CHAPTER 47

CHAPTER 47

DAVID HERINGER

DAVID OPENED HIS EYES slowly, trying to get used to the almost blindingly bright light. But he realized right away that he was no longer in Dr. Burke...

Where were you? It was a temple... or something like that...

He suddenly remembered the last nonsense phrase the doctor had said:

I'm too unbelieving for that, you don't...

You don't... I don't... don't... but... not what?

David didn't know where he was, barely knew who he was at that moment.

Gradually, he remembered that he was a famous musician, the son of pastors who loved him very much, but he also remembered the tragic accident of his wife Ivy, and his own funeral with his parents in tears.

David felt very cold in that place, a guttural cold that left his soul and permeated his entire body.

Beside him was only some strange clothes, which made him think immediately:

What the hell are these clothes?

He remembered what Carlisle Burke had said:

That he would be the representative of the present in the future...

But now, his present was his own future:

And what would the future be like?

David just didn't imagine it was exactly that...

DAVID OPENED THE GATE of that — temple, or something like that —, people shouted euphorically for his name, reporters photographed the illustrious representative of the past, and that historic moment.

But what is this uproar? — David thought to himself.

David couldn't even breathe properly, the air of that new world was completely different from his time, it was very cold air, it felt like he was inside a freezer, it was such pure air that it immediately bothered his lungs — so used to pollution before. from New York.

People asked David the most diverse and impertinent questions, without order of call and without any organization.

Those countless reporters only wanted a few words from David, but he was very confused by it all.

David looked like a child leaving home for the first time without his parents' watchful eyes. His head couldn't keep up with the speed of events happening around him.

That's when a tall, very handsome man with light eyes, long eyelashes, Steven Tyler — style lips and a bald head hugged him gently and said to those reporters:

— Soon David will talk to all of you, for now he needed to settle in and know everything that happened in these thousand years, and that's just for the moment, thank you very much.

DAVID WAS TAKEN by the man who took him quickly from that crowd to his house — the apartment was the same as it was a thousand years ago, they haven't changed a thing at all.

David asked that unknown man who had taken him from the midst of that people.

— What's up? Where am I?

The man replied:

— It's a great pleasure to meet you David, my name is Norman Brandy, I'm the doctor responsible for the — Adam and Eve— project, I was chosen to welcome you and clear up any doubts you may have about us.

— Project Adam and Eve? — David asked confused, still not having put his thoughts in order.

— Yes, that's the name of the project that my predecessor to the post — Dr. Carlisle Burke —, as you know him, had given the project of having a representative of the 20th century in our century... — the doctor paused strategically, as if he were about to begin his lecture — Of course, things have changed a lot since you've been hibernated, and I'm here exactly to clarify all the doubts you may have about this new era and show you everything you need to know, it's part of my job, I was prepared since I was a child for this moment.

David looked strangely at that man. She soon realized that he was almost the same as all the other men out there — they were all tall, handsome, athletic bodies and… bald — with not a single hair on their heads. His head was a little bigger than his too, which made David think of a million jokes about big-headed and bald people.

David laughed to himself.

— What's the joke, David?

David continued to laugh and didn't explain the "why" when the doctor asked him about the reason for his laughter — in fact, David realized that smiling wasn't exactly the best gift the doctor had, he was just as serious as Burke, after all...

Would he understand if I called him a lollipop?

David was pretty sure not.

Norman Brandy preferred to leave David alone, to get some rest.

— I'll be in the apartment next door if you need me for anything, don't hesitate to look for me if you need me.

David nodded at the doctor, even though he wanted to look at the weird, dour man's egg-shaped head.

DAVID WHISTLED some song — trying to get into that new world into which he had parachuted.

He looked outside and saw that the crowd of reporters and onlookers were still there, and he remembered his old days on the world tours he did, in fact, he didn't miss it at all.

David remembered that room, that was exactly where he learned of the death of his beloved Ivy.

David started to cry, even though he didn't want to cry, the pain inside him was still as great as the day he learned of his death, the wound was still open, even after all that... He was so alone in that apartment, how lonely he felt when he learned that Ivy was no longer a part of his life-except in his thoughts.

David saw a note written on top of his bed — it was a note as old as he was — but that had been carefully saved for this very special moment.

It was a note explaining the basic workings of a holographic disc that would reveal everything in minute detail to David, warning him that he couldn't watch it all at once — so as not to overwhelm his thoughts.

David decided not to watch him at that moment.

He left the record where it was — on top of his bed — and went to take a very hot and relaxing bath.

RIGHT AFTER THE BATH, David went to watch what was on television, where the subject was none other than;

David Heringer, The Millennial Man...

Several of his shows — especially the ones he did in London, Rome and Paris — showed a documentary about his life and about his wife, a writer as famous as he is.

Many people still read the novels written by Ivy J. Heringer...

Really, whoever writes perpetuates his thoughts, David thought to himself, and he laughed with satisfaction and pride at the memory of his talented wife.

David looked out the window and saw that the cars were floating across the sky, but there wasn't a single smoke, it was such a clear, pure sky.

That society had managed to restore the environment of that chaotic planet... — thought David — at least one good thing they did...

David was always very concerned about the future of men because of consumerism, pollution, deforestation and many other situations that modern society had managed to reverse. He had done countless shows for the conservation of our planet, apparently it worked now, but what was the price for that?

It was New York, David was sure of it, but it was a much cleaner city, without a lot of people and visual information.

David imagined that the entire population of New York was in front of his building — as there was almost no manifestation of life in any other corner of the city.

DAVID RECEIVED A PHONE CALL — it was Tat Charmilion, the best, most famous and also the most controversial TV interviewer in that country, and according to many, in the whole world.

David talked to her for a few minutes through the video transmitter and decided to attend to her in person, after all, he was an — expert — in interviews in his time, what's wrong with talking to someone?

TAT WAS THE BEST KNOWN and successful reporter on world TV, her beauty had been ravishing crowds for over ten years. Tat started her career as a child and from an early age she understood how the game worked, she had to lie with someone, please others and so she continued her life as if nothing had happened...

Sorry, honey, this is how the game is supposed to be played...

Tat, unlike her opponents, did not deny that she was a person devoid of intelligence, on the contrary, she used it to her advantage, thus getting her space and contacts, her lack of intelligence was easily equated with her cunning in using seduction and her body to get everything she wanted, and for her, ambition was just a part of what she was as a person, she had to be a winner, and that wasn't ambition, it was a dream that had been born in the deepest part of her being, the world she was hers, she conquered with her charm, with her body, made men her sex slaves, and that was just the beginning of her empire.

The world had to surrender at his feet...

Like almost everyone else, she got what she wanted with her peculiar gifts, she was not just an uninhibited luxury prostitute as everyone imagined, but she was a cunning woman, she got important contacts and precious information to bribe people and stay in the media. From the first moment she set foot in a recording studio she knew that this was her place, she was the new queen of that world she lived in and kings cannot be deposed if they are the best...

And she was the best, without a doubt.

TAT WAS BORN IN LONDON, but she was raised in Paris and from an early age she had to learn the value of being a perfect person in every way and the simple fact of not having been raised by her mother already put her at a disadvantage in that capitalist world and cruel to weak people.

She had survived the VO, that already made her a strong person by nature and she needed to show all her power from now on.

Tat was four years old when he last saw his mother, she was dragged by the hair by a drunk and visibly drugged man, as desperate as it seemed, she couldn't even cry out, the fear was such that it numbed her entire body, she just watched that big man take her out and beat her up. His last vision was of the ambulance putting his mother in and after that he never heard from her again.

THE CAMP (as the place where children abandoned by their parents were called) was a nice and cozy place, she had made many friends, they had classes in history, arts, music, etc. It was in these places that people appeared who would entertain people, nobody wanted to make other people entertain themselves, as it was not a very profitable activity, but Tat saw beyond what others saw, she could have been placed there, but she was not part of it. from that world of failures, she was born to be a sun that radiates its brightness during the day and not just a distant star in the immensity of the night.

Tat asked a boy to teach her how to satisfy a man in bed, at first it was difficult, it was much easier when playing with girls to do that, it was more pleasurable, but if she wanted to stand out she had to do it differently, and it was exactly what she did.

After learning all the techniques of seduction, Tat invested heavily, she was a spectacle of a woman, beautiful like most, but she had something more, she had a sparkle in her eyes that boiled in everything she did, she didn't worry about who had to lie down, all the people in that world were beautiful, healthy and rich, she only looked for those who had these qualities more than the others.

AS SOON AS TAT MANAGED to sleep with the president of TV WORLD, his life began to change completely.

With more and more space on the schedule, she got more money to invest in her already fabulous beauty.

TAT WAS A FABULOUSLY Beautiful black woman, perfect from the tip of her head to her toes, she was nothing like the eggheads he'd seen walking the streets that had made him laugh non-stop ever since, it seemed like having no hair it made the slightest difference to her, her beauty stood out.

Tat had an extraordinarily beautiful, seductive smile.

The interview was initially smooth, with no tricky questions:

Just like it was in the old days...

How were the relationships between people...

What was he thinking of the 'new world'...

For that last question, David really left something to be desired, since he only knew his old home and nothing else.

Tat told David that if he wanted, she could accompany him on a tour of New York herself. World and show your advantages — that last sentence came out in a tone of sex appeal that David preferred to remain silent.

He kindly thanked:

— Thanks Tat, but you're too beautiful, being seen by your side would take away your chances of getting a good match.

Tat laughed at the end of the interview and told David:

—David my dear, in this New World, there is no longer this marriage thing, relationship... faithfulness is only with yourself.

Tat was explaining the new way of being of that new society.

The more he listened, the more David felt the chills, he was adept at family, at true love, at sharing expenses, at building a life together with someone special.

The more David explained his point of view, the more Tat laughed at that outdated and archaic thinking.

David had no idea that this simple informal conversation was being recorded and aired instead of the official interview — which made David mad — and which earned him a good scolding from Norman.

Brandy didn't want David to do anything without consulting him first.

David realized that he was wrong, and that this new society was as opportunistic as the society he had known a thousand years before.

Nothing really has changed... — David thought.

DURING BUSINESS HOURS, she continued talking to David about non— scheduled topics.

— I'm sorry, David — she began — but could you explain to me what this marriage thing is like? Loving one person for a lifetime?

— I don't know why I'm scared?

— It's not astonishment, it's really curiosity, after all, if someone in your time woke up and said he was with Jesus Christ, wouldn't you want to know about those days?

— So… that's how I feel about you.

DAVID WAS THINKING about everything Tat had said.

He remembered a novel he had read once when he was a teenager, "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley, it was as if that book was a prophecy of what was to come. A society so scientifically evolved that it ended up going backwards when we talk about feelings and relationships, a society so selfish and petty that it forgot itself.

They are a cold people, as cold as the air I breathe... — thought David — I just didn't imagine they were that cold...

David at that moment thought about how his parents would react in this situation, after all, they were the greatest problem solvers that existed on the face of the earth, according to him. David realized that only God could do something, that's what his father would say:

But how to talk to God?

David only knew the books of the bible, but not hearing the voice of God, the voice of the Almighty.

David decided to walk a bit and looked for a church nearby.

Who knows... — thought David — if I could talk to some pastor, a priest, I don't know... someone who could clarify some doubts, walked for more than five hours straight and found nothing... absolutely nothing...

It's as if there is no longer any religion in the world... — he thought, more confused than he was when he started that walk:

What to do in a world without God? — David continued in his thoughts, trying to find some link that held him to that.

At the same time he saw that men solved the problem of pollution, of wars, he realized that men died for each other without realizing it.

The more David got to know that New World, the more he realized that he wasn't from there, he wasn't part of that reality. Maybe it was even good to be there, after all, if he was in his century, people would feel sorry for him for having lost everything he had most valuable in life, there, this valuable asset was useless, only he could feel sorry for himself, but it was the tradition of that society never to feel sorry for himself.

He was starting to learn that in just a few hours in that place.

DAVID WENT BACK TO HIS APARTMENT and lay down on his bed, and fell asleep without actually forming any thoughts about his new life, or how he was going to fix it all.

His parents would say that God was giving him the opportunity to start anew the kingdom of God on earth:

But he alone could not find himself... let alone find God in a place that no one wanted to know about Him, and they would kill anyone who knew...