пятница, 28 сентября 2012 г.

The Next Wonderland



All the things have been confused – the inorganic comprehensions, the irrational numbers, chances and laws, Yin and Ian. The Buddhism, the Christianity and the quantum mechanics are being mentioned. The ex-hung-up, the underlicked cub, the Hippogriff, the unknown dinosaur, a certain Pedro and one cat keep the company of the main character of the story, who has been careless enough to take the shower. However, the urge towards the personal hygiene has never opened in front of the person such secrets of the universe, the evolution and the science.

 

The Next Wonderland

The Room


The room which I had been drawn into was densely filled and cluttered up. First I noticed only a huge quantity of books, shelves and some massive tables. The feeling of the body which I had lost having closed my eyes in the shower gradually returned to me. The clothes being not convenient and not mine, I was absolutely dry and dressed up. Leaning on the cover of the table I began to move and got used to the room. After the careful inspection it appeared that there were subjects of all kinds placed in order as well as in a mess or just heaped books. Some of these things, such as a head of a dinosaur on a wall, drew attention at once. Others could be made out only by special concentration on them. Playing cards, a turtle shell, a sieve, a shaman tambourine, a rake and a bicycle - and all this was only in one corner of the library transformed by someone into a store-room. The set of books differed by its eclecticism, too. Philosophy, physics, biology, fantasy, religion and cookery books got on together without any hint on ordering. I took a sieve lying on the desk and threw it immediately, crying out from unexpectedness - it started to shine.
- A good choice, - I heard someone's dry voice, but nobody was seen.
- Who’s there?! - I dared to ask at last feeling myself idiotically.
- Stop turning your head and get ready to see me.
I followed the advice and jumped up from unexpectedness. In several meters something grey and shapeless moved on the table. It had two eyes which varied in size all the time and a mouth.
- I’m an under licked cub, - the stranger introduced himself.
- Hello, - I forced out from myself.
- You’ll get used to me, and now pick up a sieve and shake it. Do it immediately while you are in a trance from my appearance.
I obeyed him again. First nothing changed, but when I got into the certain rhythm and the hands began to make sieve sifting movements, there appeared two embrasures on the wall in front of me. The first had a luxurious color image of complex, magnificent and quickly varying designs. And the second had some inertly moving, not clear spots. Then the jumps started after each of which the image of the second embrasure became more complicated, but in the first one it became easier.
- What’s this? - I asked.
- Fermi- and Bose-doors of your perception or rather your comprehension.
- What does it mean?
- In both your feelings, but in one the time goes back.
- And can such a thing happen? 
- Certainly, - an under licked cub answered confidently.
- Isn’t it a fantasy?
- Didn’t you notice that dreams come to an end in the most interesting place whenever you would awake? – He winked the eye which was the greater one at the moment.
- Let’s admit it.
- In some dreams, for example, the time goes back – and their beginning seems to be their end.
I wanted to object, but in both embrasures the images had coincided completely. It was the picture from my childhood. I dropped the sieve and extended the hand to show it to the interlocutor. Suddenly a force seized me by the lifted hand and began to take me upwards. For the first time I raised my eyes to the ceiling and I didn’t look under my legs any more – I made my way to the outer space.

The Floor


I heard the lift closing behind me and saw a coffee hall. The cream colored counter being behind him, the porter dressed in a red uniform appeared in front of me. Having studied my face he stepped back, cleared his throat and started to ask me absolutely strange questions. After each of them he stopped for a while and passed to the following one without waiting for the answer.
- Whole or fragmentary?
- Even or odd?
- Right or left?
- Casual or regular?
- Yin or Ian?
While listening I turned slowly around him not moving my legs. I was floating and two wide embrasures passed replacing each other by my look. In the first one there were some racks and retorts, and in the second one there were lines of visitors and a fountain. But right in front of me the figure of the porter was looming up. Having accustomed a bit I examined his face. It was a young-looking man with a remarkable left eye. The left eye was smaller, darker and had a special depth. I was pulled in it almost physically, but then I stumbled and the sensation of reality returned to my legs at once. I moved by myself again! However, not trusting my returned abilities the porter jumped up to me.
- Why didn’t you show it at once! – He waved his hand to somebody. - Now you’ll be led!
A man in green came running up. Having picked me up under the elbow he led me into the hall with a fountain. Behind my back I heard a loud voice of the porter: «Mr. Shad – the whole».
It was not turns. People stood around of game tables. The roulette, the card tables, and in spite of the fact that the purpose of some constructions was not clear to me to it was not necessary to doubt – I had got into a casino. The room was absolutely round with a round pool in the center.
Having followed my sight, the person in green brought me to the roulette placed by the wall to the left of the entrance. Having seen me the croupier cheered up and met me with a learnt, glossing from frequent repetition phrase.
- Fortune-telling, forecasting, prediction! 
- What?
- What do you wish to tell fortunes on?
- Don’t you tell fortunes?
- Certainly.
It was seen by his face that the only professionalism helped him to restrain himself from a phrase, such as «no, I’m cleaning potatoes here» or from something like that. However, I needed some time to get used to one more oddity of the given world –one guesses on a roulette here.
 - And what do you tell fortunes on?
- On everything, but more often on money.
- Tell fortunes to me then, too.
- How much do you have in your hand?
He nodded to the direction of my right hand, and I was surprised to find out a pack of notes clamped in my fist. Probably my green attendant had put it in my hand. I looked around, but he was not here any more, and I was the unique visitor at this table though there were very many people in the hall.
- Put them all here. What do you stake on?
- Red.
- Let’s see whether they’ll be with you.
First the drum began to rustle wearily, and then a ball banged cheerfully against it.
- Black!
- And what does it mean?
- This money won’t be yours.
The croupier pushed up my money and hid it under the rack. I understood that I had been fooled but in fact everything was all right. Having coped with my emotions I tried to be reasonable in order to charge the croupier with incorrect use of terms if not with cheating.
- Have you already told me what you’d predict?
- Yes.
- As a matter of fact you’ve only said how you’d act.
- But I didn’t know it.
- In fact if you weren’t here there’d be no predicted event.
- Certainly. As well as in the quantum physics, the fact of observation influences the result of the experiment.
- Nevertheless the prediction is understood in another way. The foreteller tells about the events being beyond his control.
- I’m not guilty that you’ve dealt only with charlatans earlier.
The croupier let me know that the conversation was over. Having looked on my empty hands again he returned to the sleepy state from which he was brought out by my appearance. While inspecting the hall I stepped back and almost fell down. The floor twitched and went floating under me. Having stretched my hands I kept my position and understood that I was standing on a tape moving on a circle along the smooth polished wall. Having estimated convenience of such a transport I could look around easily. The card tables and «one-armed gangsters» were floating in front of me. Being equally spaced three roulettes were located along the walls and now I was approaching one by another. There was nobody at it, too. Having inspected me from my legs up to my head and having no idea about my paying capacity the croupier took up a waiting attitude. Being ignorant on what else I can tell fortunes I decided only to get information about this place. Behind the back of the croupier there was a round pool filled by greenish water and a fountain in the center of the hall. After careful inspection I found that it was too large for such a room, and the waves were increasing the feeling of danger in it.
- It’s a large pool, isn’t it?
- Yes, it is.
- It’s possible to sink there. – I tried to draw attention by the joke.
- Of course. Otherwise it won’t be put there.
- Well, – the croupier was hardly joking. – Maybe someone has already sunk in it.
- There were two persons up to you today. And three of them haven’t been taken by the water yet.
- Really?
- Yes, two of them have come up, and the third was thrown out by the wave nearly to this place, – he looked down to the floor on the left.
- Awful! It’s necessary to put a barrier and to hang up ring-buoys in order to help the sinking!
- If someone is sinking, to help him means to sink him more quickly, and if he is not sinking he won’t sink at all. One is not sinking for long, so helping him makes no sense.
- Awful!
- On the contrary! We’ve got used to please our clients so we can’t break into the game of their fortunes. We are too kind to them to allow them to sink or come up. In order to warn our new employees we tell them that that they’ll draw a trouble upon themselves, too. However, they understand what it’s all about.’ 
I was trying to making the sense of the things heard, but the croupier turned the drum mechanically. I stepped on the moving tape again and heard a muted voice of the second croupier: "black". Having looked at the ominous contours of the pool once again, I turned back and found out that a great number of people were crowding near the first two roulettes. But that one to which I was coming now had nobody at it again. The third croupier was waiting for me and said as if he had known my ideas:
- You are always alone in this world.
- But there are a lot of people there!
- Consider them to be the reflections of the same individualists as you.
- What are these reflections doing there?
I can swear that he would like to say "are being reflected", but he smiled broadly.
- They think that one can measure risks.
- Well, there is a theory of probability…
- Really! It is impossible to measure risks.
- Why not, if one throws a coin for many times the eagle will drop out in half of cases. Then one can say that the probability is equal ½.
- If one throws a coin for many times, – the third croupier started to object in a mimic tone, – there’ll be no risk at all. You know exactly that in a half of cases the eagle will drop out. But if you throw it only once or if you never do that, there’s the risk and you’ll never measure it - it is obviously someone's forethought.
- Shall I be calculating what is impossible to calculate all the time now?
- If you are not sure that you are ready for it, go and ask for a piece of advice into the next hall.
- There?
- Yes.
I entered the hall again, and while passing it I heard the voice of the porter behind my back: «Mr. Shad – interrupted». I did not return to ask what all of his shouts meant only because at the entrance of the second hall I had been already expected by the strange fellow who attracted my attention at once. The «mummy» fellow with one hand and a touchingly extended neck introduced himself as an ex-hung-up.
- But for all that my name is Johnny!
- Really? – I felt that the news should have affected me so I made an intelligent but ironical face.
- For a piece of advice?
- Yes.
- Then let’s walk over the corners.
Johnny invited me by his only hand to follow him along the wall. Unlike the first hall being brightly shined from somewhere under the dome, the later had the local illumination. A great number of lanterns and lamps of every possible design and of different epochs were lighting out the tables, the bookshelves, the twisted cards and various experiment devices. We came nearer to the table filled up by the books. And first it seemed to me that there was nobody behind it, but the dry senile cough of an old man behind the heap of volumes indicated my mistake.
- Greetings! I’m the main tautologist of this place! What do you want me to explain? - The vigorous old man in glasses made me to object him for some reason.
- Why are you a tautologist?
- I’m never mistaken!
- It’s possible not be mistaken without a tautology.
- No, it isn’t. The tautology is the truth. And the truth is the tautology.
- Only the truths which aren’t tautologies do have a value.
- Nonsense! Give me an example!
- Here you are. The law of Newton says that the force is equal to the product of weight and acceleration.
- What a remarkable example! The force is defined only through the concept of weight, and the weight is defined only through the force. It’s a classical example of the tautology! So, the young man, if the truth is absolute, not relative and not approximate, it’s the tautology.   
- And what about the logics?!
- The logic is my favorite discipline. It’s the top of the tautology! And all that is based on the logic is the tautology. So the computers can make only tautologies.
- What can one do?
- Be happy! In fact the world of tautologies is an oasis in the shadow of which the sense can have a rest from the radiating beams of uncertainty. But it is important to use this opportunity. Never putting out a nose from under the shadow of the palm tree or burning with the sun and not having had the time to go sightseeing are two extremes which should be avoided.
- But what can I do? In fact I’ve come to get an advice instead of arguing on abstract themes.
- Try to become a ball, - He laughed at his own – It’s strange to hear it from me, isn’t it?
The old man disappeared behind the books suddenly as well as he had appeared. I was waiting for the end of the story about the ball, but Johnny pushed me towards the following corner and let me know that the audience was finished. Walking along the bookshelves I decided that the phrase about the ball either means nothing or hints at my awkward movements. I tried to make my step lighter and easier but knocked down a few poorly placed retorts. If not Johnny’s smart owning the unique hand, our way would be covered by pieces and fragments.
- Let me catch my breath, - my companion was cunning in order to stop such an advance. –I suffer a short breath from the moment of hanging up.
- How long do you have it?
- I can’t tell it for sure. I remember only that I’d got bored with being hung up – that’s why I’m here.
- Is it boring to be hung up? – It seemed to me that he was not inclined to take offence at jokes.
- To be hung is really good, but when one starts to tear parts off you for different sorts of amulets and drugs, it irritates. However, I regard it philosophically and did not protest against cutting my nice hand off. But to let all the fat to be melted from me is too much. I’d jumped down from the branch into my room and got here after all.
While talking we came up slowly to another table. Unlike the previous one it had nothing on it but a sheet of paper full of figures. An elderly gray-haired man in the dark three-piece suit was studying the sheet of paper. 
- For a piece of advice?
- Yes.
- Do you think I have nothing more to do?
- I’ve no answer as I don’t know what you’re doing now.
- You’re saying rude things! – He settled back in the armchair and stared at me. It seemed to me that his anger was a little bit affected and he was amusing himself like that.
- Certainly not! – I answered him in the same tone.
- I move apart the ordinary, - the "professor" declared it loudly rising from his place. – I make holes in it.
- How do you do it?
- I’m looking for irrational numbers. – He answered in a quiet voice and sat down again. 
- What for?
- I’ve already told you.
- What about rational ones?
- Rational numbers are tautologies or rephrased definitions. The fact that two by two is four has already been put into the definition of number "four". As for irrational ones they’re just approximate. The numbers are real, and they bring us to the true absolute world.
- Is it the help?
- Not quite. The help is: start up in a circle.
- Thanks.
- Not at all.
I’d already got used to such short dialogues and general pieces of advice so I came up to the next table in the third corner. There were some books and some used up sheets of paper but the owner was not here. This place seemed cozy to me at once, and having touched the books I sat down into the armchair. The armchair turned out to be very convenient, and I felt that my legs should have had a little rest. Johnny didn’t mind my break and sat up on the edge of the table. Having looked round once again I saw a sieve on the floor. It looked like the sieve that I had used in my room.
- It’s an ancient legend.
- Is it?
- If one bolts the barn in the certain night and if one keeps the door of the barn open it’s possible to see one’s future in the doorway.
- Really!
- As for me I saw nothing but an apple-tree growing in the yard.
- You mean it hasn’t worked?
- I’ve been hung up on an apple-tree.
There was an awkward pause, and Johnny began to tell about his relatives. All of them died a violent death. A half of them had been hung up, a quarter had been cut off their heads, and the others had been killed by someone from the first two thirds. The story was accompanied by desperate gestures and an attempt to represent the relatives’ last look. Then Johnny started reasoning about advantages and disadvantages of this or that sort of execution. He regarded himself to be the lucky one, for the death at the gallows gave much more time to recall the moments of one’s life than cutting off the head. But I thought that during the natural death it is possible to recall all the life in details from the beginning up to the end. Suddenly Johnny broke off, and I suspected that he had not considered such an opportunity at all.
Having looked at the underwritten sheet of paper lying in front of me I read through the last phrase: «do not argue with the water». My intuition suggested that I had already found the help and there was nothing to be waiting for. We got up and came towards the fourth corner. Having passed just a half of the way we saw the young man who was approaching us. He picked me up under the elbow and led me to the exit.
- Your help is Odyssey.
- What do you mean?
- Oh, you are looking for sense too!
- Yes. But I’ve got confused anyway. All these talks about the logics…
- I’ll help you! There’s a very simple law of logics:  there’s no such a thing that one can’t imagine.
- Yet one can’t imagine many of the positions of modern physics …
- Oh, he’s quick to grasp, - these words were turned to my companion who pushed me gently into the hall.
I had already got used to think in motion so I directed mechanically to the game hall. I stopped halfway near the porter who was going to tell something about "Mr. Shad" again. He actually was going to write it down.
- Are you going to the game hall?
- Yes.
- Then the third line is entirely yours, Mr. Shad, – he said and made a record in the journal.
- What does it mean? Where you write it down?
- It’s the Hall Change Book. If you go into the round one or the gambling one the line is continuous, and if you go into the square one the line is interrupted.
- What sense does it make?
- Great. If you miss all intermediate judgments having passed to the essence at once, the continuous line is Ian meaning chance and fortune and Yin is regularity and law.
- What’s of that?
- Chance and regularity run everything. Neither this nor that is ordinary like tonal and nagual.
- Why do you group all the lines three by three? – I looked into his book.
- Any process or phenomenon can be divided into three phases: the process, the beginning and the end. Either Yin or Ian can predominate in each of these phases. Yin is marked by the interrupted line, and Ian – by the continuous one. The whole phenomenon is represented in the form of three lines one above the other. The bottom one is the beginning of process, the middle one is the process, the top one is the end. There are eight possible combinations of three continuous or interrupted lines. Each of them characterizes the certain class of the phenomena and is referred to as a trigram.
The first trigram is Creativity.
_____
_____
_____
 
It consists of three continuous lines. The phenomenon begins spontaneously as the bottom continuous feature shows the prevalence of Ian in the beginning of the process. The process is spontaneous, too. And subsequently it comes to the end unexpectedly as well as it had begun. Besides, each trigram has the property and the image. The name shows the metaphysical essence of the trigram, the property shows its action in real situations, and the image helps to understand its essence. The name of the trigram shows the prevalence of Ian which is the creative beginning so that one associates it with the sky. The property is the fortress because of the process developing regardless of conditions and conventions. As well as some creative people realize their plans and follow their inspirations no matter what moral principles dominate in the society. So the name of this trigram is Creativity, the property is the strength, the image is the sky. 
I had not noticed when Johnny came showing interest to the lecture of the porter. 
- The name of the following trigram is Execution, and it consists of three interrupted lines.
__  __
__  __
__  __
 
Yin prevails in all phases, and all corresponds to both physical and human laws, rules, and all is predetermined. The property is the self-feedback. In order to give up doing his duty the person suppresses his creative impulses. The image is the ground.
The trigram Excitation. 
__  __
__  __
_____
 
The process begins spontaneously, yet it’s developing, and comes to the end quite naturally. The property is mobility. The person does not make anything unusual or new, and he always finishes the things begun. But his undertakings are unpredictable; he can start either one thing or another. It is the mobility. The image is the thunder.
Johnny seemed to have started to illustrate trigrams, so he lifted his hands and stamped heavily on the floor. The porter thanked him.
- The trigram Immersion.
__  __
_____
__  __
 
The second continuous line is in Yin as the first and third lines are interrupted. The phenomenon of the Absolute takes place though it is put into the rule and the law. Therefore the spontaneity inherent in the process influences other processes and phenomena not much, in other words it is isolated from them. The property is danger. The person begins and finishes all his affairs in quite a certain way; however, during the process of carrying out he suffers from uncertainty and doubts because of going into details. And it occurs in spite of the fact that all comes to an end all in quite a predictable way. To tell the truth, the result might be in failure. It is the danger. The image is the water.
Johnny’s face became scared, and the getting movements of his only hand symbolized to all appearance water elements.
- The trigram Staying.
_____
__  __
__  __
 
The process begins and develops quite naturally, but it can end only spontaneously. Without necessary chance this process will never come to the end. Therefore it is called Stay. The property is the hardness. The image is the mountain.
Johnny drew in his neck and sat down on widely moved apart legs.
- The trigram Refinement.
_____
_____
__  __
 The beginning of process is predicted, but the development and the end are spontaneous. Having begun quite naturally, the process develops in an unpredictable way and comes to the end the same way. Being the part the phenomenon of the Absolute Ian forces out Yin in the process of the development. The property is the refinement. Starting ordinary affairs the person sees gradually a set of nuances and opportunities there. The process becomes more creative and has an unexpected end. The image is the wind (the tree).
 The artistic hung-up lifted a hand and began to swing back and force representing a tree in the wind. 
- The trigram Linking.
_____
__  __
_____
 
The second interrupted feature "sticks together" (links) two continuous lines. Thus various phenomena of the Absolute can be adjusted in the same process and influence other phenomena. The property is the clarity. The image is the fire. It’s just your case.
Johnny stopped without motion not knowing how to represent it. Fortunately the porter continued.
- The trigram Solution.
__  __
_____
_____
 
The process begins and develops spontaneously but comes to the end in quite a definite way as if the problem is being solved. The property is the joy. The image is the reservoir. 
Johnny’s joy was intolerable. In order to draw him away from acting I continued the conversation.
- Can the inner world of the person be characterized by the only trigram? Can the world surrounding him be characterized by another one? – I asked. 
- Yes, it can. Since the person cannot be isolated completely from the outer world the description of this or that situation is worthwhile by the means of two trigrams. The first (bottom) characterizes the internal, the second (top) – the external. The combinations of these trigrams generate 64 hexagrams which describe all possible situations.
- It seems to me that one tells fortunes and gives advice with their help.
- You are right. As to the advice for the person, who has found himself in this or that situation corresponding to the certain hexagram, it will depend on his level of consciousness. For the person being at the bottom stage of understanding of the Absolute there is one type of the hexagram, for the person being at the top stage of understanding – another one. In the mantle practice of the Book of Changes it is accepted to identify the bottom (the first) line with the insignificant person, and the sixth - with the significant one. So the aphorisms corresponding to these lines reflect not the stages of the development but the advice to the persons with different stages of the process ranging from the insignificant person up to the significant one.
Speaking about the temporal stages of the development of the process there are as much of them in the hexagram as in the trigram. They are three: the beginning, the process, the end. However, each stage of the hexagram is described by two corresponding lines in both trigrams. For example, the first and the fourth lines characterize the beginning of the situation. The first is in the internal, the fourth is in the external. It is advisable that both Ian and Yin were present at each stage of the process. That is if the first line is Ian, the fourth one is Yin; if the second line is Yin, the fifth one is Ian; and if the third line is Ian, the sixth line is Yin. In this case the process will develop in the most harmonious way. 
- Can you give an example of such a hexagram?
- We’ll take the first one. It’s the initial performance. 
Both the internal and the external are characterized by the trigram Creativity. An unpredictable change of the external conditions is combined with the internal strength which is the property of this trigram. Your decisions do not depend on somebody or something. The choice of the problems is not determined too, and even the way of their decision varies constantly. But your surroundings possess the same properties. The changes taking place around you are unpredictable, the processes are surprising, and the fact how they come to the end depends on casual events. You do not influence the external, but it does not override you, too.
This process is the top display both of the Creativity and Ian. However, it is dangerous for the person with a small level of energy. It’s better for him not to act in this case. The bottom line characterizes the person whose consciousness is the least ready to perceive the phenomena both of the Absolute and the Creativity. Therefore I-king warns him against acting in the existing situation in this line.
As for the more advanced consciousness the meeting with the great person who would not allow to such a quantity of Ian to destroy consciousness might be favorable. At the following stage the person does not require such care any more, but in spite of the current activity the caution would be better for him in some way. As for more advanced consciousness it is a jump into the abyss which conceals both the great danger and unknown opportunities. At the fifth stage of the development of the consciousness the process implies the flight in the sky, in other words in the Absolute. Here is the meeting with the great person again, but no more to protect him from the Absolute, but to help to understand it. For the person being at the top stage of understanding this process means the full merging into the Absolute and the loss of the human, but if the full merging of the "I" is not achieved there would be the repentance there.
Having come across such a quantity of images Johnny began to jump and to gesticulate desperately. The croupier jumped from behind the rack and I began to catch him all over the hall. Being a little bit confused I entered the round hall and came towards the pool. While I was moving forwards the paints surrounding me and the outlines took an increasingly fantastic look. I did not pay attention to this as I was absorbed more and more by the sight of the rough green water. The pool had not the border unless the narrow strip along the perimeter. I stepped on it and went on a circle without changing speed and looking with fascination on the water. Having looked at the strip under my foot I noticed that it is divided into black and red segments. The relation with the roulette was obvious as well as two first helps. While thinking about it I drew myself away from the seeing of the surroundings. Having stumbled I found myself suddenly in the water. The whirlpool of paints and light caught me up so that I did not feel any water. I understood that I was sinking. First I tried to find out in what direction it is better to float. However, under the influence of euphoria I stopped to struggle for life. I relied on the waves of light washing me and became breathless with them.

The Building


I came to myself leaning against the wall of the square room. It was empty and white. There was no such a violence of paints which I had just watched, but the walls, the floor and the ceiling were full of light as though they were radiating it. First I examined my body – everything was all right, but someone was rubbing against my legs. Having looked down I saw a black purring cat. Having felt my look the cat raised its head and looked into my eyes for a moment. After that the cat stretched itself and directed slowly to the door in the wall. I had just noticed that these two doors were opposite each other. In the movements of the cat there was something inviting to follow it, so I did. I entered the door and got into the same shining room but it had the shade of the ivory. I felt that the basic light source was underneath because the shadows had been thrown off on the ceiling and the opposite wall from the door. The cat jumped at once on the strange table in the middle and began to watch the movements of the bald man wrapped up in the sand clothes. The man was looking for something among the set of subjects of this room. However, it was to be noted that a certain pattern was felt in their position.
- Do you have something for me? – I asked as I was sure that my role would consist of gathering the information.
- What?
- Shouldn’t you pass me something?
- I should find the fifth element for the tableware.
- Just the fifth?
- Just the fifth! Everything should be of five elements, – he straightened himself up keeping for his back. - Imagine that we’re creating the world in which all the phenomena are interconnected and continuously replace each other. Let’s try to find a minimum quantity of the phenomena the interaction of which would satisfy these conditions. For example, the phenomenon №2 can be generated by the phenomenon №1 and be destroyed by the phenomenon №3. That is three phenomena are enough at the first sight. But in that case the phenomenon №1 cannot be generated or destroyed by the phenomenon №2. In fact they’d be mutually generated or mutually destroyed, and as a result it’d reduce to the termination of changes or to the "bad" infinity. It turns out that the phenomenon №3 should generate and destroy the phenomenon №1 simultaneously, and that does not suit us for the same reasons. Let’s add one more phenomenon №4. Now we assume that the phenomenon №3 destroys the phenomenon №1, and the phenomenon №4 generates it. As for the phenomenon №1 everything is all right. The phenomenon №3 is generated by the phenomenon №2 and is destroyed by the phenomenon №4. As for the phenomenon №3 everything is all right, too. However, there is a problem with the phenomenon №4. It can neither be generated nor destroyed by the phenomena №1, №3; and the phenomenon №2 cannot simultaneously generate and destroy the phenomenon №4. In short only five phenomena provide the mutual transformations and the «normal work» of the cause-and-effect relations. Therefore, studying any transformations and processes it is necessary to single out five mutual-generating and mutual-destroying phenomena. All the phenomena can be divided into five groups or "elements" as well. Such a division would allow us to understand the dynamics of changes in our world.
While speaking he went round the five-cornered table and examined carefully each thing which came across him. The cat of mine was watching him all the time and was about to jump on his back from time to time though I had such a feeling that he wouldn’t notice it.
- Well, let’s go then?
- Yes, go to the light, - he waved his hand uncertainly.
The cat understood at once that it was time for us to go. It jumped off the table and slipped quickly into the door. We crossed the white room and entered the pearl one. I felt a smell of the east incense and saw the sofas draped by silk and the low tables. In front of the big picture representing a sight from the window there was a woman with a fur collar dressed in the style of the beginning of the last century. Having turned gracefully she made a smoke through the long cigarette holder, let the smoke out slowly and studied my face with squinted eyes.
- The man.
- Yes.
- I see. I am just doomed to the men society, – she put her hand to the forehead with a theatrical gesture.
- You’re bored with us.
- I’m just tired. I just work for men and nothing more. Now I’m finishing all the things for Lennon.
- Who’s he?
- The man.
- What are you finishing?
- Everything, –she sighed. – He has left a priori here, has explained nothing to nobody and has died. Have I to answer for him!
- What a priori?
- Like that. Do you know the theory of relativity?
- In general.
- Then I’ll explain it to you.
- Let’s consider the paradox of Lennon about Bahille and the turtle. Bahille can easily get to the point where the turtle has been, but it will move to another point for this time. It can continue for a long time and Bahille will never catch up with the reptile.
The wrong conclusion about the unassailability of the turtle is considered to be caused by the absence of knowledge about the operations with the infinitesimal quantities. It is said that each segment on which Bahille catches up with the turtle is less than the previous one, therefore its length tends to zero, but the sum of these infinitesimal segments will be equal to some final distance. Let’s consider the last infinitesimal segment on which Bahille should overtake the turtle. No matter how small the segment is, the turtle should spend some time to go for a distance. It’ll be like that on each segment regardless of its length. That is the reference to the infinitesimal quantities does not allow us to solve the paradox. Isn’t it?
- Probably. – I answered mechanically.
- Let’s imagine the artist who wants to paint a continuously varying landscape. First he looks at the landscape surrounding him, and then he turns to the easel and paints. But when he compares his painting with the nature it appears that the landscape has changed. He takes the brush and the colors again, and the things can repeat themselves infinitely. He will never achieve the accurate similarity because of the variability of the object. Bahille behaves himself like that. He looks where the turtle is at the present moment and aspires to this point. Having reached it he sees that the reptile has gone to another point. And it’s up to the infinity. So it’s impossible to overtake the object if you don’t know where it will be in the future and if you behave yourself as if don’t know it.
- It’s just as you say. – I thought about myself and about my life.
- If Ahille has no suggestions of how the turtle will move, he will have to operate according to the algorithm offered in the paradox, and he will never overtake it. Besides, the turtle can move unpredictably in order to disappear in one point and to appear in another one. In this case even if speed of the turtle is insignificant, Bahille cannot catch up with it. He can appear only in those points where it has been before. If the object of the pursuit moves indefinitely, it’s possible to overtake it only by chance.
The most surprising thing is that Bahille doesn’t change the speed according to the algorithm of the pursuit of the turtle. That is for the casual observer the turtle moves quite definitely, and Bahille’s speed slows down to the speed of the reptile. But for the runner himself the movements of the turtle are unpredictable, and its own speed remains the former. From the point of view of the casual observer Ahille’s time began to go more slowly. The analogy with the theory of relativity is obvious. As the speed of the "cosmonaut" comes near to the speed of light his own time is being slowed down.
Let's assume that the movement of the turtle consists of the number of chaotic micro-movements in different directions and with different speeds. However, while summing up they form the movement with constant speed and in the certain direction. The casual observer is not able to distinguish fine and uncertain movements of the turtle. He believes that it moves in regular intervals and straightforwardly. Therefore the observer has no reasons for which it’s impossible to overtake and outrun the reptile. Bahille tries to catch up with the turtle at the micro-level. It’s subtle and unpredictable for him, therefore he can’t overtake it. If one continues the analogy with the special theory of relativity at the macro-level, the speed of light is constant and the direction is definite. Therefore there are no reasons for which it would be impossible to exceed the speed and "to overtake" the ray of light. However, physics consists of the processes occurring at the micro-level. But at the micro-level the movement of the photons of light is unpredictable. Might the speed of material bodies be inaccessible for this reason? Probably, the weight is a measure of certainty. The particles of light with zero weight at rest possess the maximum uncertainty that makes them inaccessible as the turtle is for Bahille.
Let's admit that the material particle radiates constantly other particles which move with a great part of uncertainty and with the speed of light. These radiated particles could play the role of the turtle if the material particle directs to the place where the particle-turtle appears being radiated by it. In this case the radiating particle could not exceed the speed of light.
Let's consider the other paradoxes of Lennon: the Spear, the Dichotomy and the Stage. The moving subject differs from the subject in rest since it requires more place if one do not consider a zero interval of time. The spear will fly some meters for one second therefore it requires more space than the spear in rest. But if one considers only a moment of time, the flying arrow takes as much place as the arrow in rest. Hence, it’s impossible to define the movement of the object in a moment of time. But it’s possible to say the same thing about any moment of time of the flight of the Spear. If one approves that the arrow is dark blue at any moment, it’s possible to say that it’s always dark blue. If the arrow does not possess the properties of the moving object at a moment, it does not move in general. The paradox can be removed only by having established the minimal interval of time.
- You’re quite right.
- Speaking about Dichotomy we realize that it’s necessary to introduce the restriction and the distances, too. Otherwise, in order to move even for a meter we are to realize the infinite number of points. In fact each segment has its middle; each half segment has its middle too, and so on and so forth. Let’s admit that we are able to realize only the final number of points. But whatever great the overall number of the points tending to the infinity may be, the part of the realized points will tend to zero. Hence, we cannot realize the distance in general. The paradox is removed by the introduction of the minimal indivisible length.
If there is an indivisible length and indivisible time there should exist the special speed limit equal to their attitude. Its properties are considered in the paradox the Stage. Let admit that there are some numbers consisting of the objects being away from each other on the minimal indivisible distance. In front of the observer who moves with the speed limit along with the row B relatively to the row A, the objects of the row A occur one after another. As for the speed limit the time between these occurrences will be equal to the minimal indivisible time interval. If the speed of the movement increases, the time between the occurrences of the objects will become less than the time-limit. Hence, the objects of the row A will stop to exist for the objects of the row B, and vice versa. Therefore the speed shouldn’t be greater than the speed limit. Then there is the following paradox. If the row C moves relatively to the row A with the speed limit in the opposite direction, the rows B and C would stop existing for one another but remain existing for the row A. The paradox is removed if one assumes that the speed limit cannot be exceeded and it must be the same for all systems of the countdown.
Thus, the paradoxes of Lennon are paradoxes only if to admit the existence of the infinity in the physical world. If there is no infinity, there are no logic contradictions, too. In order to remove the problem of the infinity one should introduce the minimal indivisible intervals of length and time. And it will reduce to the concept of the maximum speed limit and its constancy for all systems of the countdown. There is the necessity of creating of the mechanism of restriction of the speed for material objects. The radiated particles moving with the speed limit and can hardly serve this purpose. The specified «measures of struggle» with the infinity correspond to the postulates of physics.
While explaining the woman walked up and down the room. She constantly sat down on the sofa and got up from it. Right after her the cat jumped on the warm place. It lied languorously there overturning itself from side to side. Having turned her back to me the woman stopped and said:
- Let me alone. I am tired of being your shadow.
I thought that it was a performance remark, but I was not going to find it out. The cat and I walked out and entered the white room again. I believed that we had already examined all the doors, yet we were surprised to find a narrow embrasure in the wall. Probably, I had not noticed it because of the light radiated by it as well as by the walls. Behind the embrasure there was a ladder going downwards. It spired around the cylinder the diameter of which made about six meters. The walls of the cylinder were shining even brightly than the walls in rooms. The hollow rumble was heard inside, and so I took it for the lift well. We went downstairs and got through the same embrasure into the same white room differing from the previous one only by the lighting. We saw the same two doors and entered one of them. Unlike the other rooms it was very noisy there. In each corner of the absolutely white room there was a board written up with the chalk. Four men in grey suits with the elbow stripes on them were writing something and calling over each other at the same time. Two men standing at the distant wall were talking too loudly. Having already got used to go round the rooms I came up to the one who was to the left from the door.
- Hello. I’m Mr. Shad.
- Hello.
- What are you all doing here?
- It depends. I study the information which the others exchange, and compare the past and the present, and draw conclusions.
- How many conclusions have you drawn already?
- Only one. – The entropy is a measure of evolution. The more entropy there is the better.
- But it was the opposite in my world.
- What’s of it! The entropy in thermodynamics is the special case of the general definition of the entropy according to which it is the measure of the uncertainty. It depends on the number of the possible conditions of the system and their probability. In thermodynamics the entropy of the body means the entropy sum of all its molecules. By the general definition the entropy of the body is the function of its conditions, just the whole body. So the entropy of the immovable ball is equal to zero as for it there is only one condition. But from the point of view of its thermodynamics if the temperature and the pressure on it are the same, the entropy will be maximal. Because of this mess the entropy has the bad reputation. The end of any development in the "ball" system is characterized by the reduction of its entropy level as the whole up to zero, though the entropy sum of its molecules is maximal. Its thermodynamic entropy is maximal, too. Therefore it is possible to say that the «thermal death» is zero entropy of the system as the whole.
Thus, if the entropy of the system is equal to zero, the development of the system stops and it will be only in one condition, irrespective of the entropy sum of its parts. Hence, it is possible to draw a conclusion: the more entropy the system has, the more quickly it develops.
If we compare the life of the modern man with the life of his ancestors, or the life of the citizen of the developed state with the life of the citizen of the backward country, what is the basic difference? The primitive man’s freedom of choice was minimal. All his life is regulated by the strict rules of survival. Any changes in his behavior, for example, on hunting were worth his life and the life of his family. As the modern man has more choice, the greater variety of possible conditions he possesses, the higher entropy is. It is not only the measure of the opportunities of the development, but also it is the parameter of the level of development. The duality of the entropy leads to the exponential character of the progress. In fact if the entropy has been increased, its growth stimulates the development of the system, therefore its entropy grows even more quickly. So the growth rate of the entropy will increase greatly.
He broke off, and then he remembered something and gave me a coin.
- Go to the next one while they’re having a rest there.
 The second man in the other corner looked very excited. He was taking tea after the sandwich noisily.
- Hello, my friend! – He shook my hand so vigorously that the crumbs from his lips flied off in all directions. He noticed the coin in my hands and his eyes began to shine. – Do you know what you’re having?
- Money.
- It’s the work of men which is equivalent to the given coin. Let’s admit that you’ve received it for your work. And here’s mine and I’ve received it for my work, – he took out the same coin. – Now we’ll exchange them. It’s the fair exchange. Isn’t it?!
- As though it is. What for one exchanges then?
- Here you are! - He was not listening to me. – If the capitalist spends the certain sum of money and receives the greater one, he has paid to his workers less than he should pay «fairly». The variation in prices, that is the surplus value, he has put in his pocket. What a swindler! – He said it to the next corner.
He embraced me tightly and came back to his sandwiches. I understood that he was giving me a piece advice, so I went to the third corner. The third man was drinking coffee and fingering his beard nervously. He got up from the armchair, greeted me and shook hands with me.
- No, it is impossible!
- What do you mean? 
- They’re just robbing us! – He looked angrily at the second man. -  In order to work and recreate at the enterprise the worker requires not so much: the minimum quantity of meal and clothes, the dwelling and the transport. In the case of a fair exchange, his wages should be equal only to the fulfillment of his work. However, the wages is sufficient just for some extra consumer’s purchases, trips, hobbies and entertainments. It means that they have recovered the greater cost from their work than it should be. The surplus value and the exploiting of the capitalists by the proletarians are present!
The third man sat down again. He was absorbed in some of his thoughts or maybe some calculations. As for me I went to the last corner of the room.
- For a piece advice? – The fourth man asked at once.
- Oh, at long last! I’ve already forgotten what I need.
- What do you need?
- Now I don’t have any thoughts of my following actions.
 - Do you have no thoughts or many thoughts but equivalent?
- All right, I’ve no thoughts.
- Then your entropy is equal almost to zero.
- Is it important?
- We’re all economists here, and entropy is a universal standard of cost. Why does the drink of water have not the same price for on the river bank and in the desert? If you’re suffering from thirst, you’ll be busy rather with searching or keeping up the liquid than thinking of other actions and ideas. Therefore your entropy will be minimal. After you have a drink your thoughts will become more diverse and more equivalent. That is the entropy will be maximal. Under the great shortage of water the drinking leads to the greater growth of the entropy than under the little shortage of water. Having assumed that the cost of the product is equivalent to the increase of the entropy dealing with its purchase we’ll come to the conclusion about the increase in cost with the growth of the received entropy.
The shortage of water or something else makes the probability of the corresponding condition to increase. It also reduces the probability of others and results in the reduction of the entropy. If you’re suffering from thirst, hunger or the wish to listen to a concert, it’s difficult to think of something else while you won’t drink, eat or get what you strongly wish. Thus the satisfaction of both natural and spiritual needs comes to the increase of the entropy. But if the first man has the excess of water and the lack of food, and, on the contrary, the second man has the excess of food and the lack of water, both of them can increase the entropy in the process of the exchange of the corresponding resources. That is, the exchange is the means of the increase of the entropy for all its participants. The transactions, the trading operations and production lose appeal for the subjects of the market if these actions do not increase their entropy.
 The growth of the entropy becomes the standard of advantage not as much of the goods as much of the transaction for its real participant. Thus all participants act not as the competitive parts but as the partners. The regulation of the price is called upon to balance the benefit for all subjects of managing participating in the transaction and to equalize the growth of the entropy.
- What does my help consists in?
- Oh, excuse me. You need to find the way out of the cave.
- Thanks.
The cat who had been rubbing friendly about the legs of all my companions ran up to the door as if inviting me to open it. We went into the hall, came across it and pushed the door of the fourth room. It appeared to be light grey in color and completely filled up by the sounds. There were the phone calls and the hum of the printers, the rumble of the copiers and the gurgling of the coffee makers. The young man in a shirt with the rolled up sleeves was rushing about all these sounds.
- Hello. Have you come for a piece of advice?
- Yes, I have.
- Listen to me. It’s necessary to pay for all even if you do not pay for it.
- How can it be?
- Can you get a profit from the deposit having put nothing into the bank?
- Probably, I can’t.
- Can you get a profit only by having putting up the same money which you would put into the securities with the same risk level?
- Yes, but I can take the credit and repay it out of the profit then.
- Certainly, along with the percentage. Just this way!
- On the other hand, it’s possible to reorganize the production so that you’ll receive the profit not spending money.
- You’ll spend the same money. And if you do not put them in the budget there’ll be no change.
- However, the charismatic leader sometimes guides people for the labor deeds. On the contrary, the dictator forces the part of the population to the free-of-charge work. 
- In both cases it is necessary to pay as if you would take the credit in order to get the same profit. People will finally demand compensation for their work both from the leader and from the dictator including the percentage. And if they do not receive it, they’ll treat you as a defaulter. They’ll rut you in prison. 
- Is it really your advice?
- Just a moment, - he clicked on the keyboard and looked at the figures in the monitor. Being satisfied he continued. – It’s the first advice.
- Is there the second one?
- Don’t give reasons for people to work well if you mean the long-term period. The expenses will come up to the income, and they can even exceed it. You should organize the work so that it would be possible to work only with the maximal feedback. Otherwise you should to stop the process of production. Then the employees won’t have the choice, and you’ll have to give reasons only for the acceptance of the rules promising them the rise in wages and the guarantees for the future. But if you pay them extra for good work, the effective work will become unprofitable for the enterprise.
- Is it the last advice?
- Well, I like that! All universal things are worse than the special ones.
- Is it all now?
- The resources should be spent in regular intervals …
- Are you sure?
- Taking risks is justified only.
- I see.
- Look! You’re the man with the cat! – he has just seen my companion and slapped himself on the forehead. – Remember!  You’ll be brought out by the shadows.
As soon as he said these words I understood that here the shadows are lying on the floor, so the light source is above. It should be somewhere in the middle between the floors. I jumped out to the stairs and rose on half of the floor. The thing that I took for the lift well vibrated and radiated more and more light. Being fascinated I stretched my hands and came towards it. I looked at the cat sitting downstairs and noticed that it had no shadow. But I could not think about it any more. There was a feeling that the light had blown up the wall restraining it and had absorbed me completely.

The City


I recovered consciousness in the cold plastic chair which is usually placed together with little tables at the cafe. It was dark and lonely. Probably the street was rather old, the houses hung above it by its stones. I needed some time to return to myself the feeling of the body. I got up with the feeling muscles of aching from long sitting. It was nicely to go slowly along the chilly street. I had hardly passed twenty meters as I heard shuffling and clattering steps behind. I turned round, and only the wall did not let me to fall.  An awful creature looked at me very kindly. It was higher than me and had the eagle head, wings and paws. It turned to me sideways from the quick stop, and I understood whence the clicking of the hoofs was heard. The back of his body and his two back legs were horse-like.
- I’m the hippogriff Gregory, - the night stranger introduced himself.
- Eh! – I said something inarticulate.
- I know that you’re here for the first time. And it’s me who was sent to help you to find your bearings here.
- Why is it you? – I could speak again.
-  Oh, I symbolize modern physics of your world.
- Yes, it’s rather strange as far as I understand.
- Look! - Gregory got excited. He picked up my elbow by his claw inviting me to follow him further along the street. – Can you imagine that the particle would be only in one place, and at the same time it would be in many places?
- I think I can’t.
- Look! - He looked into my face attentively as if he wanted to find out something in it. – I’ve already told you about the basic logic law.
- Yes, you have.
- Come on then.
He pushed me gently into the cafe above which the sign «At Osiris’s» was shining. There was twilight in it. There was nobody except two old men playing an odd game behind one of the little tables. It was difficult to understand whether they were the late visitors or the bored service personnel of this establishment. Both of them turned over to greet us.
- They’re old men Set and Gore. - Gregory explained me in a whisper. - They play with each other all the time and we are afraid that some of them would win one day.
I yawned for some reason, and all the present looked significantly at each other.
- Gore! Please, explain to him the sense of your game, – the hippogriff asked and whispered to me again. – It was he who has thought out our physics and yours, too.
- Sit down nearer, – the old man addressed to me. – Look at the table.
I sat down on the chair put by Gregory. At first sight the surface of the table was covered by the sand and the stones of different colors. But the more I looked at it, the more exciting picture appeared before my look. The colors became intense, the fires flashed and …. played. I watched the singing and shining with all colors universe. Suddenly I came back to the reality as Set had passed his hand above the table. I began to be absorbed by the visible again, but the picture changed suddenly. There appeared the chaotic flashes being not connected with each other in any way and the same sharp dissonant sounds. The more I was plunging into it, the more insufferable the visible and the heard became. I wanted to close my eyes and my ears, but I couldn’t. The enormous shadow rushed above all again – it was Gore’s hand. All the things were put in order, but they became absolutely monotonous. Having had a rest from Chaos I began to get tired of the monotony of the seen. But here the shadows of the hands of both players flashed by me. All the things returned to the former condition. It was the average between the chaos and the monotony. So I came back to the cafe because of Gregory’s claws on my shoulders.
- Have you seen it? – Gore asked.
- Yes. – I forced out from myself.
- Imagine that the absolute is represented in the form of the space in which there are always some events-flashes.  The only thing that we can tell about them is that that they are present. They do not possess any parameters (the duration, the intensity, etc.). They are chaotic and unpredictable for us, but we can think out the laws controlling these flashes which would give them the visibility of causality and orderliness. In this case the properties of self-sufficiency and openness to the absolute would be observed. But how these events-flashes can be connected with each other? If our laws are "rigid", only their small number will be connected with each other. But if the pseudo-laws operating flashes have the probable character there will always be an opportunity for the further adjustment. And, finally, all events will be coordinated. But what should one begin with? One should begin from the most simple thing, in other words to connect them in pairs.
Let two flashes belong to one particle. If the first flash means the appearance of the particle, the second one means the disappearance. However, there’s the necessity for the criterion on which it would be possible to determine that these two events relate to the same particle. As we know nothing about them, there can be only three criteria: the distance between the events-flashes, the time between them, the speed of the probable particle. The third is more preferable as we have more opportunities to find the pair to the "first" flash being limited neither in time, nor in distance. So we create the first particle the basic distinctive feature of which is the certain speed. One can guess that it’s a photon. It follows that there’s a postulate of STR (the Special Theory of Relativity) about the constant speed of light. All particles possessing other speed are not photons according their definition. However, one should not forget and about the probability of any law of nature.
Now we need to connect with each other the pairs that have already been created. For this purpose we shall assume that the photons are radiated and absorbed by other particles. Thus, it is necessary to "connect" a great number of the events-flashes. There will appear the broken trajectories, and consequently there will be the necessity to explain the mutual changes in the direction of the "movement" and the speed. Because of it there is one more criterion. It’s the weight. For the "two-flashed" photons the weight is not necessary, and consequently it does not have the weight of rest.
It is possible to order the events-flashes in two ways. First we "create" a particle, and then we look for the flashes suitable for it. «Suitable» means corresponding to the properties that this particle has. So we pass from one particle to another searching the necessary flashes. In this case the probability to create the particles would be higher if the events-flashes are located so that the same flash could be connected with different particles. From the outside it will look as if these particles aim to get to the same condition. The principle of unambiguity will not be broken here as we "work" with each particle individually. By the way, it is the way by which we have "created" the photon.
Second, we connect flashes "post factum" covering all events at once. The principle of unambiguity does not allow adding the same event-flash to different particles any more. In this case it looks like as if they refrain from getting into the same condition and being mixed.
If we used these two ways simultaneously we would get two classes of particles. It’s like that in our physical world. The particles being "created" by the first way are referred to as Bose-particles (a photon, etc.). They aim to get into the same condition. The particles being created by the second way are Fermi-particles (an electron, etc.). Fermi-particles do not assume the situations in which they can be mixed. Thus all existing particles are either Bose-particles or Fermi-particles.
The old men were absorbed in the game again. During the conversation Gregory who had been rattling some jars behind the rack pulled me to the exit.
We went out and were about to go further, but a black cat ran across the road in front of us. I thought that it was the same cat and even called it, but it didn’t respond. The hippogriff stopped suddenly, and his eagle face was confused and frightened. Then he turned around resolutely and went in the opposite direction. I got a move on with him.
- Do you believe in signs? – I asked.
- Certainly.
- I thought that you are more interested in the exact sciences.
- I am interested in the exact signs.
- How signs can be exact?
- Just they can be exact in our world as only through the signs it is possible to study the real world. But it’s not always in this way. Did you know by the sign if the boy is named Johnny he won’t be hung up? – He laughed with gurgling sounds in his throat.
- Well, what world is it now then? Not real? –I did not consider Gregory’s reason of laugh because of my own ideas.
- This world is not real, but it is possible to get hungry or fall asleep in the unreal one, too. I haven’t taken a snack yet. – He opened the door and offered me to enter it. We felt the smell of the fried meat and fresh bread. Being hungry and impatient Gregory began to move with his legs more quickly. He made terrible knocking and shuffling sounds on the tiled floor.
- What a person has come here! – The first voice was heard somewhere in the puffs.
- And not alone! - The second voice echoed the previous one.
Two elderly fat men dressed in white dressing gowns and cooking caps came up to us. The hippogriff introduced them as Trulyalya and Tralyalya.
- Are you not bored with each other? – I decided to keep up the conversation.
- Not at all! We’re always alone in this world. Haven’t I told it to you?
- Lately.
- Each of us is the center of the Universe.
- Being absolutely based?
- The rest of the body can be defined only concerning another body if the latter is based. The rest of the second body can be defined only concerning another one, and so indefinitely. One cannot imagine the infinity, hence it does not exist and anyone can consider himself to be absolutely based. All physical laws are invariant, and the result does not depend on whether you consider the given system to be based or moving.
- Are you sure?
- First it was established for the uniform and rectilinear movement, and then it was established for the accelerated movement. It is necessary only to formulate the most general law of relativity.
At his last words the snack and the hot dishes were placed in front of us, and we distracted ourselves from the theme under discussion. Having gone out into the street we passed some distance up to the crossroads and went along the street leading downwards. It seemed to me that we are most likely obliged to Gregory's hearty meal for the choice of this route than to some metaphysical reasons. Having stretched our legs properly, we reached the dead end and knocked at the only door which we had seen. The man with the neatly cut beard dressed in a velvet brown jacket opened it. He invited us to enter, and rubbing his hands from joy he led us to the center of the room filled up with some sketches and the models of the strange forms, and then sat on the sofa.
- What do you wish? – He asked me.
- Well, what do you have?
- Much.
- For example?
- The worlds which are tight, light, provoking, and convenient in wearing… We can adjust the world to you according to your wishes.
- Is it possible?
- Certainly! The world of each of us is the problem to be solved and to be worn. But in some cases it is required to change the problem situation. It means changing over or changing clothes. The hypnotic trance is such a condition of the adjustment of our world. There are three situations in which we change a problem, so there are three ways of falling into a trance. The first way occurs when the problem is already solved. If we concentrate on something monotonous and not varying, for example a pendulum or any motionless object, there will be nothing new in this world for us, and the replacement will be required. The second way occurs if the problem is basically insoluble or too complex In particular, paradoxical dialogues and statements such as koans, bringing oneself into exhaustion as well as falling into a trance or a "mess" refer to these ways. The third way occurs if the answer or the situation is unacceptable for any reason. This way is more individual. It is possible to consider trance in the situation of fear, stress, and also some kinds of neurasthenia there. The more flexible the person’s mentality, the less is its consciousness of "interdictions" and "clichés", and the more complex for him to be fallen into a trance in this way. It is much more difficult to change the clothes for another world. So we shall look for something else?
- I don’t know. Fairly speaking, I want to sleep most of all.
- Dreams also refer to another world. They can be no less significant than the things that we see after having woken up, but they can be created to help the physical world, too. With their help the animals are modeling their behavior. The knowledge of the world only «at random» takes a lot of time, and it’s traumatic enough. Therefore the mechanism of modeling has been developed. It is established that in their dreams the rats, for example, make the actions similar to that ones they’ve made the day before. Small children solve the problems in their dreams which they have not solved in the daytime. The drawback of this modeling by means of images, especially by the visual ones, is that the images coming from the sense organs "are covered", and the animal becomes blind and helpless for this time. Therefore it was advisable to combine such a modeling including the phase of inactivity and rest with the phase of dreams at any stage of evolution. However, with the development of the intelligence the necessity to increase the time of the modeling due to the period of awakening has emerged. Thus, the main problem was that it was impossible to perceive the full-scale mental vision pattern as well as to examine the world around us. In order to solve the problem one should replace the great images by the smaller ones symbolizing them that are the signs. It would be better if these signs concerned the least loaded sense organ and allowed to communicate among themselves. The sounds have become the ideal carriers of such signs for the person. In the process of the child’s growing-up the modeling function is being transferred entirely on the "day time" ideas-images whereas the dreams-models turn to rudiments. Having mixed up with the signs from our ideas they become an interesting toy for psychoanalysts. Thus, the ideas are dreams in the form of signs. However, for the process of thinking the consciousness should have a set of the most general native concepts.
- I’ve got confused so much that I’ll probably go mad. – I tried to joke through the sweet yawn.
- The world of signs is also created and adjusted by the same things that create and adjust the physical world. If the world of concepts becomes independent it leads to schizophrenia. And all computers are schizophrenics. - He moved an armchair dexterously for me.
I sat down and closed my eyes. The darkness began to whirl and became isolated around me. There appeared a strange feeling. It was impossible to understand whether I was falling asleep or waking up.

The Mountain


Having woken up or fallen asleep, I appeared to be lying at the bottom of the mountain. The man in the large straw hat sitting next to me came alive as if after the long expectation and got up stretching his legs. I did not realize how I had appeared standing close to him in a moment.
- Let’s wait for the sign, – he said.
- What sign?
- The sign that will prompt us where we should go.
- And if it won’t be there?
- We’ll trust in inactivity.
Suddenly I began floating along the path to the left, and my companion was going beside me.
- Here you are, - he said. - If we do not control our actions somebody else would control them. This phenomenon can be named Dao, the naguale, the Absolute or something else, but it will be the break for the insubstantial this time. As well as Odyssey didn’t care at all in his time. So he pushed away the log and trusted in gods, and only then he could get home. 
 - Do you believe that the world is an illusion?
- You know certainly Platon's parable about the cave. All people in the cave with the fire in the middle are chained their faces to the wall. They can observe only their own shadows and the shadows of the subjects being carried through behind their backs. They consider that these shadows are the real world. They would laugh to scorn everyone who gets free from the fetters and starts to describe them both the fire and the present things whose shadows they are looking at. This is the way the shadows are formed, and this process can be named the tonale. But if this person moves further towards the exit from the cave, he will see the sun which is the naguale or the Absolute. To tell the truth there appears the risk to lose one’s sight, therefore it is necessary to get used to the light.
We came up or rather swam up to the entrance of the cave, and the man in the hat gave me the sunglasses. There was nothing visible there but the outlines. But the man said that it was enough, and if I removed the sunglasses I would go mad. Having frightened me he led me into the cave. It was damp and cool there as it should be in such places. And we had been walking for a long time until I heard an insinuating and tender voice of my companion. 
- Hi, Gorgosha.
- Hi, Pedro. – The invisible female-speaker whispered.
- We’ve decided to walk on the mountain.
- Is he already tired with playing? – I understood that they were talking about me.
- Playing what? – I broke into the conversation as I don’t like being spoken about in the name of the third person.
- Playing the life or rather the organic life. – The invisible female-speaker hissed again.
- Do you want… to kill me? – My mouth got too dry.
- Are you afraid of it?
- Certainly. – I answered automatically, but there I felt that my fear was automatic as well. However, all was absolutely empty inside me.
- Explain it to him, please, – Pedro asked.
- You’re an inorganic living thing or the empty vessel of comprehension floating in the Absolute.
- Are you sure?
- Imagine yourself the essences. Let’s call them comprehensions. They exist in their own world which is almost incomprehensible for us. This world is extremely difficult for the perception. It’s so complicated that an unprepared perception will suffer inconceivable torments. We should have suffered the same torments if we appeared to be in the room with deafening music and blinding flashes of light without any preparation. However, this torture for the "immature" essences is not connected rather with the level of influence than with the fact that they cannot perceive the world with all its interrelations because it’s an unimaginable and frightening chaos for them. How can one act? The rehabilitation program preparing the comprehension for the perception of the world is necessary then. And what can prepare better the essence which is not established for the "adult" life but the game? So they’re playing. Each of such comprehensions is plunged into the game just as we plunge into our dreams every night. Having a dream we do not also perceive the things that occur in reality.  Whether playing or sleeping the comprehensions do not perceive the external world.
The comprehension which has reached the necessary level of perception should wake up itself, shaking off the world-dream which it does not require any more. So you have when your dream stops, and if you realize that it’s only a dream, we recollect ourselves in another world or in reality. How to make the dream to turn from the simple illusion into the bridge between the present and the imaginary world? On the one hand it should comply completely with the essences which are not ready to leave it yet. On the other hand it is necessary for the "advanced" comprehensions to perceive the external and absolute world through their world-dreams as through the filter for this purpose.
- But how can one achieve it?
- Let’s imagine that the world in which each of us lives is such a dream of a comprehension, and that this world-dream should possess the properties as described above. The fact that it can satisfy those who do not require anything is not necessary to prove. But what can work as the signal from the outside without taking down the laws of this world-dream? Casual events might be such revelations. In fact, the elementary particles are known to submit to the probability laws according to which the regularities develop only at a great number of events, each of which can be casual. Thus, if the comprehension of which dreams we are is prepared enough for the perception of the absolute, all of us will be involved more with the casual world instead of the natural one. It is necessary to be able to distinguish Yin from Ian. In other words it can be commented as the going off the science to the religion and superstitions. Actually it is the turn from the belief in reality of the world-dream to the study of the objective reality. If that inorganic comprehension to which you dream has already had time to prepare for the perception of the absolute, the complex pattern from casualties won’t seem to you  to be unsystematic and chaotic, and you can feel the force standing up for them. Various fortune-tellings when one judge others by the casual events are based on it.
The basic obstacle in the way of acceptance of the given concept is that we are not accustomed to consider our world as something individual. On the contrary, we are sure that the world is common for all. We do not doubt as well until we wake up that the world of our dreams is an objective reality, and people who have dreamed to us are not independent observers. Our world is as "single" as our dreams.
Without moving our legs we swam out from the cave and I took off the glasses. The first thing that I saw when my eyes had got used to the light was the strange-looking rabbit.
- It’s the defective sample being absolutely useless for the organic life.
- What has happened to it?
- They reproduce themselves only when their number decreases below the certain size. If they are more than they can live in the certain region they do not make other rabbits.
- Well, it’s quite reasonable.
- Besides if the rabbit with the useful properties for the survival is born it will go on reproduce posterity until the environment changes and the features of the rabbit will stop to be useful since they do not die natural death. That is they do not kill themselves by the old age. Only the environment can kill them.
- It’s good for the survival of the species as well. They are insurant from the overpopulation, and they can transfer to the descendants the useful features and adapt to the changing environment better than others. In general, what poor things are there in life without the old age? – I felt sorry for this question in the course of time as I had to listen to the longest lecture.
- There’s no sense in the immortal organic life. It’s as good as to leave the person in the kindergarten forever. Our worlds are such kindergartens. In order to study in them they should possess three properties.
First, the person should be self-sufficient, that is the phenomena taking place inside him should be enough for the explanation of any of these phenomena. It is necessary for the comprehension of the sleeping essence to make out the absolute when it will be ready for it. The similar principle is used in some watering devices of the house plants when the water is poured only into the dry ground requiring moistening. The person, that is the comprehension of the essence to which it dreams, will search for the displays of the absolute only in the case if this comprehension has got enough stronger for this purpose. Otherwise the world-dream will be enough, and the attempts to search something else will seem ridiculous and fruitless.
From the first property, that is the property of self-sufficiency, the principle of causality follows. All that occurs in the world-dream should have the reason in the same world.
The second property is the openness for the absolute. Eventually, these worlds-simulators are also necessary for our essences for the gradual perception of the external world. Hence, these worlds should be worked upon by the displays of the absolute, and they should be the reflections of the absolute. Certainly, this property contradicts to the first one, but it will be in the question further on.
The third property is the perceptibility. In the world-simulator there should not be anything that one could not perceive. Otherwise the sense of this world would be lost. It is created for the purpose to be perceived. It means not only the sensual but the speculative (imagined) perception. So the rule is that in the world-dream there is nothing that one could not have imagined. The basic law of logic is the law of the contradiction that follows. If it is impossible to imagine the situation in which it was broken, the law is always true, because it is the law. Therefore in the world-dream there can not be anything infinite as the infinity cannot be presented.
Each of these properties contradicts another one. How it is possible to combine them in one world? The way as it is made causes admiration. We shall consider three contradictory pairs which form these properties-principles.
The first pair is the self-sufficiency and the openness to the Absolute. It is clear that one pair excludes another one, but they are reconciled by the surprising invention that is by the probability. Only the habit prevents us to admire it. It has combined the chance and the law. It’s amazing how the various events which have not been connected among them by the relationship of cause and effect each of which can be of any kind are put in order in some way. So, if all people of the world throw a coin together, the “tails” will drop out almost as much as the “heads”. The same result will be if the similar game goes on for millions of years, and the players are placed on different planets.
But according to the views of your modern physics the behavior of all elementary particles has the stochastic nature. That is, if our entire world is presented in the form of the elementary events, each of them being of any kind. However, if their quantity is great, the certain laws appear which "pour out" into physical laws then.
Thus, what will be this or that casual individual event depends on the absolute. Whereas the distribution of probabilities if there are a lot of such events is the prerogative of the world-dream. Therefore I always leave my affairs for the last moment giving the opportunity for the chance to solve my problems.
The second pair, that is the self-sufficiency and the perceptibility, is not as simple as it seems. The self-sufficiency means the causality, and the perceptibility turns down the infinity. As we cannot find such an original cause for which the reason is not necessary we’ll receive an infinite cause-and-effect chain. Still it’s impossible.
This contradiction will be resolved, if it is impossible to tell about the reason: it exists or it does not exist. Why is it possible? Let the matter of our world-dream have not continuous but discrete structure. That is the entire world represents the set of the events among which there is no thing present. So the particle is not a small ball moving here and there but a number of events which are put down to it. Each of such two events is connected among themselves by the relationship of cause and effect which cannot be found out. If it seems to be too strained for you, you have a bad knowledge of modern physics. According to this idea the elementary particles represent just the set of events, the role of the causal relationship between them being carried out by some abstraction which cannot be found out, but it is possible to calculate it. In particular, it is calculated by means of the equation of Schrödinger. There appears the feeling that some field is imposed for the particle on the whole space to each point of which there corresponds the certain probability how this particle can appear there. It means that it “won’t fly” there in our comprehension but namely it "will appear" there. Therefore there occurs the well-known corpuscular-and-wave dualism. That is, the particle first disappears, then it appears, and some probabilistic field serves as a relationship of cause and effect between these occurrences which cannot be found out (I shall repeat it) in itself. Thus, if we find the event which applies for the rank of “the creation of the world” (if we do not know the earlier events) we cannot tell for sure whether it has the reason or not. In this case the principle of causality and self-sufficiency is not broken, and “the bad infinity” contradicting the principle of perceptibility is not supposed. So these two properties get on together.
The third pair is the openness to the absolute and the perceptibility. The latter means that the sleeping comprehension does not perceive the absolute as the protective properties of the world-dream are lost, and the essence perceives only what is necessary for the performance of the functions laid on the worlds-simulators. The openness to the absolute demands the world-dream to be its reflection to a certain extent. It is possible to combine these properties only in the things that are perceived and are not perceived simultaneously. As we cannot perceive the things that do not correspond by any criteria with other images perceived by us, this condition can be rewritten like this: corresponds and does not correspond simultaneously. Is it possible? Yes, it is. Irrational numbers, for example, possess such unusual properties. Each of them corresponds to any rational one, as it is possible to say what number is more or less, and does not correspond, because it is impossible to specify this ratio precisely. So the number pi is more than one, but the attempt to evaluate this ratio will lead to the infinite fraction not having the exact value.
Such “holes” are inherent not only to the number series but to the sensual images as well. I mean the art, the works of which being the more valuable, the more there are such not corresponding ratios. The ability to see the art around oneself is one more way to come nearer to the absolute. Such irrational ratios are everywhere: in movements, in sounds, in visions, and it is necessary only to make them out. However, the first property of self-sufficiency does not allow making it for those whose comprehension has not got stronger yet. The sensation of art is very subtle, it has nothing in common with beauty, emotion and sense, as all above-mentioned belongs to our world-dream, but the art is the reflection of the absolute.
 Reflecting upon Pedro’s words I floated further along the path which was climbing up mountain like the streamer. The colors around me became more and more bright. The purple sky was reflected by red spots in the numerous streams cutting the slope. We slipped past the pagoda, but did not come into it to my surprise. However, its view inspired my companion to some ideas which he hurried to tell me in the form of one more monotonous monologue.
- The inorganic consciousness sees the organic dream in order to get stronger for the direct perception of the absolute. If one dream is not enough, it is logical to assume that another dream should follow it, etc., until the purpose won’t be reached, and the chain won’t be interrupted. In each dream the essence can see in itself this or that living being. It can be named the circuit of transformations or the resettlement of souls. The more fair life the person leads, the less he suffers in his further life. The reason of the sufferings is attachment to the world-dream. Than more you feel the absolute as something much more significant than the surrounding world-game, the less you will suffer from failures and hardships of this toy world. The interchanges of the worlds-dreams remind of the passage of the levels in computer games. The person had developed his comprehension owing to which he came nearer to the absolute. He weakened the ties with the world-simulator leading godly life from the point of view of the Buddhism, so he would begin the following "life" with the reached level of comprehension and with the smaller attachment to the world-dream, so he suffers less. Thus, this is not the idea about the requital for good affairs but the simple statement of the fact that the level of comprehension can accumulate itself from one dream to another.
 That is why the idea about the "single" worlds-dreams was developed step by step by the Buddhism. In its concept this or that essence constantly creates the worlds in which it appears as a living being. The Buddhist doctrine about regeneration is about it. For the Buddhism such regenerations are not infinite, and for each essence they eventually finish with its ceasing to create the worlds-dreams and starting to perceive the real, absolute world directly reaching the nirvana. Thus, according to the Buddhism, it is necessary to get rid of these educational worlds, or most likely, outgrow them, and the quicker - the better. Each of them is the world of suffering. I think that this term means not only those or others misfortunes, but the authority of laws as well which in spite of the illusiveness in this world-dream have the authority of the law. Each reason makes us to draw this or that conclusion regardless of our will.
To help the comprehension to get rid of the world-dream is possible in several ways. The first includes an attempt to lose interest to this dream. For this purpose it is not enough to leave the worldly vanity. It is necessary to suppress in oneself all desires and emotions because they are the criterion of our interest in the world-dream which we have got used to name material one. If we consider it to be something secondary and illusory can it cause our desire to move up in the non-existent job or to buy a thing that is dreaming to us? Therefore, almost in all religions such practical works on taming flesh and disposal of desires as monkshood, vows, fasts, etc. Every possible meditation belongs to the same category of ways of disposal of the material world-dream as well. So, sitting in the silence and blindly driving away ideas and visions, which are sensations, too, we keep away from the world habitual to us. However, such suppression of feelings and sensations, though it creates preconditions but the very fact of it does not guarantee that we can feel the absolute world.
Another way to approach the nirvana is the reflection. Our worlds-dreams are not too well cut out, and they are full of holes, but in order to notice it, it is necessary to stop to trust piously in their absolute reality. Then every possible absurdity becomes evident.
The interesting method of the express training for the life in the Absolute is connected with Bodhisattvas. Though each essence creates its personal world-dream, they can be arranged to each other in some way. Such fine tuning is carried out by means of belief. The great belief provides the great interference between various essences. The essence, which is referred to as the Buddha in the Buddhism, gets into the state where the worlds-dreams are not so necessary, and it can help the others influencing on their dreams. Such essence-assistants are called Bodhisattvas. Influencing the world-dream of others they make us to pay attention to the display of the Absolute by means of the certain order of events and images. But such a control is possible only in the presence of the strong communication between the essences or the strong belief. Therefore the Buddhism affirms that one of the ways of discharge of all sufferings is the belief in any Bodhisattva, one of which is Jesus Christ.
The same way we passed by the Christian church. But there the road was blocked up by the "God's fool".
- Ah, the sinner, – he pushed me with his stick into my breast. – It’s for you that he suffers!
- You do not me know at all!
- If you were born in the organic world, it means that you’re just weak and sinful! Otherwise you weren’t born here!
- Who suffers for me?
- It’s HIM! He helps other people attached to the organic world to become free by their belief in him instead of being free himself and soaring in the absolute. Give me a coin!
The last phrase concerned Pedro who just shrugged his shoulders and went further on.
- Why haven’t you given him money?
- I love him as much as myself. I do not love my organic flesh and I do not indulge it, therefore I haven’t given him money as I would not give it to myself.
-  To my mind you turn everything upside down. The Christian morality …
- First of all, I know that the morality did not interest him at all. If you desired the welfare, you had already sinned regardless of your actions. Not to desire is possible only being indifferent to it. The indifference to the organic world opens the door in the world of the absolute or the inorganic world. From this follow the appeals not to think of tomorrow, to turn the other cheek …, etc. Those who have had the time to prepare for perception of the absolute are waiting for the paradise sensations, and those who haven’t had the time for it – the infernal tortures.
We climbed higher and higher. The clouds in the sky moved more quickly making constantly some symbols. Having looked at them with delight I leaned my hand against the tree trunk and then in horror pulled it down. There was such a feeling as if I had touched myself. Pedro understood what was happening with me and burst out laughing.
- Isn’t it strange that you’re moving with your motionless legs here?! – He was laughing up to tears.
-Yes, it is. - I understood that I took such a style of movement as a matter of course at once.
- Stand still, close your eyes and imagine yourself moving in some other world.
I closed my eyes and imagined that I was choosing bread at the baker’s. I was walking along the racks with a basket in my hands and checking up the freshness of the rolls. The vision became more and more realistic. As through the veil I heard Pedro’s instructions that I should continue to feel myself motionless in this world and at the same time to be present in all that was in mine baker’s movement. For some time I could follow these instructions, but then my invented world began to tighten me. I could not control all the things in it any more, so it started to live its own life. Besides I began to lose the feeling of immobility. Pedro broke into the conversation and returned me by a jerk on the mountain.
- It was movement in rest, –he said. - Now you should rise on one level up the hill.
- Up the hill?
- Just in perception. Imagine that this world is the same as that shop, and it is created by your consciousness. Be present in all that you see, and feel yourself motionless even if you are here and if you are moving. It’s the rest in movement. It’s the control of the intention.
- Why should I imagine as if I represent all this?
- Because it’s like this. The entire Universe which you’re observing reaches not further the tips of your fingers. And all that you see is not further your eyes. It seems to you that you look into the distance, but actually you observe your own eyes. There’s nothing behind them, as there is another world incomprehensible for you for the present moment. However, you have to wait not for long.
- Not for long? How much is it? Is it possible to accelerate all this in any way?
- I don’t know what to say. On the one hand, in order to accelerate this process it is necessary to distinguish Yin from Ian, the displays of the absolute, the chances from laws and tautologies created by our inorganic comprehension. Besides, it is necessary to be inspired with indifference to the organic world. On the other hand, all this is only attempts if the comprehension hasn’t got stronger enough. The sequence of lives itself is a good simulator, as a result of which the comprehension would be prepared for the encounter with the Absolute. There is no need to hurry up, as the organic lives are instants, there is ten more or ten less of them – it doesn’t matter. In order to receive the maximal advantage of the death, it is necessary to reconsider all life provided that you do not take it seriously any more. Having a feeling the close death the consciousness of the organic being carries all this through for the seconds preparing itself for the transition and returning to itself all energy which it has spent for the creation of the illusion of the real material world. However, sometimes it is necessary to hurry up with the final discharge of the attachment to the worlds-dreams.
While speaking I did not notice that we had come absolutely close up to the top of the mountain and had stopped at the big flat stone. Pedro led his hand against it and stepped a little back. The surface of the stone began to shine and to blink, and after a dry crash there appeared an image of the prehistoric wood on it. Against its background there was a head of a dinosaur. It had happened so unexpectedly that I shuddered and started back. The eyes of the monster radiated so much of good nature and sad irony that I felt sympathy to it at once. The dinosaur cleared his throat and started his speech.
- If you’re looking at this record, we are already not alive. The comprehensions, which are not capable to perceive the external reality, study it by seeing dreams. Everyone has its own world-dream, but due to the belief they can be synchronized definitely forming a community. It is not inconceivable that there are a lot of such communities. If one comprehension is connected by means of the belief either to one of them or to another, it would be possible to speak about the transition from one parallel world to another.
However, such a community can collapse, if the belief between its comprehensions weakens. For them the doomsday or the end of their general world-dream would come. Certainly, they would not disappear anywhere, but they should apprehend the real world or the absolute, as their worlds-dreams are supported by the belief would be destroyed. For those comprehensions that would not have time to prepare itself for the direct perception of the absolute such an extraordinary "insight" can be the extremely painful. In Christianity it means that all sinners would get into the hell, as the sin is just an excessive attachment to the world-dream and unavailability to apprehend the real world.
What can lead to such an end? First, it’s love about which it is spoken in the New Testament. Jesus bequeathed to love each other as he does. That is everyone having reached the God’s Land should make the best to set other people free from the power of the world-dream. Second, it’s the mind. The unbiased reflections about our worlds-dreams lead to the uncertainty in their reality. Third, it’s the instability of the world-dream. Our world had been destroyed because of it. It is the world of those comprehensions which saw themselves as dinosaurs in their dreams. Another world will be created, and maybe you who are looking now are the next organic dream of my inorganic consciousness. Have the dragons ever dreamed to you? – saying this the head winked, and the image disappeared.
- Is this... a TV-set? – I asked with the dried up throat showing at the stone.
- This is a flat projection of your world. –Pedro approached me and whispered into my ear. – And I’m a three-dimensional one. Remember that we are alone in this world.
Saying the last words he made some steps back and disappeared as the hologram. All that had remained of him was the peak in several meters from me. Here the path came to an end, and I overcame the rest of the distance on all fours in the sticky and slippery clay along the slope. I was not surprised by the feeling of myself touching the ground any more. When I got up I knew exactly what was happening. I was closer and closer to the man who had created all this. At a moment I felt him to be the father, but the acquaintance was going on. I stood up straight, stretched my hands and joined all that I had seen. The streams became my veins, the water – my blood, the ground – my body, the wood – my hair. I was absorbed by everything and absorbed everything myself. Plenty of memoirs made all my sensations in this world to be only my sensations. And I turned out to be in the shower once again.