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“The book of God cannot be voluminous. His instructions are short and clear. God gives us direction, guidance, meaning… But he also leaves us a huge field of possibilities. He loves us and we love him, which is why we have such beautiful and intelligent tulips. Let’s give a friendly welcome to one of them. Hugo, come up to me,” Isa said solemnly, clapping his hands together with all the islanders.

Today, on the day off, there was a weekly meeting for which the whole island gathered. Isa, as Supreme Ruler, led a general prayer and then moved on to the latest news and messages for the people.

Around the meeting in an open field, they built temporary sheds under which the family workshops displayed their work and distributed their handicrafts to all who wished to see them. Wood, stone, glass, metal, and other craftsmen exhibited their art. Such exhibitions were more for the amusement of the human soul than for earning money. People came to the meetings to listen to the Supreme, and, except for children, paid little attention to the colorful decorations. They could always visit the masters in a neighborly way and enjoy this beauty, because all the doors on the island were always open.

The young man, standing in front of the whole world, as it seemed to him, recited his poems with inspiration.

“Bravo… Well done… " there were shouts and loud applause.

Hugo, embarrassed, bowed. It was the first time he had ever read his poems in public, and he was very nervous.

On the island, art in any form was encouraged-not only that made by hands, but also poetry, music, literature. Interestingly enough, only in poetry was it allowed to be the sole author, for it was believed that only collective creativity carried the truth.

After the meeting, the residents usually held general activities like dances, sports competitions, funny contests, and much more.

“This is a cat.”

“Nah, a dog.”

“Matryoshka,” the children, surrounded by one of the artists, tried to guess whose portrait would eventually appear on the canvas.

Listeners froze, listening to the beautiful sound of the flute, while someone was playing a ball across the field, trying to hit the opposing team’s goal with a good shot.

This kind of gathering of all the residents was a great way to bring the children together and to socialize for the adults who rarely saw eye to eye because of their daily work.

Isa, after the general prayer and communications, went by tradition to the confessional temple. But not in the one that towered over the whole island, but in a small building that was situated a little away from the meeting place. There the Supreme received all citizens who wanted to ask for advice, to speak out, or who needed spiritual support. He did all these things on ordinary days, but since it was a day off, he could receive more people, since he could not disrupt his work or study schedule. The whole way of life on the island was based on discipline and adherence was strictly controlled. But the locals had lived under strict supervision for many years and were so used to order that they considered it a blessing. There was no longer any need to force anyone to do anything. This regime had become their way of life, inherited from their great ancestors, and was quite natural for them.

“You did great,” Alba said.

“Yes, you did great,” Joshua congratulated his friend.

“Thank you very much!”

Hugo read his poems to them more than once, and with occasional chuckles, they acknowledged his talent.

“Of course, I still have a lot of confidence to build up. It’s hard to perform in front of the whole settlement, though,” Hugo grinned.

“One day you’ll be working side by side with Ana-Maria, too,” Joshua said.

“That’s the kind of happiness you want for me, is it? “Hugo jokingly resented it.

The friends laughed.

“Do you remember that we are going to our place today?” Alba asked.

“Of course, but I’ll just run home and go straight to the cliff,” Hugo answered eagerly.

“Yes, only I promised Pietra I’d play horseplay and ride her on my own neck,” said Joshua.

“And he didn’t even want to carry me in his arms,” pouted the girl.

“I’m always ready to serve you in every way possible, Alba dear,” Hugo said eagerly, turning to her.

Suddenly, he bumped into someone.

The friends froze in place, and Hugo glanced defiantly at the culprit of what he thought was an accident.

“Keep your eyes open, or you will cause trouble to your good fellow citizens”!

It was Isa. The boys had been chatting and had not noticed the Supreme, who had come out of the tent with the ornaments. But he did not seem to hold a grudge and took the young man by the shoulders with a smile.

“I beg your pardon,” Hugo mumbled, stammering.

“Hello,” the friends said, bowing their heads.

“And you, my children. You read your poems beautifully Hugo, we are grateful to you for your art,” said Isa softly.

“Thank you very much,” Hugo thanked his mentor.

“And you, young tulip,” the Supreme addressed Alba, “you keep blooming and blooming. Your beauty can only be compared to your intelligence. I have heard about your successes in the academy, do not lose your knowledge!”

Alba opened her mouth at the flattering words but could not find the answer.

“Joshua,” Isa said, turning his gaze to the young man.

“Yes, Supreme,” said Tulip.

“Has Giuseppe given you all his wisdom?” the Supreme asked with a smile.

“Giuseppe is a wonderful man, he always gives me advice,” Joshua answered.

“That’s why you never came to see me. Pick a day, pick a time, I’d like to talk to you,” the Supreme said.

“Yes. Of course. Thank you,” Joshua replied, stammering out each word, startled by the attention.

“All right, children, I have to go now, I have people waiting for me. Don’t hit anyone else, be careful,” Isa said with his last words and left.

“See you later,” the tulips shouted after him.

They waited for the Supreme to leave and his men to go and spoke at the same time.

“The Supreme himself… He knows all of us… He wants to meet me…”

“Wo-o-o-o, did you see that? He touched me. I’ll never wash my suit now,” Hugo said enthusiastically.

“Hmm, for what it’s worth, did you hear the words he said to me?” Alba was mortified.

“I say things like that to you every day,” Hugo sulked.

“Oh, no, the great Isa himself told me that,” Alba looked back at the Supreme and said reverently.

“How can one admire the women after that,” said Hugo with a sigh.

“Come on, let’s go, or our parents will be worried,” Joshua pulled his friends with him.

“Right, let’s go,” Alba agreed.

“Have you really never had any one-on-one conversations with Isa?” Hugo asked.

“Unfortunately, no,” Joshua answered.

“How is that possible? Every islander can talk to him,” Alba wondered.

“I didn’t want to distract him. It was always Giuseppe who helped me when I was in doubt,” Joshua answered.

“What a nightmare, I have to tell your parents so they can send you to confession right away,” she said.

“No need,” the young tulip frowned.

“Yes, your parents don’t need to know, but you should pick a time, as Isa said,” Hugo added.

“He can’t visit Alberto, let alone meet Isa,” Alba reproached her friend.

“Okay, calm down. I’m a grown man, I can take care of myself,” Joshua said

“Oh, I bet you can!” ironically agreed with him Hugo.

Friendly advice could already have turned into a quarrel. But in a moment, they forgot all their worries and arguments, as it often happens in carefree youth, and went on their chit-chatting.

After spending some more time at the gathering, Joshua’s family headed home for dinner.

“Flap, flap, and land,” Joshua explained as he showed his little sister the flight of the bird, carrying her on his shoulders. Pietra, hugging her brother tightly around the neck, happily accepted the game.

“Ha-ha-ha! More, more,” cried the little girl enthusiastically.

“That’s enough, more than enough is too much,” Anna remarked, fearing that they were both about to fall over.

“Ooooh,” pouted Pietra, as her father set her on the ground.

“Come on, you’ll be flying around again, and you’ve got to get something to eat,” Klaus said as he pressed his little girl against the stubble on his cheek.

Here is home. While playing games and Pietra’s cheerful chirping, neither of them noticed how they reached the manor house.

“Joshua, fetch some water,” my mother shouted from the kitchen.

“But I had already taken my shoes off.”

“Don’t argue, obey your mother,” said my father, carrying Pietra in his arms.

Joshua groaned heavily but put his shoes on and walked.

As he stood at the water faucet, he noticed drops starting to fall on top of him. Tulip looked up and saw that a cloud was coming over the island. He got some water and quickly went back home.

“I think it’s starting to rain,” said Klaus, looking out the window.

“It’s already pouring heavily,” said a drenched Joshua as he entered the house.

“Everyone to the table!” shouted Pietra.

The family gathered in the kitchen and sat down at their seats. Klaus lit the wick and lit the oil lamp, and it was bright and cozy.

“How did you like the meeting?” Anna asked her son.

“It was good. You saw me listening to Isa,” answered Tulip.

“Yes, but then you disappeared.”

“I didn’t disappear anywhere, I just talked to Alba and Hugo. Alba is a beautiful and hardworking girl. Might make a good match for you,” Klaus stated bluntly.

“And Hugo performed beautifully,” Anna interrupted her husband, “you could do something like that, too.”

“Not yet,” Joshua said seriously, “I’m not ready.”

“What about Alba?” his father continued his theme.

“Klaus, you’re impossible,” Anna exclaimed with a laugh.

“Joshua and Alba sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” Pietra sang, catching the gist of the conversation, as she dumped the chewed food back on the plate.

“Ew, how rude you are, Pietra, don’t talk with your mouth full,” said Anna sternly, wiping the little girl’s mouth.

The men looked at each other.

“Alba has his eye on Hugo, and he’s a friend of mine,” Joshua said after a pause.

“Ask old Giuseppe how to impress a lady. The old ways do the trick,” advised his father.

“Hee-hee-hee, tra-la-la-la, the wedding will be afterwards,” the little girl continued to laugh.

“Pietra!” Anna made a remark again.

“Maybe throw the ball with the neighbors? What do you say, son?” Klaus asked.

“I promised to meet my friends. Promises have to be kept,” Joshua answered firmly.

“Well, let’s play backgammon while you’re still here. I’ve got a couple of mars to play,” Klaus said, just as firmly, and went to get the board.

“You’d better do something useful,” Anna remarked.

“Can’t the game wait till tonight?” Tulip asked.

“Don’t argue with your father! Finish your meal and come here, while I arrange the chips,” said the father of the family.

“And you should find something for yourself to do, all the games, balls…” said the mother again.

“Eh, parents, you do not let me live in peace, now fetch, now clean, now play!” the son got up from the table and grumbled.

“You will settle your life, and we will leave you alone… I guess…” smirked Klaus.

“Don’t listen to your brother, he doesn’t know what he’s saying,” Anna held her daughter close to her.

“Now we’ve talked. Roll the dice,” the father said to his son.

After playing a few times in a row, Joshua went to the cliff, where his friends were waiting for him. The rain had stopped, and the strait was calm today, with a light breeze overhead and the evening sun peeking through the clouds.”

“Late again…,” Hugo muttered, lying in the hammock they’d long ago tied to two centuries old cypress trees.

“Excuse me… My father made me play backgammon,” Joshua answered.

“He made you play backgammon? I haven’t heard that word in a long time,” Alba laughed.

“I suppose so,” said the young tulip.

“They don’t bother me at all. I have my way, they have theirs,” Hugo jumped up from the hammock.

“I’m lucky, but I’m being patronized,” Joshua said with regret.

“Just like children! I don’t know whether to be happy or cry!” Alba continued to laugh.

Let’s drop it and talk about something else,” Joshua said.

“Come on, let’s talk about something else,” Joshua said.

Hugo agreed, and after a pause, he continued, “It’s almost graduation time, I think it’s time to think about adulthood.”

“What’s there to think about? You just have to do it,” answered Alba.

“And what do we do, that’s the question?” Joshua interjected thoughtfully.

“Well, it’s more or less clear with you, Alba. And me too, but our friend here needs help,” said Hugo.

“Yeah, well… The future is a mystery to me,” Joshua agreed.

“Go backwards. Pick out what you don’t like and leave out what suits you,” Alba suggested.

“I certainly don’t intend to trim the bushes,” Joshua said.

“Too bad, people were counting on you,” Hugo joked.

“Well, what else wouldn’t you like to do? the girl asked.

“I don’t think I’m suited to the work of craftsmen either, my hands aren’t suited that way.”

“You’re picky, aren’t you? Are you aiming for the

Ruler’s job?” Hugo suggested.

“Certainly not. Where’s me and where’s the word of God,” said Tulip.

“Well, you’d better be a Councilor,” said Alba sadly, referring to the fact that he’s only fit to be a helpless old man who only gives advice.

Joshua understood, and grimaced.

“Speaking of advisors, tomorrow ask Giuseppe that question, or better yet, talk to Isa, like he told you,” Hugo wagged his finger at his friend.

“Come on, I’m not going anywhere. Otherwise, I’ll stay a gardener,” Joshua sighed.

“Maybe you should become a cook. You can be Hans’s errand boy, and then you can take his place,” Hugo suggested.

“It’s not a bad idea,” Alba said.

“I can barely help my mother, and you’re talking about a shared kitchen,” Joshua smiled.

“Don’t be afraid. You won’t know until you try it,” said Hugo.

“Maybe you’re right… I’ll consider the craft,” Joshua replied.

Everyone remained in contemplation, only the sound of the wind on the cliff broke the silence.

“I saw a goldfish in the pond today,” Alba suddenly exclaimed.

“Yes, I’ve heard about the goldfish, too, and I wonder where it came from”, Hugo asked.

“The mentors say that sometimes such miracles happen. It’s God’s will,” Alba smiled.

“Mom told me that cats can’t be three-colored,” Joshua interjected when he thought the subject of fish was over.

“What do you mean?” Hugo didn’t get it at first.

“Well, in the sense that only cats can have three colors, and cats can have two at most,” answered the young tulip.

“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” Hugo said pointlessly.

“Me, too. We’ll have to ask the mentors,” Alba said, making a note to herself.

There was a pause again. The friends sat brooding on the cliff, each in his own thoughts.

“Soon, friends… Soon we’ll be adults,” Hugo said, looking out at the setting sun.

The moment the crimson sun touched the horizon, twilight fell and the fire on the other shore was lit. It was time to go home.

The next day, having attended the academy, the young tulip headed to the garden again for his obligatory help, where, as always, Giuseppe was waiting for him. On the old man’s lap lay a kitty, nestled in his arms. It was entirely white and not at all different in color from the old man’s costume.

“Oh, there’s real harmony here,” Joshua said instead of greeting him.

The old man stroked the cat, and replied, chuckling,

“Yes, my boy, I’m approaching complete harmony with nature, and soon, hee-hee-hee, I’ll dissolve into it completely…”

The young man took his tools and diligently set to work, but he couldn’t do without Giuseppe for long.

“At the meeting we ran into Isa. Hugo almost knocked him down. We were taken aback at that moment, but we apologized and talked. Hugo even said he wouldn’t wash his suit after the Supreme had touched it,” Joshua smirked as he recounted yesterday. “He also looked at me intently and told me to pick a day to meet him. Turns out he had everyone but me. My parents didn’t make me, and I didn’t need to. Isa remarked that I had you for advice.”

“Ha-ha-ha! That’s right,” laughed the old man. “Isa used to come to me for advice himself.”

“You?! And now?” Joshua asked.

“No, he doesn’t do it anymore. Times have changed,” the old man answered. “With each generation people become…”

Giuseppe said something silent, as if he were afraid to say too much.

“They become?” Joshua asked again.

“They become more obedient,” the old man smiled.

“What does that mean?”

“Hmm… Stop working and come sit with me. There used to be many crafts, in my working days, that no one even knows now. The Supreme Ones felt they had lost their relevance, had become archaic, and were no longer needed in our settlement”.

“After all, you were a mentor. Don’t we need mentors?” Joshua asked.

“Ha-ha-ha! No, of course not. But mentors have different specialties, as you’ve probably noticed over the years,” laughed Giuseppe.

“Yes, I did,” he smiled grinningly.

“My job was to know the unknown. I knew too much and saw too much. I read, studied, tasted and heard too much. I analyzed, pondered, and turned it all into a form of instruction. I am many years old, and Isa, the third Supreme in my lifetime,” Giuseppe said.

“What have you been doing, anyway?” the tulip was confused.

“I taught, I explained, I instilled, I was an outsider’s opinion, if I may say so.”

“Opinion?” The young man was surprised.

“Yes, I was the advisor and tutor to the Supreme Ones,” Giuseppe answered.

“The Supreme Ones? Why didn’t you tell me about it before?” Joshua asked excitedly.

“Hee-hee-hee! It would have spoiled our friendship then,” replied the old man.

“Not at all! But why were you appointed to look after the garden? Why did your business become archaic, since it is very important,” the young tulip pestered the old man with questions.

“Isa decided that he would educate his successor himself. It was his right. He felt that the Supreme One should not seek answers on the side,” Giuseppe replied, stroking the kitty that continued to lie on his lap.

“Isa asks God for advice, isn’t that the highest knowledge?” Joshua asked.

“You’re right… You’re right, son,” the old mentor said with regret as he looked at his young friend, “I should get some rest. It’s been a long day, and I think I’ll head home.”

“But I haven’t asked you about the final exam yet,” the young man was surprised by Giuseppe’s reaction.

“We’ll reschedule it for the next day. Now I have to go. Have a good day, Joshua, have a good day…

“Today’s lesson topic is medical emergencies,” the mentor began, calling for everyone’s attention. “You are old enough to learn how to help each other in an emergency. This applies not only to friends and family, but also to anyone who needs your help. Let’s start with our island’s biggest and most serious problem, sunstroke. As I hope you know, our daytime sunshine brings down on us a merciless radiation capable of killing anyone, so sunstroke is a very dangerous thing! But we have learned how to deal with it as well as with its consequences. First of all, we made a law requiring our citizens to wear wide brimmed hats and lightweight suits made of special thermo fabric, which protect against the sun’s rays. And secondly, we have remedies to help quickly restore the functions of the body. But what should we do if a stroke does happen? For a better example, let’s play out a scene that’s closer to the real thing. Joshua, Hugo, please come to me”.

The named students stood up and approached their mentor.

“Let’s assume that I am the sunbeam that struck the careless Hugo, who for some reason wasn’t wearing his headdress, right out of the sky. Bang!” showed the mentor, conventionally depicting a sunbeam with a hammer. Hugo falls down and has an unpleasant sensation. “Come on, fall! Clearly this boy needs help. What will his friend do?”

The mentor stared at Joshua questioningly. When he saw that Joshua wasn’t doing anything, he continued with a look of reproach, “Oh, Joshua, you must put the man in the shade, free him from tight clothing like belts, suspenders, etc., give him water, and cool him down either directly or indirectly by wetting his clothes or any other cloth.”

Joshua unbuttoned his pants and pulled out Hugo’s belt, and he resisted vigorously. There was an uproar, and the whole class watched with interest to see how it would end. The mentor tapped the table with his pointer, and continued, “Quiet, quiet! That’s enough, we get it… But most importantly, you need to contact the healers immediately. Trust in God, but make no mistake, remember this. The Almighty will help us in everything else, but it is the responsibility of each of us to help our neighbor. Let us thank our actors, who played their parts very naturally. A visual example is always better remembered,” grinned the mentor.

The mentor’s name was Richard. He was not only a practicing physician but also a professor at the academy. In addition to his medical studies, he taught children the basics and explained to them about certain diseases, so that from a young age he could instill in the tulips the rule, in a healthy body, a healthy spirit. In addition to theory, Tulips took more difficult practical classes. On them the young people learned how to provide first aid for fractures, wounds, fainting, animal bites, insect bites and much more. Richard was one of the most respected people on the island, and he enjoyed the unquestioned authority of parents and children alike, who always listened attentively to his lectures.

…“Love can never be without sadness… I loved you; love can still be… If it weren’t for you…” Hugo looked at the ceiling, agonizingly searching for the original lines for his poem.

“Leave your poems at the threshold of the dining room,” said Alba sternly.

“I am a free citizen, I can do as I please,” he said.

“Hans says that before meals we should concentrate and say a prayer, not some frivolous poetry. I’ll tell him that and he won’t feed you anymore,” Alba said.

“That’s all right, my friend will soon be his apprentice, so I won’t be without food,” said Hugo smugly, and winked at Joshua.

The friends sat at the dinner table during a long break.

“You haven’t said much today, Joshua, what’s wrong?” Alba asked, noticing her friend’s serious mood.

“Me? No, nothing’s wrong. Just thinking,” said the young tulip.

“Tell us what’s worrying you?” Hugo asked.

“It’s the same. I don’t know what I want to do myself,” Joshua answered.

“If you don’t know what you want, Isa will find the right place for you,” Alba said.

“That’s for sure, by the way, have you been to see him yet?” Hugo asked.

“No. When? I was with you the whole time,” Joshua said.

“The weak seek the cause, the strong the opportunity,” said Hugo in the tone of a mentor.

“That’s right. It’s all excuses, that’s all,” Alba added.

“Calmness, friends, only calmness. I said I would settle this matter, and I will. Have I ever broken my word?” Joshua said firmly.

“Hmm! It’s true, what’s not there is not there,” Hugo replied with a shake of his head.

“I’m sure you’re right,” said Alba shortly.

“Actually, you’d better watch yourself, don’t tell me how to live my life,” Joshua said angrily.

“That’s called friendship, you, ungrateful tulip,” scolded his friend Hugo.

“After saying that, never come to me for help again,” said Alba resentfully.

“Honey, he did not mean it, it was a bad joke. Now apologize to my woman at once,” ordered Hugo.

“Alba, I was only joking, why? I’m sorry, I didn’t think you’d be offended by what I said,” Joshua said.

“You should think about what you’re saying. Don’t make me your wife, that’s for the Supreme and only him to decide,” said Alba, pointing one by one at her friends.

“Do you understand? Hue-go,” Joshua said, stressing his friend’s name.

“Come on,” said Hugo.

“By the way, my father advised me to look at Alba as a possible option for my life together. He said he would get off my back then, and that was very important. Don’t be so sure, dear friend,” Joshua smirked.

“Ahh, you, too?” exclaimed Alba.

“Well, that’s it, the matter is closed! Soon Isa will settle our disputes, and then we’ll see,” said Hugo.

“I’m going to go and serve in the Temple. Then we’ll see how you sing,” Alba said, teasing the boys.

“What’s the matter with you,” Hugo said.

“You don’t get this kind of girl so easily,” Joshua smiled back.

The tulips ate lunch for a while longer, chuckled and joked, and then, refreshed, went on with their day of study.

After finishing his studies and quickly gathering his books and notebooks, Joshua decided not to go straight home, but rather, on his father’s advice, to talk to Giuseppe about his marriage. The old man was, as usual, sitting on a bench in the garden, and Joshua cautiously sat down with him.

“When I was young, people chose who they would live with, but the change took place before my eyes,” Giuseppe said.

“We weren’t told it used to be like that,” the young tulip replied.

“Phew, there’s a lot of things they don’t tell you about what used to be. If you’ve noticed, I’m the last of my generation, the rest are…”

Giuseppe stopped in mid-sentence.

“In the garden?” Joshua said for the old man.

“That’s right. They’ve all been in the garden for a long time,” replied the wise man with a sigh.

“If it was so good before, why did the Supreme Ones change it?” the young man asked.

“It is impossible to say what is good and what is bad here. Everything, one way or another, changes and becomes suitable for its time. The old generation didn’t understand the young, the young didn’t understand the old, so change has come to erase this contradiction,” Giuseppe answered.

“But you were more comfortable living in the past, weren’t you?” Joshua asked.

“You’re right! In fact, I’m much more comfortable living in the past now than in the present. Life doesn’t bring me much more than that. I’ve seen and experienced a lot, and I know for sure that I will leave this world without regret,” Giuseppe smiled.

“You talk about death that easily?”

“Of course, I do! You’ll live to be my age, and you’ll look at your life the same way, with no regrets about losing it. You’re on the threshold of adulthood, just entering it. I’ve lived it, so I don’t need to worry about anything, to change anything, or to strive for anything,” the old man answered.

“What about the inheritance?” The young man asked perplexedly.

“Inheritance? That’s a very good question, my son,” the old man thought about it.

“Surely you want to leave something behind? Not just a memory,” continued the young tulip.

“Hee-hee-hee-hee! Well done!” Giuseppe laughed. “I have made many mistakes in my life, and our Founders had as many, and I think that our existence here is meaningless. No one learns from other people’s mistakes, everyone strives to make his own, so that year after year we see the same things. We don’t aspire to anything; we have no goal…”

“Meaningless how?! What are you saying, Giuseppe?”, the young man exclaimed excitedly, stunned by the old man’s words.

“We live in a closed world, we do not dream of the stars, we do not even want to know what is over there, on the other side…”

“But there’s hell over there! Can a righteous man go there?!”

“That’s God’s will, son, and I don’t grumble.” Joshua was completely confused.

He shook his head, and, out of harm’s way, returned to the subject of marriage as a solution to his domestic problems.

“Should I go to God, or should I listen to Isa’s decision?” Joshua asked.

“I think it’s better to think with your head and be a man first of all,” the old man answered, raising his hands to help the young man up from the bench. “Live your life, look around more, study the world, study and analyze everything you see, and then you will understand more than anyone else.”

Giuseppe took Joshua by the shoulders, stroked them, and went home, thanking the tulip for the conversation.

Joshua remained standing in the garden, looking after the wise old man.

“You’ve been reminiscing a lot about the past,” Alba said.

“What else could it be? Giuseppe says that our future is in the past,” Joshua answered.

The friends were sitting by the cliff watching the sunset after all their business.

“We have to ask Anne-Marie that question,” Hugo said.

“What kind of question? Joshua has a lot of them,” Alba asked.

“Well, about the future…”

“To do what? Another lecture on our freethinking? No, thank you,” Alba said.

“Yes, I don’t want to be called a troublemaker,” Joshua said.

“Well, then, let’s enjoy the finer things. And I’m not talking about you right now, Alba, I’m talking about the sunset,” Hugo smiled.

The friends were reflective today. Alba sighed and said, “I’ll give in to the sunset…”

The friends sat down, leaning against a thick fallen tree, and watched in silence the triumph of farewell to the sun, which illuminated the floor of the sky with magical light. The sun reluctantly touched the ocean, scattering thousands of sparks on the waves, and just as reluctantly disappeared. Darkness set in, and only sometime later the stars lit up on the velvet dome of the firmament.

“We’ve seen it, and that’s okay. A little of the good stuff,” Hugo said at last, rising to his feet first.

“I think I’ll stay a little while longer, I’m the closest one to go anyway,” Joshua answered his friend on the outstretched palm of his hand.

“Then don’t stay up too late; you know it’s forbidden to walk after sunset, and it’s dangerous. If you trip in the woods, no one will find you,” Alba said one last time.

“What a grim future you foretold for him. Look for answers in the past, my friend,” Hugo smiled.

Alba and Hugo waved and disappeared into the darkness, leaving Joshua alone.

He was more serious than ever, but he was smiling and happy as he looked up at the stars.

He turned around but his friends were no longer in sight, and the light from the settlement windows was far away. Joshua sat for a while longer, pondering both the past and the future, and the academy, and… himself. But it was time to pack. He stood up, shook himself off, picked up the tuba from the ground, and put it on and began to fasten the strap.

At that moment, unpleasant sounds began to come from the dead earth. That’s what happens when the ocean is quiet; over the water, any sound can be heard for miles. The young tulip did not pay much attention to them, but remembering Giuseppe’s words, he thought about it and decided to listen. He tried to make out the indistinct cries of the martyrs, and suddenly he heard the familiar words, “try to catch it!” and “damned!” What wonders!!! He moved closer to the edge and listened carefully. And again, he understood the cry, “creatures!” Strange, of course, but what else could one hear from hell…

He felt uncomfortable, because he had never heard such screams before, considering them to be nothing more than the noises of hell. He stared at the dead earth, which at that moment glowed with another flash, hoping to spot someone alive, as suddenly the ground moved from under his feet and he plummeted off the cliff. Joshua tried to grab onto the rocks, the grass, and hold on with his hands, but it was as if the shoreline didn’t want to help him, and the grass clipped, the ground crumbled, and he finally fell into darkness.

He flew down, hitting the cliffs, and the heavy tuba only hastened his fall.

Luckily Joshua fell into the water rather than onto the rocks, but he immediately went under, for he could not swim. The thick fog or smoke that covered the surface of the ocean hid even the splash. In a panic the young tulip still realized that it was necessary to unbuckle the cumbersome tuba, which dragged him to the bottom, but here’s the problem. He still had not changed the unfortunate lock, about which his friends had reminded him so many times. As he tugged at his belt, it became more and more clear to him that he was doomed.

Suddenly, some kind of light appeared from the depths. Joshua could hardly understand what it was, and was beginning to

gasping for breath, when suddenly, this light began to approach him, until it swallowed him whole.

The tuba snagged on something, and the rushing current ripped it behind him. Tulip kept clinging to life, and tried again to unbuckle the strap, until finally he succeeded. Joshua was forcefully thrown to the surface. Licking the water and losing the last of his strength. Still, he tried to figure out where to swim, and when he saw the bright light ahead, he plunged straight toward it as best he could.

Another wave tossed him onto the rocky shore, and Joshua lost consciousness…