The Land Of K.

There were four trains running at the same time in four different directions. One of them was heading to K. It was a modern train, half-empty, transporting a few commuters who were working in N. and were allowed to pay a visit to their family members and friends if those were still alive. In one seat by the window was sitting a half-conscious woman, whose past beauty was barely visible under the bruises and swellings. She had a pass and once the conductor saw that pass, he didn't dare to ask her any questions. This woman observed the same countryside that she had admired a few years ago but now with a feeling of deep disillusionment and pain. For sure, she didn't believe in love at that time, but she barely even believed in any of the traces of humanity.

The next train was heading towards N. The pass was this time checked very carefully, dozens of questions were asked and an inspection was performed by the officials leaving no space for suspicion. No substances were allowed, no weapons permitted and the old man was allowed to enter the train carrying only his pass and wearing a set of clothes provided by the train controller. The old man was amazed by the beauty of his land and honestly impressed by the landscape of his brother's land where everything was clean, trimmed and brand new. And once again he felt his inferiority. Whatever country had been left to him, he wouldn't have been able to surpass his brother's achievement.

Another train was a typical cargo train full of beans. One wagon was intentionally not to be inspected. The young man entered the train and buried himself in beans. When the train left the station, he felt an overwhelming sense of relief.

And the last train was crowded with people. Half of them were in a state of shock, the other half in a state of numbness, either resulting from the fatality of the situation or the indifference caused by no hope of rescue and change. One man was terrified. He was woken up in the middle of the night and informed through the loudspeaker that the district was to be closed and people were to be moved to different location. And from his roommates' looks, he could easily tell that they were told a lie.

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03:34

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03:32

Adam started loving his life in K. He now owned a bicycle and a watch in quite a good condition. He finally found a girl of his dreams and decided to spend the rest of his life with her. They agreed that they were going to visit only themselves and reject other affectionate friends. He could read and write so with pleasure he attended those communal evenings in front of the housing buildings and sunk deeply in the stories told by the elderly. He was keen on his physicality and appearance. He was satisfied with himself as a man.

But then he started to be scared of losing everything he accomplished with such a great effort. Some of his friends disappeared one night. The district was closed. The flats were emptied. And the morning after it he couldn't find anyone in the surrounding area. They were gone. They were a surplus and they had to be transported to N. The fear of him sharing the same fate was growing. Adam looked at his woman hopelessly, looking for answers. He knew she was incapable of giving him any sensible solution. This had been Gemma's responsibility. She had managed his decisions and she had taught him everything he knew. As much as he appreciated his watch and his bicycle, he was expecting her to take the responsibility for his life again, even though for him she was insignificant. She was just a distant memory from the past. But she was an N. She had a better life, so she should throw a rope to him and pull him towards all the wellness he deserved.
Adam loved his life in K. He couldn't lose it just when things started getting better. He was furious. If he was to share the fate of his people, he might as well never have met the blond beauty who was the center of his formative years.

One night he received a message. He hid the bicycle which might have been stolen by his greedy friends. He gave his woman a goodbye kiss, hoping that she would enjoy a good life after his disappearance. He remembered his promises. But now they were for him irrelevant. He looked at his K. town one last time and he got himself to the train station.

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29

03:27

Panic started spreading slowly among the citizens of N.. Jacob was away when all this happened, so Gemma was the sole royal witness of the behavior of all her people. Mice were noticed and their number surpassed the wildest expectations that she stored in her mind for what was about to happen. They were everywhere, from dustbins to basements, from pavements to the highest floors of skyscrapers. They fed themselves with everything they found on their way and grew bigger in size and number. And as Gemma suspected, people read the information she placed in the system.

Groups of twenty were falling on their knees at the sight of a mouse, knocked themselves unconscious from the contact with the deity or simply froze, not knowing where to turn their heads and hands, without being trained how to pray and worship in their youth.

People went crazy from the fear of the surprising appearance of mice. Some suffered heart attacks when those little rodents jumped onto their sleeping bodies in the middle of the night. Some wanted to buy their good will by giving them their flats and leaving bags of wrapped-up food. Now mice inhabited the buildings of N. and people turned to the streets, wondering how quickly their fate from luxurious and peaceful life was turning into the life of beggars.

Meanwhile, the news about K.'s prosperity were getting across the borders. All of a sudden their source of meat was driving their own cars and watching the same films as they were watching, apparently, thanks to the good will of Jacob. And similarly, the news of N.'s strange behavior was crossing the borders of K., making people of K. wonder how it was possible that the ones whom they were so afraid of for years were terrified by a tiny creature, even less dangerous than the funny little planes with beaks which were flying over their heads, not causing any harm or damage.

And to these circumstances came Jacob, who furiously stormed his palace and logged on the system. He saw people running around and screaming. He witnesses a total disintegration of his palace service. He gasped at the sight of a fully crowded bus, stopping in front of a group of mice, letting them safely cross the street. The system was obviously tampered with. He wrote the password allowed only for the royals. Once he saw the information about mice he made sure to check who was responsible for that little act of good educational will.

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28

03:24

Things started changing very slowly. It wasn't solely the appearance of mice that disturbed the citizens of N. in their monotonous and peaceful day-to-day routine. Very few people noticed the presence of rodents but, since N. was devoid of any harmful and chemical substances which might have killed the unwanted visitors, mice had a great opportunity to reproduce. Even greater than in the confined wooden boxes in K., since trash bins were abundant, basements unoccupied by any hostile representatives of animal kind and people - unprepared.

Gemma's actions were put to a halt. Spending nights with Jacob wasn't something she was fond of doing and her frustration grew every day. She decided to make use of the system and started supplying the only man who needed her help. If she could do anything, it was making use of something that was abundant in N. and scarce in K. She started taking a percentage of the profits from the bean trade and sending them to Melquiades.

Melquiades was temporarily tempted to buy something for himself, possibly some new furniture or a new set of clothes but then he felt too old for the material possessions and desired youth which couldn't be bought by any amount of money. The possibility to travel in time would be his second wish, but could not yet be accomplished. So, instead, he again contacted the consulate and asked him to organize the shipment of goods.

The planes were flying over K., leaving bags, boxes, and sacks full of second-hand items. Melquiades ordered clothes, sheets, cutlery and crockery, pots and pants, shoes, bicycles, old TV sets, used furniture and fifty cars which were given to those who could still drive a car. The new cargo was supplied every day and soon the streets of K.'s cities started changing. People were wearing more colorful clothes, they were carrying bags, umbrellas, wearing watches. Children were riding bicycles all at the same time and it was a wonder for Melquiades how it was possible that a dozen little kids were able to keep the balance on a two-wheel vehicle. People weren't happier but they definitely were better equipped. Sofas were placed in front of the living spaces and people would sit in front of their buildings and enjoy the setting sun while eating and drinking, and taking pleasure from each other's company. There was still almost no electricity in K., and the petrol was scarce so one could use the car if there was something really important to carry. Then Melquiades noticed something else which gave him food for thought. People were learning how to make use of their new acquisitions. They were learning with the pace of how they taught each other to cook. Imitation was the key to success. And Melquiades asked those who could still read to sit still in the street sofas, open second-hand books and read aloud so that those who wanted to listen, could do this easily. And soon there were groups fond of books and groups fond of films displayed on old TV-sets running on old aggregates. The people of K. started to be more occupied and the food wasn't such a crucial matter, even though it still was the major part of their time. And while the majority were still living the same exact life they were leading every single day for decades, some things were changing. Melquiades appreciated these changes and every day ordered more goods, so more and more planes were flying over K. Funny enough, with planes something else changed. With planes came also birds.

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