This story is dedicated to Pablo.
You made the words,I just wrote them down.
And to Juan Antonio Cruz.
Thank you for your friendship
and everything you have given to me.
-Hey Mr. Juan, it was a great idea to come to this place! – I said to him while looking around. The one he chose to be the place for our new city.
-I told you Mr. Ricky. This place is the same as perfection.
Things were going smoothly. Twenty years ago Mr. Juan and I had met in Mexico City. There we realized that our goals were really similar and therefore we became partners. We started working in whatever we could to have money. It was certainly tough, but we finally made it. That day, right in front of us we had the place which was meant to be our new city.
Now we are about forty-two years old. We still didn’t have wife or children, but that for that reason we looked for this place, a place where we could be able to raise a family. That day we found a place to start building a new country. Or so we thought
-Mr. Ricky, do you happen to know the story of the Armstrong family?
-You mean the family Alex Armstrong?
-That’s right.
-I’ve heard of him, but not from his family.
-Well then, while we wait for the helicopters to come I’ll tell you about it. Diego was the one who told me the story one or two years ago, right before disappearing.
**
When I was five years old my family and I went to live to a town far in up North. I cannot tell you the name of the place, because it’s so difficult, that even I can’t remember it. The one thing I can tell you is that that town was so cold that it was almost impossible for humans to live there. I still don’t get how I could have survived!
Well, that place was under the control of the Armstrong family. The one in charge by that time, and who still should be there now, was Amaya Rita Armstrong. She is the big sister of Alex L Armstrong, who is currently in charge of the naval army of your country Juan. He actually is under the direct command of Amaya as a bridge between both countries.
Right when we arrived at that place we heard about the one supreme rule that Amaya said to every person who dared to go and live there: “Here only the strong can survive, the rest are trash” My parents wondered the reason for that. After four months we learned the reason. The cold. Most of the time the temperature was of -20°C, but the minimum could be of -65°C.
That country is well known by its strong army. An army said to be capable of invading any country in the world.
One day, on my fifteenth birthday, Amaya Armstrong called for me. I didn’t know how to feel. One the one hand it was exciting to meet such person, but at the same time it was scary. But I went to see. When I entered the “Tundra Tower” to see her two guards escorted me, they opened the door and asked me to enter. After the doors closed behind my back, that person turned to look at me. Those were the most fearsome eyes I had ever seen in my whole life. I’m sure I’ll never forget them. She stood up, turned and looked at her window.
-Congratulations boy. I’ve been told that you came here being only five and that today it’s been teen years since then. Is that right?
-Yes ma’am.
-What’s your name brat?
-It’s Diego ma’am
-Diego, do you know why were you called today here?
-No ma’am.
-Each year I choose some people from this place to be part of something big. You are one of the few foreign youngsters who have been able to survive for almost teen years without getting crazy. That shows you are someone strong.
-Thank you ma’am
-I would like to tell you about one organization from this country, which I want you to join. But first I have to tell you a story.
The story she told me was about a man named Julius Hille. A school director, who tried to conquer the world with an army of hypnotized students.
**
Hille was a man with a big fat dream… And a stupid one if you ask me. He wanted to conquer the world with an army of students. How can someone in their five senses try to accomplish that? If you want to accomplish something that big you should use a proper army, not a bunch of good-for-nothing-students with mediocre marks. Well, back to the story. Hille knew about a tribe of people that live in the Tibet, the “Bon culture”, a tribe said to be so powerful that, with their help even a good-for-nothing-army could stand a chance against anyone in this world, including our personal army.
It was really difficult to reach this so called “Bon culture”, so Hille came with the idea of using his own students to reach them and having that in mind, they could also be his army. But he needed some kind of substance to make the students completely submitted to his will
He got so much money from his students that buying that kind of substance shouldn’t be a problem. So he sent a lot of representatives to look for the substance and finally, after some moths; one or two, who cares; Hille found that a group of people by the name of ZANL, I think the name is Zapatista Army of National Liberation or something as absurd as that. That group of people had the substance Hille needed to take complete control of the students and he got it for a few millions, or so I’ve been told.
One day during one of the annual festivities of that school, the mad director was giving free sodas and beers to the students. I mean come on! How can you give beer in a school? Anyway, the effect of the drug wasn’t what Hille had predicted. Instead of hearing orders, the students went crazy! They started doing stupid things like throwing books, destroying notes, graving painting and drawing in the other’s faces! Like little stupid brats!
Afterwards Hille wanted to go to his office, I think he wanted to cry, he deserves that and more, don’t you agree? Anyhow, while walking he realized something, there was a helicopter at the back of the school, but with all the noise of the festivity he hadn’t heard it. The helicopter was already going away, but Hille noticed that there were people dressed completely in black from head to toe, and on a big net all the boxes with the substance of the ZANL.
Defeated, Hille went crazy. He hasn’t tried ever again to conquer the world with mere brats and a strange substance from a strange group of people. However I do know that after that none of the children remembered anything from that day, their director cancelled every annual event from that day on and that prices for the school also increased afterwards.
**
As Amaya was ending her story, she told me that it was the organization she previously mentioned the one that infiltrated Hille’s school to change the substance into a strange kind of powder made out of liquor. That was the reason for those students to behave so strange. They were drunk! Now that I think about it, she didn’t tell me who or how they discovered Hille’s plan though.
After she finished her story, Amaya turned and looked at me for the first time since she began telling it. Did I mention how strong her blink is? If it hadn’t been for that I would’ve never believed a damn thing about that story. She told me that she wanted me to be part of that organization, for the third time that day, and she entrusted me with a mission. I can’t really tell the details of my mission; nevertheless, I can tell you that my mission has leaded me to Honolulu. For that reason I’ll have to go from this country, most likely to never come back again. It’s been ages since I last went to see Amaya. I just hope she won’t kill me for taking so long. I’ve been sending her some cards just to let her know that I’m still alive. I’ve stopped receiving responses after the card 274 though. Well, then, now I’ve to go. See you!
**
-Mr. Juan. I just have one question. What the hell is wrong with you and your story?!
-Oh, come on Mr. Ricky! That story is the best I’ve ever heard! Wouldn’t you agree?
-I prefer to keep my comments for myself. I rather know where the materials are! It’s been nearly six hours that we have been waiting for them, where are they?
-Don’t worry Mr. Ricky, I’ll call the men right know… Capitan? Hey where are you? You sure have taken your time to come here. Why are you eating? Ok, ok, I see. Alright then hope to see you tomorrow then.
-Tomorrow? What the, what happened?
-Somehow they ended up in the desert again.
-Say what? Come on Mr. Juan! That is the fifth time this week and is still Tuesday!
Afterwards we spend most of our little fortune to bring back the materials. So in the end we only had enough money left to build only one thing. A Tower, which is supposed to be the center of the city.
