By Virgia Ferrao
Part I
“Before everything, there was nothing.”
The butterfly was still perched on Nuru’s hand, flapping its wings at the same speed as the cloud from a laser. He tried to focus, ignoring the snorts of the dinosaur sleeping in the garden.
“And the nothing, would become all.”
Nuru closed his eyes. No. That made no sense. Still, the message continued to slowly ripple through him. Like a raindrop in the river. He observed the surroundings. Stefanotis’ valley was still dotted with sparkling lakes, generous waterfalls descending the sunny slopes, flocks in the sky forming a vast v.
“Are you ready to dive in?”
Faced with the urgency, he allowed the butterfly to disappear, and merged with the earth. Crossed cables, water tables, until reached the castle. He then sprouted from the ground, in his original form. Sweating all over, as the molecules of the earth were all twitchy, burning as lava. Nuru pushed open the heavy doors of the noble hall of the sea, with an invisible tug.
The music ceased to play and everyone bowed before the king.
“Please, proceed”. He did not intend to interrupt the party. Although he feared that they were running out of time. For now, he was just going to get his brother Kosi.
“You have to come with me, Kosi”, Nuru had put an arm around his brother shoulder “Right now. Haven’t I seen Oderek around here …? Oderek!”
Oderek, an administrator famous for his bad mood and for the pragmatic way in which he resolved matters related to the Council, heard the call, and walked quickly towards the king.
“Your Highness?”
“Gather some members of the Council and issue an alert of level 1.”
“Level 1?”, Kosi repeated doubtfully, but Nuru continued to pass his instructions.
“A phenomenon is about to happen, on the other side of the white curtain. All are expected to hibernate, immediately, for the rest of the day. Oderek, please circulate this news, urgently.”
“Understood, your highness.”
Oderek towed himself with agility typical of his twenty-year-old physique, although the weight of his age was evident in the hard expression of his eyes.
Kosi followed his brother, the cloak of his origami dangling in the air.
“Hibernate? What kind of phenomenon are we talking about here? It seems as Stefanotis itself is going to resound!”
“Have no questions about that, my brother”, Nuru accelerated his steps, “Everything is about to resound! And we both have a sensitive task ahead. Let’s go to the lab!”
Outside, they stopped for a while and observed the sky as the weather changed. Warm, reddish clouds covered the triangular and lilac moon, lighting up the gold of Stefanotis’ arches and pyramids. Giraffes and elephants began to flee to the woods. A fleet of six horses, carrying members of the Unit Council, passed in a uniform trot. The statue erected in the middle of the capital, with the image of King Kosi and King Nuru, holding the autumn arrows, shone brightly. It was an astounding work of art, that symbolized an important milestone in Stefanotis’ history: the victory against NKunkumba Sea.
A strong qawwiwas mounted on the last horse, holding, and blowing a trombone. The sound spread everywhere. At the same time, telepathic messages were broadcasted: “Alert of Level 1! All qawwis must hibernate immediately. Predictions of rare phenomenon, over the white curtain.”
King Kosi crossed his arms:
“How do you want to go to the lab? through the caramel, or we just go?”
Several guards approached, waiting for instructions, but King Nuru dismissed them.
“We just go, Kosi! The two of us. There is no time to waste”.
Kosi’s wrinkled brow fell apart and his tone became warm.
“You never let me down, brother, so I will trust you on this. Let’s do it!”
The two disappeared across the land, as raw energy, transporting themselves through Stefanotis’ viscera. The laboratory resembled a helipad, and was built in the clouds, a few feet away, on the castle’s radar.
Two sparks crossed the air, giving way to Kosi and Nuru. In the middle of the atrium, a flickering bubble emerged, becoming the figure of a tall, dark qawwi, in uniform with an armor. He waited for the two to approach.
“Renowned master Godido”, greeted Kosi, happy “It is so good to see you, my brother!”
The other nodded slightly.
“The honor is all mine, Your Highness”, he then looked worried “I received the alert, Your Highness. A phenomenon over the white curtain? Is that right?”
“A phenomenon that will change our history, forever!”
Godido took a step back and made a blanket arise in the air. He stirred it towards the laboratory and some pink particles carried the encryptions to the entry. The gate, with a blue glass embedded in the wall, and two leaves of a few tons each, opened automatically in all its height, revealing its vast interior.
Nuru and Kosi moved forward, although Kosi was already uneasy and confused.
“I still haven’t realized what is this spectacular event that leads us in such a hurry!”
Nuru, however, had disappeared through one of the laboratory compartments.
The place was not just a park for the ship. It kept objects of extreme importance for the kingdom, and protected the only gateway to the NKunkumba Sea, a region inhabited by ikras, creatures sleeping in shadows. And that should remain isolated.
The metal and glass ceiling covering the gigantic helipad, contained several rows of reflectors arranged in circles. Same focused on the silver pavement and on the closed black glove-shaped nave, parked in the center.
Kosi became more apprehensive when he saw his brother returning from department B, carrying some pods.
“Essences? What do you need them for, Nuru?”
“I think we will have a new project, Kosi”
“Oh…”, realizing that his brother was just smiling, Kosi added impatiently “Enough already, don’t leave me with my “ohs”! Expand the details on this subject, my brother!”
With a very slight mechanical noise, the ship’s door slid upward. The voice of the electronic security system gave permission to enter, and the two moved forward, crossing the vast corridor to the cockpit.
“Let’s go to the space”.
“Sounds good to me” replied Kosi, curiously “but… where is that?”
Nuru raised his finger, pointed it upwards.
“There. Outside Stefanotis”
Kosi burst in laughs.
“Outside Stefanotis! Are you losing it, brother? Although separate, the NKunkumba Sea is within our dome! What “outside” that would be?”
“You’re wrong”, snapped Nuru, sitting in the pilot’s seat, staring excitedly at his brother, “I mean, you will soon be wrong. Can’t you feel how hot we are? The outside of the curtain is infinitely hot. Everything boils.”
“Outside of the curtain, hot?”, flabbergasted, Kosi almost missed his seat. Was Nuru referring to the same curtain he knew? The barrier that surrounded Stefanotis? That was impossible. The same had been created during the battle against the NKunkumba Sea. It was the only way found to separate Stefanotis from the other region, thus avoiding contact or invasion. It was a barrier made of wasps, particles of great elasticity when used in concentrate. The two brothers had managed to make the curtain impermeable.
But outside the curtain… well. It was a non-existence. An absolute nothingness. Not even a vacuum. How could Nuru now claim that its exterior was “infinitely hot”?
Nuru began to operate the ship’s commands, smiling. Kosi was about to have much more to question, very soon.
“It may not make any sense now, but… wait and see. It will be great.
“I think…”
Kosi went silent. He already felt it. For heaven’s sake, now he could feel it! They were about to expand.
Would it hurt?
Nuru looked at him. He did the countdown. Although time felt frozen.
Sixteen hours, two minutes, zero seconds.
Sixteen hours, two minutes, zero seconds.
Sixteen hours, two minutes, zero seconds.
Sixteen hours, two minutes, one second. Swoosh.
Part II
Sitting at the window of the ship’s small compartment, Kosi observed the great novelty. Space. The ship was sliding along the invisible edge of the elastic barrier. The white curtain protecting Stefanotis had broken into infinite portions. And everything expanded. Very quietly. For there could be no sound in the void. After the explosion, what did not exist before, continued to expand for fractions of a second. In a sudden impulse, Nuru and Kosi stopped the inflation.
Kosi was as amazed as he was frightened by the rain of matter and radiation. What a great way to test their strength! He knew he was very powerful, but combining forces with Nuru, they were just unshakable.
Sometime later, they discovered a giant atomic cloud, which collapsed and gave rise to a new system outside Stefanotis domain. Nuru was obsessed with the idea that there, in that domain, would be a suitable structure for his new project. He had asked his brother for help in creating a temporary portal.
It was on the 7th day of observations that Nuru confirmed his suspicions. At the sound of the harp of the sun, their favorite tune, he turned to his brother and held out a small mirror to him. Kosi observed reluctantly. Reluctance turned to curiosity, as the mirror reflected a cluster of luminous globes.
“Well, well, if I don’t have to bite my tongue”.
Nuru crossed his arms.
“I told you. Now hurry up with that portal, Kosi!”
“Agreed”, in an upright position, Kosi floated to his work area inside the ship, followed by Nuru.
Inside a shelf, a white sphere hovered and spun. Nuru slid it into his hands. The object reflected various colors, like a flashing light bulb. Leaning on the shelf, Nuru projected a replica of the new sun, next to the sphere. The brilliant numerical combination twirling around the sun, went down Nuru’s chest like a cool dew. He couldn’t help but laugh. Not just because he was fascinated by mathematics. But because that was what the message said. Maths would be the key to the future.
“Hey, what are calculating?”
“I am looking for the right frequency”.
“And what’s so funny about that?”
“It is very funny indeed, Kosi. Because we are going to be known as the singularity.
“Singularity”?
“Well, never mind. Now listen, we need everything ready in two days at the latest.”
“The idea is still to make a parallel launch?
“That’s correct, Kosi. And of course, to use some of our essences, for the qlubs”
Kosi snatched the sphere out of Nuru’s hands.
“Let me guess”, he closed his eyes, “all our species, I see… all our structures… good, settled. Wait. Is one of the essences the abundance?”
Nuru nodded. Kosi closed his eyes again.
“And happiness?”
Nuru nodded again, knowing in advance that Kosi would get all the essences right. And so, he did. The new qlubs would contain dreams, happiness, abundance, peace, trust, hope, and finally, love. The most exquisite essence of all.
“Why love, my brother? Why not hope?”
“Think, Kosi. What else would be more absorbing? Other than gravity?”
Kosi shrugged his shoulders. He popped up in his hand a tiny white capsule that looked like a pill. Soon after, two tubes appeared. One was transparent, as if empty, the other contained a brown substance.
“I have a few suggestions.”
Last Part
The harp of the sun continued to resound in space, now filled with galaxies.
“I hope you have a comfortable trip”, Nuru murmured, patting the chief crewman on the back. They were suspended, floating between the lab-ship and the travel pod. One almost parallel to the other. Nuru liked the vehicle very much. It was more resilient than he had expected.
The chief crewman floated close to the king, in amazement.
“It is an honor, Your Highness, to be one of the firsts, part of your new project”.
“I have to agree, it is a special event”
The captain and the other two, were in new uniforms, helmets, and carried a fair amount of oxygen. Even though the qawwis were somehow like Nuru and Kosi, they did not deal in the same matter with space conditions.
Nuru levitated to stand facing the ship.
“Kosi, my brother…!”, it was the second time he had called him.
Maybe space was getting monotonous and Kosi was bored. But would he miss the launch? None of it had any meaning without his brother.
He floated back to the capsule. Helped the crew members aboard. Once they were settled, Nuru positioned himself at the lead crewman’s window. He fastened a button on his suit and held out a golden scroll to him.
“The device on your suit is a second alternative for communication. And here is the list of everything you will need to know and check in the new home. I’ll seal the capsule for security reasons, but I figure the process won’t take long. As soon as the launch is over, it will open. Kosi and I have to get back to Stefanotis, we have been away for a long time, but we want to hear from you soon”.
The crewman nodded. Nuru continued:
“The new curtain has a grille. It will remain open. You already know the coordinates, but if for some unlikely reason you find it closed, or you can’t locate it at all, rely on these instructions”.
“Very good, Your Highness, all noted”, the crewman tucked the parchment in his uniform pocket.
“I will seal the capsule. Good luck!”
“See you soon, Your Highness”.
Opening his hands towards the capsule, Nuru began to use his strength to seal the vehicle. A few seconds later, he lowered his arms, relieved. They were safe. Now, the final touch. The vital part of the project. He floated to the entrance of the ship, to fetch the sphere. Then walked back to the capsule to attach it to the rear of the vehicle. He was about to leave the ship, when had to stop.
What was wrong with the sphere?
Taking a few seconds to analyze the problem, he realized it was the project. All of it.
It was altered.
He stepped back, his pulse racing. Kosi had introduced new components, without his consent. The changes… looked appalling. The qlubs, once grouped in one field, as in Stefanotis, now seemed to be separated. Kosi had included the so-called eighth qlub, bare, and so many other elements which…
“Kosi!”, the scream made the ship shudder.
“You called, brother?” Kosi had reappeared quickly.
Nuru turned and saw Kosi, just as unsmiling as him.
“Have you lost your mind?”
Kosi continued to glare at him, his expression unchanged.
“Of course. In the moment I believed you had any regard for our bond and our collaboration. This isn’t your project, it’s ours. But you seem to have forgotten”.
Two days earlier, while they were discussing the sphere, Kosi had suggested the inclusion of a very strong pulsating element in the essences: the white capsule.
“With this, my brother”, Kosi explained at the time “figs will no longer be just for fun. This, in the new home, will make the qawwis need to feed”.
“What do you mean? Are you suggesting that when we go down there, we won’t be able to shut it? A kind of… hunger?”
“That’s right. Hunger. Wouldn’t that be stimulating? I also suggest we create an eighth, undefined qlub. Let the vessel fill itself.
Nuru cautiously had picked the brown tube. He felt the essence and its iotas. It was one of the strongest. He was familiar with it, although he had mixed feelings about it.
“What do you think of my suggestions, brother?”
“I’m afraid we might create an imbalance”, responded Nuru “Empties are dangerous, you never know what they will seek to fill themselves.
“But Nuru, don’t you trust the…”
“I prefer to keep it simple, Kosi, true to Stefanotis.”
Kosi could have argued, but at the time he had preferred to keep quiet. It was useless.
Nuru now comprehended that he had been so focused on designing the project, that he forgot to tell his brother the entirety of the message.
“Kosi, I will explain it to you, this is bigger than us, but first I have to reposition everything”.
Lights and liquids bubbled from the sphere, tubes whirled around it, faster and faster, like propellers of a fan, while Nuru fumbled and tried to set it down on the metal bracket. The sphere disappeared from his hands. And in the same second it fell into Kosi’s.
“Stop it”, Nuru’s veins were all bulging “this is not the time!”
Kosi held the sphere persistently.
“You want to work? Well, then work. But not on the sphere. On our relationship. Respect and trust my decisions! This is just an experiment, what’s the big deal? And you know what? It is by mere chance that you are the king of Stefanotis. Not because you are better than me! We were both made to rule. We both have the power and the duty to lead all this!”
Kosi had noticed that his brother’s ego was on fire. Maybe it was because he always got some of the most interesting things and experiments to be done around there. Always him. Now, that project too. Kosi was sure that if he had been in the same circumstances, in the same position, he would have been chosen by the fortuitous. But he had seemed out of touch with such phenomena. Chance.
“Kosi”, Nuru’s voice came out half muffled, “Kosi, my brother, without you, neither Stefanotis nor I are anything. You know that. Now, give me back the sphere, please, we’re out of time.”
“Prove it.”
“Kosi, don’t you dare!”, he tried to move forward to stop the other from attaching the sphere to the capsule, but could not. It was as if his feet, hands, and body were bound by handcuffs. He felt unable to use his strength. With a cynical grin, Kosi displayed his open palm, oriented toward his brother. Hurt, Nuru realized that his brother had just thrown a little grayish ball at him, which had unfolded into dark chains that leaped at him like catfish and disappeared within his body.
Nuru tried to hide his dismay.
“How long do you think you will hold me here?”
He was taking very small steps, like a baby learning to walk.
“Time enough to proceed with the launch, my brother”.
“Kosi, no. Please!”
After docking the sphere, he smiled jovially and showed his thumb to the crewmen inside the capsule. Then pressed the red button. An extensive beam of light erupted, and made a long traverse, covering the capsule, into the distant star system.
Nuru took another step. A flickering jump. Extremely fast, but wobbly. His arm had stretched out towards the capsule. It was at this instant that the crew members realized that something was not right. They tried unsuccessfully to get out. Kosi already had his finger on the second button. He pressed it, causing the capsule to shoot out.
Still not understanding what had happened, Nuru tried to stabilize. He found himself dizzy, on the edge of the lever. And stumbled at the threshold of the portal.
The portal was still open. Kosi saw his brother suspended, struggling against the force of the lightning, his arm raised. He knew he would not be able to climb. He was not able to use his powers.
“Kosi, brother, give me your hand!”, he tried in vain to float upward, his hands slipping from the invisible support.
“No. You brought this to yourself” there was no complacency in his voice. Just a simple remark “Good-bye, brother”.
Before the portal even closed, Nuru fell and was sucked up like dust by a vacuum cleaner, until he was out of sight. The harp of the sun stopped playing.
The portal, a few minutes later, closed, restoring the dark void.
Kosi took a deep breath, straightened his origami, and closed the ship’s door.
After he flew away and entered through the white curtain, he parked.
Now that he had come that far, he had to go all the way. No one, except the two of them and the crew, knew that the new white curtain had an opening. He exited the ship and floated to the invisible grille. Raising his hands, he sealed the grating, leaving his brother in the unforeseen depths of space.
Originally published in “Espíritos Quânticos: uma jornada por histórias de África em ficção especulativa (volume 1)”, 2022
