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“Tell me, Giuseppe, what’s the point of cutting these bushes? So what if they were round or square? Why shape them?” Joshua asked another question.
“Look for yourself, son,” the old man said with a smile as he looked around, “nature is beautiful and its creations are truly incomparable. But our work is also worth something. We give meaning to nature, we saturate it with new colors and create a human-friendly environment, without disturbing the overall picture. A solitary bush becomes part of a beautiful garden. I like it better this way, so let’s do less talking and more doing,” Giuseppe laughed when he saw the young man’s indignation.
Each tulip, at the end of the school day at the academy, went off to obligatory assistance to others, which lasted until evening, finishing their work at the same time as the adults.
Joshua worked in the garden, where the counselors often spent time enjoying the solitude of nature, reflecting among the fragrant plants. Day after day in the garden, Joshua became friends with Giuseppe, who became not only a friend to him, but also a sort of spiritual mentor, which the young man himself did not notice, considering the old man to be simply his older companion.
After finishing his business and saying goodbye to Giuseppe, Joshua went home.
The islanders lived in families and each family usually had two children. Two adults and two children, usually a boy and a girl. Joshua’s parents’ names were Anna and Klaus, and his little sister was named Pietra. But the parents didn’t choose the names, they were given by the Supreme at birth.
The houses on the island were the same size, although they had different facades. And each family’s household was more or less the same. There was nothing to envy. Everyone worked equally, which helped all the inhabitants to live well, because the nature of the island was really beautiful and prolific. Most of the food came from their own farms, and the lacking was given to them at work once a week. The temple counsellors distributed particularly valuable gifts of the Lord, which were rare on the island. Tea, coffee, salt, spices, family coupons.
Everyone was happy and no one had any problems with food. The crops grew lushly and abundantly. Yet the big trees such as oak, hornbeam, sycamore, pine trees were much worse. Of course, they existed and grew beautifully on the island, there were even dense forests in the mountains, but the number of trees, their growth and use were strictly controlled. All timber was accounted for, so many houses were built of stone and the roof was made of turf on arched structures. But the soil gradually sprouted grass, and the roof itself sometimes turned into a pasture for the ubiquitous goats, who inexplicably climbed up and pecked at the living roof. They were chased away, of course, but…
Joshua always chuckled when he passed another herd of goats that were eating their lunch on the roof of some apartment building, bellowing like crazy. He could not drive them off, the goats obeyed no one. And sometimes he had to run away with all his might, if, for example, to throw a stone at the robbers, or swing a stick at them and get into sight of the leader of the herd. The goats did not bear grudges. They were feared by everyone because they were so violent.
“Mom, Dad, I’m home,” he said as he entered the house and closed the door behind him.
“Joshua, come in, dinner will be ready soon,” Anna answered.
“How is old Giuseppe, did he not bother you with his lectures?” Klaus asked with a smirk.
“Everything is all right. Here, he helped me with the buckle on the tuba belt”.
“Go to Alberto and change it, don’t wait till it breaks”, father answered.
“Yes, I got it, thank you,” replied the son.
Joshua went to the sink to wash his hands and rolled up his sleeves, when he suddenly exclaimed indignantly,
“Aha! Why do I always get an empty hand basin?!
“Don’t grumble, go get water and fill the washbasin, that’s all!” replied the mother.
Joshua, sighing, took two buckets and went to the water tap. Every street in the township had a tap from which everyone could get their own water. As a rule, the taps were built near a group of houses, so that all the families could use them equally.
After collecting one bucket for the washbasin and a second for the reserve, the young man headed back. Suddenly there was a wild scream,
“Baaaa!”
It was a goat bleating.
Joshua shuddered and thought that he was the only one going to get water, but the goat made him laugh, and he returned home in good spirits. On the doorstep he was greeted by his little sister Pietra in a fancy yellow dress.
“Hello, little brother,” said the little sister cheerfully.
“Hello to you too, Pietra! Do you want to help me?” Joshua asked with a smile.
“Yes, I do,” the little girl answered kindly.
“Well, come on, hold on to the hand, we’ll carry this heavy bucket together,” replied the brother.
Pietra grabbed one of the buckets and with all her strength began to help her brother to carry it to the washbasin.
“Oh, we did. I couldn’t have done it without you, thank you,” Joshua continued his role.
“Hee-hee,” laughed the little girl, twirling around and holding the hem of her beautiful dress.
“Well done,” Anna remarked from the stove and took Pietra in her arms, “come and help me too”.
“Is everything ready? Let me rinse my hands,” Klaus said, walking first to the washbasin that Joshua was filling.
The young man was a little upset with his father, for he had filled it, hence he should have been the first to wash his hands, and if his father had long wanted to wash, he could have fetched water himself without waiting for his son. The young tulip did not hide his displeasure. But Klaus didn’t even notice it, not even thinking to apologize, for he was the head of the family. Klaus washed generously, and his son had to refill the water and rattle the pimple a lot to wash his hands. Finally, when it was his turn, Joshua washed his hands. The hand basin looked like a bucket, but with a hole in the bottom that was blocked by a metal valve in the shape of a rod. And to open the tap, you had to lift it up.
All the preparations were completed, and everyone was seated at the table.
Traditionally, the family said a prayer before the meal and only then had the right to begin the meal.
“History was given to us not to make the same mistakes again, and you are neglecting it. Appreciate what you have, including the knowledge of the past, which, unfortunately, is not much left,” Ana Maria said with a stern voice.
The knowledge that mankind has acquired over the millennia has been tremendous. The same knowledge that led to the terrible war threw humanity back into the Middle Ages, depriving it of all the achievements of civilization. Of course, some information was saved, but only what people were able to recreate from memory or convey at least in words. Everything else was burned in the fires of hell…
“Who can tell me what reasons led to the Last War?” Ana-Maria asked the class a question.
One of the students raised her hand to answer her mentor.
“Alba, please,” Ana-Maria said, pointing to the girl.
“As mankind evolved, people began to forget about the spiritual component of their lives, causing their souls to become black as tar, and our ancestors had no choice but to wage war against evil,” Alba answered.
“Okay. And what lesson should we learn from this?” the mentor asked again, looking for a student to answer her question.
Alba held out her hand again, but it was as if Ana-Maria hadn’t noticed.
“Joshua, please,” the mentor said pointing to her student.
“Hmm…” the boy said, slightly embarrassed.
“We’re listening to you,” Ana-Maria insisted.
“Each of us must remember this tragic lesson and put our souls first, for when it is not pure, our existence has no meaning,” Joshua answered firmly this time.
“Well done! It would be all the better if you could have those thoughts,” Ana-Maria said, looking sternly at him.
The mentor heard Alba, who was sitting next to Joshua, whisper to him.
“Remember, no one will live your life for you. Appreciate it and reflect on your life. But as you reflect, don’t shy away from hard work. Labor is a virtue that brings us closer to God, and laziness is a vice that hurts everything,” Ana-Maria said sternly.
“Everyone is ready to share the fun, no one wants to share the sadness,” Hugo said quietly, while the mentor was admonishing his friends.
During the longest break between classes, the tulips would go out into the fresh air, under a special tent where all the students would gather for a communal meal.
During this time, the students of the academy were frequently visited by the Supreme, who periodically went around the island, talking to the inhabitants and helping them in any way he could. Today, Isa decided to visit the young tulips. He unexpectedly entered the tent, where students sat at tables surrounded by their mentors. Everyone stood up to greet the Supreme and show their sincere respect for the great man. Isa graciously accepted the recognition and immediately urged everyone to sit down.
The Supreme was, as always, all in black, with a star shining on his chest. He walked through the rows, nodding to his students, and left contentedly. Everything was in order here.
The friends stared at Isa with admiring eyes, before they spoke.
“What a man! Maybe I will be lucky to stand beside him someday, like those guards of his,” said Hugo dreamily.
“Be jealous,” said Alba.
“I don’t envy him, I admire him,” said Hugo.
“I wish I were as old as Giuseppe, not as old as Isa,” Joshua said thoughtfully.
“You should always look up to the best, then you’ll be the best,” he replied.
“You are a treasure trove of wise sayings today, what else can you remember?” Alba asked.
“Well…” Hugo thought for a moment and then answered, “I love you, what more can I say? What more could I say?”
At that he put his hand over Alba’s palm. The girl was embarrassed and pulled her hand out of Hugo’s grasp.
The boys laughed.
“It’s not funny, you can’t talk about such adult things yet,” said the girl angrily.
“You asked, I answered. Why do you ask a question if you don’t want to hear the truth?” Hugo asked.
“Because she wanted a simple answer, not the truth,” Joshua answered for the girl.
The boys laughed again.
“You two insufferable troublemakers, how am I even friends with you?” Alba said indignantly.
“It’s just that we complete you. You’re smart, you’re beautiful, and we’re everything else,” Hugo said again.
“See, listen to me more often,” the girl said with her nose proudly turned up.
There was a loud ringing sound. The head cook hit the pot with a ladle to draw attention to himself.
“Gentlemen,” said Hans, “today on the menu, eggplant caviar, chicken pâté, fresh bread, coleslaw, pea soup, boiled corn, chicken from the oven, potatoes on the fire, pork shish kebab, fresh herbs.
While the cook announced the menu, his assistants distributed all these treats to the tables. No one on the island ever complained about food, for there was enough for everyone, and whatever was left over was given to our little brothers. All this was achieved through a moderate use of resources and the proper distribution of the harvest. When there was little, they ate it all; when there was more, they preserved the surplus, thus stocking up just in case.
“As they say, bon appétit,” said Hugo, and the friends began to eat.
After the school day was over, Joshua headed out to the garden for some obligatory help.
"…And she replied that no one will live this life properly for us if they don’t study. That’s why we need to love the academy and appreciate everything we have,” Joshua retold Ana-Maria’s words to his old friend.
“Wise woman, hee hee hee!” Giuseppe laughed. “I remember her as a little girl. Everyone was running and playing, and she was seating the dolls and explaining things to them. That’s what a real vocation means, hee hee hee!”
“We don’t really shy away from studying, but we’re reminded of it too often,” the young man said, picking leaves from around the trees.
“Hard in your studies, easy in your labors, you know that one?” Giuseppe asked.
“Well, yes…” the boy muttered grudgingly.
“Sit down and listen to an old man and I will tell you a story.”
The young man carefully put his work tools on the ground, shook himself off, and sat down next to Giuseppe.
“One day, while working in the fields, a man unexpectedly found a real diamond. He was very happy but was not in a hurry to part with it easily, knowing its value. The man took the precious stone to the master, hoping to exchange it for the goods he needed.
The master examined the stone and shook his head and said, “There is a crack in this stone.”
The man who found the diamond was very upset; he found the stone dirty and could not immediately see the defect.
But the master continued “This stone can be split into two pieces, which will make two diamonds and each of them will be more valuable than the diamond itself. But the problem is that a careless blow to the stone may break it into a handful of tiny stones. The diamonds made of these tiny stones will be many times cheaper than the diamond itself and will be worth practically nothing. I won’t take that risk, and I won’t do the job.”
– Other craftsmen in many cities, where the man went in search of a worthy jeweler, said the same thing. Then he was advised to go to an old master who had golden hands. The same hour, the man went to a distant land and found the old master there. Looking at the stone with interest, the man also began to warn him of the risks. Then the man told him that he had heard all this before, and more than once, but that no one had solved his problem. The master thought about it and, after quoting the price, said that he would do the work. When the master of the stone agreed, the wise old man turned to the young apprentice, who was sitting with his back to them in the workshop, doing his work. The boy took the stone, put it in his palm, smashed it once with his hammer, and then, without looking back, returned it to the jeweler.
The stunned owner of the diamond asked, “How long have you had it?”
“Only the third day,” replied the master. “He does not know the real value of this stone and so his hand was steady and did not tremble.”
Giuseppe finished his story and looked at the young man with interest.
“What does it mean?” Joshua thought about it.
“You don’t have to be someone else; you always have to be yourself and you can be like everyone else, heh heh heh!” Giuseppe said.
“Yes…,” the young man said dreamily, staring up at the sky. “It used to be great, lots of cities, new places…”
“As Ana-Maria says, appreciate what you have,” the old man replied with a smile. “Now help me up, it’s time to stretch my bones.
Joshua got up from the bench on which they were sitting and helped his friend.”
“You helped me, now I’ll help you. I have distracted you from your work with my stories, so let me hold a bag for you to put the leaves in,” said Giuseppe.
Together they finished all the work that was left to the young tulip for today.
Joshua ran as fast as he could toward the bluff where he and his friends often sat.
It was a steep, high bank above the ocean. It was stormy today. Foamy waves rolled over the rocks, shattering into a myriad of shiny splashes and creating an unimaginable rumble. Giant waves tried to destroy the paradise island, but it stood as an indestructible wall, and it was unlikely that the stronghold of the new humanity would ever waver.
