CHAPTER 3: OLD MANS CRAZY
Berlin: “Hmm… sir do you understand my question? I asked if you know where you are.”
Bradley: “I heard you boy, and yes I know this is a hospital in London But would asking me a bunch of common sense questions tell you if I’m crazy or not? Just the fact that I’m here means you’ve already made up your minds. So how about we do something a bit more fun.”
Berlin: “Ok that’s good thanks for answering, please understand that I’m your health care provider and that co-operating with me will be in your best interest.”
Berlin said as he filled out the form in front of him, hoping that this man wouldn’t become a problem.
Bradley: “Hahahaha My best interest? Kid if I was crazy why would I answer honestly, and if I didn’t even know I was crazy would you even need a test to see that? I’m sure all your silly tests came back with nothing so they need some justification. Anyway I know this job gets boring so let’s make a bet me and you.”
Berlin finally looked up from his form and really looked at the old man lying on the bed. He was skinny and his teeth were yellow and dirty. He had lost half his hair and it was clear that he hadn’t been keeping his health intact; either way he didn’t seem to have completely lost his mind. More like he had lost the will to live so Berlin decided to entertain whatever he was saying. If for nothing else but to pass the time.
Berlin: “Ok sir why not, but no money or contraband. What would you like to bet and how will we compete?”
Bradley: “Yes! I knew you weren’t a boring hard ass like the rest, remember once you’ve agreed you can’t take back your word. The games pretty easy kid it’s basically like playing spot the lie. I’ll tell you a fictional story of my life and your job is to figure out which part or fact is the truth, how about it sounds fun right?”
Berlin: “And how would I know your being honest with me? The game seems pretty arbitrary.”
Bradley: “That’s what makes it fun! Obviously I’ll write the answer down and fold it up before we start, come on that was silly stop trying to back out!”
Berlin realized then that this old man would be more trouble than his government paycheck was worth, but out of curiosity he simply decided to go with it.
Berlin: “Ok fine sounds fair but we have to be quick I’ve got other patients to get to.”
Bradley: “Yes no problem just pass me a pen and paper and let’s get this going.”
The old man suddenly looked serious as he wrote his answer down and folded it up.
New Earth +/- 3000 years in the future
Bradley’s story was set many years in the future, during the era of an interstellar boom. Humanity had discovered dark matter and was slowly finding new and amazing ways to use it. Many groups were vying for control of the resource as it seemed like an endless source of energy. The curious thing was that dark matter could be controlled through circuits much like electricity but unlike normal power there was no major limit on the conductor, which meant that not only could machines use it, so could people… This ultimately changed the way humanity functioned forever.
07:00 am boarder between Blackheath and Newlands.
Bradley grew up in a town that was considered rural even by modern day standards. Even with the advancing of technology the difference between rich and poor was still shocking. Still the town was close to a river so they could bred fish, farm some basic crops and even run some small businesses to keep the people somehow connected and fed.
Bradley’s father was a small time lawyer working in the local court and his mother worked online maintaining servers and websites for some of the towns businesses. He was 12 years old this year and it was time for him to take the test that would place him in a high school next year. With the new “perfect energy” that was discovered many years ago people could do amazing things and he had been up all night researching all the cool things he might be able to do in the future.
Bradley
(Sooo cool I can be a space explorer! Or a Martian soldier! Eh? 100 years in orbit that’s a rip off even now I get a break every 4 months. Maybe I’ll just learn sound engineering and become a really cool rapper! No no I’ll do terraforming and build my own city! Bradleytown! And everyone will have to listen to me hahaha!)
Beep beep
Bradley was shocked out of his wild dreams by an incoming message. He tapped the side of his head and a floating screen appeared in front of him. Four faces appeared on the screen. It seemed like they were in the middle of a full blown conversation before he join because it seemed like the boys in the video didn’t even notice him.
Rob: “SHUT UP! Everyone knows I’m the strongest here so I’m obviously going to become a Martian warrior! I’ll shoot you guys once I finish my training if you keep talking smack, hey Bradley tell them how I never miss on the simulations.”
Ben: “Yeah you never miss, you decide what your target was after you pull the trigger, you not a soldier you’re a fucken magician! Hacker!!!”
Rob: “Ben your ass is first! I don’t even need to finish my training I can hit your bold ass head all the way out in orbit!”
Ben: “LOL so are we adding comedian now? How many placements do you want to fail now? Oh no now I get it you’ll just keep applying and then whoever takes you you’ll be like yeah that’s what I was going for! Fucken magician this guy, you should come do card tricks for my birthday.”
Stan: “Hahhahahahahahahaa Burn!”
Kent: “You guys go into farming honestly, maybe you’ll actually grow something with all this shit that comes out of your mouths.”
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
Bradley: “Hey when are we going to the simulation center? I wanna get all my physical tests done now that you guys mention shooting.”
Kent: “Wednesday next week. I got the 10 am spot so we’d have plenty of time to make it back afterwards.”
The boys kept talking for half an hour before Bradley had to stand up and leave. He went into the kitchen to clean up and help his mother make dinner. As usual his mom kept lecturing him about how he should focus on his studies etc…
Bradley
(Oh come on mom why all this talking just let me do my chores so I can go do something fun, I’ll worry about all this difficult stuff when I grow up. I just wanna get off planet! See the whole universe and get a planet named after me, then you’ll see no one will make me do any chores!)
Once he was done he went into his father’s workshop to get some practice in before the old man got home. There was a circuit that seemed attached to the table with a circular piece in the center that was about the same size as a dinner plate. The first thing he did was place a pillow on the chair and bring it closer to the table then he got up and began steadying his breathing. On either side of the circular glass there where indentations in the shape of hand prints also connected to the circuit.
(A sound pulse must pass through a sound mind and a sound body, only when the vessel is empty will the energy flow.)
Bradley closed his eyes and began picturing his mental palace. He was told to picture the most natural and comfortable place for him so he pictured his back yard. Where he’s played since he was young. As he was young he couldn’t fill in to many details and experience taught him not to try. The ground seems to be one straight patch of green, the trees stuck out like poles in the ground with blurry clouds of “leafs”. He only dared to use few colors, brown, green, blue and orange for the sun. Then he took a deep breath and the wind started blowing. Everything seemed to slowly come to life at that point. The trees started swaying, the sounds of barking could be heard in the background.
(I am empty. As the heavens are above. I am open. So the earth is present. I am lost. Darkness is first. I am whole. As the heavens are above.)
This time he seemed to loss himself easier as he repeated the words. Time past and he nearly forgot to activate the table, soon as he flipped a switch the circuit began to light up. Power slowly built in the circuit before entering the hand prints. First he felt power passing through his hands and slowly reach towards his elbows before…
*Zip
Bradley: “Ouch damn! No no no I nearly had it that time!”
He boy pulled his arms away as pain fried his arms and he jumped of the chair. It seemed he once again couldn’t get whatever technique it was to work. Though considering only geniuses could ignite their first pulse before the age of 13 it was impressive enough that he hadn’t hurt himself the second he flipped the switch. It was only after suffering his 4th burning pain that the child’s ambition was overwhelmed by the inconveniently stinging pain he was experiencing.
But when he jumped off the chair he felt a bit dizzy and nearly fell over, but he knew where the table was so he instinctively reached for support before he fell down.
(Wow that was scary I nearly fell, good thing I knew this place of by heart, can’t believe you can’t even trust your own body! When I’m grown up I’ll be way stronger- wait can’t trust my eyes so I moved because I knew where the table was? That it was here? Even though I couldn’t see it)
In that moment the boy had his first insight, inspiration, into how the world works.
(Just the same as when I close my eyes! I’m not supposed to look for something I’m supposed to just know it’s there!)
As Bradley decided to get back on the chair and try one last time something strange happened outside. The sky suddenly started darkening and clouds started drawing over the whole sky. It was the strangest thing as the planet should have regulated weather patterns. Bradley’s mother was in the living room when she noticed it. As she was on a chat with her friends she knew this wasn’t happening anywhere else.
Mother: “No honestly I’m looking out my window right now and I can see clouds. Yes I’m sure why would I lie? No how dare you Jun I haven’t drank anything it’s 3pm how could you say that?! Yes I know what the weathers supposed to be. Forget it I’m calling Pan I’m sure She’ll say the same thing. No forget you already said it I’m hanging up now, Oh and Pans’ calling now you see I’m not crazy. Hey Pan… Yes I saw the clouds to tell Jun you see it to.”
Bradley, oblivious to what was happening outside began his visualization again. This time though he fell into his mantra much longer than before. He had genuinely forgot to switch on the table. Luckily for him after 15mins of contact the table turned on on its own. Slowly the circuits started powering up and channeling through to the hand prints but stopped right before it got to him. The boy wouldn’t ever know this because he had completely been entranced and lost track of time.
Within his mental palace things where even stranger. This time there was much more clarity, though things where still blurry he could see the blades of grass and the branches swaying in the wind. Not there was so much details it almost shocked him awake. He could see the bark on the trees and the flowers his mother planted. He could see the walls of his home and even the fence around his house. He could even see a bit of the neighbors houses! Before he could question how strange the situation was he heard his own voice.
“I am empty. As the heavens are above. I am open. So the earth is present. I am lost. Darkness is first. I am whole. As the heavens are above.”
And like a dream that had been hijacked he began murmuring the mantra along with that voice in his head. Slowly clouds began to appear. Gathering all around him as if he were the center of the world. The voice grew louder and deeper as time passed, the wind grew stronger and stronger almost blowing the trees over. The houses all around him howled and dogs could be heard barking all around. At some point Bradley had shut his eyes again. He was sitting cross legged in the center of his backyard. Dark clouds circled him over head and leafs creating what seemed to be a mini tornado around him. But no matter how chaotic everything grew the boy was still.
I am empty. As the heavens are above. I am open. So the earth is present. I am lost. Darkness is first. I am whole. As the heavens are above.
Suddenly everything stopped moving and a light appeared from within the clouds. He could feel the pressure mounting like there was a mountain on his chest. It was almost like someone had put him in a gravity chamber. But before he could regain his senses; Lightning struck down from the clouds like the wrath of heaven and his whole world went white. On the chair Bradley opened his eyes just as the glass piece in the center on the table which had always remained irritatingly still grew as bright as the sun.
*Crash
The boy fell off his chair from the blinding light.
16:00 London
Bradley: “So? What do you think, I’m a genius right? Not a crazy person.”
Berlin: “So… that story was supposed to be about?”
Bradley: “Obviously! My first pulse, the first time I had used what you’d call magic! And at 12 at that!”
Berlin: “Ok sir I think it’s time for me to go, we’ll continue this tomorrow.”
Bradley: “You know what forget it, anyway we had a bet, now you’ve got to tell me which part of that story was true.”
Berlin: “Ehh… well… you were human I think?”
Bradley: “Hey! Details like that are part of the setting, try again.”
Berlin: “Ok ok. You were 12 years old so I can sort of believe that you were preparing for entrance exams or some sort of test with your friends.”
Bradley: “Ha nice try but you lost this round. Open the paper and read the answer.”
Berlin: “When did we say anything about rounds? Listen I’m not-”
Bradley: “Just read the answer you sore loser.”
Berlin was now sure this man was more trouble than his was worth. He opened the paper and read the answer, which surprised him. What single fact could possibly be true about that story?
Berlin: “You cannot control or predict what is above you.”
Berlin thanked the old man for the story and walked off before he could start talking about anymore nonsensical things anymore. He wasn’t sure if that man was just bad luck but it rained on his way home that evening.