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On some planet, somewhere...
Bombo watched his father sweat and strain. Every day after Bombo's father had finished with the regular chores, he religiously labored in the field using wedges and muscle to pile the stones. Bombo watched from his perch on the gnarled tree limb. Like his father, Bombo's skin was damp as well, but not from doing any physical labor. It was from the pervasive moisture and humidity in the air. The dampness clung to everything like a wet animal hide. There was a persistent heavy fog which veiled the region, allowing only the merest of the sun's rays to penetrate. The world seemed painted from a perpetual two color palette. Whitish-gray throughout the day, turning to black at night, and the next morning the grayness returning. The sun seemed very far away. Bombo slid off the large branch and called out, "Lift up your rocks, father". His father yelled back warmly, "Lift up your rocks, son", and Bombo headed off in the opposite direction from where his father toiled. He followed a rutted dirt path which would ultimately lead him to the ancient holy place. He knew he would probably be the only one there when he arrived. Should there be any other worshippers there they would be few in number. Only during the rock rituals would there be large numbers, in fact almost everyone would be there at those times. Bombo had to walk attentively as he meandered through the countless large stones on the path, many as tall and as wide as a man. The stones littered the land. Immense as it was, Bombo could not see the ancient pyramid clearly until he was almost upon it due to the fog masking the landscape. He was the only one here this day. He could not see the very top of the pyramid, although he knew by way of his father that the very top of the pyramid was in fact not there. Even if it had been there, the fog would have blocked his view. Bombo drew closer, searching for the ancient inscriptions on its sides. No one knew who had written them. They were probably carved when the pyramid was first built, but no one knew when that actually was. The architecture was clearly ancient and unknown. No one today would even know how to go about building such a complex structure. The first inscription he found was the one recited at every ritual, and was used as both a greeting and farewell. Lift up your rocks ye brothers together, one upon another. A man who lifts his rocks lifts his brothers as well. Bombo searched further, moving to his right along the base of the pyramid looking for his favorite inscription. About twenty paces more he knew, and then finding it he read the words aloud. There were two men. Each man had many rocks on his fields. The first man said his rocks were his own, and let them lay where they sat on his field. The rocks blocked his view and he could not see far. His rocks were of no value to any man. The second man lifted his rocks one upon another, clearing his field of rocks. The second man climbed his rocks and his view was greater as he could see farther. His rocks were now a ladder for other men to climb. To Bombo and his father these were holy words. Soon he would help his father pile the rocks when he got a little older. All across this region there were others who followed these holy words. Piles of rocks could be seen dotting the land, in some places seeming to draw nearer to other piles as they expanded. Some men ignored the writings, but it was just like what the inscriptions said would happen, thought Bombo.
There were currently two men in Windrum's barbershop, besides Windrum himself. One of the men waited his turn and watched and listened as a younger man was being finished up and about to hear the preaching. Going to the barber was both a tending of the hair and a tending of the soul in this society. As one sat in the chair and was serviced, select scripture passages from the Book of Illumination were affixed to the wall that one could read and reflect upon while having ones hair cut. Posted before the younger man were these words - Look to the sky. Reflect upon the heavens. With the younger man's haircut finished, it was now time for him to share his reflections on these words and for Windrum to share greater insight of the scriptures. "Well brother, what do you make of these words before you?" Windrum posed. "I think it means that heaven is above us and we should remember that," the young man replied. "Good. That is a fine interpretation. Yes, we should never stop thinking of the heavens. Now before you go, let me recite to you a verse from the second chapter of the Book of Illumination. You may ponder these words before your next haircut. "There were two men. The first man was busy each day with the momentum of life and thought not to look at the sky and reflect. This man could not achieve full happiness as his life was of only toil. The second man was also busy with his daily life but made sure to look to the sky each day. He reflected upon the rays from above and he was eventually lifted in happiness." "Thank you Windrum. I will most certainly meditate on these words." The younger man rose from the chair and exited to the street outside. Outside the sky was clear and fresh. The sun shone brightly upon the streets and shops of the small town. Centuries ago mounds of stones had been piled several stories high and had grown together as one. People later had been able to level its top and set up permanent residences. The air was clearer above the fog that seem to forever cling to the lower grounds below. Not only were they physically elevated, but in a sense they had become more spiritually elevated. They had worked together and become a community and many came to realize that helping others was fruitful for the general well-being of all. Not all had moved to these higher grounds. In fact most had chosen to stay below. The stones turned out to have an inherent wealth to them. The ores within proved to be extremely valuable for modern uses such as machinery and other technology. Fighting and wars and claims over who owned the stones on what lands were never ending as financial wealth was an addiction for those below. Since most of the stones on the ground had since been crushed for its ore, most lands were now free of them and excavations below the ground were now necessary. An extremely rich vein of exceptional ore was found in the vicinity of the pyramid, and fighting over how close to the pyramid they could dig and who laid claim to the surrounding area was of great contention. The older man now took a seat in Windrum's chair. He had but a tuft of hair on the side of his head, but manicuring the scalp was secondary to the moral aspirations of the barbershop. More than a thousand years before this elevated world had been constructed, it was said that a holy man had wandered the earth. There were some who listened and followed him and found meaning in his words. Those words later became the bulk of the Book of Illumination and a catalyst for those who built upon the higher ground. A new scripture was now posted before the older gentleman in the chair. When the missing capstone is found, the summit will be attained. Windrum spoke. "You being an older man, please don't take offence to that sir; I thought that you would be better challenged by a more cryptic reading." The older gentleman pondered the words while Windrum ministered to the few hairs on his head. With the older man's scalp now done, not looking much different than when he came in, Windrum asked, "Well, have you any thoughts to these words before you?" The man replied, "Capstone means a top, and summit means a top, but I have little to add to that." Windrum chuckled and said, "Yes, I understand. I have little to add to that myself. I often share this scripture with men who have lived a long life and may have gained wisdom in the process, in the hopes that they may elucidate the meaning for me." He continued, "Ponder these words my brother from the fourth chapter of the Book of Illumination until your next haircut. "Have faith and step through the lens of God. Men's vision is blurred without God's lens. Do not fear and look for safety elsewhere for it is only a false safety. God's lens brings true vision and understanding." "Thank you Windrum, I will most certainly consider these words", he responded as he rose from the chair. Exiting the shop the man immediately sensed a nervous excitement in the air. Several small groups of animated people were conversing feverishly about some news about the excavations. The man approached a middle-aged woman who had just been talking eagerly with two others, and was now heading off alone. "Excuse me, madam," he called to her. "May I have a word please?" She turned towards him still a little out of breath from her lengthy chattering. "I'm so sorry to bother you, but what is everyone talking about? Has something happened regarding the excavations below?" "Oh yes. Oh yes." She enthusiastically responded. "We just found out moments ago. The excavations have been hampered temporarily. They were digging near the site of the pyramid and they had to stop when they found something unusual. Upon closer inspection they discovered they had unearthed the missing top of the pyramid which had been buried many feet below the ground." "Ah. Well that is exciting madam. Thank you for sharing this news with me." "But no, no, no. You didn't let me finish. They found something inside the capstone itself. They found some kind of numbers and diagrams!"
Kostya lay on her bed, the Book of Illumination by her side. The plaque above her headboard read Be of service to the greater good. She had just finished rereading the first chapter of the Book one last time. She knowingly smiled. This chapter, a compilation of the pyramid's inscriptions, all had deeper meaning than the surface words themselves. She knew that. She was also well versed in the other three chapters which contained the words that were spoken by the enigmatic holy man some fifteen hundred years before. She had gleaned deeper meaning in these words as well. She rose and left her room, ambled down the hallway, and exited out the front door of her abode. With an open heart she headed towards the far edge of the south side of town. This part of town had undergone further development two hundred years ago when several more stories high of aggregate rock had been stacked and shaped. It had been cut into a columnar monolith, slightly wider at the base and tapered at the top. After deciphering the meaning of the capstone's diagrams, the people of the High Dwelling worked as one to build the higher elevated spot. The decodings had been quite clear that it needed to be placed at the highest summit. She approached the towering structure and started to walk up the circular staircase that wound its way around the column. There was no need to hurry. She had already made her decision what she would do, and she wanted to reflect on the view from the higher perspective. She breathed the cool fresh air into her lungs as she gazed at the town below and the world of fog further beneath. Several flights up Kostya reached the top of the staircase. Seven feet high stood the lens. Four feet wide but only four inches in depth, it was rectangular in shape. Mounted in a burnished frame, physically and metaphorically it was a doorway. Have faith. Do not fear. The lens of God. The rays from above. Lifted in happiness. She repeated the most meaningful excerpts from the Book to herself. She stood before the lens. She felt it radiate an energy that penetrated her soul. Looking within it appeared to have no depth. Nothing was discernable but rays of light. She was ready. A comforting perfume seemed to permeate the air. She felt a tingling and a warmth envelop her as she stepped into the portal.
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