be jailed and executed. But as he stared at the portals he instinctively knew this is what humans needed to revitalize and prosper. The end result would be a growth of body, mind and spirit to unite the people as the embodiment of humanity to work towards the betterment of all.

As he stood on the top of the hill twisting and turning to keep the portals in sight memories of another book pierced his mind. The original colors of humans symbolized in an ancient circle called the medicine wheel. Those colors being Red, Yellow, Black and White. He placed the flute to his lips and played the tonals that corresponded to the colors. A,G,E,D. The sound created by those tonals was pleasing to the ears and the four colors responded by dribbling more of their splendor.

Next he thought of the condition of the planet he resided upon which simply was B,A,D.

“Those tonals fit nicely,” he reasoned and the actions that had developed over the eons towards the rest of the galaxy showed a B,A,D F,A,C,E. He now had a group of tonals that incorporated all the dunes and hence all the colors.

“Quite appropriate. It is only fitting these tonals show what my planet has become, An AGED BAD FACE. And that is what I will call my tune.”

He raised the flute to his lips and began to play. Slowly at first but as the tune became ingrained with muscle and hearing memory his fingers adjusted to the different configurations necessary to produce the correct tonals at the appropriate time. As the tune became more and more fluid the colors that corresponded with each tonal responded in kind. No longer was the man jerked from dune to dune as each tonal was played but a fluidity developed that surrounded the entire area. The man turned freely to see the volume and intensity of the colors increase. Finally the tonals became a song and the colors took off as the man played with reckless abandon trying different speeds, rhythms and combinations of tones as an experiment. Satisfied with his rehearsals he sat on the hill and played. Just played. The corresponding colors responded by taking flight and began to paint the surrounding area with the appropriate colors of places and sectors that had been lost so long ago. The man stopped to admire the scene taking place in front and all around him. Above was Blue instead varying shades of grey. The Blue was dotted with cotton ball like figures that passed in front of his line of sight. Below was Green with some sort of vegetation shooting up from the desert floor. On the other side was Yellow bending back and forth to the will of some unseen but pleasantly felt force. Behind was also Blue but of a distinctly different shade and this Blue resounded with a bubbling echo from underneath its surface. As he faced this Blue there was something different in the air. An odor that was at once different yet familiar. Then he recognized what that smell was.

“Salt. I smell salt.”

Contrasting against the Blue of the sky were two distinctive colors. The lifeblood of the planet he resided upon was finally presented through the black/grey murkiness that had caged this globe for eons. What he felt on his face was a warmth and glow emanating from a large distant Yellow ball that was only read about in ancient stolen texts but never seen. Across the majestic painting were winged creatures whose color Red showed a distinct but beautiful contrast to the scene that was developing before his eyes. By leaving two separate holes uncovered when he played the man found different colors were painted in the surrounding area. Pink, purple and brown were displayed as he experimented with the combination tonals of the flute. Needing a respite from his melody the man lowered the flute and sat on the hill to admire his surroundings.

“Sir, our satellites have detected illegal activity in the western quadrant.”

“What sort of activity? And narrow in on that sector.”

“We’re working on it sir.”

“Let me know when you.ve got that narrowed down. I’ll be in my office. And next time you will address me by my proper title.”

“Yes Your Royal Oneness. Of course Your Royal Oneness. Please forgive my impertinence Your Royal Oneness.”

“Ingrate. Carry on.”

“Yes sir Your Royal Oneness. Thank you sir.”

‘That’s better. Let me know when you’ve got a better handle on things.”

As his Royal Oneness walked back into his office he closed the door behind him with just enough emphasis to make sure every person in the outer confines was aware of his displeasure. Sitting behind his desk he grabbed the laser letter opener and while looking out the only window in the skyscraper that was put in just for his pleasure his Royal Oneness pressed button and the laser beam penetrated the protective glass and pierced the greyness that enveloped this planet that he now ruled.

“Such incompetence. I don’t know why I tolerate such things. I certainly wasn’t taught that way. I do wonder how they survive. No respect for their superiors and a definite lack of common sense. Oh well this is what I’m stuck with even if it is only temporary.”

Turning towards the wall on the left as one entered the Royal Office his Royal Oneness pushed a button and the wall slid back to reveal a bank of receivers.

“I wonder what’s on the magna-viewer. Probably some more drivel to entertain the dimwits.”

Just then there was a knock at his door. His Royal Oneness pressed the button once more to hide the magna-viewers.

“Don’t want those incompetents to know I can watch their every move. Even in their domiciles. There’s no escape from my reach.”

His Royal Oneness checked to make sure all was in order and faced his door.

“Come in and be quick about it. I haven’t got all day.”

The door opened and the berated one entered.

“Well I’m waiting. Did you find anything?”

“Your Royal Oneness sir. Our satellites have found the law breaker. We have him on our magna-viewers. We are waiting for your wisdom to tell us what recourse we should take.”

“Isn’t that kind of thing explained in our bible? Have you at least referred to it? Must I do EVERYTHING? I know I wrote the holy book but I do expect some of you to grasp the meaning of it. After all it is spelled out in a language plain enough for a single celled pestoid to understand. Why can’t you?”

“Forgive us your Royal Oneness but this is something we have never encountered. In fact even our archive department has no record of this. We are in dire need of your wisdom and countenance.”

“Very well. Prepare my special chair and I will join you shortly.”

Moments later his Royal Oneness was sitting in front of a large magna-viewer staring at nothing but a blank screen.

“Well I’m waiting.”

“My apologies your Royal Oneness but the satellites were temporarily out of alignment. There the image is coming online now.”

His Royal Oneness was taking a sip of his favorite beverage when the image appeared on the grand magna-viewer. What he saw caused him to spit the liquid out and shower those who stood near him.

“What is the meaning of this? How dare you show me condemned archival footage. You will all be eliminated for this affront.”

“Your Royal Oneness this is not archival footage. This is a current image of the offender we have detected. But I am confused. What is this person doing?”

His Royal Oneness immediately stood and walked towards the magna-viewer screen to get a closer look at the image.

“This was done away with century’s ago.” he muttered to himself. He turned to his main coordinator and ordered.

“Launch the communication transmitters to that sector immediately.”

“You mean the spy drones?”

“Of course you fool and make sure they are armed. Also contact our subordinates in London, Moscow, Beijing, Paris, Cairo, Johannesburg and all the others to notify them of our action. Tell them to turn to this frequency to show the world how we handle terrorists.”

“At once your Royal Oneness.”

“Sir if I may interrupt.”

“What is it?”

“What is that person holding in his hand and then pressing to his lips.”

“Take an image of it and send it to archives. See what they can find and be quick about it.”

Minutes later another image appeared on the magna-viewer. It was the image of something called a flute and the description stated it was used to make music.

“Your Royal Oneness what is music?”

“Some barbaric form of communication that was banned as useless long ago.”

“May we hear some of this music?”

“You expect me to break my sacred law to satisfy your insane desires? Absolutely not.”

“As you wish I wasn’t thinking.”

“Also this thing called the flute was used by males to lure the female to a remote spot for the purpose of personal coupling. A totally disgusting practice that was outlawed centuries ago. The scientific method we superiors have developed is much more efficient and effective.”

“And what is personal coupling?”

“Never mind. Just keep your eyes on the magna-viewer. How far away are the drones and is everyone on board?”

“The drones are coming within range now and everyone has been notified. We are ready to transmit across the globe.”

“Excellent. Get ready for a show. Return the magna-viewer to the satellite images at once. I don’t want to miss a second of this.”

The screen flickered and returned to the man on the hill. But the volume had been turned off.

“Now fine tune the screen to capture all the images being transmitted.”

“At once your Royal Oneness. Fine tune that magna-viewer.”

What appeared next were the colors being projected from the sand dunes as the man played AGED BAD FACE on his flute. His Royal Oneness slumped back in his chair in total disbelief as to what he was witnessing. The subordinates stared in complete puzzlement trying to digest and understand the images they were watching.

“Drones entering the sector now sir.”

“Prepare to fire.”

“Drones within range.”

“Fire first barrage.”

“First barrage away.”

“Satellite links ready to coordinate.”

“Fine initiate links. Proceed to broadcast.”

The button was pushed and the overhead that read transmitting glowed in its greyish hue which offset the black background. Fine tuning complete the satellites concentrated on the firing of weaponry from the inflight drones towards their intended target. The remote tracking system of the satellites was so acute any deviation from its intended target would be immediately corrected.

Back at Royal Oneness’ Headquarters all waited in anticipation of the spectacle about to unfold. As the destructive inflight armaments neared their target those back at headquarters were stymied by the images being seen in the not so far distance. Disturbing images of variations in the sky and on the ground were now in the satellite’s imagery and being transmitted across the globe. His Royal Oneness eased back into his special chair to view the carnage that would happen in moments. As the destruction neared the man raised the flute to his lips and began to play anew. Immediately messages from around the globe were being received at the Royal Headquarters.

“What is this we are hearing?”

His Royal Oneness shouted at the transmission coordinator.

“Didn’t you mute the volume as I commanded?”

“Of course we did your Royal Oneness. You don’t hear anything do you?”

“I wanted you to mute the transmission to all, you idiot.”

“But that is not what you commanded sir. I was just following your orders to the latter as you have taught us Oh Enlightened One.”

“You fools. Do you know what you have done?”

“Why yes your Royal Oneness. We have done exactly as you have commanded.”

“You’ll pay for this insubordination ingrate. Now turn off the volume for everyone.”

“As you wish your Royal Oneness.”

When the volume was muted messages inundated headquarters once more.

“Why have you stopped?”

“Our Royal Oneness has commanded it. He also has instructed that all watch and pay attention to the might and glory about to be unleashed upon the deviant.”

“We shall do so as ordered.”

As the incoming projectiles neared their predetermined target the man raised the flute to his lips and began to play again. The path the death bombs flew was meant to catch the law breaker by surprise and was closing in behind his back. With the first note played a different stirring occurred. Instead of spewing forth the magnificent colors to change the surrounding area the tops of the seven dunes began to quiver and shake. As the second elongated tonal was played small volcanic explosions formed perfect concentric passages atop each dune. On the third tonal the individual threads of times shot up through the passages to expose themselves to the man. On the fourth tonal the individual threads intertwined and combined to form a solid beam facing the incoming projectiles. Although the threads had combined forces to form a solid unit the image being received by the magna-viewers worldwide was the seven individual ends of the threads of times.

The man played four more tonals and the effect of that action was to release the colors of the ancient medicine wheel towards the four incoming projectiles. Red, Yellow, Black and White unleashed their fury upon the projectiles and with laser like precision they acted as a surgeon’s scalpel slicing the missiles in half rendering them harmless as they crashed upon the desert floor.

Back at headquarters his Royal Oneness stared at the magna-viewer disbelieving the carnage he had just witnessed.

“Who is tampering with this transmission? I’ll have their heads.”

“No one your Royal Oneness. What you have seen actually happened. We are at a loss as to how this occurred.”

“Well fix it and do so immediately. Meanwhile deliver the second barrage.”

“Second barrage underway.”

This time fourteen more projectiles were on their way to the coordinates in the desert.

“Let’s see what happens now. No way this deviant can escape this. Victory is surely ours. This will put an end to this nonsense.”

“Most assuredly sir. All glory to his Royal Oneness.”

“Humph. Now everyone pay attention to the magna-viewer.”

Once more all eyes were directed to the events about to take place on the magna-viewer. As the fourteen projectiles of death and destruction streaked speedily towards the lone man his Royal Oneness sat back to witness the grand spectacle.

“Let’s see the ingrate get out of this one. Turn up the volume. I want to hear him scream and see him disintegrate.”

“At once your Royal Oneness.”

Both sight and sound were being transmitted across the globe. Those who were watching on the trillions of magna-viewers that had been forced upon humanity were transfixed by the images on their screens. This was a worldwide event graciously sponsored by his Royal Oneness. And the scroll across the bottom of the screens was intended to let the population know of the far reaching effect this government had. There would be no escape from its whims and dictums and his Royal Oneness made sure of that. Magna-viewed trials had become a form of entertainment. Interrogations, torture and executions were turned into a wagering bloodsport to see how long the supposed offender would last. Covertly, the government was always the ultimate winner as they could control he eventual outcome and rake in the massive amount of payouts. This way the government and his Royal Oneness’ coffers swelled while giving the illusion of riches to be gained through worldwide participation. And of course executions were carried out with special and so called appropriate intonations read from the bible his Royal Oneness had carefully crafted for the betterment of all.

As the fourteen airborne deliverers of death and doom streaked towards their coordinates trajectories were changed so that the attack would surround the man from all sides and above. This maneuver was initiated to insure there would be no avenue of escape and no means of survival.

The gentle tonals of the flute began anew causing the seven threads of times to reassemble into a singular beam and ascend upwards the now blue sky. As the beam reached its apex it began to react to the chords being played on the surface by the man now turned musician and conductor. Through a form of sensory perception the singular beam analyzed the situation and immediately initiated its defensive strategy. The end of the beam thread bent ninety degrees in order to become parallel with the surface of the earth. Facing east the thread began a circular clockwise motion whose circumference remained parallel over the man and the earth’s surface. Starting slowly the thread gained momentum and speed in an ever circular motion. Faster and faster it turned until the end was nearly invisible to the naked eye. All this while the man kept playing the flute.

As the missiles reached the area of their preprogrammed target a huge explosion erupted above the man and the seven exposed times ends opened up to release their defensive mechanism. The colors of the seven threads came spewing forth showering the area in a dome-like fashion. The threads of the medicine wheel colors opened up slits in their beams diverting some of their colors upwards and outwards. The entire area was now surrounded by the rainbow-like colors and hues of the threads. The closer the fourteen missiles came the greater the intensity of the showering sparks of the rainbow dome.

Back at his Royal Oneness’ Headquarters the magna-viewer was filled with the sight of cascading and swirling colors and the sounds of the tonals of the flute. The threads of humanity’s medicine wheel kept rising in altitude in unison with each other. As they exited the outer atmosphere of the planet tiny explosions separated the threads from each other redirecting their path into four distinct and unique directions. The threads rocketed through the airless confines of a darkened space streaking towards their intended targets. Simultaneously the four threads reached their destinations and expanded their color streams in a dome-like fashion. In unison each color stream enveloped their targets rendering them useless.

“Your Royal Oneness. The primary satellites are down.”

“Well fix them.”

“We’re working on it.”

“I said fix them. Working on it is not good enough. AM I UNDERSTOOD?”

“Of course your Royal Oneness. At once. Secondary links are established. Partial image communications are back online.”

“Well put them on the magna-viewer. Do I have to tell you everything.”

“At once sir. Images coming through now.”

The magna-viewer reestablished visual contact and the flight of the fourteen projectiles was shown once more.

“Ahh. This will end this nonsense once and for all.”

The projectiles entered the coordinates with the surgical precision of a well thought out military strategy. The glory of the inflight explosive devices was being transmitted once more through backup satellite feeds. Shown from above the atmosphere was the image of the lone man playing the now familiar tonals of the flute composition with variations to intensify and decrease the rhythmic patterns of the seven times threads. Through the ongoing reconfiguration of the composition the showering sparks of the tonal dome beat as if the heart of a new era was being established.

The fourteen missiles began to penetrate the tonal dome and his Royal Oneness sat back and anticipated the death and destruction meant to stop this law breaker. Explosions ensued blanking out the magna-viewer images.

“There that’s done. Now back to business.”

The screen cleared only to reveal the multi-colored tonal dome intact and no signs of the missiles.

“A force field? We would have detected anyone with that type of technology. We have informants all over this planet. Contact the other worldwide bases to program these coordinates and fire on my command.”

“Already done sir.”

“Good give the signal to fire.”

“Done your Royal Oneness.”

Attention turned back to the magna-viewer. To his Royal Oneness’ amazement the tonal dome started to disassemble and the showering sparks ceased.

“We’ve got him now. The force field has run out of energy.”

The medicine wheel threads resealed their slits and rejoined the other three times threads at full strength. While this was taking place something new was happening with the tonals of AGED BAD FACE. First one, then two, then three, finally four different octaves could be heard on the magna-viewer.

“Turn up the volume controls. I need to know what is happening. Redirect the secondary satellites to scan the entire globe.”

A crescendo of tonal orchestration was now being heard through the receipt and transmission of the secondary satellites. Reacting to this composition the seven threads intertwined once more and began an upward climb towards the outer reaches of the planet’s atmosphere. Breaking through the last confines of the globe the seven now one tonal cable initiated a circular rotation mimicking the motion of an untethered hose. Round and round it spun increasing speed with each revolution. As each lap was completed the tonal orchestration on the planet increased in volume and fluidity. Meanwhile the global missiles of destruction were being prepared as instructed by his Royal Oneness.

“Ten minutes until total barrage liftoff.”

“Excellent there can be no escape for this fool and the sheep who follow. I’ll be glad when this horrendous noise has been annihilated. It is disturbing me to the core.”

“We’re working as fast as we can to alleviate you of your discomfort and to please you your Royal Oneness.”

“And for that you shall be rewarded.”

“You are too kind oh gracious one. And of I might be so bold what might that rewards be?”

“I will make sure you do not have to witness anything like this again.”

“Oh thank you your Royal Oneness.”

As he sat in his chair his Royal Oneness chuckled to himself. Little did the fools know their reward would be the total extermination of any and all like them. The only ones saved would be those who adhered to the tenets of his perfectly constructed bible. No flaws, no errors, no miscues of judgment, no chance of misinterpretation or miscommunication. Just perfection at its finest.

“Countdown to firing begun.”

“Excellent. Prepare for victory.”

Steamy vapor poured out of the bottoms of the thousands of aerodynamic weapons as they neared launch mode. Above in the dark expanse of space the cable thread continued to gather speed and strength. Below on earth’s surface the orchestration of flutes gathered intensity and energy. The two allies were searching for some sort of balance. Some sort of triggering mechanism, a key to unlock their chains to join together.

Below the surface of the earth portals opened up to expose the tips of the missiles. Final countdown from ten began and massive flames of igniting fuel were seen from the secondary satellites. The deafening roar of engines initiating reverberated through the atmosphere. This unintended tonal joined with the orchestration of the flute concerto sending full scale musical energy towards the recesses of space and times. The cable thread had reached maximum speed as the three energy forces met. An explosion of light, color and sound ensued as a blinding shower of multi-colored sparks spewed from the ends of the cable threads. The roar of the engines from the missiles did nothing but intensify the magnitude of the spark shower. As liftoff started the rainbow of energy entered earth’s atmosphere and proceeded towards its own destination. As each missile became airborne colors from the shower enveloped the projectiles smothering their means to keep the fuel ignited. One by one, then by the tens, hundreds and thousands the missiles fell to earth’s surface totally incapacitated. They were rendered inoperable. A second wave of shower sparks was unleashed disintegrating the now useless means of death and destruction.

His Royal Oneness slumped in his chair knowing he had been defeated by a lowly flute player. He wanted to get up and hide but his energy had been sapped and movement was not an option at the present time. He needed to sit and gather his thoughts as to how he had been defeated. It made no sense. Contained no logic. He had followed the instructions of his bible verbatim and yet his own defeat was in hand.

Above in space, the cable thread knew their mission was not complete. The enemy had been defeated yet the allies needed to be set free. Gathering speed once more the seven threads combined to unleash a multi-colored energy force aimed at the headquarters of his Royal Oneness. The magna-viewer showed images of this new thread being directed at the force field that surrounded the building his Royal Oneness was housed in. As before the threads formed a spear-like structure and began a rapid tonal rotation to bore through the force field. Next was the roof of the headquarters. That being accomplished the tonal color threads expanded and smothered his Royal Oneness as he sat helpless in his chair. Fully enclosed the outer layer began to peel away from the body of the leader. Stench and smoke filled the room as the Royal Oneness became unrecognizable to all in the war room. The magna-viewer had been changed into a transmitter sending signals of the event taking place across the globe. The outer layer fully eroded his Royal Oneness slumped onto the floor with a loud clank. Totally inoperable the remains of the global leader lay lifeless and non-threatening. One of the technicians walked over to the remains and tapped on what was supposed to be the chest area. It gave a metallic ring that resounded across the globe.

“A robot. We were being ruled by nothing more than a piece of machinery. How can this be?”

“But the bible. He created our means of living and survival.”

“Only his Royal Oneness had the full version. We were only given the portions that he thought we could understand.”

“But where is the complete version?”

“In his quarters. I know where he kept it but he also had sensors on it to detect if anyone else except his Royal Oneness touched it.”

“Why do you keep saying his Royal Oneness as if it’s still with us?”

“Just a habit I shall quickly shed. I’ll go fetch the complete bible.”

The technician quickly returned with the complete version of the sacred bible. As he placed it on the center table all those present gathered around to view its contents. The technician opened the front jacket and was surprised to read a different title.

“ASSEMBLY AND HOW TO INSTRUCTIONS OF THE D-87 ROBOT SERVANT.”

Stunned the technician turned the page to reveal the next bold typed phrase.

“CAUTION ANY MISWIRING OF THE ARTIFICIAL BRAIN FUNCTIONS WILL LEAD TO HAZARDOUS RESULTS. DOUBLE CHECK THE SKEMATICS BEFORE INITIATING YOUR ROBOT SERVANT.”

A woman in the back of the room started to chuckle then laugh uncontrollably. 

“So we humans have been ruled by a miss-wired piece of useless junk for all these centuries.”

On cue the head technician walked to the tool drawer and withdrew the necessary implements to disassemble the monstrosity. While this was taking place the tonal threads withdrew from space and returned to their individual sand dunes to participate in one last concert before returning to their respective homes. The man played with a passion and gusto that was now reentering the human species as a whole. When the last tonal was played and the final color scheme painted across the globe the seven times threads recombined into a single intertwining cable and with a reverse force shot through the atmosphere towards their destination. Their final goodbye was a large explosion in the upper atmosphere and a gigantic color show of the four medicine wheel colors for the world to see. The reassembled cable thread sped through the universes to the original point of coupling whereby they separated and returned to their unique and individual planets.

The next day and night, depending on which side of the planet one lived, humanity awoke or stayed up to reaffirm their actions never be subjected to slavery again. The bonds and chains had been broken and all agreed steps must be taken to never return to that way of life again. Fully recognizing that all of humanity was flawed and imperfect it was vowed humanity must band together for the sake and survival of all. Mistakes would be made along the way and it was stated that imperfection can never achieve perfection but it was a value worth striving for. One important thing was also recognized. Humanity was given a second chance and they alone were the key to its success or failure. The colors expanded and the worldwide flutes played a new and different tune. CAGE BE DEAF, which incorporated all the major tonals just as AGED BAD FACE had done, was now the worldwide anthem for humanity to be reminded of the chains that had imprisoned them as far back as they could remember. Time would be the judge of all that was now hoped for on this new day one in the year 1 A.S. (after slavery).

Ric Wells

6/11/2018