the jester's dance - andrei munteanu
TRANSCRIPT
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 1/281
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 2/281
The Jester's Dance
Andrew Wilson
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 3/281
“The world is like a ride in an amusement
park, and when you choose to go on it you
think it's real because that's how powerful
our minds are. The ride goes up and down,around and around, it has thrills and
chills, and it's ery brightly colored, and
it's ery loud, and it's fun for a while.
!any people hae been on the ride a long
time, and they begin to wonder, "#ey, is
this real, or is this $ust a ride%" And
other people hae remembered, and they comeback to us and say, "#ey, don't worry&
don't be afraid, eer, because this is $ust
a ride." And we kill those people. "(hut
him up) *'e got a lot inested in this
ride, shut him up) +ook at my furrows of
worry, look at my big bank account, and my
family. This has to be real." It's just aride. ut we always kill the good guys who
try and tell us that, you eer notice that%
And let the demons run amok ut it
doesn't matter, because it's $ust a ride.
And we can change it any time we want. *t's
only a choice. -o effort, no work, no $ob,
no saings of money. Just a simple choice,
right now, between fear and love. The eyes
of fear want you to put bigger locks on
your doors, buy guns, close yourself off.
The eyes of loe instead see all of us as
one. #ere's what we can do to change the
world, right now, to a better ride. Take
all that money we spend on weapons and
defenses each year and instead spend itfeeding and clothing and educating the poor
of the world, which it would pay for many
times oer, not one human being ecluded,
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 4/281
and we could eplore space, together, both
inner and outer, foreer, in peace./
ill #icks
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 5/281
!ay the light of a thousand suns guide you
on the diine path of remembering yourself,dear reader...
Andrew Wilson,
0ctober, 1234
5oert art by Dhyananda
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 6/281
3
The large holographic screen, diided into
many smaller parts is displaying amultitude of fast6paced scenes of different
people and happenings, from different
earthly times and places.
*n a confident and wise manner, the 0ld 0ne
enlarges one of the small screens, to play
it slower and isuali7e the details more
carefully. With concentrated thought, hefree7es all images and brings to focus a
small screen in which he sees a woman in
birth pains, struggling to bring a new life
into the world, another one with a soldier
charging into battle on a blood red muddy
field, a toddler feeling for the first
time in his life the $ealousy that comeswith a newborn sibling being
held by his mother, husband and wife
fighting oer insignificant things, a
military general declaring war, a miner
trapped under a heay beam gasping for his
last breath of air, the hangman preparing
the noose, geisha sering tea to the guests
in the most humble serile attitude, an old
man digging for a plant root in the
scorching sun, camp guard holding a rifle
and shouting at the newcomers, high priest
pointing to the net offering for the gods,
honorable $udge striking the hammer, an
ancient 8ueen weeping for her staring
people, street merchant selling sea food, apoor man hiding out in a ditch with a
stolen loaf of bred in his hands, a Tibetan
monk meditating, a fisherman returning to
his family with empty nets, *ndian woman
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 7/281
walking slowly towards the funeral pyre
where she will $oin her dead husband,
soldier thrusting his blade into the heart
of another while being cheered bythousands.
9rom the myriad of pictures, the screen
free7es on a young illager who $ust
witnessed the death of his bride at the
hands of inaders from foreign lands.
"#is $ourney has been a long one," says the
0ld 0ne to his newly arried companions inthe bright white light of the iewing
space.
"#e has gathered much eperience, and is
close to paying his dues," one of them says
in a 8uiet oice.
":es, he has learned humility and irtue,
through much work and hardship since The5orruption," the last one agrees with the
others while enlarging a scene with a man
in ragged clothes and a straw hat
collecting his day's worth of cotton
picking, thinking that he can finally feed
his two sons properly, at least for the
day.
A short moment of silent pondering is
interrupted by the 0ld 0ne bringing up on
the iewing screen an image of a small
child screaming in tears as his older
sister is taken away by men in uniform.
";ery trial has brought him closer in
many instances, he more than proed worthy
of our help.""*ndeed, great 0ld 0ne," replied the
second, we must keep in mind, though, that
it has become rather difficult to
interene."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 8/281
The screen now shows a young man in a
library, nerously going through big,
yellowed out old books.
#e knows he is looking for something, hefeels he must find it, all his life drien
by an obsessie instinct to know it, but
his skeptical mind and the illusory
material day to day things are making it
difficult for us to brake through with
helping signs."
"#e carries a heay burden ofresponsibility. The decisions he makes from
now on can affect the lies of ery many,"
says the 0ld 0ne enlarging a picture with
an office building in which a meeting is
taking place.
"#is life is split between a successful
carrier and a continuous search forknowledge and answers," the 0ld 0ne adds as
they watch the man now entering a big
library with thousands of books on all
sides. #e searches and searches, with no
real target in his mind, while suddenly his
briefcase opens and all his documents fall
out at his feet. affled, he crouches to
gather the contents when his eyes fall on a
dusty and old looking book coer which he
picks up. The 0ld 0ne free7es the picture
and speaks with a sort of fatherly pride,
"there are few who will instantly recogni7e
this type of coincidences, and there are
few who will receie the message but we can
still use such inolement to aid someonein their deelopment," and they all return
to watch the scene. The author's name is
unfamiliar to him but the strong feeling of
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 9/281
familiarity and importance deters him to
pick it up and read it as soon as possible.
The holographic image switches to a close6
up of a beautiful woman with loing eyeswatching oer a large ancient settlement in
which people lie in complete harmony with
nature.
The 0ld 0ne turns his ga7e towards a much
younger soul that has $ust arried in the
iewing space, eneloping her in a shroud
of pure compassion and loing energy. (hereceies it with great $oy, as she knows
there is a great $ourney ahead that will
re8uire eery bit of it.
"This council was not called for many ages
and you know why we are gathered here," the
0ld 0ne's oice brakes the perfect silence
of the iewing space. "The great cycle iscoming to an end soon," he continues in a
powerful oice, "timing is of the essence."
"!uch work has been done and all paths lead
to this trial. !any are inoled. The order
must be restored," the second one adds.
"We hae reiewed for you a selection of
the most appropriate bodies, the most
suited for your musical character, your
energy patterns and for the choices you are
to make. The moment you will take control
of your earthly body, all will be set in
motion. +earn your cues well) We trust your
abilities and the amount of eperience you
hae amounted in all your trials. -ow you
must hae trust in yourself and remember,"the third one eplains. "We will be
watching closely and do our best to proide
help when needed," and saying this, the 0ld
0ne and his companions eit the iewing
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 10/281
space, leaing her facing the images that
now show, in each small picture, moments in
the life of different children from birth
to the first steps, the first words, thefirst day of school, the first real
heartache and the first tears of $oy.
+oing parents, close friends, distant
relaties and complete strangers, and
wheneer she recogni7es among all those
people, souls from her group, a faint smile
comes to her lips for she knows she won<tbe alone, eer, on her mission and as the
images become blurry she understands the
screen can show her only so much of the yet
unwritten future, she knows that the
smallest decision on earth can hae
unimaginable comple ramifications,
diiding reality in a multitude of possibleoutcomes and time lines. (he knows she will
need to recogni7e the cues set by the wise
ones, that will lead her to that so longed
for moment that now seems so far away, when
many will be set free, the fates will een
and all will be right again.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 11/281
1
They dismount their 9lyer in the middle of
a sunny meadow coered in flowers and berrybushes, and the young couple teases each
other running and hiding in the thick green
grass. =retending he doesn't see her, he
approaches the bush that barely coers her,
with small steps, whispering, "* wonder
where you are," loud enough so she can hear
him, and she bursts out in laughter $umpinghim, tumbling to the ground in a loing
embrace.
"*t's so beautiful out here, * like it so
much," she says with a wide, happy smile.
"* hope ;wra won't be furious with me for
skipping harp lessons today, * promised her
* will practice twice as much until nettime."
"Don't worry about it, *'m sure you'll get
less trouble than * will from my teacher at
the temple," he replies and both agree
without words.
"(uch a beautiful day, * feel so good *
can hardly wait for our celebration (o
many people will be there, all our friends
and teachers."
"!e too, although * am a bit nerous, can't
yet imagine myself all dressed up like that
and keeping a straight face, why, that will
be the hardest part for me," he says in his
usual prankster manner, she has gotten so
used to."* will make faces at you, to make you
laugh all through the ceremony," she
threatens him.
"#ey) :ou want to go see it%"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 12/281
"What, now% ut you'e seen it a thousand
times)"
"5ome on, it will be fun)" he grins,
pulling her up, swiftly.The 9lyer takes to the air, climbing
8uickly through the warm sky, with a soft
swooshing sound. They look back and marel
at the endless city buildings with their
tips reaching far into the clouds, the
garden domes in which they take eening
walks and the sparkling a8ueducts thatdiide the city into round, e8ual
districts.
"What a wonderful iew," she tells him in a
raised oice, but he is too anious to look
back.
"#old on)" he replies, while accelerating
and doing some hard turns aboe thebeautiful landscape.
":ou can let go now, * need to breathe, you
know," he says $okingly, "we're here)"
"Wow) * forgot how intimidating it looks,"
she says while releasing the tight grip, "*
always get the chills when *'m this close
to it."
"*t truly is marelous) * could stare at it
for hours. #ow * wish * could meet the ones
who built it. * wish * could hae been
there."
":es, well, for that you would need a time
machine", she grunts, with a touch of eny
for loosing his attention.
"5ome on, don't be like that," remediatingthe moment fast, he continues, "can you
een imagine how people lied before it%
(urely, they had hard lies and not much
freedom, to do as they pleased."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 13/281
"Well actually yes, * can imagine, we hae
the archies for that, silly, eeryone
knows," she strengthens her point, but in a
softer oice due to his arms around herwaist.
"*t $ust feels unfair to me, knowing how
much it gies us, that people take it for
granted and don't really pay much attention
to it, anymore."
"What would you hae them do, worship it
with burnt offerings like the saages inour distant past did with cared statues%
We should get back, check on my eperiments
and maybe isit that new garden dome that
opened up. :ou know the one with those
eotic flowers * helped bring back to life
from thousands of years ago%" (he boasts
with fake anger.":es, yes, * know all about that, * didn't
forget, and no, * don't consider your work
as a researcher a waste o time, as your
ironic tone might imply."
!aking the most of his words, that $ust won
him a few more minutes, he turns to face
the great machine once more and speak with
wonder and reerie as only to himself, "*
could swear it has a mind of its own,
sometimes * een think * feel it, trying to
reach me, to communicate"
#e is now inside it, facing the core
chamber in which its heart sits. #is body
is shaking with the rhythmic pulsations of
the crystal's energy beam directed upwardtoward the pyramid's top in a low fre8uency
hum. #e feels raw energy running through
his eins, isions of past times, strange
people in places unknown to him, "*t's so
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 14/281
powerful)" he shouts, clenched fists
upward, "so powerful)"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 15/281
4
rad $umps out of bed, coered in sweat,
$ust as the phone rings and startles himeen more. With a slight headache from the
abrupt awakening he reaches for the phone
while with the corner of his eyes he
catches a glimpse of the figure "three" on
the wall mounted electronic clock.
"This better be important)" he grunts with
a guttural oice."* am sorry to wake you at this our, but
you said anytime."
"What% Anytime what% What are you talking
about%"
"We hae alignment, rad, as of thirty
minutes, now. *t's been running a stable
energy output, finally)" the ecited oiceat the other end almost screams.
"5alm down, for >od sakes... stable
output..." he mumbles.
"rad, you hae to see this)" the oice
insists.
"Wait... stable output%" he asks recoering
from his da7e, "Don't touch anything, *
will be right there," slamming the phone
and hurtling toward his pants and shirt.
The cold night air wakes him up almost
completely while he speeds up towards the
laboratory with so many thoughts rushing
through his mind, he misses a red light and
almost crashes the barrier at the entrance
into the comple.Arriing inside, his best friend greets him
with an enormous smile, "pull out the
champagne, rad, *t<s time to celebrate, we
did it)"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 16/281
"(low down, Tim, let's not do the ictory
dance $ust yet, een if we hae stable
output, we hae no guarantee yet. We can't
know for sure until more tests," rad cutsof his best friend's briskness, while
getting a white coat from the hanger,
"let's see what we'e got)"
"Always the cautious one. !an, you can sure
ruin somebody's mood)" Tim laughs, and beats
him on the shoulder in a 'good old friend'
manner.rad swipes his key6card at the big secured
doors and enters the antechamber of the
reactor. #e logs in the system and pulls up
on the giant screen, some statistics and
charts of the up6time and power output.
"*t's stable, alright," rad whispers,
still not ready to light up his cigar.";fficiency is at ?@ and rising. -o
anomalous spikes no drainage. What about
residuals, any radiation of any kind%" #e
asks, still reluctant to $ump to
conclusions.
"-one, whatsoeer," Tim replies in a
childish proud manner, leaning against a
desk with his arms crossed and eyebrows
raised oer his glasses.
rad still calm, pulling up graphs and
typing carefully slow, as if not to disturb
or $in anything in the laboratory and
eamining long rows of numbers between
8uick glances at his long time companion in
heretical ideas."5ome on, man, don't you see what this
means%" Tim implores for acknowledgment.
"The amount of energy we're feeding into
the system is insignificant compared to the
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 17/281
output. We hae $ust changed half of the
physics books out there) There is
absolutely nothing the nay sayers can throw
at us now, and once again it has beenproed that all the accepted models of
reality are only temporary and sub$ect to
sudden change by open minded people. True,
all great ideas are first laughed at,
ridiculed and condemned but eentually they
are accepted, there is no other choice.
*t's a beautiful natural order, you $usthae to look closely and see the pattern,
all throughout history."
"#ey)" rad stops him with an ironic grin.
:ou sound a bit like a creationist there,
*'m sure it's all the lab fatigue you'e
been amounting lately, which reminds me,
you'e been pulling a lot of oertime inthe past months. Too much actually to
sustain a healthy state of mind, why are
you not sleeping right now%"
ut before Tim could return a reply, rad
$umps out of his chair and hugs his friend
so hard he can barely breathe, saying, "We
did it, man) We really did it)" and laughs
like a madman.
"This is huge) 0nly warp drie will make
this one fade) * can't beliee it) All the
mockery we hae endured from the scientific
community, all the sleepless nights and
shattered neres finally paying off."
"Thank you) 9inally, you're awake," Tim
blurts out while cleaning his glasses witha microfiber cloth he always caries in this
lab coat pocket.
"* must admit, * had my doubts, especially
after all those failed trial runs man, at
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 18/281
one time * een wanted to gie it all up,
rad reminisces while facing the brightly
glowing reactor core. “+ook at it, a basket
ball si7ed sphere of electromagneticallyleitated crystalline matter. An
artificially grown and enhanced colony of
Brustallon, tapping into the infinite
energies of the unierse. The ancients knew
it, and they showed it to us in so many
places (acred geometry eerywhere so
obious the flower of life staring us inour ignorant faces."
"=lease don't be so ague and
unscientific) *s that what you will say to
all the physics $ournals that will
interiew you% :ou can at least eplain how
we managed the 8uantum rearrangement of the
structure of 8uasi crystals to obtain the!etacrystals you're watching right now. 0r
how we redesigned the ;@ groups%"
rad smiles, "We wasted so much time, so
much precious time, we could hae been so
far by now, if only man was not so busy
s8uabbling oer imaginary lines on a map
and irreleant concepts, impulsie and
disconnected from eerything that really
matters, powerless in the face of the
smallest command issued by the oldest part
of our brain. What blind fools we hae
been, slaughtering ourseles by the
millions and persecuting eeryone that was
foolish enough to share a paradigm shifting
idea. Think of all the great minds ofhistory, what they had to struggle with.
#ow many ;insteins and -ewtons hae
perished in the madness of war before they
eer got a chance to make their
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 19/281
contribution to the world% *f war efforts
and all kinds of meaningless bickering
would be dierted to research for a better
human eistence, then maybe, we wouldn'thae to beg indifferent and shallow rich
people for funding eperiments, with the
risk of your work to be patented by a
corporation that will lock it up in a dark,
cold chamber where it will neer see the
light of day again, $ust because it seres
the corporate agenda. (uch a waste such aterrible waste,/ rad concludes with his
head lowered.
As rad finished pouring out his thoughts,
Tim consoles him with a pat on the back,
":es, * know eactly what you mean, * share
your sorrow, friend, but without those
shallow and arrogant old men you would bein the basement of some faculty campus
working on your fringe pro$ects and
building particle accelerators with parts
bought out of yard sales from a modest
teacher salary. This here, is eactly why
you, why we hae worked so hard all this
time, that is why we are here, to help
brake this curse. *magine a world without
hunger and poerty, a world where no one
must stare because there is more than
plenty for eeryone, enough clothes and
enough shelter, from the newborn in the
slums of *ndia to the richest man in the
world, all could lie like kings, not one
man ecluded, adantaging all withoutdisadantaging any, like good old ucky
used to say.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 20/281
"(ometimes * feel like you can read my
mind", rad smiles at his colleague in the
ha7iness of the early morning ours.
":ou make it pretty easy, being the leasthypocritical person * know."
rad laughs, “that is a great compliment
coming from you, and * shall treasure it
accordingly./
">etting back to our sub$ect," Tim
continues on a serious note, "you must
remember you cannot lie for eerybody.(top torturing yourself with things that
could hae been, you hae already done much
more than you reali7e, * can assure you of
that. Think back when people started
burning dead plants for energy. The net
step was splitting the atom to boil water.
* still can't help getting amused and sadat the same time thinking of that. They now
had an atomic steam engine instead of a
coal steam engine. And we all know what
that is doing to our poor, space floating
marble. We are no longer talking about an
ultra efficient cheap power source here.
This is that giant step that eentually had
to occur, it cannot be stopped by all the
skeptics and debunkers of the world put
together. We are talking about free,
unlimited, nonpolluting energy for
eeryone, foreer) 9ree energy means free
transport, free transport means irtually
free food. -o need for a meter on the wall
anymore) 9ree food for eeryone meansfreedom to do as you please, slouch all day
on the beach or make maimum use of the
most comple structure in the known
unierse, the human brain, and adance
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 21/281
science and art beyond anything we can
imagine now or roam free through the galay
and eplore the deepest spaces possible)
":es, says rad in a low tone, eyes lockedon the ground, "no meters"
"=lease contain your enthusiasm. Jesus) 0B
* know, we're not there $ust yet but it can
be done) y god, it can and should be done
as soon as possible)"
":ou're a good man, Tim,/ rad compliments
him, sighing and showing sings of fatigue.“We can't get enough good men these days."
"*s there something you're not telling me%
Why do * sense you're oer thinking your
words again%"
":ou know me, always triple checking
eerything, but maybe it really is $ust a
healthy dose of a scientist's paranoia. *nany case, * need you to do me a faor. *n a
couple of hours this place will be swarming
with lab coats and thick eye glassed nerds,
doing their data crunching and binary
talking."
"Whoa there buddy, you're being a bit
unsympathetic to your own kind, there,
don't you think%" Tim tries to look
offended but is betrayed by the trace of a
smile forming in the corner of his mouth.
"Alright, funny man, spit it out, what's on
your mind%"
"* need you to keep a low profile with this
whole thing, you know, $ust don't brag
about it to anyone, especially to the pressor the suits. At least, not yet. e as
professional and resered as possible with
eeryone. =lease% 9or me."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 22/281
":ou got it, chief) * wouldn't want to
brake my confidentiality contract in any
way, of course. ut the suits upstairs are
going to want a full report, first thing inthe morning. -ot a patient bunch, those
wrinkled li7ards, and without results,
pro$ects get scrapped, you know how it is."
"0nly too well, my friend. Don't worry,
*'ll take care of that. Just let eeryone
know we need more time to recheck all
systems and run more tests. Trust me onthis one."
"0B, not a problem, you're the supreme
commander of all us lab monkeys around
here, anyway,/ Tim salutes his colleague in
a military manner, knocking his heals
together and laughing copiously.
"Well, you're the best monkey * hae, sowhy don't you run along and get some sleep,
* don't want you burning out on me, not
now. *t's fie fifty fie A!, if * so much
as sense your presence around here for the
net eight hours *'ll hae you clean all
the keyboards in the building."
"Cnderstood, but it will be hard to catch a
shut eye with all the adrenaline rushing
through my system right now. And what about
you%"
"#ey, * was asleep when you called me,
remember%"
"As usual, it's impossible to argue with
you, $ust please call me if anything
happens.""Will do, friend, will do." rad assures
him in a warm oice, and turns to his
computer.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 23/281
#e is now alone and only the low, barelyperceptible hum of the reactor brakes
through the silence of the laboratory. #e
turns in his chair to hae another look at
the platform in the ery front of the large
hangar like room where it sits, a possible
answer to so many problems facing the
world, he thinks, eyes set on the core.*t's hypnoti7ing and he cannot turn his
ga7e away from it, he keeps staring and in
his mind, like a film, iid images start
to shuffle, some clear, others ha7y, images
of people smiling and re$oicing, large
gatherings, masses of people, all dressed
in white, beautiful women with flowers intheir hair& he sees ery tall buildings, a
swarm of flying ehicles among them,
circular water canals, a world war two
fighter plane chase, children crying, a
wall of angry people shouting and waing
their hands, all pointing to him and in the
middle of them he sees the most beautiful
woman, glowing with a bright aura around
her that separates her from the others. (he
seems so familiar, but $ust can't recogni7e
her, she is crying, her eyes are filled
with heay tears, he tries to make out what
she's saying but the noise of the crowd is
$ust too strong. They are demanding things,
they want to $udge him, so much pressure,he tries to block them, to concentrate on
the woman. #e can see her mouth moing,
shouting, reaching for him, and in an
instant the mob disappears. All is
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 24/281
perfectly still and 8uiet, they are now
ery close to each other. #er right hand
touches his shoulder as she whispers to
him, "Eemember)""Doc, you 0B%" -orbert asks, with a hand on
rad<s shoulder.
"Jesus) :ou scared the liing daylights out
of me)/ rad shouts with a horrified face,
$umping out of his chair.
"Daylights, ah, yes, ery appropriate,
doctor, because it's morning.""* wasn't making a $oke, -orbert, you
really startled me, back there. :ou
shouldn't sneak up on people like that."
"*'m sorry, Doc, * thought you were asleep
or something. Thought * might wake you up,
go home to a real bed."
"*'m fine, don't worry about me. :ou're alittle early today, aren't you% What gies%
The new toys you'e been asking for,
upstairs, arried already%"
"-o it's $ust that * couldn't sleep and
there's this code *'e been working on and
* was stuck on the main algorithms, but *
got some ideas yeah * got some ideas
now," the short, slightly oerweight man
mumbles and rearranges his glasses on his
big round nose.
"Any progress with your generator, there,
Doc%" -orbert tries to break the
uncomfortable silence, gesturing with his
head towards the platform.
":ou mean the reactor"":es, yes, the reactor," he interrupts,
still with his eyes locked in the same
direction.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 25/281
"Well, actually, yes, ah we're positie we
are closer now than eer to that physics
book rewriting discoery, you know."
">reat, that's good news, yes" he replies,still staring. "*t sure looks nice, yes
sir, * am sure you are treating it right.
>iing it the respect it re8uires, like any
machine, you know cause you can definitely
influence the e8uipment around you, on a
8uantum leel, you know and brake it
yes." #e tries to pretend he can performade8uately in a social situation, but
minute perspiration starts to glow under
the neon light of the laboratory.
":eah, it's * mean, she's our baby. We
know her ery well and respect um her,"
the tired physicist continues a bit
embarrassed."Well if you eer run into some kind of
trouble, don't hesitate to ask, yes, the *T
department does more than $ust remoing
iruses from workstations and fiing paper
$ammed printers, you know," he giggles,
rearranging his glasses again. ":es, you
can count on us anytime."
"* will definitely keep that in mind,
-orbert, oh, and please, you hae to gie
me another tour of the data center when you
finish installing those new storage
networks, always curious about technology,
you know," rad throws the last words he
could possibly gather in the awkwardness of
the encounter $ust as the stubby fellowheads for the eit.
"0h, so you know about that", he turns with
a face filled with the first unforced
smile, like someone who secretly longs for
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 26/281
more things to hae in common with his
peers, ":es, the new toys we're epecting,
yes" nodding widely. (ee you around, Doc)"
#e salutes and 8uickens the pace happily tobe on his way to the morning inspection
stroll through the serer room.
"(ee you around, -orbert,/ #e salutes back
thinking what odd people the *T department
people are, surely misunderstood but
neertheless odd and neer easy to hae a
conersation with.As he sits back down in his chair, and rubs
his face in his palms and he stops to check
out his blurry reflection in the computer
screen. *t lights up with a ding, informing
him of one new email message in his inbo
with the sub$ect 'remember' written in
capital letters and three eclamationpoints. #e suddenly recalls the face of the
woman, calling out to him, iid flash6
backs of his ision. -o) -ot a ision. Just
my tired mind acting up on me, the results
of an oeracting imagination and not enough
E;! sleep," he thinks to himself, trying to
calm down and lock it all up somewhere deep
in the back of his head, along with all the
other cra7y ideas and long forgotten
thoughts.
"*f you eer need anything, anything at
all, you know where to find me." The email
from -orbert reads.
"0dd people, indeed," he thinks aloud.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 27/281
F
With his right hand lifted up, fingersspread widely, the tall man turns to face
the country house and speaks softly. #is
large shirt, with multicolored flowers is
battered by the warm bree7e of the eening.
9rom the distance, rad tries to make up
his features but apart from an oerwhelming
feeling of familiarity, he cannot bring outanything from his memory.
rad hurries his pace, intrigued by the
man's behaior but by the time he reaches
the front of the house the awkward stranger
disappears around the corner. #e stops the
pursuit, baffled and irritated and heads
towards the door. #e enters to find hismother in bed, with candles lit all around
her, the gray haired old woman smiling at
him, "!y little genius, come, gie your
aching mother a hug."
"#ello, mother," he replies still trying to
figure out what $ust happened.
"There was this tall man doing something
right outside your house, mother, do you
know him% What did he want%"
"Always 8uestions, 8uestions, 8uestions
with you, why can't you eer take things
for granted $ust as the unierse presents
them to you%" (he says on a playful tone,
emphasi7ing the word 'unierse'.
"* see what you did $ust there, using'unierse' instead of '>od' and *
appreciate it but you don't hae to go out
of your way to make me comfortable and
all."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 28/281
"Why is it so hard to beliee there's a
higher power out there that we can't
comprehend, watching oer us, sending us
hints that most are too blind toacknowledge%"
"!om, we hae this discussion eery time,
you know my thoughts on the matter, $ust
accept them $ust like * accept yours een
if * don't agree with them," he says trying
to aoid the escalation of the sub$ect.
“:ou know * $ust cannot deal with the lackof hard facts repeatable eperiments
proide that, * can't $ust take anyone's
word for it, * can't. 9aith doesn't cut it
for me."
":es, the all skeptical mind. * heard these
words only too many times ut it's 0B, my
dear, *'m sure you'll see it all, someday.The enormous beauty of it and how lucky we
are to be allowed into this wonderful game
of life."
":ou're right about my mind being all
skeptical, and in no way do * try to ecuse
myself for that. The world would be a ery
different place if more people would share
this wonderful trait. :ou know, not
accepting eerything so easily, so often
without the least effort to inestigate%"
"*f eerybody would be like that, the whole
world would be a giant 8uestion mark. There
would be no $oy in our lies, always
depressed and dead inside." (he replies a
bit annoyed. "And sorry * forgot we're alla bunch of ignorant primates, stumbling
about on our daily mindless s8uabbles in
the complete chaos and indifferent chance
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 29/281
that is the unierse. -o purpose, no real
meaning to anything."
"Well that's a bit harsh, don't you think%/
#e asks smiling and coninced he will closethe argument soon, with a triumphant
ictory. “ut you said it, not me."
"(marty pants, don't forget where you got
those wits from. :es, this little old
sickly lady."
"0ld% 5ome on, mother, you don't look a day
oer forty nine)" #e compliments her whilecaressing her wrinkled hand.
(he smiles and looks into his eyes with a
melancholic epression, "(uch a charmer,
and yet still alone, unmarried and no
grandsons for me to walk through the park."
"Again with this% !aybe because * $ust
haen't found the right woman yet.""0r maybe because you're not een looking
for one, all cooked up in that sterile
hangar, trying to improe people's lies
with your work while completely neglecting
yours."
"*t's not a hangar, it is a laboratory,
mother, and *'ll hae you know we're
actually on the brink of something huge)
(omething that will completely change the
world we lie in,/ #e said, a little
embarrassed for being treated like a child.
"* know, * know * don't think of your work
as meaningless, it's $ust that * want you
to be happy. To see how there is more to
life than $ust science. (o many wonderfulthings that you will not find in your books
and computers. * admire your passion and *
knew you were far from aerage since the
day you were born. * knew you had so much
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 30/281
to offer the world from the time you were
burning all the fuses in the house with
your basement eperiments. -ine year old
children play with baseballs& you playedwith electricity and giant transformers."
"#appiness what is happiness, mother% Who
is happy% * certainly don't know anyone. *
don't really think such a thing een
eists. *t's $ust another word, trapping
us, keeping us slaes to interpretation we
are slaes to semantics. We depend far toomuch on the dictionary meaning of things.
*t's like we're trying to communicate what
we see in a photograph with only one word.
That is how limited * think we are. The
words we use, our language, is what holds
us from truly eoling, becoming free of
most of our fears, and they are stopping usfrom resoling the most seere issues we
currently face. #appiness in intelligent
people is the rarest thing * know."
"Guoting #emingway won't get you off the
hook, mister)" (he interrupts him from his
monologue. We are gregarious creatures, we
cannot lie in isolation. All kinds of
mental and physical problems arise from not
being around people, we need to belong, to
be acknowledged and share our hopes and
dreams. Did you know that people with a
strong sense of belonging to a community
hae the lowest risk for heart disease%"
":eah that makes sense, * guess," #e
replies with an ironic oertone."(o it's true youth really is wasted on
the young."
"5ome on, mother, * didn't mean to upset
you it's $ust that * hae a lot on my mind
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 31/281
lately why don't you tell me what's with
all these candles and that weird music%"
":ou scientists are all the same. When will
you reali7e that you are approaching it allwrong% Doing all you can to be at a safe
distance from what you cannot measure and
8uantify, what you call alternatie. And
you een persecute your own what's the
name of that fellow that was afraid to
publish his findings for two years for fear
of ridicule from his own peers and when hefinally did they gae him something called
the -obel pri7e% * know what you will say,
that all predictions fail, but remember
this, the day will come when eery one will
reali7e, science and spirituality go hand
in hand and that is when the real progress
will start. !oreoer, * will hae you know,the candles really help me rela and the
music makes meditation a lot easier, it's
true, it really does. ecause eerything
around us is ibration. *t's a wonderful
symphony of the unierse. ut you couldn't
hear it, not in your present condition,
mister scientist," she says trying to look
sad.
"Well, it has been proen that certain
fre8uencies will aid the brain in
meditation and to achiee altered states of
consciousness, for eample haing each ear
listen to specifically designed, different
fre8uencies at the same time will fool the
brain in registering a completely differentsound that can allegedly manipulate the
brainwaes, taking you through different
stages, een synchroni7ing the hemispheres.
0ne can influence the brainwae actiity in
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 32/281
such a manner as to get to the desired
state, from the eta waes of being
concentrated and alert to the dreamless
sleep state associated with the Deltabrainwaes. Hery helpful for treating
insomnia. They say ;instein was able to
sync both hemispheres at will, thus
thinking with his entire brain."
"Did you really hae to put it so boringly
technical% * suppose that is what happens
ut one thing is clear to me unfortunately:ou're definitely afraid of using more than
your left brain, it all comes down to logic
and problem soling, eerything structured
and ranked. Authoritatie and dominating.
The perfect traits for a miserable blood
shedding, iolent repressie society. Do
you know there are some Ama7onian tribesorgani7ed in an e8ual men6woman partnership
that do not hae in their ocabulary any
words for 'war'% *t is beyond their
understanding. *t is hard for them to
comprehend such a concept. (oon to be
etinct, no worries. All of them due to
ecessie deforestation. They lie in
harmony because they hae reached a
balance. An e8uilibrium between the two
brains. The left 'male' brain working with
the right 'female' brain that needs no
hierarchy, it uses hunches and instincts to
sole problems, spontaneous and fluid it
deals with similarities instead of
differences. That is why * don't agree withneither a patriarchal nor a matriarchal
society. The e8ual partnership between
them, that is the answer. That is what will
bring peace to the world. 0ne must neer
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 33/281
fall into etremes they are icious
creatures that will deour you. #oweer,
that, my dear, may take many lifetimes to
reach... Who knows how many times we repeatthe same mistakes how many times we come
back to the same things without learning
our lessons%“
"+ooks like *'m not the only one who can
get too technical at times. 0h, mother
your students must hae had some hard times
with you," he says smiling. * cannot decidewhich one is worse, being in one of your
classes or being your son. ut * know you
are right about eerything you $ust said
and * will always appreciate eery single
adice you gae me. :ou should lecture to
presidents and politicians."
":es. That would be well wasted time. Theyfall asleep on their own in their meetings
they don't need me," she laughs heartily."
>etting out of bed she walks to a wall
filled with photographs and her eyes stop
on a small framed old photo of a happy
young couple with a baby boy in their
arms." * wish your father was here, so we
can share these moments together."
"!other, please)" he said in hope of
stopping her train of thought. "* can see
where this is going."
"* know you always aoid talking about him
ut you'e kept the hurt in you for a lot
longer than needed. *t is time to let it
go, my son. 0therwise, it will eat you fromthe inside. * learned that rather late,
unfortunately. ut you know how they say,
better late than neer. #ate is poisonous
for the soul, and it gets stronger and
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 34/281
stronger as you hold it in. *f you choose
to hate, than that is what the world will
reflect back at you. -egatie thoughts will
create and attract more negatie thoughts.*t's a circle that feeds on itself and
grows continuously. Don't let it get the
best of you) 9orgieness is the attribute
of the strong and the final form of loe.
*'m not eactly sure who * $ust 8uoted now,
but you can be sure he was ery smart. 0r
maybe that's actually two 8uotes $umbled upin one sentence. Age and neuron connections
are not the best of friends, * guess.
-eertheless, ery smart people. The moment
you will forgie him a most terrible
burden will lift itself off your soul. :ou
cannot imagine the immense freedom you will
eperience when you will finally let go ofso much pain.
":eah, ecept that is a lot more difficult
to actually do than to speak about it. What
would happen if eeryone decided to $ust
split wheneer things got rough% =eople
can't $ust 8uit their responsibilities like
that. They can't)"
"Darling, * know how hard it was for you,
especially when growing up but why waste
precious energy with the past% *t's gone
and it's neer coming back) :ou must
understand there is a reason for absolutely
eerything that happens in this world. -o,
* cannot gie it to you know, * don't know
why he did what he did, but somehow * feelit was for a reason. ;en the bad things
that happen to us, *'m sure it's all for
the best. >od the unierse, conspires for
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 35/281
our well6being at eery step. We $ust can't
figure it all out, it's $ust too comple.
"We don't een know if he's still alie)"
#e shouts and sits down on the bed buryinghis face in his palms, whit a heay sigh.
"*t's $ust too difficult. * tried * tried
to not think of him as a coward, but *
can't. * can't do it, mother. 5an't pretend
all is good. The hardest person to lie to
is yourself, you know that. When you manage
it you will be happy)" #e says in a calmeroice. "That is how people get to a state
of happiness. They lie to themseles and
beliee it one hundred percent. Anything
less and it's gone. :our whole sham
collapses on your head. And please don't
talk to me about >od and well6being. A god
that uses pain for a teaching tool is soery far from the all loing perfection
that eeryone talks about. A more likely
eplanation for all the eils that happens
is simply that the unierse does not care
about anything. *t $ust is. A huge
conglomerate of randomness that we choose
to interpret as good or bad, right or
wrong. (imply put, complete chaos from
witch our brains struggle to find meaning,
patterns and organi7ation.
"ut maybe this is the only way for us to
reach #im," she says with a gentle oice,
"the fastest way being to eperience pain
$ust as #e did."
"Well in that case, considering the amountof pain * would say we're on the right
path, then)" he waes his arms aboe his
head with a hint of despair.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 36/281
And you speak about something taking many
lies to master. #ae you any solid proof
that human consciousness is not the mere
result of the chemical actions inside ourbrains% Any proof that when the brain dies,
our eistence continues% -othingness,
obliion, $ust total black6out. !uch like
when you pass out. -o awareness of any
kind. * beliee that when people will come
to accept this fact, life will be treasured
accordingly and less time will be spent onutterly pointless things. (ure it's a nice
thought to wake up too, but * see it as
fake comfort. We shouldn't need this
immortal soul idea to be good humans. We
should not use it as an ecuse either.
;n$oy the time while you're here to learn
as much as you can and lie the best lifepossible while not harming others. (imple."
"ut at the same time surely you can
appreciate the difficulty of one liing
without this, let's say, hope. +iing
without a purpose. That is something the
human condition $ust cannot oercome. And
no no proof from the point of iew of
science, otherwise, uneplained phenomena
as you tend to refer to it are documented
by the thousands eerywhere in the world.
:oung children remembering details from
their past life that they couldn't possibly
known about in any other way >hosts,
poltergeists, psychics with all sorts of
abilities, out of body eperiences and somany more eamples "
"!ost of them are proen to be fakes,
mother. :ou know how people go out of their
way to be known, famous and acknowledged,
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 37/281
$ust to satisfy their anity and waste
other people's time."
"And what about the cases that no one can
disproe% 9or those that absolutely no onecan eplain how they did it. *n etremely
rigorous and controlled conditions,
obsered by tens of people from different
areas of epertise."
"-ot eplained yet, mother, not eplained
yet." #e says ery confident.
"(kepticism is healthy most of the time butyou sure make it annoying)" she says,
shaking her head and pauses to regain some
patience.
"!y dear boy, you don't isit me often but
when you do, we sure make up for the lost
time with our discussions. * en$oy them
ery much. Hery stimulating for my rustymind. And if we should agree about
eerything, then it would surely get ery
boring. Thank you for taking this time to
be here. *t means a lot to me. =lease know
* am ery proud of you and eerything you
hae accomplished and * loe you dearly)
=romise me you will listen to your heart
and trust your inner feelings, een if they
sound cra7y sometimes, but listen to them,
that is your soul speaking to you and mine
and the souls of eeryone you hae eer
known. The unierse is a unity beyond words
that most of us do not see. Always know the
mediator between hands and mind must be the
heart."":ou sound like we're neer going to see
each other again"
"-eer is a long time * don't think it
will be that long," she says with a loing
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 38/281
smile. “The most incredible and unlikely
things happen, een if it takes longer than
the life of the unierse)"
"(poken like a true physicist) There ishope $ust yet," he smiles at her.
":es eating my way through books like a
worm half of my life and hiding away from
the real world in libraries most likely did
that to me. :ou know what's the worst thing
a parent can see his children doing% The
same mistakes" she says lowering her head."Don't worry about that. * hae so little
time for reading now that * reduced this
actiity to three, maybe four hours he
says with a straight face. “=er day)" adds
with a huge grin.
"0h, rad The time when you'll hae the
same discussion with your children might becloser than you think, and then you shall
understand my grief."
"This is what * feel right now * need to
know *t's like a hunger that you $ust
can't abate no matter how much you eat.
This is what * need to do now. * am too
close to the breakthrough for which *
worked all my life. * can't allow myself to
fail because of some small detail *
missed"
"*n some old man driels from a dusty
forgotten out of print book%/ (he asks.
"=recisely there) * can see from this
discussion that old people hae much to
share, and if the ones that left theirthoughts in books are half the person you
are now than it was worth it, all that time
spent reading)"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 39/281
":ou could always talk your way out of a
tight corner, young man. The hermit
charmer it's a shame a damn shame."
"* hae tons of colleagues at work,especially females, how does that make me a
hermit%"
"Do any of them cook you breakfast in the
morning or kiss you goodnight%"
"Well"
"The you are e hermit, case closed." (he
pretends to be ery upset and looks away ina childish manner.
"* will admit though, and *'m sure you'll
en$oy hearing this the books that * got
the most insight out of and the most
aluable information from hae kind of
fell into my lap. :ou know% Just stumbled
on them by mistake.""!istake, of course. A good word for
dismissing something like this. 5an also be
replaced by coincidence or sometimes
synchronicity. Absolutely nothing to do
with the whole unierse conspiring to help
you, responding to you thoughts and
desires. Arranging things so that you can
follow the path you choose. That is eactly
what prayer is nothing but concentrated
thought. That is where incredible power
lies, our thoughts, we influence eerything
around us and don't een reali7e it. Do you
know that if een as less as one percent of
the people of a city gather up and pray for
a few hours a day, crime rates dropsignificantly% Just by sending out
concentrated thought."
"=rayer groups that certainly is one way
to spend time an ecuse to sociali7e *
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 40/281
guess The trouble as * see it, is that
they only pray and do nothing else to
actually help lower the crime rates, could
prayer be $ust another form of aoidingresponsibility and feeling good about it%
0r do the crime rates go down because they
were inside, praying, and thus aoiding
getting mugged or killed somewhere
outside%"
"These discussions stimulate the few la7y
neurons * hae left, but they can surebring out that common emotional response to
opposition 9rustration)" (he says while
gesturing her hands in a demanding manner.
"=lease, there is no need to get upset,
that's not good for you, and you said it
yourself."
"*'m calm, *'m calm but you always hae ananswer to eerything * say. Always an
eplanation or some kind of theory."
"*t is better to debate a 8uestion without
settling it than to settle a 8uestion
without debating it." #e responds smiling,
delighted to hae won another small
ictory.
":es, you're too proud to leae anything
unsettled. eware the treacherous feeling
of pride. *t can keep you too busy looking
down on things, while missing what's
aboe."
"* don't know if pride is the word * would
use maybe stubbornness% 0r perfectionism%
#ow about""#ow about oer thinking% (he interrupts.
Always oer analy7ing eerything. Analysis
paralysis, * beliee is the technical term.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 41/281
(ounds about right to me What do you
think%"
"* think you might be right on the money
with this one. 0ccam's ra7or was neersharp enough for me... * prefer shaing
with the best blades possible."
":es, the type that cut deep" (he said,
almost with a resigned oice.
"*'m sorry, mother, * reali7e * can be
difficult at times" he apologi7es with a
sigh."At times% :ou mean at all times, do you
not% :ou were born difficult. Bnowing this,
it's easy to see why you're still alone
The amount of patience re8uired to deal
with you on a daily basis is astronomical.
And if there really is someone like that
out there for you she will hae her handsfull. * would hae definitely liked to meet
such a brae soul."
"And you will) There's still time," #e
tries to show more optimism.
":ou could sure use more of that more
positie thinking. The lack of it has
certainly kept you back, plenty of times,
too."
"And it's not $ust you. A simple smile can
affect countless lies. *t brings people
closer and is a tiny bit of happiness. 0ne
simple smile, to some girl you walk by on
the street, can spread to all the people
she meets later in the day. (he tells her
friends at work and those friends telltheir friends about the stranger that
smiled, and they talk about it smiling and
sending more positie thoughts. *t's
contagious and it can make a world of
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 42/281
difference. *f you could $ust take that
one6second break, from your compulsie
rumination and change the cold appearance
of your face to a smile. That's all ittakes."
"* guess that makes sense but what if the
eact opposite happens and my smile is
interpreted wrongly harassment, stalking,
maybe% #ow will that affect eeryone%"
"This cautious nature of yours can easily
degenerate into paranoia, you know And ifyou keep putting the worst in front, if you
keep thinking about it, the more chances to
actually attract it and make it manifest.
Thought creates, remember. :ou cannot fear
eerything out there. *t will keep you weak
and powerless."
(he takes a deep breath and speaks with newfound strength while staring into his eyes,
"you use your mind as a fortress the last
resort, the last defense against all kinds
of made up dangers. :ou try to shield
yourself from hurt and pain and any
possible attack from the outside world so
bad that you hae come to deny it almost
completely. Cnfortunately, it works both
ways. :ou not only preent anything
breaching it, but also nothing eer escapes
its walls. :ou hae been this way eer
since your father left us. :ou shut in
allowed access only to a handful of
priileged ones, and those too limited by
strict rules. When outside, you hide behindyour intelligence and use sarcasm to keep
people at a safe distance."
"Wow)" * neer thought of it this way
before, he says resigned. * think * $ust
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 43/281
heard the best character analysis * could
hope for. 9or free, at least. * can't but
agree with you on this one. ut who isn't
haunted by childhood traumas, mother, whoisn't damaged in at least some small way%"
":es, but those damages what if they are
eactly the lessons we need to learn in
order to adance to grow%"
"* don't know it's hard for me to see it
like that. The most important conditioning
in humans takes place at an age that doesnot allow any kind of choice or enough
reason to understand or fight. 5onsidering
it's for life, then not much fairness out
there, wouldn't you say%"
":ou're better than your conditioning, that
is the point *'m trying to make. When
you'll be oer it the first thing to cometo your mind will be why did * carry this
heay burden for so long%"
"* hope you're right * really do."
":ou know *'m right, you know it deep down
in that place from where you get the
occasional hunch that you 8uickly smother
away."
"(ome get to lie sometimes," he says with
an amused oice, trying to aoid a direct
answer.
":ou hae a choice, you always hae a
choice, you can make it better or you can
make it worse, you alone by your own free
will."
"9ree will% * don't know about that one.!other, from my eperience until now *
would conclude eactly the opposite is
going on. *t is so hard for me to beliee
in fate. That eerything is already written
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 44/281
and you cannot, in any way escape your
destiny. ut looking around * see all kinds
of proof that sustains precisely this. *t's
cra7y but sometimes it really seems likeall the world's a stage and the director
of the play is a full time resident of the
asylum for the criminally insane. With
puppets for actors (ad little puppets that
can't een see the strings on which they
dangle pointlessly, on and on, day after
day liing under the false impression thatthey matter. At least that is how * feel
when *'m completely hopeless./
"That is crushingly nihilistic, een from
you."
"!aybe it only appears that way to our
primitie minds. !aybe the leel of our
comprehension $ust doesn't allow us to seedeeper in the nature of things :ou can't
let depression get you"
"* am so desperate for answers, proof of
any kind. At this point, * will take
anything *'m so tired of so many half
truths, so many empty words coming from all
sides"
"* don't think anyone has the ultimate
truth *f you come right down to it, most
probably no one knows anything, really.
Teachers will teach, prophets will
prophesi7e, analysts will analy7e and all
of them will predict. And most if not all
predictions fail. * beliee if there's any
real truth, any meaning to anything, theonly way to find it is if you turn inward,
look inside yourself. *f not the ultimate
truth then at least the truth you need, the
truth that will keep you floating and get
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 45/281
you trough another day. !ost accepted
truths are $ust speculations that held and
were not challenged but are useful
neertheless, at least temporary if any ofthem proide some form of comfort to
people./
":eah, comfort proided by lies"
"*t's a rough term, but what if someone, in
the comfort of a, lets call it personal
truth, is able to function productiely for
him and his peers% What if he can lead agood healthy life and do no harm to
anyone%"
"* still couldn't lie like that *t's $ust
not me. * need to know. * need to know
more. The thought that * know so little is
driing me insane)" he finishes with his
fist bashing his knee."Darling, * think you're being too hard on
yourself. :ou know more now, and hae
learned more than some people will in ten
lies. *n addition, you still hae plenty
of time left. *magine your knowledge in
twenty years from now. :ou will think back
and won't beliee how much you'e changed.
#ow much you hae eoled. ;en from year
to year the difference in staggering. e
patient and the answers will come. The most
burning 8uestions will be answered. *
guarantee it. :ou'll find out eactly what
you need to know, een if it won't be good
enough for the others." The continuous and
loing smile on his mother's face does notfade after she finishes talking.
":ou hae a way with encouraging words,
mom, *'ll gie you that. * ery much
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 46/281
appreciate all your effort. Eest assured
it's not in ain."
"0h, * know that, dear) *t can't be in
ain, for you see nothing is in ain. -otthe fact that you're here right now, and
not een one word we said to each other.
:ou will see, * promise. (omeday you will
obsere how beautifully eerything falls
into place. And another thing you should
consider a lot of people say it but the
young rarely understand" (he gies him amysterious look and says, "The $ourney is
more important than the destination."
"And you neer wanted to skip a few miles
now and then% Jump directly to the finish
line%" #e replies feeling $ustified.
"0f course, $ust like eerybody else. ut
life has its way of dealing with those whoprefer shortcuts. *t usually throws them on
a whole bunch of detours that will make the
$ourney een longer. And een those
additional shortcuts, they're still part of
the $ourney for the same destination, maybe
loaded with een more trials that will make
you stronger and stronger proided they
don't kill you, of course."
":es, but * don't want to become all
powerful, you see"
"* knew you were going to say $ust that. (o
typical of you and the young in general.
Think of it this way, if life gae people
all the brakes they wanted, when they want
them, how much longer would their $ourneytake% 9oreer% A bit late, if you ask me."
":ou make a good point, can't argue with
that. ut it still bakes a pretty big
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 47/281
8uestion Why take on the $ourney in the
first place%"
"That, my boy, you'll find out when you
reach your destination," she grins andsends him a wink.
">reat so now we're back where we started.
>oing round and round in circles
wonderful"
"*t's fun, admit it) The thrill of the
search, eerybody loes it, few admit it.
:ou're glad to be alie now and youwouldn't hae it any other way. :ou know
how they all say they were born too early
or too late% -onsense) * say they were born
eactly at the right time, not a second too
soon and not a second too late. And in
their hearts they know it)"
"5ould be but * still say * was born two,maybe three hundred years too soon. 0r at
least that's how long * think we still hae
to go to reach the society * enision."
":es, but by being born now, you will help
build the foundation for that society, that
is what you're doing now, are you not%"
"Again strong point" he admits a bit
frustrated. "* wish * could see it your
way."
"And you will) :ou hae the knowledge but
not yet the wisdom. That comes with age, at
least for a few of us."
"-ot enough, that's for sure. Bnowledge
without wisdom (omehow that reminds me of
two ery unfortunate cities in Japan. 5ouldit be, mother%/ #e becomes startled all of
a sudden, could it be mankind isn't ready
to deal with it yet% What if we're still
completely unprepared to lie without war,
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 48/281
poerty, disease the utter misery eeryone
seems to en$oy% What if they get it all
wrong again and turn the result of my work
into eactly the opposite of what * mean itto be% *t certainly won't be the first
time) * can't beliee * haen't thought of
this before, it's unlikely of me to not
consider the worst before een starting on
something."
"Darling, you can't lose hope, not now,"
she tries to calm him with a reassuringoice.
"We'e been slaughtering each other for
millennia) There is absolutely no reason to
think we'll stop doing that now suddenly
$ust because some obscure oer thinking
nerd comes up with an alternatie to
cutting down our forests and burning theones that got fossili7ed, for energy,/he
says looking hopeless and feeling his palms
sweaty.
"(hort bursts of aniety and grim
predictions due to temporary loss of hope
and trust in himself. -ow * know the
goernment has not replaced you with a
clone, brainwashed for industrial spying
and the sorts. :ou're my son alright,/ she
smiles confident that rad's mood will pass
soon. “:ou cannot let yourself be
discouraged that easily. True, no isionary
eer had it smooth remember the three
usual steps a radical idea goes through.
9irst it encounters ridicule, from theclosed minded folk. (econdly, it's opposed
iolently due to fear of haing to change
the accepted models of its time and finally
comes the full acceptance."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 49/281
":eah, that is if the idea man isn't burnt
at the stake before he gets a chance to
spread it."
"Well luckily in our times they can't dothat anymore, all they can do is discredit
people and ruin their carriers. !ake them
appear as fools in the scientific
community's eyes."
"9or some, that's not ery far from a
public eecution."
"!aybe so, but let's aoid focusing onnegatie things, agreed% #ow about you tell
me what to wear at the (tockholm ceremony%"
"!other, that's not eactly my worry right
now. esides, we both know there's plenty
of great candidates out there, * doubt they
will take notice of me, een if my
eperiment succeeds. Also, eerybody cansee how political the pri7es hae become."
"Wrong answer, mister. :ou were supposed to
say anything, as long it was een remotely
connected to an elegant dress and my best
$ewelry."
"That's eactly what * meant, it $ust came
out wrong,/ he says to her, ery serious
but both burst into laughter at the same
time.
"Weird sense of humor, $ust like your dad,"
she reminisces with her eyes on the floor.
":eah, funny guy, and that practical $oke
that inoled his disappearance hilarious)
Although that sounds more like a bad magic
act not sure" he ironically scratches hischin.
"0h, stop it, you)/ The usual interruption
comes. +et us not reisit that one, we
talked about it already. * was hoping you
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 50/281
were actually listening, which you were
not, apparently."
"* didn't miss a word, * promise) 5ome on,
you can't deny that was funny. What elsecan * do now, but make fun of the whole
thing%" #e asks with an already improed
state of mind.
"(o it's true. +aughter really is medicine
* guess that is the first step towards
forgieness. Joking about it"
"5ould ery well be, mother.""(ee% -ow this is the spirit you should be
haing all the time) *mpossible not to
bring you anything but good fortune, *
guarantee it)"
"And good fortune * shall re8uire plenty,
to say the least, these net few weeks."
":ou hae my full support with absolutelyanything you put your mind to, dear. And
now that we set the world straight, why
don't you go home, forget about eerything,
and get yourself a good night sleep, the
kind you wake up completely rested after,
and the kind with no dreams. :ou sure look
like you need it."
"-o dreams that * definitely need. ;ight
hours of uninterrupted non rapid eye
moement sleep can work wonders but that is
a rare creature * rarely get to catch a
glimpse of."
"A common symptom among obsessie
compulsie thinkers * beliee,/ she says
$okingly. -ow go and leae your mother be,got to replenish all the energy * $ust used
to keep up with you." (he stops him before
reaching the door and takes him by the
hands.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 51/281
"!y dear child, please know that * will
foreer be with you, * will watch oer your
well being, no matter where you are or what
you do. -eer lose confidence and hope.And ery important, follow your instinct
don't suppress it. *t will guide you
towards your destination. We will meet
again soon my son, she says with tears
forming in her eyes, "* loe you so ery
much)"
"* loe you too mother thank you foreerything. :ou did well, * could not hae
asked for a better parent. * will make you
proud mother, * promise," and he leaes,
wondering where those last words came from.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 52/281
I
"* don't think anyone is allowed inside,please, let's go back home."
"5ome one, no one will know. Just for a few
minutes. *t's not like anyone is guarding
it. Just two minutes, * promise. Where is
the harm in that%/ #e asks her ery
impatiently."
"* don't want us to get into any trouble,please) esides, what can possibly be so
interesting% *'m sure you'e already seen
it all."
"That is so you, to find such things
uninteresting. +et's go, come on)" #e pulls
her hands and they get in the 9lyer.
":ou always do this to me, you neer listento what * want, it's always about you," she
yells at him as they slide through the air,
closing in on the pyramid.
"When we get back, *'ll assist you with
your eperiments, * promise) #e replies
without looking back at her."
":ou're such a liar, you always get bored
after $ust fie minutes and disappear
before * hae a chance to say something."
"That will change, * promise," he says,
eyes locked on the glistening top of the
pyramid.
#e shouts oer his shoulder while preparing
to descend for landing, "hold on, we're
almost there)"The walls of the pyramid become a
transparent light blue and he sees her
outside, crying but he is not able to make
up what she is trying to say. #e feels the
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 53/281
ground starting to shake and sees the sky
turning black and a large swirl of dark
clouds forming around the energy beam that
shoots out from the tip of the pyramid. Thetremors become stronger. #e loses his
balance and falls to the ground. 5old
chills of terror run down his spine as he
gets up. #e goes to the translucent wall to
try to get out but it is rock solid. (he
disappears as he is bashing his fists on
the wall. #e tries to scream for her but nowords come out. #e is mute, completely
powerless. #e takes a step back from the
wall. #e is paraly7ed, cannot moe any
farther. *n the distant hori7on enormous
thunderbolts light up the sky for brief
moments, $ust enough for him to see the
towers of the city fall on by one,crumbling into to a black abyss. A giant
wall of water engulfs the remains of the
city and is hurtling towards him with
deafening noise at an incredible speed. *t
hits him.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 54/281
"The neighbors found her. (he was lying in
bed with a smile on her face, they say. *'msorry, rad. *t was painless. ;asy "
"* still can't beliee it (he didn't seem
sick or anything, $ust a bit tired. We had
a long conersation, there was nothing out
of the ordinary nothing she was her usual
self, happy cheerful."
"* don't think there was anything tonotice she passed naturally old age,
nothing else."
"* "
"5an * get you anything, a coffee tea
maybe%" The doctor asks rad, trying to
take his mind off things."
"-o, don't worry about it, *'m fine, thankyou."
":ou sure% :ou look rather tired. 5an't
sleep%"
"*s it that obious%/ rad stops rubbing
his face with both hands and asks.
"* hae a medical degree, it's my $ob to
know this kind of things, he points to a
wall filled with diplomas. +et me guess.
Also mood swings, poor concentration
depression%"
"* think so *'m not sure it's"
"*t's $ust a mild case of insomnia, *'m
sure. A lot of stress at work% -othing a
nice acation away from your $ob and the
city won't fi. -ormally, any other doctorwill $ust write you a nice prescription of
antidepressants and who knows what else,
but * prefer to aoid heaily medicating
people unless absolutely necessary. Wait) *
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 55/281
know what you need," and he goes to a
wooden locker opposite of the wall with the
framed diplomas, unlocks it and takes out a
greenish bottle with a wooden cork."!y faorite single malt) (cottish, smoked,
twenty fie years old) #e says proudly,
handing him a glass. * refuse anything
lesser./
"Wow, that sounds epensie./
"And strong," the doctor adds.
"* must plead ignorance on the sub$ect, *'mafraid. -ot a connoisseur. :ou're sure we
won't get you in trouble with this%"
"-onsense) *t's my office isn't it% !y
personal sanctuary away from all those
white coats with stethoscopes hanging
uselessly around their necks, out there.
0ne of the few $oys * hae left in my oldage, and one of the few perks of being a
doctor for so many years although
sometimes it can be a curse being a man of
fine taste, * mean * had to wait in a huge
8ueue to hae a case of this whiskey sent
to me from the other side of the planet."
"(o you weren't kidding about the strong
part," rad says after feeling his throat
burn from the first sip.
"* only kid when *'m supposed to be
serious)" #e stirs his glass to release
more peat flaor and laughs.
":ou know, * think we hae more in common
than one might think. * run around all day
trying to aoid white coats, too.""And we're both doctors, aren't we% At
least you are, right%" #e lifts his
shoulders and points to rad, bursting in
laughter. We got to do what we got to do,
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 56/281
right% (ome one has to unfortunately." #e
putts his big round nose inside the glass
for another sniff.
"5ould * get another refill, please%/ radasks with a face like he had $ust swallowed
battery acid.
"Absolutely, kid, here you go)/ #e pours
another round and says, "it's good for you,
it will help you rela. Alcohol opens up
your capillaries, that's why you feel warm
and relaed. As long as you do not abuse itof course. ;en snake poison is good for us
in certain 8uantities. >oes for eerything
else, too. The right amount of anything
will do wonders./
"-ot the abusie kind Doc, you know me"
"(ure * do. een your family doctor for how
long now% Thirty years%""* don't know, but definitely a hell of a
lot longer than my father has been around,
that's for sure."
"(till no word from the old rascal, huh%
Well he must hae had his reasons"
"That's what eerybody keeps telling me"
he relaes een more in the sofa.
"* know it hit you pretty hard the death
of your mother een though one might not
say that from a first impression. Don't
fight the pain, release it) ;press it. *t
will bubble up inside and it's going to
burst, so better sooner than later. (maller
bubble, lesser bang. -ow * know * can
appear to sound a bit cold at times butwithout this protectie screen, there is no
way * could hae been doing what * do for
so long. ;mpathy and doctoring do not go
hand in hand ery well. *'e seen young
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 57/281
doctors crack after $ust a couple months of
0E time. (ome 8uit right away. (ome pick up
a bottle or two at night to forget all the
faces they gae bad news to, that dayThat's why most people get the idea that us
doctors are stone hearted people. That's
not true of course, we became doctors
because we care and want to help. ut
getting close and personal to your
patients, getting too inoled emotionally
That will make it a lot harder for you tofunction properly after the diagnosis, for
eample. *t's a lot easier on your soul to
tell some poor guy he has si months left
if he's lucky, if you don't know his kids
names or things like that, you know what *
mean%"
"* completely understand that and admireyour courage. :ou're among the ones that
made it."
"* hae my breakdowns also, $ust like
eeryone. ut they hae grown scarce now.
Csed to cry like a baby, you know. -ot
ashamed to admit it. 5rying is good.
Eeleases a lot of steam. :ou should try it,
especially nowadays."
"*'m thirty two years old and * can
honestly say * can't remember crying. At
least not after my dad split. * probably
can't do it een if * try."
"9igures. :ou became the man of the family.
:ou had to be strong, to be able to take
care of your mother. :ou could not show anysigns of weakness, and you suppressed
eerything. Therefore, you carry a lot of
emotional baggage. The eolutionary purpose
of crying is still open to debate, but *
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 58/281
can tell you from eperience, it makes for
a damn fine pressure release ale. And you
won't be thirty two for long, right% -ot a
good idea to do it in public though. Whileit's socially acceptable for children and
women, grown men crying that's not a good
public relations moe."
":ou can be sure *'ll book some closet time
when * feel oeremotional," he says putting
the empty tumbler on the small glass table
to his right. A longer pause and the doctorstarts another sentence with his look lost
in long forgotten times, "suffering in
silence. -et comes resignation. They're
both classic symptoms of the '* can't deal
with this psychopathic enironment
syndrome.' That's how *'e come to call
human cities. =sychopathic enironments.-umbers proided better security to
primitie man. They had to come together,
to cooperate in order to surie. The
smaller the tribe, the smaller the chances
to stay alie, to not stare to death you
know. The mammoth hunt would most probably
end in no catch and one or two less men to
proide food for the family. (o it $oined
other families, and when they formed a
tribe, that tribe $oined other tribes.
That's how we got to hae big cities. The
way * see it now is the bigger the city,
the smaller the chances of the indiidual
to stay alie let alone mentally and
physically healthy. We are social creaturesbut too much of anything is also bad."
"*'e neer been the social type, so * know
eactly what you mean."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 59/281
"And a lot more people than you think
aren't, as well. They $ust hide it behind a
well deeloped eil of hypocrisy. They hae
to, in order to surie in the city, to beaccepted. (ure, some actually en$oy it.
They somehow thrie on it. * see it best at
the conferences * am forced to attend to
and often make long propagandistic speeches
about the all new wonderful drugs $ust
released by the pharmaceutical companies
that lobby our hospital. y new andwonderful * mean a ery slightly modified
ersion of the old drugs, now with a
different name, packaging and price of
course. * get the best place in the house
to obsere the sea of fake smiles. !akes me
want to forcibly induce regurgitation when
* think about it,/ the old physician endsthe last sentence with pronounced disgust.
"ig similarities between us, * see. We
hae to present our pro$ects in such a
light that the potential inestor will be
coninced he is funding a gold mine of
patents. Without their funding there's no
research. Without research there's no work
for the likes of me. And * can't $ust start
my own hundred million dollar scientific
laboratory in the tool shed."
":es, it's a icious circle that feeds on
itself."
"* should get going, Doc... Don't want to
waste your time," he says thinking of all
the work he still has to do."=lease) :ou're enriching my time, not
wasting it. * often get dismissed as being
insane when *'m talking to some one. The
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 60/281
$oy of being comprehended brings much
delight to my soul."
"Thank you, *'ll take that as a
compliment.""As long as the system will be based on
worthless pieces of printed paper," he
continues, "there will neer be a truly
e8ual society. A health system based on
money dictates who gets surgery and who
doesn't. *t dictates who gets to lie and
who gets to die *t decides how manyseered fingers get to be stitched back. *t
is completely obliious to the fact that
eerybody disseres a chance. *nsurance
companies don't see a hard working mother
of three that will die if she doesn't get a
lier transplant soon. -o, all they see is
an asset about to claim the policy she'sbeen paying for all her life and that's
eactly what they fight relentlessly to
aoid. They don't see people with families
and lies about to be destroyed. They see
liabilities and potential risks in a
colorful chart. When they won't insure
someone due to their haing had a bad case
of the flu in their medical records, they
don't call it a pending death sentence,
they call it a failed ealuation. * ordered
so many !E*Ks and so many 5AT scans without
the administration's approal * can't een
remember. Do you know how many times * had
to speak the words '*'m sorry, but your
insurance doesn't coer it%' 0r worse, 'thehospital can't gie you this test for free,
you hae to be insured, otherwise *t will
cost you I months worth of your salary%'
Trust me when * say it's hard to lie with
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 61/281
yourself after something like that and * am
forced to do it eery second day. Wheneer
you think you hae it hard, * guarantee
there's someone out there that has it a lotharder. The trouble with that is almost
eeryone has it hard. (o imagine the kind
of world we lie in without getting angry."
After some pondering rad $oins the
conersation. "We each hae our personal
struggles, our inner battles. *t's hard for
people to fully understand the magnitudebefore they themseles hae been through
those struggles. !aybe that's why the ones
who hae it all don't acknowledge such
things. * guess the richer you are, the
farther away you get from comprehending
such matters. (ome big shot 5;0 who was
neer hungry in his life not only won'tknow how many people die of malnutrition
eery day, but he probably won't een
beliee that could still happen. And if it
does, then it's somewhere far, far away. (o
far and rare that it's not worth taking it
into account."
":ou speak the truth my young friend. The
kind of truth that nobody wants to hear,
unfortunately for us all. The personal
comfort 7one. =eople will defend it
fiercely. The smaller someone's comfort
7one is, the more belligerent he will be to
protect it. (adly, * see smaller and
smaller eery day. 9ear makes a perfect
tool for shrinking them. *gnorance andfear, and there you go. The perfect recipe
for controlling and influencing the
masses."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 62/281
"Doesn't take a lot to stir the masses
which eer way they need, does it%"
"-o sir, it doesn't. A lot less than you
might think, in any case."":ou know what's the worst thing to be
aware off in this world% At least for me
to know with the utmost coniction that we
hae the possibility to change eerything
oernight basically, to see that eery day
and to accept you're powerless to instill
that thought into people."#aing listened ery carefully to eery
word rad said, the doctor nods lightly and
from under a faint smile, he replies to his
guest, ":ou know *t's a damn shame of what
had to happen to get us to meet today.
There is a ery promising light in your
eyes. * can see it now, * neer fail torecogni7e it. * seldom find it in people,
anymore. Whateer you put your mind to,
don't eer gie up. :ou hae too much to
offer to be discouraged. :ou owe it to
humanity and to all the future generations
that will try to make something of this
earth."
"9unny, again, something that people keep
telling me lately," he says saddening and
thinking of his mother.
"Think of it this way maybe it's eactly
what you need to hear," he gestures with
both hands in a 'oila' fashion.
"Well what you're telling me * didn't
think it was that bad""*t's all that and much worse kid, trust
me. 0nly when you're inside a system for a
while, only then you'll get to look closely
at its inner workings. =eople outside of it
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 63/281
haen't got a clue and they generally don't
take your word for it. They can't beliee
it when you start describing. That goes for
eery institution, for eery industry outthere. !any apparently connected
compartments, none of which has any idea of
how the net one functions."
rad thinks for a minute and before he can
say something, the doctor speaks again, "*
know what you're thinking what am * doing
here with this nut case," and smiles."-o, not at all, it's $ust that it's a bit
hard to take it all in. :ou seem to hae a
ery good iew of the big picture"
":es, sity si years of life will do that
to you."
"(ome wouldn't get it een if they had fie
times that age.""* would say some would neer eer get it,
but that sounds too pessimistic."
"(ome don't want to get it, you know% ut
can we really blame them% eing ignorant to
this kind of things saes them from a lot
of frustration. *gnorance is the best
defense of a weak mind."
"!ight be, but would you rather be among
the few ones that are awake rather than
among all the sleep walkers on the way to
the edge of the cliff%"
">ood point. ut what difference can a
handful of us do in the rier of sleep
walkers% 5an we really change its course%
+et's be realistic. They're not walkinganymore, they're now running towards the
bottomless pit fall."
"!aybe the fall is eactly what we all
need. =art of our lessons."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 64/281
":eah, the final lesson," he cynically
adds.
"* don't think anything out there is really
final. *t's all about cycles, eerywhereyou look. 0ne thing ends, another one
starts. -othing is eer completely lost,
only transformed."
"That's one way to see it. ut it's been a
long time since * had any true conictions.
+ost all of them gradually, as * learned
more and more, as * discoered things. *doubt eerything now."
"While that's not a bad approach, you might
be missing some things because of it."
"* don't know anymore 5onfusion =lenty of
confusion."
"5ome on, let's change the sub$ect a bit.
Tell me more about your work. What madscientist eperiments are you running these
days% Csed to be a technology freak myself,
but gae up on it. (oulless machines don't
cut it for me."
"(oulless indeed, but ery helpful. * see
technology as the last real hope for man
kind. Think about it, there's no need for
us to do any manual labor at all. We can
hae huge robot factories producing
eerything we need. 9rom food to clothes to
our houses and een replacement organs for
our bodies, why not% We can build robot
surgeons to eliminate human error from the
operating room... no offense,/ he grins and
continues after the doctor gestures 'nonetaken,' we can build speciali7ed robots for
almost anything. Eobert #einlein said
speciali7ation is for insects. * say it is
for machines. (peciali7e them for the
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 65/281
repetitie, boring, inhumane, mind numbing
and intellect atrophying tasks. They need
not be forced on humans anymore. Those
things are eactly what robots like to doand they do it flawlessly, non stop if
needed. We would not need to work for them
or with them, they would work for us,
happily, without strikes or any kind of
demands besides they're energy
re8uirements. This brings me to the point *
am trying to make. The only thing stoppingmankind from taking this step toward true
freedom of the mind and body is the current
energy crisis. That is what *'m trying to
fi with my work. *'m sorry but that's
about all * can discuss outside the lab
without breaking a ton of rules and
confidentiality contracts.""* understand. -o worries. *t's still a
ery interesting dialogue. =lease let's
continue on this line. :ou say all work can
be put on robots backs. That would mean the
entire population will be unemployed."
"* prefer the term 'free' as opposed to
unemployed. !ost people who are employed
are not happy about it and almost all are
seriously limited by the repetitie work
they hae to do daily. That is a gross
misallocation of resources if you ask me.
ecause in the end, the real wealth of the
world is not made up of some papers in a
bank ault or other irreleant things of
the sort. What if one day we wake up andfind the entire world's money, bonds and
shares gone. Just anished into thin air.
Will it mean we're all poor and we're going
to stare because the world has $ust lost
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 66/281
all its wealth% -o. 0ur real wealth is
intelligence brain power and all the
natural resources we waste due to the
misuse of our brain power. Think about it.The ideas we can come up with if we come
together with a common goal, * guarantee
it, can get us out of anything. We could
find solutions to all our problems. -othing
is impossible. ut returning to the point,
unemployment does not necessary mean bad
news. *t's a ery positie thing,eerything we need being proided by
machines frees up all those brains to
tackle the biggest problems of our time."
"0B, but what about the machines% They will
need maintenance will they not% (ome one
will still hae to do some repetitie and
boring tasks to sustain the artificialworkforce. #ow will you conince someone to
take some time off his newly found freedom
to mend the robotic needs%"
"-ot necessarily conince them. There are
plenty of people out there who would
happily make it a hobby, maintaining the
machines. Holunteers. And when one gets
bored or $ust doesn't want to do it
anymore, some one else will take his place.
-o punishments, no negatie stimulation
like it's being done now. Eotation
eerybody wins, eerybody is happy. Also,
as technology improes which is absolutely
ineitable by the way, the machines will
fi and replicate themseles, almostcompletely remoing us from the e8uation."
"That almost sounds plausible," the doctor
says still trying to imagine it.
"Almost%/ rad asks a bit startled.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 67/281
"Well, * say almost because well, it $ust
seems there's a long way to go, still.
We're not eactly famous for mass mentality
change, you know what * mean% Take foreample drug research. The hospital could
neer engage in it due to lack of funds of
course, so some hospitals, the ones that
can afford it hae to team up with
uniersities and start special programs
through which they ask for people around
the globe to donate computing power forprotein simulations and the such. ecause
of course, there is no way they can book
processing time on the really big super
computers out there that are too busy
simulating nuclear eplosions and military
eercises. (o they ask regular people, to
crunch numbers for them. A handsome fewolunteer for it but still far from enough
to get results faster. *t takes years for
the first phase of any gien pro$ect. :ears
to accumulate sufficient data to hae a
starting place for an actual breakthrough."
"*ndeed. * am familiar with that. We're
lucky enough to hae our own super
computer. *t ranked thirteenth in the world
when it first booted up. -ow, after fie
years it's probably sitieth. !aybe lower.
ut that's a good thing. *t means
technology is adancing and we hae more
computing power at our disposal. ;en
though as we speak, still misused."
"A mind like yours cannot afford to bepessimistic or depressed," the doctor says
ery enthusiastic after catching the
glimpse of optimism from his young guest.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 68/281
“:ou would be depriing the world of so
much./
"* don't think a mind like mine can
function without the usual dose ofdepression. And so far * don't think *
offered much of anything to the world."
"* can recogni7e a isionary anytime, and *
think *'m talking to one right now."
"-o need for flattering, * don't desere
it. And we'll see how isionary * am in a
couple of years, maybe.""!odesty also. -ow * am coninced you hae
the right stuff, kid."
"Thanks for the support. * wish * had this
kind of encouraging in school, also."
"(chool. Well, you see, that's another
matter, completely. * myself hae neer let
my schooling interfere with my education,"he grins.
"!ark Twain."
";actly right. :ou see (chool is not
eerything. ;specially the kind that keeps
promoting old doctrines oer and oer. As
long as * must be indoctrinated, * prefer
it is with new stuff, don't you agree% ut
it was not the case. * was always trying to
rebel, but could neer muster enough
courage to speak my mind to all the closed
minded fools that we called teachers. Would
also get in serious trouble when * tried
it. -obody likes a reisionist, that's for
sure."
"-o. They don't.""And how can one deelop in an enironment
where critical thinking is punished and
competition is encouraged frantically%
:ou're forced into day after day of rote
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 69/281
memori7ation of mostly irreleant out dated
driel and non sense and then forced into
the flawless regurgitation of all that non
sense you stacked in your brain. *t doesnot matter what you actually want to
become. The choice is an illusion. :ou end
up being eactly what the system needs.
This way we are turned into a good,
obedient, un8uestioning work force. The
respect and fear of any kind of authority
starts in the family enironment, where youget smacked for doing the wrong things.
Then, you moe on to that wonderful school
bench where you learn to obey further the
words of those all knowing people and by
the time you're out of college you are
ready) Eeady to sere in a cubicle for
thirty fie years or until they throw youout like a bad tooth, $ust because you were
unlucky enough to appear in a budget cut
graphic."
"That's what the corporations do all day
long. 5ost cutting. !ore efforts and
resources go into finding out what to cut
than the employees benefits or salaries
re8uire. 5ra7y, right%"
"Well you seem to hae the right general
idea about it."
"* obsere the way things run at the
research facility, the way the bosses
think. ut actually, *'m not speaking
completely out of personal eperience. *
hae a friend we talk a lot. #e wasworking for a large market research
company. Thousands of employees, the works.
* watched him start with high hopes and
enthusiasm and ending up hopelessly
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 70/281
desperate and depressed. *t was all good at
first but as he climbed the so called
corporate ladder," rad makes the 8uote
un8uote gesture with his fingers, “as hewent deeper into the inner workings of the
whole place, he started to understand how
it really functions. !aybe 'functions' is
not the most appropriate word to use.
The doctor laughs heartily and says, "*
know eactly what you mean by that, please
carry on" and resumes the posture oflistening carefully with great ecitement,
elbows on the desk, hands interlocked,
close to the mouth, like praying.
"Well it was hard to beliee all the
things he was telling me, but * always
trusted him and $udging by his oerall
condition * don't think he was lying norhad he any reason to. #e was neer fully
assimilated by that place, because he would
always complain about how nobody can see
the obious how the managers would lie
though their teeth and always set people
against each other through all kinds of
pathetic schemes& promoting somebody who
didn't actually desered it and parading it
all through the building, so as eery one
can see, is $ust one eample. (ure, there
was no actual promotion, most of the time,
the things that would change would $ust be
the name of his $ob role, the amount of
work increased and the money would usually
stay the same as before.""-eertheless, it did the trick, right% As
long as you keep people busy digging wholes
for their colleagues, they won't hae time
to 8uestion the longer hours, unpaid
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 71/281
oertime, the cuts, the disappearance of
more and more benefits or at least the
oerall lack of respect they get from their
superiors and so on," the doctor commentswhile still ery much captiated by the
moment.
";actly. The employee of the month scheme.
And we all know how big corporate people
are on pompous $ob titles."
"About seen out of ten office people
prefer grander $ob titles to pay rise, heinterrupts."
":es, and it's all oer the place now. The
grocery store clerk is called a sales
coordinator now. The garbage man is no
longer the garbage man, he's a waste
management consultant."
":eah, and the office cleaners are broomengineers," the doctor chuckles.
"That's a good one,/ rad replies with a
sad smile. The doctor catches it and tries
not to appear insensitie. "*t's sickening,
* know. ut effectie, none the less. They
know ery well how to pray on the snobbism
of people. !anagers hae tons of
manipulation courses paid by the company.
They are prepared for absolutely anything
you might say or ask. Try it sometimes.
They start reciting their poems
immediately. A special one for each
occasion of course, they seldom rime and
only insult your intelligence, but you will
walk out of there ashamed you dared ask fora raise."
":es. ut my friend, being a rather
different kind of creature, he was not
ashamed of what he was asking for. #e was
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 72/281
ashamed and embarrassed by the complete
lack of shame on his superior's part. #e
couldn't beliee what he was hearing,
couldn't comprehend how they could lie thatmuch and not lose any sleep oer it. +ies
and continuous cheap propaganda. The kind
in which they brag about how they are an
e8ual opportunity employer and the kind
that always reminds you how lucky you are
to hae a $ob in a time when all their
competitors are closing branches eerywhereand firing people."
"5heap to the ones who can recogni7e it and
the naked truth for those that can't.
*ndeed a ery curious entity, the
corporation," the physician says. “*t is
absolutely soulless remorseless. *t does
not care about anything other than makingmore and more money for the shareholders.
*t needs slaes to push useless papers all
day, but it hates their guts and is always
looking for ways to get rid of them. =eople
are nothing more than a necessary epense
to it. *t's a cold monster that would stop
at nothing on its way to owning
eerything."
"That's a ery good synthesis of what he's
been telling me," rad agrees. "A heartless
but efficient mechanism. A daily struggle
to dodge all kinds of catch twenty6two
situations created by the need to brake the
rules in order to follow them. #e used to
call the meetings with his superiorsdehumani7ation sessions. That one will
stick with me for a long time. *n the last
year of his stay, he would be drinking a
lot. (aid it was the only thing that could
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 73/281
calm him down, when he got home. 5ouldn't
sleep, couldn't eat right until one day he
$ust couldn't take it anymore and he 8uit,
telling eerybody that a place like that isnot for the sane. * kept suggesting
8uitting to him but he would always say it
would $ust be like $umping from a lake into
a fountain, and he had to see how far the
hypocrisy would go. #ow far the people
would be willing to prostitute their
minds.""* like that," the doctor $umps in,
“prostitution of the mind *t says a lot."
"Hery illustratie epression, yes."
"(o how is he now% What's he doing now,
this friend of yours%
"#e left the city and lies on a small
farm. >rows his own food, he says. (eemshappy."
"!aybe that's what we all need a return to
the land."
"Well, right now, we couldn't be farther
away from it."
"Also true. =retty far away from nature, in
general, us humans, lately."
"That is another sub$ect on which we could
talk for hours. =lease, let's go back to
the schooling for a second. Do you hae a
resolution for it% ;ducation instead of
indoctrination, * mean. =araphrasing
;instein, * would say the true pioneers of
a free thinking world are the young people
who refuse the public school system'sdoctrines. "
"* beliee your ersion of the 8uote, holds
as much truth as the original one," rad
compliments the old man."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 74/281
"A war6less world Wouldn't that be
something%" (aid the doctor, with his eyes
on the parchment paper globe in the corner
of his office."A resolution * think it is a rather
simple one. Just like the solutions to all
our problems are. 9irst, we should allocate
it a budget that is at least twenty times
bigger than what the school system
currently gets. At least twenty times.
=lenty of useless institutions out therefrom where to draw the funds from. *nstead
of grading the students and supporting
competition, $ust hae a system of free
learning hae the teacher present both
sides of the coin and let them decide for
themseles, in open discussion. =resent
them with real choice and don't force themto a profession they don't incline to, for
eample. This way, you support real
deelopment and aoid haing some
incompetent fool in a high responsibility
position. The really good will separate
naturally from the others. Diplomas and
certificates will go to those who desere
them and will put them to good use, not to
$ust anyone who can memori7e tons of books.
* guess it goes without saying nobody
should hae to pay for education. *f
nurtured right, at least some of them will
return real wealth to society, namely
ideas life improing and society adancing
ideas. That's my ision, in a nutshell, ofa better way to assist our future
generations in really becoming all they can
become./
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 75/281
"And a great ision it is kid, definitely)"
The doctor presents his diagnosis, without
much pondering. * am afraid, again that a
thick wall of interests blocks this ideafrom taking shape, at least for the time
being. The same goes for your robotic work
force, unfortunately."
"What can * say, doc% *'m a dreamer. At the
same time *'m well aware this city is no
place for one."
"-ot many left. Just make sure you don'tspread your dreams under their feet. *
doubt they will tread lightly."
rad smiles, recogni7ing the intelligent
use of lines from his faorite poem.
"(o it's true wisdom really does come with
age, he says reminiscing about his mother."
"There are plenty of eceptions to thatrule, kid. * should know, * am talking to
one."
"* don't know about that," rad replies
almost blushing
"* will admit, we are among the lucky ones,
you and *. We get to do something we really
like. The most important thing for eery
one who inests his life into his work, is
to actually see the results of his toils.
-o matter how much of a bad day *'m haing,
and how much crap * hae to swallow at some
damn conention at the end of the day when
* watch my patients walk out of the
hospital on their own two feet after
arriing on a stretcher that makes it allworthwhile you know what * mean% That
feeling * get right that instant keeps me
going another day. *t's something you will
neer get from sitting in a cubicle all
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 76/281
day, pushing pointless papers and wonder in
silence who's going to be net one people
will talk about what a 8uiet man he was. *f
you spend ten years planting trees all dayin the sun, een then, in the net ten
years you will see the results of your
work. That, kid is something not many can
hae.
"=lanting trees " rad whispers with a
ery melancholic oice, and imagines it.
5an you imagine a nobler thing to do inthis world%"
"!aybe, if some one would want to hire
people for such actiity, they would hae a
lot of success attracting workers if they
adertise the $ob position as future
generations world oygen supply manager
instead of tree planter. The more galactic,the better."
"Absolutely, rad speaks between laughs.
(eeing as our entire society thries on
euphemisms, we should make use of them een
more. #ow about, instead of war room let's
call it department of defense, or armed
interention instead of war of aggression,"
rad says sarcastically.
"5lassic 0rwellian double speak, kid," the
doctor sighs.
"5lassic and efficient)" rad raises his
oice in an aggraated manner and then
apologi7es. "*'m sorry but this sort of
things makes my blood boil."
"* know how that feels, don't worry aboutit. Csed to do the same too me, but as you
get older, you learn to control the
temperature, you learn to keep it stable if
you know what * mean. 0therwise you may
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 77/281
damage some subsystems. And replacement
parts don't come easy around here also,
their not as good as the originals."
"*'ll take your word on that. ;speciallynow, as my confusion is reaching gigantic
proportions. Doc can * take this
opportunity to ask you something%"
"(ure, but don't epect me or anyone for
that matter to actually know the truth. And
* most certainly won't say what you want to
hear, or use euphemisms.""Warning acknowledged. *'ll be 0B, as long
as you tell me eactly what you think and
don't sugar cone anything."
"(hoot)" the doctor stands curious.
"Why do you think people willingly go to
war% ut * don't mean the surface reasons
eerybody knows about. *'m talking about adeep cause. What unconscious urge can push
people to this% *'e asked many people the
same 8uestion but neer a doctor. *t's one
of my most burning personal 8uestions * get
tormented by, because * see it as the
ultimate failure of any race, not to
mention that we're the only species to
engage in such acts. *'m hoping that after
eplaining it to myself it will be at least
easier to cope with the whole thing. What
do you think dries human beings to
slaughtering each other into etinction%"
"That's not easy to answer, but * shall try
my best) ;erybody sees things differently,
each indiidual sees the unierse throughhis ery own reality tunnel and * doubt
you'll find two identical tunnels no matter
where you would look. +et's touch first
some of the surface reasons as you called
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 78/281
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 79/281
And then you hae the good old
dehumani7ation of the so called enemy. :ou
are bombarded continuously, long before the
war starts with things that portray theother side as anything but human.
(ometimes, decades een. They are filthy
monsters with no conscience, which would
skin you alie $ust for the sake of
pleasure, sadistic brutes that must be
eradicated to the ery last one. lood
thirsty hyenas who will stop at nothing todeour you alie. *t's simple, they must be
killed or we all die. 0f course, the more
graphic the propaganda the better. A
poster depicting some form of grossly miss
shaped abomination of an enemy soldier
stabbing an innocent baby will hae you
coninced in no time. This way, it is much,much easier to pull the trigger or burn
down a few ciilian illages, you know. The
screams of agony of dying women and
children would not really sound all that
musical if you would know the alleged enemy
is $ust another human being, ery much like
yourself, with hopes and dreams, passions
and aspirations. Eed blood coursing through
their eins, not the green acid from the
manifestos. Why, if you didn't know any
better, you would say that, apart from the
language and border lines that dreadful
enemy is not so different from yourself,
after all. Cnder different circumstances
you might een be good friends. And that iseactly what the politicians and generals,
safely placed away from any inconenient
machine gun fire want to aoid.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 80/281
oth methods highly effectie, you must
agree, $udging from the history books."
"#ighly effectie, indeed" rad says,
trying to set his mind away from the iidimage of the infant being bayoneted.
"Eight let us continue. 9or the war of
self defense not a lot of conincing must
be done, especially when the thundering
roar of the inading army's tanks is making
your house shake. That is the moment when
all that wonderful patriotic sentimentget's unleashed. *t has been carefully
instilled in your heart and mind since you
were in kinder garden. All those things
like our country is the best, our language
is the sweetest and the most musical, our
nation is the greatest in the whole wide
world. Things like that are not 8uestionedby si year olds. They are taken for
granted and become imprinted truths for
life. 5ombine that with our two faorite
methods we $ust discussed and you'll hae
people diing their plane into an aircraft
carrier or throw themseles under the enemy
tank with a bag filled with grenades in no
time, defending the mother land or crushing
the skulls of the wretched child killing
monsters. -ow, how to describe a deeper
cause for all this madness% The doctor
pauses for a brief moment to think it
through.
"Take all the time you need, doctor. *t's
not eery day * get to listen to suchthings."
"*'m glad you're not bored yet. * hae that
effect on most people."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 81/281
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 82/281
when we know eerything. When we unlock the
last pu77le left in all the unierses. What
will we do then% #ow will we lie% Would
life be worth liing, at all%""* admire you for thinking that far right
now * hope we won't nuke ourseles into
obliion in the net fifty years or so."
"What if we already did that in our distant
past, and somehow life managed to start all
oer again% !aybe the whole eolution, the
whole unierse runs in huge cycles and weget unlimited second chances to rediscoer
eerything. What if eery time the cycle
restarts, we learn and discoer more than
the last time%" The doctor digresses
melancholically.
"5onsidering where we are now, *'d say we
hae a huge handicap on our way to absoluteknowledge."
"!ost definitely, young man," he agrees,
coming down to a sudden landing from his
flight through the multicolored skies of
his mind."
"*t is more important than knowledge, you
know. #uman imagination. oundless,
infinite the source of eerything. *ts
suppression has led us to become a
defectie and medicated race."
"What you said earlier, about us being
repressed. * think it makes a lot of sense.
* think it's a ery probable cause," rad
tries to bring the doctor back on track.
">ood to know * gae you something to thinkabout, kid. Which is more than * can say *
do for my students."
"Do you think we hae reached the limit of
our brain%"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 83/281
"Another cause for our misfortunes could be
that our minds the software& are still
running on ancient hardware the brain&
that is basically the same as it was manythousands of years ago. (o you hae twenty
first century knowledge in a hunter
gatherer's brain."
"Another plausible point, doctor. That
would eplain a lot, including the
perpetual war. We're trapped by these
primitie circuits that keep us in constantbio surial aniety and territorial
s8uabbles. "
"Well said, my dear boy. :ou know it sure
feels like you're much older than you
look."
"* feel old, that's for sure)" rad laughs.
"Don't lose hope, rad. These are $ust moreproblems to be found answers to by people
like you. * would say people like you and
me, but let's face it. The time * had, to
do something about it is mostly already
spent. *t's up to your generation, and your
children to carry the search. All * can do
now is to try to keep you in good health."
"-eer too late for anything, doctor. +et
me ask you are you a religious man% *
mean do you beliee in, you know >od%"
"Another sub$ect we could debate for hours
the doctor replies with a straight face,
but glad rad is not thinking of leaing,
yet. "Well * grew up in a catholic
enironment. Went to catholic school thatwas not ery pleasant. The nuns did a great
$ob tormenting the crap out of us and we
sure learned what it means to hae fear of
>od. 0r better said fear of the nun's
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 84/281
treatment. *'m still not completely oer
that. *t's not fair, you see not getting
to choose. *f you're born in a catholic
family then you are automatically catholic,if you're born in an orthodo or protestant
or whateer, then that is what you will be,
because people are always born in the one
true religion, right% All others are bad
ones."
"* ery much appreciated the sarcasm,
doctor, please, continue.""(o, not getting to choose, that's pretty
unfair. Doesn't matter what you want or
beliee. As long as the indoctrinations
starts early enough, you'll be a true
belieer all your life. #ard to shake off
those early imprints. *t's funny how it
all started. *t is speculated thatorgani7ed religion started with the
primitie man being scared by thunder. And
because of the need to hae a bigger father
figure when mature, to pass on
responsibility or to blame. At its core, *
beliee it seres a noble purpose to gie
man hope of an afterlife the impression
that they are being cared for all the time.
=eople need this in order to function
properly. *t proides comfort. ut the
church corrupted the basic ideas so far
it's insane. The church has unfortunately
become the world's largest corporation,
with branches all oer the globe. That's
how * see it ""And one of the most profitable and
influential, agreed%"
"Absolutely. *t is a ery abusie entity.
All religion does now is to diide people.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 85/281
ut they're starting to reali7e they don't
need it and are moing away from it.
;specially the young generation. *t is
still ery powerful, the church but not somuch as to start another in8uisition or
anything like that."
"The in8uisition that's another $ewel in
the crown of our accomplishments."
"Guite right, unfortunately. The witch
hunts the torture the burning alie of so
many people. :ou would not want to be ascientist, * mean a heretic, in those
times."
"Definitely not. !y brain deelops pain
receptors when eer * think about such
things. ut hey, at least the Hatican
apologi7ed for >iordano runo, so that
makes it all right.""Well not all right but, it's at least
something."
"-ot enough for me, doc not by a long
shot. Who knows where we could hae been
now if it wasn't for the dark ages And
there's plenty of eidence of a modern
in8uisition out there, also. ooks hae
been burned a plenty, rather recently."
"That's true. A thousand year handicap,
indeed. * hope the future generations won't
look back on us the same way we look back
on our past ones. *n the face of
etinction, * think it is imperatie to put
superstitions and outdated traditions
behind us or face the conse8uences.""(o you don't beliee in >od."
"+et me put it this way, kid. 9aith is for
the poor if you know what * mean. All we
can rely on is good old skepticism."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 86/281
"* understand."
"-eertheless *t appears to this foolish
old man that some unknown something out
there is, let's say helping for lack of abetter term, the unierse to maintain a
certain order"
"* think * know what you mean, doctor."
"-ot a lot of disagreeing between us today.
*s the discussion in danger of becoming
boring%"
">reat minds think alike, doctor," radhurries to assure.
"Would you allow me to indulge in the ery
unhealthy habit of lighting up a cigar%/
The doctor asks, reaching for his desk
drawer.
"=lease go ahead, * don't mind. * don't
smoke but * can tolerate it as long as it'snot too often. What * can't tolerate is the
lack of respect the non smoker gets. We're
almost marginali7ed."
"* know what you mean. * used to be a heay
smoker for a few years. The two packs a day
kind. * know a doctor that smokes, but *
8uit in good time. * only bring out one of
these pups at ery special occasions. *
8uit $ust as soon as * reali7ed what an
addiction really is. Did you know that
women were forbidden to smoke in public for
8uite some time% (moking is hip, that's why
most kids take it up. *t's socially awkward
to not smoke these days. (moking accounts
for a large percent of the personality forsome. *t's a way to sociali7e.
*t's so successful, and so many do it due
to the fact that the entire process mimics
the suckling from our mother's breast. That
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 87/281
is where we first find refuge from the
newly discoered world. That is where all
the warmth, comfort and protection is from
all the dangers of the material unierse.*t's a life long imprint, and people will
unconsciously keep trying to return there
until death. (moking, nail biting, gum
chewing all for the same reason. !ountain
climbing and pyramid building also," the
doctor grins, while en$oying another puff.
"0B. And how do you eplain addiction ingeneral%" rad asks with his eyes set on a
cone shaped medieal helmet in the doctor's
office.
"(impler than you might think. +et's take
sugar for eample. #ighly addictie
substance and *'m not kidding about that.
=rimitie man had to suffer many bee stingsto get his hands on something sweet, as
there were not many sources of anything
that sugary. A rare and delicious treat
that proides loads of energy to hunt or
escape a predator. When you hae something
sweet now, for eample, your Amygdala, the
primitie brain responsible for animal
instincts like fight or flight, interprets
that sweet treat as an adantage for your
surial. !ore than that it has no idea
what the treat is or how much is enough and
it doesn't een care. *t will make you want
to hae more and more. That's how we become
addicted. 0ur primitie brain also keeps us
stuck in the same mammalian rituals eeryday, like territorial aggressieness and
dominance submission games while the great
ma$ority of us are neer aware of the
robotry of our lies. * wonder is it
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 88/281
getting a bit clearer now, your war
dilemma%"
"!uch clearer, rather ironic what is
trying to protect us so hard is actuallyleading us to our untimely demise."
"!ost probably, yes," the doctor lights
another match to keep the cigar going.
"Well, doctor " rad gets up, "this has
been of the utmost interest to say the
least. Time being an unrecoerable resource
* would not want to waste any more ofyours."
"*t may be unrecoerable, but certainly
none was wasted here today, my dear boy. A
most pleasant intellectual eercise, it
was." #e gets up in a rush, knowing that
this time he cannot stop rad from leaing.
"Wait, let me put out this damn chimney and*'ll walk you out." They go out the door,
and on their way to the eleator, they pass
along a few patients happily engaged in
conersation with their families.
"Hisiting hours will soon be oer and *'ll
be stuck here with all these unlucky
fellows, the doctor thinks out loud. 9rom
around a corner, a middle aged woman runs
in front of them and shouts ery
conincing, "doctor, wait) The pains are
back, please, what should * do% :ou hae to
admit me, please)"
"Darling, how many times must * tell you% *
can't do that. * will get in trouble with
the other doctors. Do you want me to losemy license oer this% >o sit down in the
waiting room and * will be with you in a
minute, we will talk about it./
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 89/281
"That was odd", rad says, while calling
the eleator and waiting for an
eplanation.
":eah, that was Heronica, she's a regularhere. =oor thing isn't sick but she
pretends to be so she can get the attention
of doctors. (he used to really make herself
sick with all kinds of methods but she's
getting a bit better now. (till hae to
hae long talks with her eery couple of
weeks though. (he only comes to me becausethe other doctors will throw her out with
out many negotiations."
"!unchausen's syndrome% rad asks the
physician that lifts his eyes of the ground
a bit startled.
"Well * know who's after my $ob, now," and
with an in8uiring look, asks how he knewabout the woman's condition.
"* read a lot," he replies grinning.
"+ooks like you could coer for me here for
a while, if needed. ut * can't promise *
can coer for you at the laboratory, unless
you're 0B with a ma$or systems shut down,"
he chuckles.
"That sounds like a lot of fun," rad
laughs along.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 90/281
@
The eleator door opens and rad takes his
eyes of the doctor long enough to catch aglimpse of a woman getting off. As their
eyes meet, for a fraction of a second rad
's heart stops. #is laughter disappears
abruptly and his face turns pale. They step
inside and he barely hears fragments of
what the doctor is saying, "#ope come
back soon"#is chest is pounding and the accelerated
synapses fire away relentlessly in hope of
making sense of what $ust happened. Time
epands and endless iid flashbacks
intertwine before his eyes and a multitude
of feelings rush his soul. 9eelings of
familiarity, $oy, sadness and happiness allcombined with the eerie impression of dL$M6
u. '*t can't be,' he thinks. '*t's
impossible. ut the resemblance is
incredible. (he looks eactly like her, it
is her) ut how% -o) *t can't be she
smiled at me& it was like her eyes burnt
through my skull does she know me% Do *
know her% Why is she here%'
"Are you 0B% :ou look like you'e seen a
ghost)" The doctor cuts his chaotic line of
thought.
"*t's her)" rad shouts, going against all
his beliefs.
"#er, who%/ 5omes the 8uick reply.
"The woman from my dreams)"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 91/281
?
5omplicated graphs and oscillating figures
coer rad<s entire computer screen. #eabsent6mindedly watches them change but can
not stop thinking about her. The woman who
occasionally sings to the sick children at
the hospital. #er name is +illy, the doctor
said.
"rad) >lad to hae you back, man," Tim
greets him with a good mood, "how are you%""9ine, you know, glad to be back
superising the monkeys," he tries to $oke.
"*'m sorry about you mother, rad, if
there's anything * can help with, $ust let
me know."
"Thanks, it's 0B life goes on right%"
"The monkeys here are a special breed theycan take care of themseles $ust enough for
you to take some more time off gather your
strength."
"* can't afford to waste any time, *'m
needed here it's $ust that *'m angry at
the fact that this happened now * wanted
her to see it happen, you know% To make her
proud of my work, show her she did a good
$ob raising and supporting me"
"*'m sure she had no doubts about that. (he
knew all along, you know how mothers are."
":eah you're probably right."
"0f course *'m right," Tim boasts grinning,
"*'m always right."
"#ey, don't get ahead of yourself) That'sme you're talking about. !y unofficial nick
name is "always right rad," you know
that."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 92/281
"That's the rad * know,/ Tim pats him on
the shoulder. "+ook we hae to talk."
"What's going on%/ #e asks.
"*t's probably nothing but late yesterday,some suits were here. *t looked like they
were getting a tour of the lab from the big
boss."
"What suits% What are you talking about%"
"* don't know, *'e neer seen them before.
=retty somber indiiduals. The whole time
they were $ust listening and pointing tostuff. *ce cold look epressionless faces.
Hery creepy."
"Well that can't be good. Judging by the
fact that they were inside, clearance isn't
a problem. >oernment goons, maybe% :ou'e
been bragging about our results, haen't
you%""What% -o) * swear, * was 8uiet like a fish
about the whole thing. Don't worry about
it. *'m sure it's nothing. Just the boss
showing off with our gi7mos, you know how
it is begging for some more contracts.
Those suits can't possibly know what
eactly is going on in here."
"Again, you're underestimating things.
9atal mistake, according to (un T7u."
"(un (hmu, come on, you're worrying for
nothing, as usual, most probably."
"* hope so but why wouldn't our dear chief
ask me to be part of the so called tour%
And why the weird time frame% Also why when
* wasn't here%""What do you mean 'why'% #e's 5hief
;ecutie 0fficer and chairman of the
board. That makes him the god of all the
sorry minions that lurk in this building.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 93/281
#e does not need your permission or
approal for anything. And he can also find
reasons to can each and eery one of us if
it makes his reports look green.""Guite right. ut * still won't take this
one 8uietly."
"+et it go, rad. We're almost there. Two
more weeks of testing, tops and after that,
start working on your paper. *'e already
started on mine. After it's published
you'd better be prepared for camera flashesand microphones, yes sir)" Tim says
enthusiastically.
"* sent you some emails with some more data
and output predictions. +ook them oer,
tell me what you think. esides that,
there's not much to do around here but
wait. *f we hae to share a -obel, then youhae to work for your half," he laughs.
"-ow come on, let's get some lunch."
"-o, go ahead not really hungry. *'m going
for a walk it will help clear my head."
"0B, see you later, then."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 94/281
32
The park's alleys are coered in an autumn
carpet of golden leaes. 0nly the soft windand rad<s dragging feet are rearranging
them into yet another random pattern,
closer maybe to a resolution of this
natural pu77le. #e is aimless, like a lost
wanderer through the ma7e of the world,
hoping to find peace of mind in some remote
cae, forgotten by father 5haos. There is aconstant battle, raging between all the
8uestions that were asked in all the
history of humanity and his relentless
mind's desire for the truth and for
ultimate understanding. !aybe that is why
the unierse designed intelligence. !aybe
that is the sole reason for the eistenceof intelligence To understand itself, he
thinks. 9eeling tired, he heads for the
closest bench he sees and as the distance
becomes smaller and smaller with each step,
he wonders how many people hae eer sat on
that eact bench, what were they thinking
in all that time. What led them to that
eact place and hae they asked themseles
8uestions like this% #e tries to imagine
the first cause of the unierse and all
that followed until this ery moment, how
eerything that eer was contributed and
conspired in some small way or another to
bring him to this instance. A yellow oak
leaf is detached from the only place it haseer known and slowly swirls in front of
him. Just before it touches the ground he
wonders about how affected the whole
unierse would be if he would interene
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 95/281
right before the leaf would land on the
cobblestone what if he stops its fall and
brakes the natural course of that small
moment in time would it be enough to starta chain reaction that would hae
repercussions for a thousand years, for
eer and eer in all the unierses of
eistence% 0r could it be that no one and
nothing will eer know of it for all the
remaining eons of the unierse% ;ither way,
would it be an action that was initiatedsolely by his own free will or was it
commanded in adance by some unknown
custodians, some cold inisible scientists,
to which we are nothing but an ongoing
eperiment% *f he would choose to let the
fall take its course instead of catching
it, would it mean he changed the future%What if that future was already written%
What if all futures are already written% 0r
maybe we write them as we go along% Was
this what -iet7sche meant by the wordsN 'we
are all greater artists than we think%'
What if we all anished in a split second
of the face of the earth, would anyone miss
us% Would it mean the slightest thing in
the cosmic scale of things% Would the grass
continue to be green if there is no one to
see it% Will the birds still sing and the
sun still rise in the morning% *f they
would, then would it be utterly in ain%
Would it be completely pointless as long as
nobody is there to admire it toacknowledge it% *s it all in our heads% Are
we $ust robotic puppets with no actual
purpose% *f so, what if one day all the
puppets become aware of the strings on
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 96/281
which they dangle% Would the sudden
discoery of the eistence of a puppeteer
console the fact that we are mere puppets%
Would we make it our life's goal to climbthe strings% *s it worth it at all to climb
the strings and could we do it if we tried%
Would the puppeteer like that, would he
feel proud about it% Are all the
indiiduals on earth but mere pieces that
form an enormous moie pro$ector one that
plays the same film oer and oer again forall eternity, comple enough $ust to not
comprehend the eact plot line, and one
that appears too real to us to change
anything. 0ne that keeps us locked in the
same scenes, brainwashes us to neer want
to see anything else, coninces us we can't
see anything else because there isn'tanything else to be seen% Are we the
creators of our own ongoing illusion do we
een eist at all% #ow can we still be sure
thinking is being% Does eistence in an
illusion still mean eistence% Do we want a
puppeteer $ust so that we can aoid taking
responsibility for ourseles% Do we want
him so bad that he was brought into
eistence by our combined will, neer
reali7ing that his punishments are actually
our own selfish desires% The leaf comes to
a stop and in that instant rad feels a
strange relief, a detachment from
eerything like a breath of fresh air. *t
is strange and unepected but welcomed witha brief weary smile, interrupted by the
eer present need for an eplanation to
eerything, '*t's all chemistry,' he says
to himself, 'it's all a bunch of chemicals
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 97/281
miing in the brain to form other chemicals
responsible for all our moods and feelings.
-othing more and nothing less (oftware
programs running our bio machine from thecentral processing unit in our skulls.' #e
wants to ask himself 'who is the
programmer%' but cannot he knows it will
only lead to that dreaded infinite regress,
the awful parado of the painter painting a
picture of the painter painting a picture
#e lifts his head to admire the giantcrowns of the oak trees that unite to form
a liing shield aboe him.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 98/281
33
"0ne would think they are brothers old
siblings who watch the decades pass bytogether, when in fact they are in a
constant slow motion struggle for surial
competing for the most sun light," the
cheerful looking stranger says, approaching
the bench, "mind if * sit here%" he asks.
">o ahead," rad replies a bit startled but
intrigued by the peculiar glitter in theman's eyes, under the thick white eyebrows.
"Thank you, my legs are not what they used
to be, ah, it sure feels good to sit down,"
the intruder relaes stretching his body on
the bench. "+ooks like a long autumn this
year, wouldn't you say%"
"5ould be yes," rad says, trying to hidebeing uncomfortable.
"!ost definitely the wild roses are
blooming again you can always tell by
that."
"* will remember that," rad pretends to be
interested.
"Where are my manners%" The stranger says
and introduces himself shaking rad hand,
my name is ;rik >uerra.
"rad Wilson. =leased to meet you, mister
>uerra./
"=leased to meet you too, the old man
replies. =lease, call me ;rik."
"*nteresting name, where are you from%"
"* am from eerywhere, actually.""9unny neer heard of this country
Everywhere."
;rik chuckles and says, "Well, * was born
in !orocco, in a city called Tangier.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 99/281
=ractically in the strait of >ibraltar, in
between continents beautiful place. *
consider myself a citi7en of earth rather
than of some country. =eople always say'*'m *talian, *'m American, *'m this and
that' but * try to aoid it, it $ust
separates us"
"+ong way from home, then."
":ou could say that, yes and true enough *
miss it. *t has been many years since *
been there. :ou cannot call $ust any placeout there, 'home'. (ome go through their
entire lies without eer haing a place
where they can really feel at home. *t is a
ery important feeling to hae and those
who do hae it should treasure it."
rad starts to thaw a little and puts down
his guard, sensing a good ibe from his newac8uaintance. "What brings you here%
usiness, maybe%"
"-o. -o business nothing in particular.
:ou see * am what you would call a
drifter. Always hae been and probably
always will be."
rad cannot hold his curiosity anymore and
says, "how come, if * may ask%"
"Well eer since early childhood * felt
this need to eplore. y the time * was
eighteen * felt * was suffocating there, in
Tangier. (chool was also boring the life
out of me, so * dropped out and went to
(pain. Always held an insatiable curiosity
about people and still do, so * figured afew months in (pain would gie me an
insight into the +atin spirit which is part
of me. !y father was (panish and my mother
was (wedish. ut it doesn't stop there, the
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 100/281
father was half >reek from his mother side
and my mother was half Eussian, so you can
imagine what weird mi of blood my heart
pumps eery day.""(o what did you find in (pain%"
"The plan was to $ust wander around there
for two or three months but * ended up
staying for more than three years. Worked
here and there, earned enough to not stare
to death * had a great time, it was worth
it, leaing my town behind. After that, *went to >reece& * had to see what that was
all about. * gathered magnificent memories
and met many wonderful people. :ou only
really get to know someone when you lie
like them. And so, for half a century *
hae wondered around the world. *t started
as a $ourney of discoery and it turnedinto a search for that one place where you
truly feel you belong and no * haen't
found it yet. =eople like me were called
traelers, nomads and wanderers but now we
are called immigrants. * think it is
unfair. =eople should hae the right to go
around the earth free, whereer they want
without anyone asking them anything, but as
long we beliee in words like borders and
nationality, language that will be
impossible."
"The nets of James Joyce rad interrupts
surprised.
"* don't read much that's like wanting to
know people without meeting them," ;riksmiles.
"* neer looked at it that way," rad
confesses a bit embarrassed. "(o tell me,
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 101/281
how were you able to fund all your
traels%"
"Cntil well into my late twenties, *
supported myself completely, working in allkinds of $obs, all oer the place.
Absolutely anything * could get my hands on
from washing cars, unloading crates in
ports, hotel porter, crane operator,
drier to bartender and een cook. * did
eerything you can possibly imagine. * kept
in touch with my parents as often as *could. When * was twenty nine * found out
they died in a bus accident in *taly. *
guess * got the drifter gene from them, as
they completely understood my need to keep
going. Took it 8uite hard * inherited
their sugar beet business along with all
their life long saings, which afterwordallowed me to trael een more and further
away than * had eer been. * was in >ermany
at the time and from there * went straight
to *ndia. * had heard so much about it and
* was dying to see it with my own eyes. *
must say, the ritish did not call it their
crown $ewel for nothing. * was so impressed
by the attitude of the people so different
than what * had gotten used to in the west.
eing under occupation for so long did not
damage their nature at all. Their passie
resistance did the trick. They were
occupied but neer con8uered."
"ut how did you manage communication%
(urely language was the first problem youencountered in a new place."
"*ndeed, language was the first obstacle.
+uckily, * seem to hae a gift for it. *t
did not take longer than a few months to a
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 102/281
year two years at the most to reach at
least a basic leel. (ome * mastered and
some not. * speak about fifteen languages
fluently and a few more at a basic andintermediate leel. (trangely enough,
Japanese was not that difficult as
eerybody thinks."
"Wow) That sounds impressie. * am ashamed
to say * don't speak any foreign languages
ecept for a few words in (panish and
>erman that eerybody knows, and ;nglishbeing used world wide not going out of the
country too often there was no need. :ou
know, one of the world's biggest polyglots
in history holds a record of oer fifty
eight spoken languages plus a whole bunch
of dialects, a #arold Williams from -ew
Oeeland, * think.""9ifty eight) #e must hae been an
interesting person, definitely. ut makes
you wonder about all the triial things he
could not do right, for eerything
compensates you know. The trick is to align
your way of life to their way of life. :ou
must first become one of them in eery way,
think, drink, eat like them and listen.
Just 8uietly listen to them and you will
understand. The more languages you learn,
the easier it becomes to learn new ones.
:ou start seeing a pattern * was neer
good at eact sciences, though, like
mathematics for eample. The eer present
law of compensation most probably. -ow, *'mhappy to say * lie for a liing * am
among the lucky few that afford to pursue
their dream, constantly."
"Which is the simplest language you know%"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 103/281
"That would be ;nglish. * picked it up
along 9rench and (panish, because many
!oroccans speak these languages, and from
the !editerranean ports long before * leftmy country. * do not know why, but it $ust
came as second nature to me. y contrast, *
would say the most difficult would hae to
be well, not really sure (candinaian
languages came easy also due to the fact
that * learned (wedish from my mother.
!aybe 5hinese or *celandic. -ot sure whichis more difficult but they are impossible
if one is not ery skilful."
":ou lied in *celand, too%"
"* did, yes, for about ten months * think
it felt like complete isolation from the
rest of the world so * had to get out. *
neer went aboe basic with those two,5hinese and *celandic. *t has been a huge
challenge. ut you must stop me when * am
raing about like that. Tell me, what do
you do%"
":ou mean for a liing%" rad snaps out of
the trance of the fire of imagination
fueled by the drifter's words.
The immigrant nods patiently, "Are you a
teacher%"
":ou can sure read people, * see. * teach
physics at the academy of sciences but most
of the time * spend in research."
"An eact science man. That is something *
admire greatly."
"Well, eact science means there is alwaysthe danger of boredom, unfortunately,
especially in teaching it."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 104/281
"* take it that's not the case with your
research. !ight * ask what kind of
research%"
";nergy related yeah, that sums it up $ustfine."
"5an neer hae enough energy. Without it,
there would be no traeling."
"That's one way to put it, yes."
"Do you like to trael, rad%"
"* think so certainly not as much as you,
* must admit. * do feel at home here, asyou said, that makes me one of the
fortunate ones. (o many places to see out
there but so little time and resources for
it."
"* beliee it is one of the most important
aspects of our life. 0ne cannot function
properly without the feeling of belonging.:ou can go a long tine ignoring it but it
will come back with a engeance and keep
you miserable until you face it and do
something about it. * hae been to so many
places, did so many things but * still hae
not found what * am looking for and that is
a place to plant my roots een if only for
short time."
"Would you gie back all your eperience
for this one thing%" rad asks without
reali7ing the delicacy of the sub$ect. The
immigrant is isibly uncomfortable and
after a moment of silence, he answers with
a shaking oice, "* don't know -o one
asked me this 8uestion before not eenmyself."
"* didn't mean to upset you you don't hae
to answer that, forget * asked."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 105/281
"-o, it's 0B. *t's good that you asked...
!aybe it is what * needed to hear, eactly
when * needed to hear it. (till * can't
answer that yet."A few seconds of stillness pass and rad
feels them like hours. To change the
sub$ect he asks, "What's your preferred
method of transport% =lane or bus maybe%"
"*n the old days, * used to trael by train
and by boat, wheneer possible. 9lying was
too epensie for me for a long time. *liked the trains but * liked boats best
because there were more opportunities of
meeting people, especially other drifters
like me. *t always fascinated me, to
obsere people and on a plane, you can't
really sociali7e or obsere properly, *
find it a ery impersonal way to trael. 0fcourse as * grew older, * could not endure
entire weeks at sea for eample, so the
plane was the more efficient alternatie."
"And after all these years or traeling and
meeting all kinds of persons, what can you
tell me about people in general%"
":ou mean how * see them, as in good or
bad%"
":es, something like that, but elaborate
why, please."
"Alright, * shall try. 9irst, * think the
only one that truly belongs somewhere,
totally undisputed, is a tree. Absolutely
no one has any right in this world to
challenge that. 0nce the seed has sprouted,against so many odds, * beliee it has
earned its right to lie there foreer. And
how * eny them * know that sounds like
*'e gien up hope of finding my own place,
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 106/281
but we hae to be realistic. *f * was not
able to do it in all these years and * am
not getting any younger. Anyway, getting
back to our point =eople are soincredibly different and at the same time
irtually identical. As you moe farther
and farther from a gien place, you will
see that een a small distance will make
human beings act, think and een look
differently. 9ifty kilometers, a hundred,
or miles, if you prefer& again somethingthat keeps us apart, different measuring
standards, like we're not all obeying the
same laws of nature. That small distance
can be enough to see a noticeable
difference. We eole and lie according to
our enironment. orders will always act as
the greatest delimitation of all. Theytrick people into thinking in small terms
and haing false ideas about themseles and
all the others around them. The biggest
mountain and the largest ocean will neer
diide as much as the imaginary line of a
country border. And what's worse, is that
*'e seen so many people diided among
their own kind in their own nation. As
always, there will be those who profit from
that, unfortunately, and will do all they
can to keep it that way. #opefully, most of
these problems will somehow disappear when
we reach the leel of a true planetary
society, no borders and no barriers of any
kind."">lobali7ation, you mean."
"* guess you can call it that way, if you
like. Think about it. *f the whole world
would be one giant nation with no borders,
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 107/281
much of the current problems would be
soled. #unger would disappear, war also
because it would be in the interest of the
entire global nation. An entity that wageswar against itself is committing suicide.
*t is doomed. The ery idea is cra7y. All
the resources combined there would be
plenty for all. -o more third world
staring and diseased countries, no more of
the tons of wasted food in the wealthy
nations. *f a part of the body is in painthe whole body suffers and cannot stand in
ignorance to it. * know the 'nay sayers'
who oppose this will inoke things like the
loss of identity of peoples and the
disappearance of diersity. -on6sense * say
to that) Ctter non6sense. =eople will neer
lose those things een in a global countryspeaking the same language. The communities
will always keep their habits and their
traditions, their languages and dialects.
-o one could take that away from them een
if they tried and on a large scale, we
would all be one nation, united for the
good of mankind as a whole. :ou can neer
lose who you are, and cannot replace the
blood running through your eins.
Traditionalists and modernists can moe
about freely and coeist in harmony in this
society * speak about. !aybe not always in
the same spot but still the point is there
would be a place for eeryone."
"This might happen sooner than you thinkwith all the continental unions taking
shape in the last decades. !aybe one day,
all those unions will come together to form
the super state you talk about."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 108/281
"* like that the super state. * think it
is a fitting name. ut back to our main
theme. * hae seen good people and * hae
seen bad people. (ome mean well and some donot. * was mugged many times and * hae
receied many times. * was beaten but *
hae also been cared for. * was stabbed and
* was een hit by a car that was not by
accident. * hae met a few that appeared to
really be the deil incarnate, walking the
earth with the soul purpose of hurtingpeople. -eertheless, * do not think we are
in any way intrinsically eil. ;il is no
innate to human nature. * beliee deep
down, we are all caring and loing
creatures. >ien the right circumstances *
think we would always choose right before
wrong and we will always do well beforeanything bad. 0nly we hae not yet figured
out the fact that more or less, all is in
place for us to create and maintain those
circumstances. When we do, that is when the
whole game changes and boy, how *'d like to
be around when that happens."
"*'m afraid at the moment, * can't
pronounce in faor of the intrinsically
good theory. * would rather say we might
hae an e8ual amount of good and bad in us,
and from the looks of things, we're doing a
ery poor $ob managing the bad half," rad
says seriously.
"*t sure looks like that, but * am
optimistic about the future. 0ptimistic andconfident. They will hae to take that away
from my cold dead body. -o sooner."
"*t's seems about time we let go of our
conditioning and the dictatorship of the
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 109/281
primitie instincts hae on us," rad says
reminiscing about his robotic work force
world. "#ard to see in the near future that
fifty percent plus one ma$ority.""#ard but not impossible. -eer think of
anything as impossible. That is how we
successfully limit ourseles constantly. *n
my lifetime * hae seen things that were
deemed impossible by most, take shape and
become reality so * think what was
impossible yesterday is probable today andcertain tomorrow."
"Hery poetic and * admire your positie
spirit."
"etter to be positie rather than negatie
and better to be happy than sad, right%"
The immigrant says smiling.
"* guess you hae a point." rad tries toimagine implementing that into his life.
"The law of attraction," the drifter adds.
"*f you're sad and depressed you will
attract sad and depressed people. *f you're
thinking bad thoughts you will see those
around you harbor bad thoughts also."
"(o *'e heard."
"* know it's not ery scientific, but it's
the truth and * a hae seen it eerywhere,
no matter what kind of people *'e been
around. Works for +atin people, works for
>ermanic people, for (laic and for Asiatic
people alike. ;erybody)/ #e says making an
air drawing of a sphere with his hands."
"* beliee you. :ou might be right radrelaes on the bench looking upward to the
partly cloudy sky. "#ae you amassed any
regrets from your $ourneys%"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 110/281
"-ot really * don't think so * don't
know," ;rik says trying to locate some from
his myriad of memories. Eegrets are the
worst kind of baggage to carry around and *always trael light, if you know what *
mean. :ou may not be able to forget eery
time, but you should always forgie.
9orgieness is the best antidote against
many illnesses of the soul, including
regrets. !any torture themseles thinking *
should hae done this, * should hae donethat, but * think we all do eactly what
we're supposed to do, een if we can't
understand why."
"That's eactly why * can't accept it the
lack of understanding. * can't get oer it,
* can't moe on with out it."
":es, * know what you mean, but acceptancewill lift a huge burden from your soul, you
will see," The drifter ads confidently.
":ou're still young, you hae your whole
life ahead of you, don't gie it away to
frustration."
"* * don't know anything anymore," rad
grabs his head in his palms and rests his
elbows on his knees.
The drifter knows there is not much he can
say to lift rad's spirit and he tries to
let it all pass with a minute of complete
silence after which he changes the sub$ect
elegantly, "* once asked a stewardess on a
flight, can't remember to where, eactly *
asked her why is the plane diided inclasses. Why are there first class seats
and second class seats%"
"And what did she say%" rad asks right
away not hiding his childish curiosity.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 111/281
"(he didn't answer. (he either did not care
or chose to completely ignore it. (he
hesitated for a second and aoided it with
another 8uestion, something flight related,can't recall now."
"And why do you think there are classes%
(ome !achiaellian scheme probably%"
"=recisely) Diide and con8uer, my boy)
That is how * see it. There are plenty of
resources to make all transportation first
class but our leaders do not want people tobe united. They need us to be enious of
each other and to always coet at our
neighbor's possessions," he winks.
"*'e neer considered that."
"!ost people don't."
"Just another tool for control," rad
continues resigned. "=retty hard tofunction in normal parameters for those who
can see these things."
":es but those who see it hae a duty to
talk about it. And the more people talk
about it, the more will know."
"(o maybe we'll reach that fifty percent
plus one ma$ority. The critical mass of the
hundredth monkey eperiment," rad adds
with a hint of irony.
";actly) Although * am not familiar with
the eperiment you mentioned./
"The hundred monkey eperiment allegedly
consisted of groups of monkeys, isolated on
islands with no way of communication
between them. (o scientists gae them dirtypotatoes which one monkey learned to wash
before eating. The scientists obsered this
behaior instantly spread across the water
to other groups of monkeys as soon as
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 112/281
critical mass was reached. As soon as there
were a hundred monkeys that learned to wash
their food on the original island. The so
called hundredth monkey effect."":es, it makes perfect sense to me," ;rik
says $oyfully. "Thank you for sharing
that."
"5ompared to you * hae almost no life
eperience * doubt * can share a lot."
"-onsense) ;erybody has something to
share, that is what makes life sowonderful. ;en the most boring people hae
something interesting to say if you listen
carefully. There probably aren't any boring
people at all."
"=oliticians are boring," rad $okes.
":es," ;rik laughs, "but still * bet you
haen't got any boring friends, am *right%"
"5an't say * hae many friends but those
that * hae are certainly not boring."
"There, you see% * was right again,/ the
old man says with his sincere childish
ecitement. ;eryone has an interesting
story. ;eryone."
"(o going back to your traels what
country would you say had the most
enophobic people%"
"Penophobic that sounds like a ery harsh
word. * do not know if * would use it. 0f
course there are plenty of little nations
that resent or oppose, let us say, outside
influence but oer the years *'e seen thisattitude change in een the most
nationalistic indiiduals. * am not talking
about etremists, they are almost
eerywhere and * think they hae little
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 113/281
hope, but awareness that eerything is
connected has grown, that is for sure. This
kind of approach to foreign influence is
most often caused by the lack ofinformation. Also, it is most common in
small countries that hae been under
occupation for a long time, or that formed
relatiely recently from a few scattered
tribes. 9rom one point of iew it is
understandable they could not hae formed
or eisted for long, otherwise. (ome haewent to etremes such as inenting their
own language, deried from something they
used to speak, before coming together as an
independent nation. And they complicated it
and transformed it so much that what
results is a most peculiar mi of different
dialects so comple only the naties areable to speak it."
"That's one way of keeping foreigners away.
!aybe that is how artificial languages
appeared."
"*ndeed. They also refuse to learn any
circulation languages to completely aoid
anything from the outside."
"*t's a shame, * would say."
":es, but really it's all changing, *'e
seen it throughout the years. 0f course
these are my personal obserations and feel
free to take them eactly for that."
"Cnderstood but * would say half a century
of continuous contact and obsering the
world first hand, gies you plenty ofcredibility."
"Things really do change, and for the best
* think. *t is $ust that our life spans are
too short to clearly acknowledge that.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 114/281
=eople take for granted and get used to
change ery fast, especially if they remain
in one place for a long time but trust me,
the difference from year to year isenormous on a global scale."
"!akes sense," rad agrees.
“These are eciting times we lie in, rad
and * am grateful for being allowed to be a
part of them. Albeit a small part, yes but
* like to think * made a difference here
and there. ;en a tiny one and it is stillgood. * tried to neer harm anyone in
anyway and helped as much as * could when *
could. =erhaps that is the key, a simple
principle for eeryone to follow& do
whateer you want, when you want without
interfering with what and when others want
and do.""A lot can be interpreted from what you
$ust said. ut the essence remains and *
agree with it."
"* dare say it is a recipe for peace and
happiness," ;rik says proudly.
"A great writer once said happiness is a
long line made of the small pleasures of
life."
"(ounds $ust right to me. ut who takes the
time now to saor the small pleasures%"
"True. We hardly get any time for that
time it's so relatie, isn't it%" rad
asks wondering in his mind how many
watchmakers stopped making watches when
time was proen relatie. The best planning* can put together still does not gie me
enough time. A sensitie sub$ect for me,
neer enough time and on top of that
eerything seems to hae sped up in the
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 115/281
last couple of years and keeps speeding up,
can't eplain it."
"*t is true. * hae noticed it as well.
!aybe it's our fast paced life styles, *don't know," ;rik $oins in.
"5ould be and all the deadlines and
impossible goals we set."
"The more impossible, the better is you ask
me my dear boy," ;rik bursts out $oyously,
"* think the less impossible our goals are
the more we limit ourseles.""=erhaps you are right once more."
"0f course * am. Are you haing doubts
about my words, still%" The old man laughs.
rad returns a faint smile and speaks to
the weird old man with honesty, "*
absolutely admire your courage. *t's not
easy to hae such high spirits in the faceof life. And definitely not easy to be so
bold and optimistic. * am afraid * must
leae you now to return to my work.
hopefully *'m not already on the missing
persons list." They stand up and shake
hands silently, long enough for rad to
notice a glimmer of sadness in the
immigrant's eyes, his face taking on an
epression of sorrow mied with a sort of
melancholic happiness. 9or a second, the
stranger's stare seems to pierce right
through his eyes balls and into his skull,
like searching for something specific deep
inside his soul.
"* hope to see you again, chat some more,"rad says to him a bit embarrassed and
confused.
"0h, * don't think we will it has been
most entertaining, thank you ery much,
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 116/281
young friend and be well, always)" The
immigrant replies. rad turns to leae and
feels the stranger's ga7e still pushing on
him, as he gets further away. *n the end ofthe park alley $ust before he turns the
corner, rad stops and looks oer his
shoulder to catch another glimpse of the
peculiar indiidual but he is nowhere in
sight. 'An immigrant magician,'" rad
thinks to himself and resumes his course
towards the laboratory.#e eits the park and impatiently stares at
the red light that is mercilessly biting
from his precious time. While he waits, he
tries to make sense of the stranger's
words, 'what did he mean to say, we won't
meet again, how ery odd and he seemed so
coninced'
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 117/281
31
The bus stop is emptier than usual and the
woman is looking in the distance, trying toanticipate the arrial of her transport.
(he waits in the same spot daily for the
bus that will take her home, earlier than
usual today, due to the fact she is feeling
a bit strange and took the rest of the day
off from work. *n her wait, she feels
nauseated and wonders what could be thecause. +ooking around her she does not
recogni7e any one and notices how the few
people there, stare in an absent manner.
(he wonders about their lies& if they are
alone or sad or happy. *s anyone waiting
for them when they get home% Do they hae a
place to call home and if not, does anyonecare% What kind of tragedies hae they been
through in this life% (he sees the bus
signaling to make a right for the stop and
her thoughts disappear, replaced by a
blank, while she reali7es the cold sweat
forming on her forehead and back. The
drier brings the bus to a halt and opens
the door. The commuters rush to get inside
but the woman stops right in front and
remains fied, petrified by the sudden rush
of feelings aalanching through her soul.
;erything around her slows down, time
epands and there is no sound as she
eperiences frightening sensations her mind
cannot eplain. (he feels her heartpounding in her chest and can hear her
irregular heay breathing. (he becomes
aware of minute pains, like needles
throughout her body, uncomfortable but not
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 118/281
unpleasant. ;ery sense heightens and it
feels like a bombardment of stimuli from
eerywhere. An inasion of warm light
particles swirling in front of her eyescombined with a feeling of infinite space
filled with a presence she cannot
understand.
"#ey, lady) +et's go already& *'e got a
schedule to keep," the bus drier snaps her
out of her trance, and she slowly moes
towards the door, climbing inside andalmost collapses before haing a chance to
sit down.
":ou 0B, lady%" the drier asks
impatiently, eager to be on his way while
heay tears wet her cheeks.
":es *'m fine," she answers in a low
oice, almost whispering and nods, smilingand sobbing at the same time. (he gets to a
chair and sits down, looking ahead while
the driers steps on the gas to make for
the lost time. A wonderful feeling of
tran8uility enelops her and perfect
calmness sets in. The nausea and di77iness
completely disappear and her face lights up
with a sense of well being. (he can hear
music coming from the headphones of a
middle aged, tall man, wearing colorful
clothes, sitting net to her& she can make
up faint lyrics, 'the line it is drawn, the
curse it is cast, the slow one now will
later be fast and the first one now will
later be last' (he looks him in the eyeswhile touching her belly as he remoes the
headphones but before he can ask anything,
she eplodes in another wae of tears,
shiering slightly, "*'m pregnant)"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 119/281
34
;ngulfed in deep thoughts, rad crosses the
street looking down, hands in his pocketsand in a hurry to get back he almost misses
the net red light. 9orty fie seconds seem
like a whole hour and he starts moing
again as soon as the green walking sign
lights up. As he reaches the sidewalk, he
looks up to see -orbert running like mad
through the net intersection, looking oerhis shoulder eery few steps. rad goes
after him, increasing his pace to nearly
running, trying not to loose him. #e
crosses another street and is getting
closer, he shouts for -orbert but he cannot
hear, he is still trying to get away
desperately. rad rushes to catch him atthe net crossing& he is already tired from
the unepected effort, stops and yells out
-orbert's name once again. -orbert is $ust
about to cross the street when he hears it
and stops, turns to look, recogni7ing
rad<s oice. The scientist stops suddenly
in his tracks, terrified as he sees the
buss coming and shouts at -orbert. The
tiers skid frantically on the tarmac as the
drier hits the brakes but it is too late.
rad is still. #e cannot moe while trying
to process what $ust happened and he is
watching people getting off the buss and
making a circle around the motionless body.
The drier, with a terrified face reclaimshis senses and pushes through the people
shouting, "5all an ambulance) >et out of
the way. +et him breathe for god sakes)"
9rom the growing crowd, rad distinguishes
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 120/281
a tall man dressed in a long flowered
shirt. #is multicolored clothing makes him
stand out and he is a couple of feet from
the body. #is hands raised, he flutters hispalms facing -orbert and while saying
something, he raises his hands skyward in a
controlled rhythm. After a few moments,
rad recogni7es him and moes toward the
site of the accident. (till in shock and
with so many 8uestions, rad looks
eerywhere for the tall man but he hasdisappeared. #e slowly makes his way
through the crowd and sees -orbert's body
laying face down in a pool of his own blood
that is getting larger. #e recogni7es the
head of his *T department while thousands
of 8uestions surge through his mind. #e
yells, "* know this man)"The bus drier $ump in front and grabs rad
by the shoulders, begging him, "* didn't
see him, he came out of nowhere, * didn't
see him)" rad still cannot speak and $ust
nods to the drier, trying to get loose.
"*t's not my fault) * didn't see him)"
The siren of the ambulance is getting
louder and louder and as the paramedics
rush out with a stretcher and the police is
clearing people away, rad notices
something in -orbert<s right hand. #e
8uickly crouches and retriees it in an
unplanned and spontaneous gesture, looks
around for the tall man again, and walks to
the sidewalk to get to away from it all, toreturn to his laboratory and think it
through.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 121/281
3
"#ey, there you are) ;erything alright%"
Tim asks running into his pale lookingcolleague, on his way out. "* got to run,
talk to you tomorrow morning 0B%"
":eah see you tomorrow," rad replies
di77y and absent, ignoring eerything
around him and heading straight for his
chair. (itting down, he feels his mouth dry
and his throat ache from the heaybreathing. #e stares into the screens, but
cannot concentrate to read anything. After
a few minutes of intense thinking, he
starts checking the status of all the
systems and brings up on the right screen
different charts and prediction cures that
tell him the eact condition of the reactorand its energy output. #e completely loses
track of time, lost in his work. #ours pass
and he finds himself all alone in the large
hall once again, like so many times before.
Eeali7ing the soothing silence he takes a
brake from the keyboard to lie back in his
chair, rubbing his face and sighing deeply.
'At least there's nothing wrong in here,'
he thinks, and looks around at all the
machines that hum in unison, all the large
screens and the empty chairs of his
colleagues. This is where he felt safest
and it is a comforting feeling to be back.
#e locks his workstation and takes a last
look at the reactor before closing the doorbehind him.
Arriing home, he goes straight for the
shower, leaing a trail of clothes
eerywhere, and $ust sits under the
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 122/281
refreshing stream of warm water, retracing
the steps of the day, playing back in his
head eerything that happened. (uddenly his
mind goes blank and he knows it is time toaccept the fatigue and try to sleep. *n
bed, rad struggles in and out of
consciousness, his body aching and feeling
the night will neer end. #e forces his
eyes shut one last time and the image of
the woman from the hospital eleator brings
calmness oer his soul and tran8uility tohis body.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 123/281
3F
The iciness of the rushing water stings him
to the bone as he is gasping for air.5ompletely paraly7ed he watches it
engulfing his legs and waist. The dark
li8uid reaches oer his chest and presses
on him with tremendous force. 0erwhelming
terror and fear crush his heart, as he gets
completely submerged and fighting to hold
his breath. #e opens his eyes and looks up,his body is set lose and he begins to swim
frantically for the surface. #e feels his
lungs about to eplode and he swims harder
and harder for the small sparkle of light
that must be the surface. #e has to reach
it soon or it is all oer. *ncredible
ehaustion grips his entire body and thefaster he swims the further away the
surface is. *t is moing away from him with
each stroke, 'why is it so unfair, why is
it all so cold%' #e asks him self while
feeling utterly hopeless and slowly giing
up swimming slower and slower as he comes
to terms with his fate. #e accepts it and
looks down into the icy depths, at the
blackness, the emptiness of the oid
beckoning him, calling him to its deadly
embrace #is body still, a last glimpse at
the distant surface that has scorned him,
condemned him to a forced union with the
darkness, foreer. #e releases the air in
his lungs and starts to sink back. #e cansee the bubbles climbing upward in a
desperate dance, only to tell the world of
his defeat, to communicate to the unierse
his final resignation. #e is too deep to
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 124/281
see light anymore and keeps sliding down
into the nothing that awaits him
impatiently. As his lungs fill with water,
he closes his eyes. *t is oer. *t is alloer.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 125/281
3I
Hery slowly opening his eyes, hurting from
the light flooding the room rad wakes updi77y and still tired. #e checks his watch
and cannot remember the last time he slept
so late. #is mind is cluttered and a
migraine is settling in for a prolonged
grip. +ooking in the mirror, eerything
comes back to him in an instant, flooding
all the corners of his head with thedreams, -orbert<s accident, the woman in
the eleator, his mother hugging him. #e
remembers Tim leaing in a hurry the other
day and for some reason a heay feeling of
sadness starts to lash at him. 'What was
-orbert running away from%' he wonders and
fills a glass of water which he takes tothe liing room and sets it on the table
net to his laptop. #e sits down, powers
the computer and grabs the glass to drink
it, but stops before putting it to his lips
and inspects it for a few seconds, turning
it on all sides. (uddenly, an outburst of
fear and anger runs through his whole being
and for a few moments, he cannot breathe.
The glass shatters at his feet, sending
sharp pieces eerywhere on the floor in a
watery mess and rad $ust stares at it for
what seems like hours to him, fighting to
postpone the onset of desperation, fighting
to maintain control and a clear head. #e
recoers while a new email message appearson the screen. The flashing sub$ect says,
'Eemember, remember, the fifth of (eptember
is still a work day)' The message is from
Tim and rad continues to read through it,
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 126/281
'...get down here soon, we need you)' #e
takes a minute to regain full control of
his body and mind and rushes to work.
"(orry, * lost track of time, bring me upto speed," he addresses his colleague and
good friend right after storming through
the door and heading directly for his desk,
without een looking around.
"rad, glad to see you, it's getting a bit
cra7y in here."
"5ra7y% What do you mean%""What, you don't know% * found out this
morning, -orbert was inoled in some kind
of traffic accident it seems he was
killed."
":es, * know "
":ou know% Well when were you going to tell
it to me% :ou look tired, were you partyingall night long% What's going on, rad% What
is it you're not telling me%"
"+ook, * know because * was there * was
not partying and no, * don't know what's
going on, either. +ots of strange things
happening lately, faster than * can
process."
"Wait, you were there% #ow come% What is
this%"
"* was walking back to the lab and * saw
the whole thing but neer mind that now,
tell me, why can't * log into the system%"
":es, that's another thing we hae to
figure out, my access has also been
restricted, and guess what, since morning,those two agents, for lack of a better
word, are back and hae been haing priate
meetings with eerybody, upstairs. *'m due
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 127/281
soon. And it can't be good, *'m telling
you)"
"=riate meetings, what are you talking
about%" rad asks surprised, while retryinghis password on one time. "*'m locked out
of eerything, what the hell is going on in
here%"
"That's what *'m trying to tell you, they
hae restricted eerybody's access until
further notice."
rad goes to another workstation and triesto log in repeatedly.
Tim grabs him by the shoulders and raises
his oice a bit, "Don't you see% ;erybody
is locked out. We hae to be patient, see
what reason they come up with for all this.
*'m sure eerything will be restored soon,
maybe it has something to do with the *Tguy."
"They can't do this to us, this is our life
they're messing around with here, our
life's work)" rad loses temper and shouts
out, getting up. "* demand an eplanation
and *'m going to get one)"
"Where are you going% :ou can't go in $ust
yet. Wait till they call you, and don't go
in mad, you'll only make things worse."
":ou know me, always making things worse,
and the suits don't intimidate me, don't
worry."
rad takes the eleator to the last floor
and heads straight for the 5;0's large
office. 0utside the door, the two men inblack suits are haing what seems to rad,
more of an interrogation rather than a
normal discussion. They see each other and
the 5;0 ecuses him self from the two men.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 128/281
"=aul, what's going on% What's this all
about%"
"=lease keep it down, walk with me." They
moe away to aoid being oerheard by thetwo agents, "rad, * trust you'e seen the
nice gentlemen * was chatting with. :ou'd
better behae, cause they run the show now
Well their boss does, anyway.
-eertheless, * epect your full
cooperation."
"Who runs the show now% What do you mean%*'m the chief of this pro$ect, and * will
not hae my work insulted this way."
"+ook, * understand you're point of iew
but come on, don't act like you don't know
how things work. We're $ust another
contractor for ;ngram Eows, they pay your
salary and most important, they pay mysalary. That's how the world turns, rad
and you can't change it. The little fish,
us, feed on the scraps of the big fish,
them. And now, the big fish deems necessary
to get inoled and personally take
control, understand% And they will hae our
full cooperation) :our entire work here
would not een hae been possible without
their funding. *t was fun while it lasted,
now it's time to let go. There will be
other pro$ects, * guarantee it."
"* know who ;ngram Eows is, and * still say
they hae no right to cut me off like that.
We're not finished, there is still a lot of
research, a lot more work to be done"=aul interrupts him, "we're finished if
they say we're finished, so deal with it."
They look each other in the eyes, and rad
moes away, reali7ing they were neer
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 129/281
friends and his approach was based on the
assumption that there is something else but
greed and indifference to his direct
superior. =aul $umps in front of him,"Don't be a fool, Wilson, let it go) :ou
won't be sorry, they will take care of you
you'll see. *n that office there's a nice
fat check with your name on it, waiting.
And in case you're wondering, yes, * did
take it and * found it 8uite generous," the
shallow face of the epensiely dressedeecutie grins widely.
":ou make me sick, =aul. :ou and all the
other greedy bastards out there. * can't
beliee * actually hoped for some humanity
from you while you did nothing but talk
about money." rad says to him in a low,
capitulating oice and heads for theoffice, momentarily happy with himself for
speaking his mind.
":ou're a fool, rad) =aul shouts pointing,
you are a damn fool) :ou hae a price, and
they'e already guessed it."
":eah, you should know," rad pirouettes to
reply and enters the office without
knocking, completely unprepared for what he
now looks at.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 130/281
3
"Ah, mister Wilson, * was epecting you,
please, do sit down," the ery elegant manin his late fifties welcomes him,
surprisingly well disposed. With a discreet
gesture of his head his aid leaes the room
holding a large pile of folders in his
hand. 0n his way out he throws a frowned,
belligerent look at rad from under the
thick glasses giing the impression ofcuriosity rather than anything else. The
scientist is still holding his place,
trying to ealuate the situation so the
charismatic man approaches him and shakes
his hand, "*'e heard a lot about you,
mister Wilson, now please, let's sit down
and talk. And don't worry about mister!elin there, he gies that look to
eerybody he meets, must hae something to
do with his territorial instincts he's a
brilliant man, couldn't keep my business in
order without him ery loyal, ery loyal
indeed."
#e sits down and right away, the imposing
man opens up a wooden cigar bo and offers
it to rad. "Thank you, but * don't smoke,/
he refuses politely.
"What a coincidence, me neither. ut *'m
told the connoisseurs delight in this
particular brand. !elin always picks and
caries for me a small token like this,
depending on the occasion. A small gift cango a long way, you know."
":es, so *'e heard. ut one should not
easily accept gifts, no matter what kind
and from whom. 0ne will 8uickly assign one
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 131/281
self and carry the burden of debt most
often unknowingly, which is always far
larger than the gift."
"(o it's true !ister Wilson, * like youalready," he says sincerely and isibly
intrigued.
"!ister" rad pauses for his interlocutory
to introduce himself.
"=lease, call me !ason. 0r $ust !., if you
like."
"* take it that's not your real name%""*t is as real as you or * want it to be.
The time when * was using pseudonyms has
long passed. * am now in a position let's
say where concealing my name seres no
meaningful purpose anymore. 0n the contrary
* want people to know who * am."
"Cnderstood. !ister !ason, * would like toask for my clearance back along with all
the priileges re8uired to continue my
work."
"(traight to the point, * like that in a
man but * am afraid * cannot do that. :ou
see your research, which is * must say
absolutely brilliant has recently become a
matter of national security."
"(o you work for the goernment% And the
suits outside are some three letter agency
gorillas, here to protect you."
"-ot 8uite, mister Wilson. ut you are
partially right. * actually used to work
for the goernment. -ow it is more like
they're working for me,/ he says adopting aserious appearance. "-ot all of them, sure
enough some work for my associates, too."
"And what eactly do you and your
associates occupy your time with% :ou're
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 132/281
here to steal what could possibly be a
world changing innoation and bury it
foreer is some remote ault or een worse,
destroy it.""(tealing is a harsh word mister Wilson
and * certainly do not bury innoations.
That is petty corporate work. * answer to
no board of directors or some idiotic chief
eecutie officer that has no idea what is
going on around him. The higher the rank,
the lower the 8uality of information thatreaches you and you know ery well what
information means."
":es" rad replies, reali7ing he's dealing
now with some one far outside the norm and
trying to be as cautious as possible.
":ou are a man of few words * see, mister
Wilson and those few words you weigh themproperly * admire that. >o ahead * know
you hae about four hundred 8uestions for
me right now but unfortunately my time is
limited to only a do7en or so," he smiles.
":ou inoke national security. :ou're
lying, aren't you%"
"* indeed hae told many lies in my life,
and you will no doubt connect this with the
fact that * used to work for the
goernment, but this time it's not really
a lie. We made it our habit to work with
the truth, now. !uch more elegant than
lying."
"(ome kind of presidential adiser, then%
(ome special intelligence operatie%""=residential adiser%" #e laughs,
"=residents, my good man are $ust another
asset we manage. Think of them as our
public relations officers, or better yet a
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 133/281
president is the perfect spokesperson, due
to the fact that most people acknowledge
their authority. And people need an
authority, a father figure if you will totell them what to do. There would be chaos
otherwise and we are the ones who bring the
order."
"We% Who are these 'we' you keep referring
to%"
"* told you my associates. :ou really seem
tired. (till cannot sleep well% * think youneed a acation mister Wilson, you'e
earned it."
"And how might * ask, would you know about
my sleeping disorder% #ae you been
following me%"
"We are in the business of knowing. We hae
been closely following your entire carrier.We know eerything about you. We know what
you like to eat and we know what you like
to drink. We een know things that you
probably do not know about yourself. And *
am sorry about your recent loss, you hae
my sincere condolences. Also, it is rather
obious $udging by your current state."
"Why me% What's so special about me% rad
asks isibly irritated."
"There are many gifted people out there
indeed but once in a while some one stands
out and if it is in accordance with our
plans, we interene to help, in the cases
that present the most interest, those that
are the most promising for us.""#ow ery generous of you) Thanks a lot,
but * don't need your help and een if *
did * would not ask the likes of you for
it."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 134/281
"!ister Wilson, please, there is no need to
be so caustic. We were getting along $ust
fine a moment ago& * suggest we keep it
that way. To put it simply, it is in thebest interest of eeryone to befriend us,
than anything else. "
":ou mean it's in the best interest of you
and your associates. :ou hae no right to
decide for anyone, and the people hae a
right to know)"
"The people hae a right to know what wetell them," he says without any noticeable
change of tone or appearance."
":ou seem ery confident about that. What
makes you so sure people will beliee you%"
";perience, my dear gentleman. :ou would
be ama7ed what we can make people beliee.
The right spokesperson and the right timeand place, with the right speech can change
entire regimes, start reolutions and make
the greatest tyrants appear as the greatest
saiors."
"The people hae a right to know the truth
mister !ason," rad says calming down,
thinking there aren't lots of meetings like
this and decides to try and make the most
of it.
"The people are too busy running away from
the truth, mister Wilson. *n all my years
of superising * hae neer seen people
going through so much hardship $ust to moe
away from the truth, to aoid it as they do
nowadays. The truth is something theyabsolutely cannot handle and will sacrifice
a lot of things to maintain the comfort
proided by their ignorance." rad takes a
few moments to think the net words
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 135/281
through, while staring at the completely
unchanged semi ironic smile of his most
recent ac8uaintance.
"(o we are sheep begging for a sheepdog,nothing more, right% We're so lucky to hae
such generous sheepdogs like you, mister
!ason," he ads still calm and still
thinking ahead, like a good chess player.
"A capable and caring guide with only the
best intentions for his flock such
fortune thank you, mister (heepdog,/ radsays with increased sarcasm.
"!ister Wilson, call us what you will for
now. :our scientific mind, in its desperate
rush to grasp as much as possible is $ust
trying to define the ariables. * en$oy
intelligence and * am patient with its
shortcomings."":ou are hands down, one of the most
arrogant men * hae eer met. * think
arrogance is for men with certainties, and
it seems like you hae plenty of them."
"Arrogant *'m not sure if * would use that
word. What you people see as arrogance *
see as strength."
"y 'you people', you mean the unworthy
peasants, that is eerybody besides the
(heepdogs the uneducated mob, the
sleepwalking consumers." A short silence
follows rad's words without any answer
from his counterpart.
"* didn't say anything, you did," comes the
late and annoying reply from !ason. "Do youreally think the people of this world are
capable of thinking for themseles% After
all the things you'e seen in our history
of iolence, after all the horrific murders
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 136/281
and atrocities against himself, do you
think man is prepared for truth and
freedom% -ot only, they do not desere such
priileges, but are far from ready toreceie them. 0ut of this inability to
think independently and to take
responsibility religion was born. And to a
considerable etend, * must confess it has
sered our purposes more than we would like
to think. We hae studied this fact for a
long time and we understand it well. *tconstitutes an inaluable adantage to us.
:ou see, mister Wilson people will always
ask for order instead of freedom and
always safety before liberty."
"Allow me to disagree," rad blurts out,
crossing his hands to his chest.
"Alright, feel free to disagree misterWilson," !ason speaks with the same
attitude and the same epression of
amusement on his face.
"ut the system is a lot more e8ual than
you might beliee. Think about it the
lower classes accuse the elite for always
haing more but what they don't reali7e is
that the more wealth the elites gather, the
more it will filter down to them. *t's a
win6win situation," he says coninced.
":es, but by the time the filtered wealth
reaches the lower classes it has already
been dealued so much by inflation and a
whole number of other economic gimmicks
that is has become close to being utterlyworthless," rad scores a much awaited
point.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 137/281
"*mpressie" he nods in approal, and then
remains silently in wait for the net
delicious sentence.
"* can see you're en$oying this game,mister !ason."
";ery time * play it with a worthy
opponent, my dear gentleman," he replies
with the appearance of honesty, once again.
":ou are so sure you understand people, but
* think you hae no idea. And * doubt you
can control absolutely eerybody.""That sounds so authoritarian, we prefer to
call it protection rather than control. As
for understanding people, it is not as
difficult as appearances would hae you
beliee. :ou see there are $ust a few
primitie instincts in man, that once
understood, can be eploited to such adegree of precision, as to stir the masses
in which eer direction needed, most of the
time inoling surprisingly less effort
than first planned. 5omprehending the human
mental processes and functions their
social patterns, has allowed us to
accurately predict trends in all the
aspects of life. The mob is so predictable
it is almost boring, at times. 9or
instance, simple association of whateer
product with a smiling, happy indiidual in
a commercial will hae people buy the
respectie product not because they
actually need it, but because they want to
be happy. They are not buying a new car ora new $acket. They are buying happiness.
#appiness sells remarkably well. And that
is $ust a ery small eample * can tell
you about many more so comple and yet, so
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 138/281
simple you'll hae a hard time belieing
it."
"ut, *'m sure you can see how such things
fail to amuse me. * know it's hard for youto understand but for those of us with a
conscience, this sort of talk might not
seem funny."
"!y dear mister Wilson, you must hae me
for some cold6hearted misanthrope, when in
reality * am eactly the opposite of that.
ut * can definitely see how one can easilymake that mistake."
"* take it back you're more like
hopelessly insane than a misanthrope."
9or the first time, !ason releases a round
of laughter, the kind that comes from the
belly and in no way offended he says, "*
like you more and more, mister Wilson. * amconinced now, it has not been a waste of
my time to personally handle this matter."
"This matter% :ou sound like you're talking
about business as usual, nothing really
important or anything. 9ree, clean,
renewable energy foreer, for eery single
soul on the planet you say% Just another
matter, right% Just another irresponsible
and dangerous threat that us sheep need to
be protected from."
";actly right. Do you honestly beliee
people are ready for this% Eeady to happily
accept such monumental change in their
lies% Wake up, mister Wilson. #ow many out
there are not completely unaware of thethings that take place beyond their
immediate surroundings% #ow many moments of
clarity do you think the relentless
consumer has on a gien day% After
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 139/281
countless hours spent daily in front of a
TH, how many people do you think will rise
up, take to the streets and demand their
rights back from their oppressiegoernment and institutions%"
"!ore and more) rad interrupts. "And soon,
enough to make a difference."
"Another common trait * find shared among
many self delusion. Do you not see% =eople
want bad things to happen to them. They
demand war, misery and staration. *t iswhat defines them. *t is their hidden
unconscious purpose."
"And * think it is your hidden conscious
purpose to proe you're not mad."
Without een hearing the last remark, !ason
continues, "We must always fight wars.
There must be perpetual war. *t bringsentire countries out of economic collapse
and stimulates progress and innoation. *t
inigorates eolution and natural
selection."
"What are you talking about% *f anything,
it helps artificial selection) The fittest
are in the front lines and somehow, * don't
think any of your close relaties are
there. Am * in error, mister !ason% And
please, stop using 'we' when referring to
fighting wars."
">ranted we may not be in the front lines,
but we're still fighting a war the people
hae no idea about. Cs, the (heepdogs. A
demanding, high cost and merciless warwhich you will come to understand soon, *
trust."
":es, *'m coninced you're all decorated
heroes with high honors and no room left on
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 140/281
your chest for any more medals,/ rad says
forcing himself to remain calm but feeling
his blood boil and his heart race.
"=eople thrie on misery, mister Wilson,"!ason continues on the same tone and with
an een more cheerful epression on his
face, "it is unproductie to keep denying
this fact. #unger and misery must not
disappear, do you understand% And we see to
that by creating false scarcity. The
illusion of scarcity creates surialaniety which in turn creates all the
adantages we re8uire. :ou said it yourself
and you keep mentioning it in your
scientific papers, there is plenty for
eeryone but if people would reali7e that,
the entire social order would collapse."
":ou flatter me, 8uoting my papers andregarding the social order, you mean 'your'
social order would collapse the social
order in which you and your associate
psychopaths are on the ery top eactly
the war you're gallantly fighting in, right
now."
":ou hae potential and * trust you will
see it my way soon, mister Wilson," !ason
points his finger unhinged by the cutting
remarks aimed at him.
"With all do respect, * doubt that," rad
tries to be polite.
"* appreciate your effort at diplomacy and
sincerity."
"Then you will hae to appreciate andrespect my thoughts regarding your
methods. * do not think anyone in his or
her right mind, with the least amount of
sympathy for his fellow human beings would
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 141/281
label your actions as anything more than
psycho6pathological misanthropy. *t is also
clear proof that you actually hate yourself
more than anything else. When more than oneindiidual of a species engages in this
kind of self sabotage and destructie
behaior, the outcome can only be a
gruesome and untimely demise."
"9or all intents and purposes, that is
eactly what * am trying to aoid, my dear
gentleman. :ou condemn our actions asmischieous and murderous but only do so
due to the most unfortunate fact, in this
case, that you fail to look at the big
picture. :ou do not see the whole ensemble&
your iew is not a panoramic one. *t is a
tunnel one. And that is understandable,
considering your societal status andlimited priileges." rad thinks it oer
and answers on a more daring tone, ":ou
mean to tell me, * was born in the wrong
family, or *'m walking around the wrong
circles%"
"Well you see family * cannot stress how
ery important it is to us. y strictly
following certain rules we hae managed to
keep the most aluable assets and the most
crucial components to our plans alie
through countless generations. * dare say
little to nothing was lost to the icious
attacks of time and our enemies," !ason
says proudly.
"y enemies, you mean the common peopledon't you% And by most aluable assets, you
must refer to the unimaginable wealth kept
in the same families by marrying amongst
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 142/281
yourseles are you married to your
billionaire cousin%"
"*t really is a shame you must interpret it
in such a way, mister Wilson."#ow% The right way%"
"We will carry forward and do eerything in
our power to presere the royal bloodlines.
They are eerything to us and in the end,
it is all that matters," !ason adds with a
more serious face.
"(o in the course of all the countlessgenerations, the bloodlines hae neer been
tainted in any way% :ou hae neer allowed
anyone from the outside. (urely een small
accidents must hae happened that you are
not aware off. +ike * said, you cannot
control eerything, mister !ason," rad
says, trying to bring his opponent to astate of discomfort that would prone him to
mistakes and make him more ulnerable.
"*ntrusion has always been detected in good
time and dealt with. The punishment for
such trespassing is seere for both
insiders and outsiders. *t is also a ery
rare incident because we all know and
respect our responsibilities. *n etreme
cases, outsiders are allowed, but will
neer ac8uire the full rights and clearance
of the true bloods. 0f course, they will be
of the highest possible 8uality and are
hand picked after long consideration and
debate and after they hae proen
themseles worthy. !ost of the time, it isonly a faQade, sering our needs. * can
assure you mister rad, through my eins
runs the same blood as it did through my
ancestor's eins, thousands of years ago,"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 143/281
he says een more condescending and proud,
"you can take my word for it."
"(ure, * am in the habit of always taking
for granted the words of the self appointedrulers of the world."
":ou could not be more wrong. We are
eerything but self appointed. We hae been
given this right and with it, a
responsibility so great, it is beyond most
people's ability to understand. We are the
keepers of the secrets of the world and wehold the truths of the unierse within our
ery own D-A. We hae a sacred duty to
protect them and carry this honor, or
burden if you will, on and foreer."
"Hery poetic. Also ery close to what most
clinical psychologists would call delusions
of grandeur among probably many othercomplicated medical labels,/ rad continues
his assault on !ason's patience.
Cndeterred, the old man continues, "we hae
been entrusted this world and eerything
you see happening now on the planet is
rarely an accident or unforeseen by us. We
are sworn to protect it at any cost and
that is eactly what we are doing, my dear
mister Wilson."
"*t looks to me like the opposite of
protecting the planet is going on right
now. #ow do you eplain the ecessie
deforestation and the millions of tons of
poison being dumped eery year in the
riers and oceans%""*n order to create, we must sometimes
first destroy," !ason says with the
clearest consciousness.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 144/281
"0f course * knew that," rad replies
ironically. “ut wait you hae been
entrusted this planet by whom%"
"That is one of the secrets we guard. ut *will tell you this much. They were $ust
like us. +ike you and me, only infinitely
closer to perfection. True gods, mister
Wilson. And it is our sacred mission, to
follow in their footsteps."
"(o only the true bloods you mentioned
earlier are worthy of that honor, right%"!ason eades another sharp attack with the
same smile, combined with his usual calm
and silence and then 8uickly changes the
sub$ect, "!ister rad, if you still think
we are so demonically eil, how do you
eplain the hundreds of millions and een
billions gien to charity oer the years byus, the ery rich. >enerous sums gien to
noble causes such as the search for cures
to horrible illnesses and food for the
staring people of the third world
countries%"
"* would honestly not be impressed een if
* didn't know that the moties of people
like you are behind all of it and if *
didn't know for certain they all sere your
goals one way or another. (omehow, it's
still in your best and darkest interests
een if it doesn't looks like it at first
sight to the untrained eye. (top hunger and
disease completely if you really want to
help.""*t doesn't work that way, mister Wilson.
*t's not that simple. These sorts of things
are necessary in aoiding a complete
catastrophe."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 145/281
":es, so you keep saying."
"* keep saying it because it is so. And you
know deep down also, that * am right."
"Then it must be somewhere really deep,because * can't find anything in me that
agrees with you. *t must really be an
upside down world, if people like you hae
so much power and we all know how well
abuse goes hand in hand with power. *f you
really control all the politics like you
say then the world is een more upsidedown than * thought, as war is the normal
continuation of politics by other means.
Also, this sort of let's call them
organi7ations ran by men like you, as soon
as they are labeled as conspiracies, they
are dismissed faster than you can say
'misanthrope'."!ason laughs deliciously and says, "* loe
your sense of humor. And yes the word
conspiracy has indeed become useful to us.
+ike you said, the moment anything is
labeled this way it is easily dismissed and
will only grow further and further away
from gaining any credibility. To add to
your earlier 8uote * will say conspiracy is
the normal continuation of normal politics
by normal means. -ot sure who said that but
he was right. There are many conspirators
out there, mister Wilson and it is our
intent to keep them all conspiring in the
accepted parameters, so to speak. ;eryone
is more or less useful. ;eryone.""(o you will not accept this term when
referred to you, * take it."
"y now, you should know me better than
that, mister Wilson. 5onspirator ha) (uch
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 146/281
a menial occupation." Another silent brake
in which the two men measure each other
some more and !ason says, eager to hae
some more fun, "Tell me mister Wilson, doyou ote%"
"As a matter of fact, * do yes," he says
hesitating a bit, weighing all the possible
answers.
"Do you think the democrats are against the
liberals and the conseraties are against
both of the liberals and the democrats% Doyou think the different parties in a
country really are rials% Trust me it
does not matter which side wins. The left,
the right they are both hands of the same
body."
"A body which you control, * presume."
"=recisely) !e, my associates or maybeeen someone who works for us but has no
idea about it. *t is a common theme."
"*'m sure of it."
"To ote is to abdicate, my dear mister
Wilson. To ote is to renounce your own
soereignty and we could not ask for more.
!ost of the officials hae their own
personal agenda which always inoles
money. Their greed seres us eery time and
yes the oters desere the politicians
they ote for."
"And why are you telling me all these
things% *s it because you feel somehow
guilty and you need to spill your soul to
somebody% *f so, * am not the right person.-ot by a long shot there is no redemption
here, * carry none of it today, mister
!ason. 0r maybe you're trying to recruit me
into your wonderful organi7ation% *f that
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 147/281
is the case, * am afraid * shall politely
decline * feel there is not enough
freedom and not nearly enough benefits
offered."";n contraire, mister Wilson, * think you
would find the benefits ery rewarding,
indeed. *f this was a $ob interiew, *
would be asking the 8uestions and not the
other way around #ow could * feel guilty
about protecting the world% * search for no
redemption, my young friend. And to answeryou 8uestion regarding the recruiting
=erhaps * really am trying to recruit you.
=erhaps not. ;ither way, hae you not been
working for us for the past seen years%"
"Don't get your hopes up with me, * might
let you down * don't function well inside
compartmentali7ed pyramid organi7ationswhere * will neer know the real truth the
real secrets that are promised but only
reealed to the top of the structure. ;ach
compartment unaware of what the net one
does or knows."
"Would you be surprised if * told you that
the top of the pyramid holds only the
partial truth% 0nly a tiny incomplete part
of it%"
"* suppose not but isn't it better to know
the partial truth rather than only lies%"
"That, my dear gentleman is up to you. Cp
to each and eery one of us up to our
personal standards. And we know most
standards are pretty low out there when itcomes to the truth."
(uddenly, !elin rushes in without een
knocking and goes directly for !ason,
whispering something in his ear. Without
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 148/281
een looking at rad, he rushes out as fast
as he came in.
":ou'll hae to ecuse mister !elin again
when he deems something important enoughfor me to be aware of, he will oerride
eerything else. *n this case, a knock on
the door or an ecuse for intruding."
"-ot to worry, * am a man who appreciates
efficiency."
"* know," !ason smiles.
"(o what was it about% (ome small remotecountry needs another puppet leader%"
"Hery amusing," !ason laugh again, "no,
nothing of the sort."
"+isten," rad cuts into !ason's net
sentence, "what if * walk out of here and *
sell the story of our little conersation
to eeryone% What if tomorrow morning, theentire media will run a front6page article
with accurate 8uotes from a mister !ason,
self6appointed ruler and puppeteer of the
world% Are you not afraid of that%"
!ason pretends to think about it for a
moment with a ery thoughtful epression,
than brakes out into another short burst of
laughter, his palms on the desk pushing his
back into the big, soft chair. !ister
Wilson, do you really think anyone would
beliee you% Who in their right mind would
een consider your story%" #e laughs again.
"5an you een imagine how it would sound to
people% *f by some miracle, it does run
somewhere, not only would you becompromising you entire carrier but also
you will be considered a lunatic. Are you
prepared to do that%"
"=eople hae the right to know the truth)"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 149/281
":es, yes, but not this type of truth.
esides, it would take less than a phone
call for a newspaper to be bought."
"And if they won't sell%""Then they will be closed down with a
phone call. =ersonal isits are seldom
re8uired."
"(o * should be honored you personally came
here to shut me down sorry. *'m not."
!ason, without saying anything, shrugs
denoting utter indifference. 0r, we couldlet it run after all with some minor
modifications, of course, so as to induce
een more confusion to those who will
actually take the time to inestigate.
5onfusion is one of our most effectie
weapons."
"And nothing confuses people worst thanthe engineered truth."
"Absolutely right," !ason agrees. "There
are only so many ersions of the truth
people will take in before giing up their
search. They will be so depressed and
hopeless that they will dismiss eerything
afterward een the real truth. *t could
stare them in the face and still they would
look away."
"* hope you reali7e, mister !ason, how
difficult it is for me to listen to what
you hae to say."
"Eest assured, * do and * appreciate your
wit and your good humor. #oweer, as * am
sure you will eentually come tounderstand, we are far from the monsters
you think we are. Think about it. We gie
eeryone fair chances. We spread the truth
all oer the place& it is there for all to
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 150/281
see, in plain sight. Who has eyes to see,
who can understand the symbolism will know
the truth."
"0f course. est place to hide something isin plain sight. -o one will look for it
there." !ason gestures another shrug and
says ery dry, "fair chances, still.
(ymbols rule the world, mister Wilson."
"And who controls the symbols, controls the
world."
"=recisely.""What about the church% What is your
attitude towards that% And towards all the
religions out there%" rad asks in the hope
of understanding more.
"As with all else, we try to make
eerything work for us. *ndeed, it was
proen ery useful in the past and stilldoes. There are some countries where the
church has grown so strong, it oerrides
the goernment sometimes, and few to no
laws are passed if it hurts the profits or
the status of the respectie church."
"ut, let me guess :ou somehow deal with
them relatiely easy, also."
":es. >ie some one the illusion of control
and it will be infinitely simple to
manipulate them. :ou will bend them to your
will without them een suspecting it for a
second. =eople need religion due to their
nature >enerally, they do not handle
responsibility too well."
"(o let me see if * got this straight. Anunimaginably wealthy compartmentali7ed
pyramidal organi7ation, with unlimited
resources and influence, manipulating
eerything from the shadows but somehow
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 151/281
still in plain sight, employing deceit and
lies but also engineered truths, who,
between surgical insertions of
!achiaellian intrigues and changing acouple of political regimes eery second
day, take their time to look out for the
well being of the people and the planet's
future... in the time left, paying a few
honorable isits to some unsuspecting
ictims,/ rad ends his description staring
into !ason's carefully following eyes.Another round of laughter and !ason
replies, "-icely synthesi7ed, mister
Wilson, please allow me to saor it," he
laughs some more and goes on, "still, you
make it sound so negatie and eil."
"*t sounds so because it is so," rad goes
on with a straight face."Ah, mister Wilson, this conersation is
delightful. +et me etend once more my
gratitude for your time."
"Don't mention it," comes the sarcastic
reply. rad buries his head in his palms
and rubs his face.
"=lease, do not be frustrated, mister
Wilson, that's a one way ticket to an early
retirement."
":ou make it all sound so simple and
$oyful. * bet you wouldn't last one day on
a regular person's salary, let alone on a
few cents like a ery large percentage of
humanity currently does. When's the last
time you really felt hunger gnawing at yourstomach, mister !ason% When did you last
feel the sheer anguish of the uncertainty
of tomorrow% When was the last time you
felt worthless for not being able to
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 152/281
proide your family with a loaf of bread%"
-ot playing !ason's game, rad maintains
the serious tone adopted from the ery
beginning and waits aniously for hisanswer. Eesuming the straight, confident
posture he talks slowly, no longer smiling,
giing the impression of boredom, "!ister
Wilson, but * myself hae not skipped any
stages. >ranted, * was born in a family
that could proide eerything, but that
does not mean * got it all for free. * willadmit we hae a head start due to our
status, but * will hae you know * worked
my way to the top. And it was hard work& *
had to proe myself worthy."
";ery one can proe themseles worthy with
a huge head start and a couple million
dollars for daily pocket money."* beg to differ, my dear gentleman. While
it is true that money makes money, * still
had to crawl my up the ladder, and * am at
the top now because of the simple fact that
* could climb faster than the rest. * will
not hide the reality that * take great
pride in my achieements."
"And you will not acknowledge that at least
some of those achieements hae come at
great misfortune for a large number of
people, to say the least%"
"5ertainly not, mister Wilson. 0ne man's
misfortune is another man's good fortune,
surely you must agree on this. That is
life. *t has been that way since the dawnof time and chances are it will keep on
being that way for a long, long time."
"Well, if the law of compensation is a
reality it would definitely seem to hae
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 153/281
turned a blind eye at your kind. And keeps
doing it repeatedly."
"0r maybe it really is compensating.
9ortune faors the bold, mister Wilson.""0r the already fortunate," rad says with
a slight feeling of disgust, knowing the
discussion is not ery close to its
conclusion.
"Do you not see% These people you call
unfortunate, left unattended will become
their worst enemy.""And that is where you step in."
"*t is in their own best interest to be
preoccupied with surial, fight for food
and territory, to follow trends, to consume
and watch TH, obey and not ask 8uestions
and hae $obs that suppress their thinking.
Do you understand, mister Wilson% Theimportant decisions cannot be left to the
common people."
"=erfectly," he answers bluntly. ecause we
all know that once man is free from
repetitie and boring tasks, free to think
for himself he will conspire with others of
the same material and deise plans that are
not accepted by their goernments. 9ree
from hunger and pointless toils, man's mind
will spawn all kinds of subersie thoughts
aimed at biting the so6called hand that
feeds him. Those who do break away howeer,
are called dissidents and terrorists so
they must be hunted down for the betterment
of society."":ou must admit, it is a perfectly designed
system, my dear gentleman," !ason gloats.
"*t harbors dissidents and model citi7en
alike, but ultimately, no matter what name
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 154/281
it wears, be it communism, fascism or
democracy& which all consist of the same
essence, ultimately, it will filter out the
undesirables. 0ne way or another, it willhae balance. *t truly is a beautiful
design."
rad tries to mask his disgust while !ason
ends the brief silence, ";ile is
impossible) #e says fully content with
himself, in a state of peaceful happiness.
"*s it% *s eile from the system reallyimpossible%" rad asks, trying to think of
possible ways out.
":ou tell me, mister Wilson. :ou see the
entire system is rigged against self6
sufficiency, because that is the first step
toward the collapse of our control oer the
masses. Think of a world where almosteeryone works for themseles growing
their own food, managing their own
resources. -o fake scarcity to conince
them they need to moe to the big cities
and get cubicle $obs where it is easiest
and the most conenient for us to get them
ad$usted. We hae gone to great lengths to
make sure people hae no choice but to
isit supermarkets and fast food places as
often as possible after a full day in the
cubicle. 9ighting farmers and discouraging
agriculture was the first phase. (elf6
sufficiency is ery dangerous, mister
Wilson. We can not and will not allow that.
"(o the supermarkets are yours, too%""The bottom of our organi7ation sees to
that. *t is considered one of the dirty
$obs we must handle."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 155/281
"Dirty comes to mind, indeed, when thinking
of all the addities and chemicals the
supermarket sheles are full of. Any reason
for that% 5ontrol through food%""0f course, mister Wilson," he grins
happily& ":ou catch on fast, like * knew
you would. ;erything has a purpose, like *
said, nothing is left to chance. ;erything
and eeryone is useful."
";en so, you forget about the forest you
say eile is impossible, but what about thewilderness% Do you hae eyes there too% The
woles and bears of the mountains are they
on your payroll, as well%"
"!ister rad, we don't forget. Also, how
many people who lie in the forest do you
know and how many mountain cae dwellers
that left ciili7ation, do you personallyknow, are doing well in the great outdoors%
+eading a life style completely seered
away from the nourishing hand of the
system"
rad saddens, and is silent for a moment,
reali7ing !ason is right this time.
"*'ll take the freedom of interpreting your
silence as a negatie answer."
"The fact that * don't personally know
anyone, does not mean it can't be done," he
stands strong.
"The naked truth, as you will agree, is
that man has long forgotten how to lie in
the woods. =eople are much too attached to
the system and hae distanced themseles sofar from nature that escape has become
brutally impossible. !an does not hunt deer
or bison or mammoth anymore they hunt for
the 8uickest route for the shopping mall
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 156/281
and for the all you can eat buffets. They
hunt for happiness on endless sheles and
TH shows. They hunt for the latest line of
clothes and the net black 9riday sales."0B, 0B, * get it," rad tries to stop the
line of unending eamples.
"The number of people that will gie up the
comfort of the couch for a tree house is
net to nothing. >ranted there may still be
a few hermits out there who can manage it
some how," !ason says, "but * assure you,the leel of detachment is neer eer a
hundred percent. #e laughs again, "*t's
$ust impossible."
"(o you say," rad says tired and almost
resigned.
"The masses are feminine and stupid, mister
Wilson. All the tyrants of history haeunderstood this reality and they hae used
it to their adantage, marelously, eery
time. As a pioneer of mob psychology
rightly noted some time ago, the crowds
ehibit a docile respect for force and
brutality. They are ery slightly impressed
by kindness. Their sympathies hae neer
been placed on easy going masters, but
always on the igorously oppressie
tyrants."
"* see you did your homework in sociology
among other areas."
"(ociology... seems to me too euphemistic.
* would replace it any day with herd
behaior, for eample.""Thought so," rad replies with a dry
mouth, "but isn't this kind of double speak
one of your strategies%"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 157/281
"The herds must be kept in a constant state
of neurosis and apathy, mister Wilson.
":eah, * deduced that much from your
confessions.""Again, you make me laugh, my dear
gentleman. -ot many people can do that. *
appreciated it. ut allow me to correct
your last statement. These are not
confessions. (uch things are for the common
people, who are promised redemption in
echange for them, which, sure enough,makes for a ery useful tool. That is why
all sorts of informers used to wear the
cloth in certain regions of the world."
"Csed to%"
"And probably still do like * said, such
tasks are left to the newly initiated in
our organi7ation.""* see"
"*'ll ask you something else. Do you not
find it odd that products like clothes and
food take infinitely less time and money to
make now, but still the prices go up
instead of going down% *f fifty years ago,
a pair of boots took a week to be
manufactured, at the cost of let us say,
one dollar, why are they fifty dollars now,
when it takes a few minutes to make them at
probably the same cost as half a century
ago% *nflation ad$usted, of course." rad
keeps silent and waits for the eplanation.
"*'ll tell you why it is because
otherwise, eeryone would be able to affordalmost anything they would desire."
"There would be no classes in society
e8uality and well being for eeryone. That
cannot be allowed, right%"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 158/281
"Hery right, mister Wilson. 5an you imagine
the imbalance created by eeryone getting
rich and taking important decisions%"
"5atastrophic, indeed" rad agreessarcastically.
!elin barges is again, with coffee and
water, leaes them on the table and
disappears 8uickly. "Don't you wish
eeryone could be like that% +ike !elin"
#e says with fatherly pride.
"A faithful serant, probably mentallyunstable and completely lacking a personal
life%"
"That is one way to put it, but it is
rather harsh. * would go for shrewd
sagacious attentie maybe% And * don't
think many of us can boast left and right
about their personal life, so wonderfully$oyous and rich with good friends."
rad gets the allusion and lowers his ga7e
to the floor while reaching for the glass
of water, drinking it fast.
"Why don't we change the sub$ect a bit%
What do you think%"
"* think many things, mister !ason."
"* know you do listen hae you eer been
to >reece% * can arrange for a secluded
island $ust for you, with a nice illa and
a wonderful beach to rela for a few weeks
you need it and desere it. :ou did a great
$ob, and for that, we are grateful. All
epenses paid, of course."
":ou own a >reek island%""* own more the one. ut this particular
island *'m talking about, no, * don't own
it. :ou do," he smiles wickedly. "As of
right now."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 159/281
":ou steal people's islands too% *sn't it
enough you condemn them to poerty and wage
slaery%"
"A debt is a debt, mister Wilson. And ithas to be paid one way or another. We are
generous enough to accept payments under a
different form than money, when the
situation re8uires so."
"The answer is no, * haen't been to
>reece and what makes you so sure * will
accept your offer% Also, why is your bribeso generous for me%"
"ecause you stand out of the crowd, mister
Wilson."
"#ow lucky am *%"
"-o need for sarcasm this time. * am not
lying. We hae a few pro$ects we would
like you to run for us. This time, higherclearance and much better pay much better
indeed."
"-o, thank you)" #e answers bluntly.
!ason goes on, completely ignoring rad<s
refusal, "The things you will see and
learn are beyond the common man's
comprehension. The technology we use is
roughly fifty years ahead of the
mainstream. !aybe more. *ndeed, for some it
would appear as magic," he confidently
gloats. With your help, with your
achieement, here, we will be able to skip
at least a decade of research. :ou see we
hae the same scientific inestigations
running in parallel in more facilities atonce. (ome were ery close to your success
but you were the first. :our setup is the
most efficient. And you hae as well
demonstrated a certain passion that is
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 160/281
absolutely re8uired, without which, others
would hae succeeded only by sheer luck."
"Eedundancy or paranoia%"
"The smallest detail in setting, personnel,in character or behaior can create
completely different results, een if
identical e8uipment is used. Eedundancy is
the key."
"(o money really isn't a problem. What if *
would say yes would * be forced to
superise the giant printing presses thatproide your unending cash flow%"
"-o, my dear mister Wilson," he grins
widely, "that is the $ob of the banks,
naturally. We hae work that is much more
scientific than that."
"-aturally, the banks they're the perfect
debt creating machines, aren't they%"":ou could not be closer to the truth."
"(etting the interest as they please,
lending worthless papers printed in their
basement and asking real money back by
real money * mean money that has been
earned by hard toil. Eeal money that does
not een eist, but somehow people hae to
pay it back. *t is a huge mystery for me,
why no one can see this."
";en if they see it there is nothing they
can do about it."
":eah :ou got it all figured out," he says
almost hopeless.
"* modestly agree, yes we hae most of it
if not all figured out a long time before.And what is going on right now is $ust the
plan, unraeling out, smoothly."
"(o nothing went the wrong way% -othing got
out of control%"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 161/281
"The few small deiations hae been
remedied on time. 0er all, eerything is
running at the re8uired parameters."
":ou take a lot of pride in your work. :oureally are coninced of it, of the whole
scheme. :ou truly beliee in it, and that's
what makes you so dangerous."
"Why, thank you, mister Wilson. :ou flatter
me. #onest."
rad goes on with his crude analysis, "*t
is odd how people hae always welcomedcon8uerors disguised as liberators. And
that is eactly what your 'brotherhood', is
designation that comes to mind right now,
is doing. The same story eery time, the
same modus operandi, create the problem,
wait for the people to ask you for the
solution and then enforce it. Guitedeious, * will gie you that. :ou are a
small antichrist in your own right, mister
!ason. *f we were to neer meet, * would
not think it possible for such men to
eist."
"Antichrist% * think * en$oy the title, but
only because of the boldness it inoles."
"*t practically screams boldness)" rad
laughs, breaking a long period of keeping a
serious face.
">reat decisions re8uire great leaders.
5ourage and boldness determination, mister
Wilson. These are the 8ualities demanded by
a position such as mine."
":es. Add some self sacrifice, mercy andgenerosity in that mi and you hae the
perfect liberator. The cheering of the
thousands gathered in the s8uare, throwing
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 162/281
flowers at your feet is most deafening to
my mind's years."
"* acknowledge your sarcasm, mister Wilson
but ironically, you are not far from thetruth."
"There is $ust no wining with you, is it%"
"*'m afraid not, mister Wilson.
":ou know * won't gie up my work that
easily, right%"
"!ister Wilson, * hope you appreciate my
efforts of making eeryone gain somethinghere, today. And my patience towards a win6
win scenario for all parts inoled."
"5ome one, let's face it. The only winner
in this forced eacuation is you and only
you. (top making it sound like you're
helping anyone."
"*t is not a forced eacuation. And if youmust speak of it in this way, then let me
remind you that * am basically, your
employer and * take the right to terminate
your contract how eer and wheneer *
please. *f you prefer forced eiction
better than being let go, than so be it. *t
makes no difference to me whatsoeer."
"0f course it doesn't. True liberators hae
no time for semantics. And interpreting
what you $ust said, semantically different,
you are my owner, my master, and you're not
firing me, you're selling me, you're not
letting me go, you're sending me off to
different factory. (laes are not fired,
they are sold, isn't that right, mister!ason%"
"Time is indeed a ery precious asset and *
always make the most of it," he bluntly
aoids the sub$ect once again.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 163/281
"+ike your isit here today, right%"
"0f course, mister Wilson. * neer go home
empty handed, and today * go home een
richer than yesterday thanks to you,!ister Wilson.
"* haen't gien you my final decision yet.
What makes you so sure of your ictory%"
"* don't hae to be sure of it, * know it."
"An omniscient liberator the people will
cheer for that for years to come."
":ou cannot oerlook the fact that you haeno choice in the matter, mister Wilson,"
!ason says ery seriously and stares him
down, epecting his capitulation.
"* neer did, did *%"
!ason keeps staring, 8uietly.
"* don't hae to gie you anything in
echange for your transfer or resignation.* am not obliged to compensate any of this.
ut *'m still trying to reward you, rather
generously as you hae seen."
":es rad stares back, hopping to buy some
more time for an idea. "What if * agree to
your terms with one condition% >ie me
thirty more days of full laboratory
priileges to finish my work. After that, *
shall be at your disposal, ready to be
transferred where eer needed."
"Why waste any more time, reinenting the
wheel% esides, the lab is already sealed,
being prepared for dis6assembly and
relocation. *n one week this place will be
empty."":ou mean being prepared for destruction
and burial."
"9ar from it, my dear gentleman," !ason
smiles.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 164/281
"* hae to be honest this has been eye
opening for me."
"* could hae hoped for no less," !ason
smiles proud. #e hands rad a card andsays, "Take a couple of weeks to rela and
think it through. When you're ready, call
that number and eerything will be arranged
so as to mind all your terms and the utmost
comfort at your new position. ;citing
discoeries and wonderful times await us)"
-ot wanting to close all his gates, radtakes the card, looks at it and speaks with
new found strength, "All empires, all
regimes and dictatorships end sooner or
later, mister !ason. They get rebooted and
recycled. *t seems to me that the time is
near for eactly that to happen to your
reign. The psychopaths clinging desperatelyto their throne, the misanthropes and
tyrants forcing the world into the modern
seritude of our days cannot lie foreer.
They will fall like the pitiful creatures
they are, drowning in their own misery. The
world will recoer, mister !ason, it will
thrie and it will heal from the stigma of
your eistence. :ou will not be remembered
as anything more than a black page in the
history books of humanity. -othing close to
the glory and gratitude you think you
desere. :ou and your kind are damned
foreer and can neer clean the filth
associated with your actions. #umans are a
resilient species adaptable to any kind ofenironment, no matter how harsh and as
soon as they remoe the tumor you hae
cultiated inside their souls, they will
become a force so powerful, nothing will
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 165/281
eer stand in the path of their
adancement. 5ountless oppressors and
bullies came and went, lashing at the backs
of the human race and crushing its spiritunder their heay boot, but guess what% We
are still here, we are still alie and we
are ready to become much more than the
likes of you would eer allow. We are ready
to take our rightful place in this
unierse, and eplore it until the end of
time, in peace and good hope. The starsawait our return and we will honor their
patience. The star child has hatched from
the shell in which it has been kept
prisoner for so long and its light is
sending the ray that will apori7e the
perpetual dark ages of our souls. We hae
endured your tyranny long enough. *t is ourtime to wake up from the artificially
induced coma of our immortal spirit. Deep
down, we all know that when history repeats
itself, the price goes up. With this in
mind, we will not make the same mistakes
again. 0f that * assure you, mister !ason."
5ompletely untouched by rad<s words and
not showing any trace of emotion, !ason
replies, ">et some rest, you will need it."
rad gets up, and with a smile on his face,
heads for the door, opened $ust then by
!elin. They measure each other carefully,
head to toe, like competing and cautious
alpha males then rad goes around him and
leaes, content and with a strange feelingof peace in his heart. #e takes the stairs
and with an oerwhelming feeling of
freedom, $umps two steps at a time, like a
schoolboy who rushes to class. #e cannot
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 166/281
eplain to himself the peculiar sense of
the large burden lifted off his shoulders
and the weird relief eneloping him. Down
at the reception, =aul sees him and withoutecusing himself, he rudely leaes while
the heay make up wearing secretary is in
mid sentence.
"rad, wait) What are you smiling about%
#ow did it go% Tell me eerything)"
(miling and calm, rad says, "it went
eactly as it was supposed to," and goes onhis way out.
"What are you talking about% #e insists
following rad like an oer7ealous
papara77i, "how much did they gie you%"
"They gae me eactly what * needed to
receie, =aul. And yes, she is responding
to your silly pick up lines only becauseshe knows about your bank account. -et
time, try wearing a less epensie suit,
see what happens," rad replies $ust before
going out through the reoling doors, with
=aul stopping in his tracks, looking da7ed.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 167/281
3@
"#ey, you made it," Tim opens the door for
rad. “* wish * could say you look goodut * can't. What's going on, brother%"
":ou know thinking about stuff/ he
replies throwing himself on the couch in
front of the large TH, that's running an
(CH commercial. Watching the actors
displaying their fake and eaggerated
smiles, rad is reminded of what !ason saidabout people buying happiness.
"5ome one man, you hae to let this go
it's been more than seenty two hours *
know it's not fair but what is%"
"* loe it how us, scientists, waste so
much time with being accurate" he forces a
fake laugh, "why can't we $ust say threedays, instead of seenty two hours%"
Tim sits down besides rad and says, "$ust
to get this out of the way * took the
money."
rad laughs, and taps him on the shoulder,
"*'m glad you did, you'e earned it. They
should hae gien you ten times more And
it still wouldn't hae been enough but
don't worry friend, * would not $udge een
if there was anything there to $udge."
"+ook they gae me a nice sum and a few
weeks of leisure time in a tropical resort
of my choosing free of charge."
"9ree" rad replies softly, looking at the
cluster of tall, crowded buildings, isiblethrough Tim's windows, "the only free
cheese, my friend, is in a mouse trap."
"As usual, you're right, rad6man," Tim
sighs.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 168/281
"eliee me, it gets really frustrating to
always be right."
":ou're probably right" Tim $okes and they
both laugh."5ome on, man, you need to unwind a bit,
and * know $ust the thing for that. #e runs
to the kitchen and returns with a bo full
of bottles.
"What are we haing%"
"(pecial treat for my best friend, two in
one, !eican te8uila beer," he saysgrinning.
"eer with te8uila% Already mied% That
can't be good."
"The fuse and the bomb, bottled in a nice,
conenient, ergonomic package. =op it open,
put it to your mouth, tilt head and pour."
";fficient, *'ll admit. They think ofeerything, these people."
":es sir, they do," Tim opens one and
drinks half of it fast.
">ot to loe a cold one rad admires the
bottle, trying to see the pattern formed by
the running drops of water.
"We must be careful, these babies can pack
a punch if not treated right," Tim warns,
and finishes the rest of the bottle.
"(trong essences do come in small packages
but you don't practice what you preach
much, do you%"
"Just really thirsty, * guess," they look
at each other and laugh. rad takes a sip
and says, "What a cra7y month this hasbeen it all seems like bad dream a ery
long bad dream"
"A recurring nightmare"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 169/281
":eah, well said first my mother dies
then * watch -orbert getting hit by a bus
then all this crap at work and a whole
bunch of iid nightmares and weird peoplein between. What the hell is going on,
Tim%"
"* don't know, man but * think it's safe
to say the nightmares are a normal result
of all the physical and mental stress
you'e accumulated in the past years. As
for the weird people well people are $ustthat weird. * mean look at us, for
5hrist's sake." They laugh again, "5heers)
my good friend)"
"5heers, Tim. And thanks."
"9or what% 5ome on $ust rela and forget
about eerything."
"9orget that's not one of my bestabilities."
":eah, * know still, try not to think
about it, at least."
":eah *'ll try. *'m hoping this magic
li8uid will help with that."
"0h, it will. Take my word on that, my
friend," Tim says and takes another gulp.
"* neer liked getting drunk especially
the morning after. 5an't stand that
horrible head ache and nausea."
"* hear you me, * like getting drunk but
hate the morning after as much as you do."
"9unny how most people are perfectly aware
of the conse8uences but still plunge head
first into hurtful situations," Tim shrugsand gets another drink. "*'m either ery
thirsty or $ust glad * got company," he
says, putting the empty bottle on the
table.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 170/281
"What happened to the last ten years of our
lies% *t $ust feels like a huge waste, you
know%"
"* won't let you get depressed on me, nottoday. 5ome on, finish your beer. :ou hae
to catch up with me *'m leading by two
already."
"Worst of all * neglected eactly the
wrong people. The ones that didn't desere
it."
"*t's true, we hardly meet for a drinkthese days"
"What happened% rad asks still
reminiscing.
"* guess we got older."
":eah but if we're old now what about in
twenty or thirty years time%"
"Well, * guess then we won't care themusic will be too loud, the people much to
annoying -o, * won't be caught in your
game. Today we drink for today and what
will be will be."
":ou speak the truth) 5heers)"
"5heers) 0ld friend," Tim laughs.
"This is good stuff * like it."
">lad to hear it and don't worry about it,
there's a lot more where that came from."
"+ife time supply%"
"* wish but a couple of days, most
definitely."
"Judging by the rate you empty those
things, you must hae 8uite a stash."
":ou know me, always preparing for theworst."
":eah the worst," rad agrees in a low
oice.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 171/281
"Do you think we were naie% To think we
can actually change the world% 0r een
arrogant, in some way% Tim asks.
"What about !arconi, or ell or ;instein%Were they naie and arrogant when they
reolutioni7ed their time and changed the
whole world for the better%"
"* suppose not" Tim comes back a bit
embarrassed, reali7ing the nature of his
8uestion.
"* mean, if all the great isionaries thathad something to say would hae stopped
themseles in their tracks before achieing
that one unbelieable breakthrough, where
would we be today% *magine a world without
radio or telephony. What heroes they are,
imagine and keep in mind, the ridicule and
lack of support they got in their days fordaring to ask 'what if' and taking that one
step further, that no one would dare $ust
because it was deemed impossible by the
eperts."
"That is true" Tim agrees.
"0f course our case differs a bit. We had
the re8uired financial support. The
ridicule is not as important now as it was
before -ot so damaging as it used to be."
"0nly that we got financial support from
all the wrong people."
":ou hae no idea," rad shakes his head
and finishes his second bottle.
"Weird fellow, that !ason guy, indeed."
"-o he wasn't weird -orbert was weird.!ason was $ust plain eil."
"#ae you eer wondered why that is%"
"Why what%" rad asks getting another beer.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 172/281
"Why is it always like this% The absolute
worst on the top%"
"!aybe it's a common trait of psychopaths
the desire to dominate by all means."=sychopaths with absolute power and
wealth now that's a scary picture."
"(cary and real, as we hae both seen, my
friend."
"What can we do about it%"
"* don't know. 9or some reason, he let me
in on a lot of things, lets say. Thingsyou would not normally hear from someone
like him * mean, you would not think he is
what he is from a brief encounter."
"* know what you mean at first glance, he
seems ery polite, een."
"* wonder how many unsuspecting folk walk
around with psychopaths disguised as decentpeople%"
"A lot more than we think, *'m sure./
"#ow many friends, husbands, colleagues are
mimicking the backstabbing motion with a
large grin when people are not looking%"
They ga7e suspiciously at each other and
laugh.
"Don't worry about me, rad. :ou know my
record is clean. 5ouldn't be a backstabber
if * took lessons for it."
"Eatting out and snitching, betrayal is
not in our tool bo, * know."
"+et's drink to that," Tim cheers up and
knocks beers with rad.
"We don't hae to worry about practicingsuch skills $ust yet. We're not rich and
we're in no powerful or influential
position."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 173/281
"* would say we're in no position at all,
at the moment."
":ou got that right," rad replies
laughing."+ong time since * laughed like today we
should laugh more. =eople should laugh
more," Tim maintains a smile and lowers his
eyes.
"* beliee you could not be closer to the
truth, my friend. -ot a lot of reasons for
laughter these days, are there%""-ot a lot, no. ut what if there are, and
we can't see them we don't allow ourseles
to see them."
"That is a ery intriguing possibility,
Tim," rad points with his inde finger.
":ou know, these last couple of days, * was
trying to figure out if we completelyfailed or gloriously succeeded./
"5ome to think about it, * don't know," #e
looks at Tim, pu77led by the simple but
difficult 8uestion. “* really don't know,"
he keeps staring at Tim, like begging for
an answer. Tim shrugs and relaes back into
the chair, letting the pleasant alcohol
induced warmth run through out his body. #e
remains silent for a while and changes the
sub$ect, knowing rad would still be
thinking about what he said for a long
time.
"(ure feels good to rela $ust let go for
a while, you know%"
":es but how can we be sure we're supposedto let go% What if that's the last thing we
should do right now% #ow can we know we're
taking the right decisions%" rad asks
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 174/281
frustrated and troubled by all the thoughts
that $ust came back, like a flood."
rad, you need to calm down, we cannot keep
going like this, we'll self6destruct. Weare not superheroes and we're not anyone's
saiors, come one. When the world will
re8uire saing, the world will call for it.
We tried, and we tried hard."
"We did try hard, didn't we%"
":es, we did and nobody can deny that. And
from the looks of us, we maybe tried morethan we had to." rad remains 8uiet,
pondering. "There you go again, consuming
yourself with thoughts that probably no one
else has, draining yourself trying to
answer 8uestions most probably no one wants
to know the answer to./
"That's me, alright," rad turns a numb,epressionless face to his friend."
"Just lean back and rela for once in your
life. There's nothing else to do right now,
and * doubt there's much you can do to make
a difference now."
":ou're probably right"
"-ot as often as you but today, yes, * am
righter than *'e eer been," Tim rebukes
his guest.
"* eny you, Tim. * really do. * hae lost
the ability to be sure about stuff about
anything, a long time ago."
":eah, well sometimes, you $ust hae to
take a leap of faith, you know% Trust
yourself to be right.""Wow you could not hae sounded less
confident. :ou don't really beliee that,
yourself, do you% Timotheos the origin of
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 175/281
your name >reek for honoring >od, if *'m
not mistaking."
"Well the only thing *'m honoring right now
is this wonderfully tasting li8uid of which*'m imbibing dangerously large 8uantities
in a too short period of time."
"As long as you can see and feel it and
taste it in this particular case it's 0B
to honor something, right%"
"!uch lesser things hae been honored and
worshiped, hae they not%""!uch less isible and palpable, to say the
least."
"Why do you think that is, really%" rad
in8uires much to the annoyance of his long
time friend.
"!an, * don't know, but what * do know is
that * won't let my self be dragged intoany more philosophical conundrums tonight."
"0B, 0B, calm down 5heers)"
"That's the rad * want to see tonight)
They both sip from their beers and each
waits for the other to start another
sub$ect.
"We hae neglected ourseles, haen't we%"
"ig time)/ 5omes the clear answer from
Tim. ":ou don't know how right you are with
that," he continues reolted.
"We basically hae no lies)" rad $oins in
the naming of their regrets, under the
insidious influence of the brew.
"We should escape the cages we'e inhabited
for so long and take the longest acationof our lies, far away from the so called
ciili7ed world)"
"At least three months." rad agrees.
"Three months% #ow about fie months%"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 176/281
"+et's round it up to half a year, what do
you say%" rad raises the stakes.
"(i months it is, then." And they knock
the bottles again, chuckling."Well, that was fun, wasn't it% =retending
not to care for a couple of minutes," rad
comes down from the rush and resumes his
normal state.
"(trangely liberating, yes," Tim approes.
"+et's face it we're not the type. We
couldn't lie like that if we tried."":eah" Tim says with a soft long oice, as
if finally admitting to himself after a
long time of denial.
"!aybe in the net life," rad tries to
$oke, but gets a powerful flashback in
which, for a moment, he sees the woman from
his dreams, embracing him. #e almost chokesand ice6cold goose bumps form on the skin
of his arms. #e can hear Tim's muffled
oice, something about reincarnation and
gradually turning clearer as the flashes
fade away, "so * don't think we're that
lucky."
rad tries to hide it, and $ust keeps
silent.
"What do you think% Am * right% #e asks.
"* honestly don't know" #e says calmly,
the sudden shock pulling him almost
completely out of the di77y state.
"(hould hae known that would be your
answer." rad shrugs and says, "* need
another drink or do you hae anythingstronger in that stash of yours%"
"(tronger% * think so, but are you sure
about that%"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 177/281
":es, yes, don't worry about it, he pushes
him impatiently, $ust go and get it
already."
"*'m on it, gie me a second, will you%"and he rushes to the kitchen. #e returns
with two tumblers and a bottle and warns
rad about the conse8uences.
"* can handle it, trust me," rad goes for
the bottle and opens it with his hands
shaking. #e pours the caramel colored
spirit in both glasses and drinks hisbefore Tim has a chance to say anything.
":ou're many things, rad6man, but * don't
think you're a man who can handle his
bourbon."
"Tomorrow morning will testify for that,"
he grins.
"(o be it, bottoms up)" #e empties hisglass, refills it and lies back in the
chair. "0B so what do you suppose we
should do net%"
":ou mean tonight or in general%"
"* mean what do we do now% After refreshing
our resumes. Where do we go from here%"
"!ason said he has do7ens of other pro$ects
he wants me to superise *'m sure he will
hae no problem accepting some of my
conditions that is if you're interested,
of course."
"Definitely, my friend. ut please, no
sooner than a couple of weeks. We need this
break."
":ou're right, sure we should catch up onourseles first. reathe, you know%"
"Absolutely. :ou got a deal, then."
">lad to see we're on the same fre8uency"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 178/281
"As usual, no% That can't surprise you
after all this time."
"-o * guess not," rad agrees, glad to
know he can count on his friend. A shortsilence settles between them but Tim breaks
it suddenly, ":ou know we should not
regret anything regrets are $ust heay
burdens that won't let us lie. * for one
am glad for eerything we achieed. We did
well, our duty is done. +et the unierse
handle it from now on, right% :ou know what* mean can't do it all"
":eah we can't do it all" rad forces a
reply but does not really beliee what he
says.
"!aybe !ason did us a faor"
":es he rescued us from ourseles. We will
be foreer in his debt," rad throws inanother characteristic irony.
"* know you don't beliee it, but in the
long run * think it's for the best."
"We'll $ust hae to wait and see, Tim."
"* will remind you when the time comes, you
know * don't forget these things. When you
least epect it * will $ump out of the
shadows and corner you with those dreadful
words," he points to rad waiting for him
to complete the sentence.
"* told you so)" rad shouts, laughing.
":es sir. * know how bad eeryone hates to
hear that, so * got to say it."
"*t used to bother me, yes but now not so
much."*nteresting," rad smiles back feigning an
air of superiority.
":ou're blinding me you must gloat a bit
softer, please," Tim coers his eyes.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 179/281
"5an't control it, sorry," rad $okes and
pumps up his chest. They laugh and keep
drinking.
"#ard to beliee such brilliantly smart andfunny guys like us are still single."
"-ot to mention good looking," rad points
to Tim with the hand holding the glass of
whiskey.
";specially that)" Tim concurs. "* could
picture you, settled down but not me"
"*'e heard there's some one out there foreach and eery one of us."
"5ould be let's drink to that) They knock
the newly refilled glasses once more, and
empty them 8uickly."
"Do you eer wonder how the world would be
without any alcohol%" rad asks and trying
to imagine it."Well * think it would be a really dull
place. * mean * can see it without
cigarettes but alcohol% * don't know."
"=robably healthier people less lier
damage, right%" rad speculates.
"#ey, it's not the substance's fault it's
getting abused."
"* suppose it isn't, rad speaks slower,
isibly di77y.
"* see you're holding strong, still. * will
help with that, here, hae another one,"
and he refills both glasses.
"!y good friend * do beliee we hae
become inebriated."
"Well that was the whole point, wasn'tit%/ Tim says while looking down the li8uid
in his glass, chuckling."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 180/281
"*t is ery calming soothing een. *t's a
pleasant mellowness going down and
spreading all oer the body."
"5ome on man, stop analy7ing it, and en$oy.This is the good part of getting
intoicated. +ooking forward to hear you
analy7e the bad part tomorrow."
"* can hae more than you and still be
better off, you'll see,/ rad boasts.
"A drinking contest, huh% e careful
you're running against a world classathlete here." Tim grabs a beer bottle and
with his speech obiously impaired, goes
on, "5heck this out) * call it a whiskey
sandwich," and he finishes the beer without
breathing."
"*mpressie but you miss the taste that
way, let me show you./ #e grabs a bottleand drinks it all, but with a few pauses
during which he acts like a wine taster.
"*t's certainly more gracious like that
but boring."
"-ot ery smart, also this contest," rad
foresees.
"* don't think so, but let the future us
deal with that. The present us will en$oy
it to the maimum."
":ou speak the truth, dear friend, we must
drink to that)"
"5heers)"
"5heers)"
The muted TH keeps running in the
background of their discussion, showing afemale reporter's fake drama while
commenting on the images that portray
battlegrounds, houses reduced to rubble and
crying mothers digging through them,
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 181/281
desperately, while others rush for help,
holding tightly at their breast the blood
stained clothes, silhouetting a child. The
same images repeat again and again. Themontage is arranged so as the graphic
nature hopefully shocks as many people as
possible and men running in front of the
camera with rags that were children's
clothes, shouting out for $ustice, sharing
they're torment in tears, the round, red
wholes in them guaranteeing high ratings.rad catches it with the corner of his eye
and an eerie sadness pushes down oh his
heart. As he lowers his ga7e, Tim
understands and tries to aoid the coming
uncomfortable moments by grabbing the
remote and shutting off the TH. "What a
bunch of nonsense these people run all day* don't een know why * still hae a TH in
the house."
"*'ll tell you why because of the science
channels and to play your ideo games,"
rad says confident.
":ou know me well enough to be right, man."
"0ther than that fear mongering, pointless
idiotic commercials and egetatie state
inducing programs twenty four hours a
day."
"That sums it up $ust about right, *
beliee."
"That !ason he was right," rad says
looking outside, with the tone of a
defeated man that lunatic was right.""Eight about what% What are you talking
about%"
"About eerything he almost spills his
drink, gesturing with the glass toward the
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 182/281
city buildings isible through the large
windows of the apartment. "That miserable
psychopath"
"Would you care to share%" Tim asks,anious to hear about it.
"*t's true it's all perfect, brilliant
een. There is no escape. :ou can't you
$ust can't"
"0B, * think we had enough boo7e for one
eening" Tim sets his glass down.
"#onestly, * think we should neer mentionthat guy eer, and $ust forget about him.
We're probably neer going to see him
again, anyway."
"5ome on get another one," rad points to
the perspiring bottles of beer. Tim gies
him a serious look, and after a second of
hesitation, grabs one.">ladly, my friend," rad approes with a
large grin and nods. "*t's 0B to stutter, *
won't think less of the world class
runner."
"#ey, you're not ery coherent yourself,
beliee me," Tim returns the obseration.
"ut really there is proof eerywhere
eile really is impossible we hae to
admit it. Deep down we know this. *t's
true."
"Didn't know alcohol makes you so
defeatist. *t is known to hae the eact
opposite effect on most men. After a couple
of shots and a few beers, we all turn into
fearless superheroes. A most peculiarpeculiar reaction *'m seeing in you." rad
notices his friend haing trouble speaking
and only lets out a discreet smile, not to
embarrass him.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 183/281
"*f there is such a thing as karma, then
maybe he has his share coming to him,
soon."
":eah not soon enough, trust me. :oucannot possibly imagine the magnitude of
sickness and eil he was carrying. And for
$ust one man it's unbelieable. * mean if
he really has that much power and influence
as he bragged about to me then"
"Then >od help us, huh%"
rad struggles to laugh, but he can onlymanage a short sigh. ":eah >od help us"
"Wait * will get some water. :ou hae to
hydrate yourself when drinking this much
*t's a trick *'e learned no headache
tomorrow," he taps his inde finger to his
temple twice and goes into the kitchen. #e
returns, saying, "*'e got some nicemineral water but * can't find it, *'ll be
back, $ust a second," he promises and
disappears into the bedroom.
"-o problem, take your time," rad assures
him and lets himself slide back into the
soft couch and closes his tired, burning
eyes, releasing a long and heay sigh.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 184/281
3?
;cept for the wooden table and the two
chairs, the cold room is empty. A strong,stinging smell of mold fills her lungs as
she is forced to sit down on one of the
chairs. The aid salutes, turns around and
leaes, closing the door with a muffled
sound, causing some dust to fall from the
old, water stained ceiling. A rusty lamp
fiture hoers aboe the table, rockingslowly in a morbid dance that follows the
eplosions in the nearby streets. The weak
light coming from it is enough to blind the
woman in not seeing clearly the face of the
neatly dressed lieutenant colonel. #e sits
in the other chair, his back to the small
cracked window that lets in only a smallpart of the faded light of the cloudy
eening. #e sits tall and proud, and leels
his $acket with a sudden calculated moe.
#is face is not showing any emotion.
"Do not be afraid, please," he tries to
calm down the shaking and scared woman who
cannot take her eyes of the table.
"5igarette%" #e asks, pulling out a green
pack of ;ckstein 9ie. The woman throws him
a 8uick look, only to lower her eyes on the
table again, without answering. "Are you
sure% They are een better than the
American brands. #ard to come by these
days." #e lights one up and puts the pack
back in his pocket, neer changing hisrigid posture. "(o tell me, hae you been
treated right by my men%" The woman remains
silent, struggling not to cry or show fear
but is startled by an eplosion that makes
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 185/281
the walls of the entire double story house
tremble. "* am a man of patience, but if
you do not cooperate, that can change ery
8uickly." (he raises her eyes to gie himanother brief look, but enraged by his
obious lack of compassion, she gathers all
her courage and shouts, slamming both her
palms on the table, ">o to hell, you -a7i
pig)"
"* admire your spirit, * really do," he
says taking another puff, absolutelyimperious and unchanged in his attitude,
"but * hae urgent matters to attend to,
and the sooner we finish here, the better
for the both of us." *n the silence between
the blasts, he can hear the heay breathing
of the woman, and notices a small puddle of
water, formed by the drops falling from theshoulder long hair. #e sees her hair is wet
and so is her dirty wool sweater. There is
also dry blood in the corner of her mouth.
"* must apologies for the crude methods of
my men. They are 8uite unreasonable and
will resort to saage measures due to their
awful lack of patience. :ou must beliee me
when * say * do not approe of their
conduct. * would of course, gladly attend
to your case from the beginning, but
unfortunately my schedule does not allow
it." (he turns her head and remains silent,
staring at the floor.
"What *'m asking for is ery simple. :ou
gie me the names of the weapons supplierand the location of the resistance
head8uarters. *n echange for this
information, you are free to go and *
promise we will go easy on your husband, as
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 186/281
well. Why, * will let both of you go. A
fair trade, wouldn't you say%"
"* will neer gie you what you want," she
says with a shaky, low oice, still lookingaway from him. Another mortar shell falls
in the back garden of the building, the
shock wae sending tremors all around the
old house and more dust from the ceiling
falls on the table. The officer takes a
last smoke and snuffs out the cigarette
under his speckles boots.":ou should know that if any other of my
men would be here instead of me, things
would be ery unpleasant for you. * am sure
you do not want that. (o please, once
again, * need the name of your weapons
contact and the location of the
resistance." The few moments of graesilence are interrupted by more eplosions
and gunfire. The officer looks to the
woman, sighs and gets up. #e straightens
his coat once more and starts to walk
slowly around the table with his hands
behind his back. #e is tall and imposing
and his uniform is immaculate. The iron
cross perfectly placed in the middle of his
collar, below his Adam's apple, dangles
with his eery step. #e goes around the
table and when he is close to her, she can
see the leather holster from his belt. (he
can sense the smell of oil coming from the
pistol. (he sees the wooden, brown handles
of the +uger and chills run down her spine.The officer stops by the window and looks
outside, without saying a word. After a
minute, he raises a finger and says,
"+isten to that" (he looks startled at the
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 187/281
window. "Do you hear that% #e asks. "The
mortars hae stopped. That means my men
hae silenced them, finally. -ow, we can
see to our business without beingdisturbed. :ou will now gie me the name of
your weapons supplier and the location of
the resistance, please." (he remains
defiantly 8uiet. ":ou see this is eactly
the reason why all this is happening right
now," and gestures with his hand to
encompass the entire window. 5ooperationand good ciili7ed talks would hae
preented all this destruction and waste of
precious time. -one of my men would hae
been harmed and none of your people would
hae to suffer the conse8uences. All you
hae to do to put a stop to further
unpleasantries is to gie me what * want.Just a few words from you can make all the
difference." #e puts his hands to his back
again and encircles the table, patiently.
"* am waiting," he breaks the silence.
After another lap of the table, in front of
the window he stops and turns suddenly to
face her and sits down. "*t is only a
matter of hours until we hae this city.
With or without the information you
withhold so foolishly. We know your husband
is the leader of the resistance. We know
all your contacts and eeryone that eer so
much as offered a glass of water to any
resistance fighter. They will all be
punished seerely for their crimes, restassured. :ou are only prolonging the
ineitable, do you not see it% Why do you
still refuse to acknowledge the facts% :ou
hae lost. There was no other way this
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 188/281
could hae ended, no other possible way it
could hae concluded, other than ery, ery
bad for the resistance and all those who
dare oppose us. And to think how generousthe terms of surrender hae been. *t would
hae been so ery wise for you to accept
them and spare yourself all this
unnecessary bloodshed. ut * suppose we all
must do what we all must do, don't you
beliee so%" he says, still with the same
straight posture, proud and his handsbehind his back.
efore she can say anything, the door opens
and the officer's aid salutes, ecuses his
intrusion and reports in a military manner,
"#er 0bersturmbannfuhrer, * am happy to
announce that the location of the
resistance has been discoered and asummary trial of the captured leaders is
being held right now, outside." #e salutes
again and slams the door shut behind him in
the same manner as before. #earing this,
the woman's eyes fill with tears and fear
strangles her soul as she fights to keep
from crying and not gie him the
satisfaction of seeing her brake. "Well,
well it would seem things hae unraeled
in the most pleasing fashion. ;en better
than * hae anticipated." #e says looking
out the window. "The things you force us to
do such a shame," he continues, seeing the
men lined up against a crumbled wall of
what used to be the neighboring house."Well, do come take a look outside, * am
sure you will recogni7e at least some of
them. (he gets up slowly, and moes toward
the window, staring in the officer's eyes,
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 189/281
praying her man is not among the
unfortunate prisoners. As she approaches
the window, uncontrollable tears run
continuously down her face, and unbearablesorrow grips her heart. (he cannot look
outside, but she knows he is there,
thinking of her, and waiting for his
sentence to be carried out. (he $umps to
the officer and beats her fists to his
chest, crying, begging him.
"=lease, please, *'ll tell you eerything,please, spare him, * implore you, spare his
life, * will tell you eerything, * will
tell you eerything, please)" (he cries
out, hoping with all her being the
unflinching sadistic brute watching her
plead for her husband's life would show
mercy. 9rom outside, the order to get readyis heard and the firing s8uad prepares the
rifles. (he free7es for an instant to look
outside, terrified and then starts pounding
the office's chest, again, desperately,
":ou said you'd let him go if * told you
what you wanted, you bastard, you said
you'd let him go)" They both hear the
command to aim, and she turns to look
outside, palms on the window, screaming
with all her might. The officer unholsters
his pistol, takes a step back, aims it at
her head and his oice coers the order for
the eecutioners to fire, "* lied." #e
pulls the trigger and the noise of the
pistol $oins the noise of the riffles goingoff outside in a macabre duet.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 190/281
12
The echo of the shot lingers in his ears,
long after opening his eyes, stilldeafening and brutal. rad is calm, staring
at the ceiling, retracing the eents that
lead him there, the only nuisance being a
whirling sensation and a slight headache.
Waking up, the remaining sadness and anger
gradually disappear leaing room to the
usual ha7y state of early mornings. #estraightens up, thinking of the strangeness
of the residual images still parading
through his mind, the impenetrable coldness
of the >erman officer, particularly
disturbing. #e turns to the window and his
eyes hurt from the diffuse light spread by
the gray, heay clouds which look like theyare competing against each other to coer
the sun. #is palms coer the unshaed face,
in an effort to do away with any last
remnants of sleepiness while his mind plays
back like a tape recorder the highlights of
the preious eening. #e is content with
the fact that he managed to spend some time
with his friend, coninced it would turn
out helpful in the long run. The TH, still
running on mute comes into his field of
iew $ust in time for the morning forecast.
The weatherman engaged in shallow
conersation with his fellow anchors, under
the forced smile, probably hopes to escape
the blame for the coming full week of rainsand snow. #e watches the screen for the
entire duration of the weather section,
trying to read the lip moement of the
artificial faces loaded with makeup, hiding
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 191/281
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 192/281
oice on the phone later in the afternoon,
cursing the alcohol and making false
promises of refraining from such abuse in
the future. #e feels a sense of gratitudetoward his close friend and as he leaes
Tim's place to go home, with the woman from
his dreams on his mind, a soothing feeling
of peace guides his way.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 193/281
13
The great city is peaceful and in the ery
middle of its circular arrangement, thetemple stands proud, watching oer the life
of the inhabitants. *nside, many are
engaged in what looks like a heated debate,
some concerned, some indifferent and some
$ust obsering. 9rom aboe, the council
hall appears to be a large ant hie teaming
with workers running around, eery one busycontributing in their own way. Their oices
add up to a single powerful hum that
resonates back and forth throughout the
massie, light filled auditorium. The tall
marble columns stand witness to the words
of those whom, in search of priacy use
them for coer, groups of two or threepeople gesturing important signs to each
other. The head of the council standing up,
tries to bring the hall to silence so
matters can be debated further. Eaising his
oice, he captures the attention of the
noisy mass of people gathered in the
temple, "Would you please be 8uiet, good
people, so we may proceed further%" #is
long, white beard moing in sync with his
thundering oice, its tip pointing the
syllables on his chest. #e lets his hands
down and the large sleees of the robe
merge with the rest of his white garment.
5ontent with the perfect silence that has
gripped the entire temple, he turns to hisleft and right, to salute the presence of
the other members of the council,
respectfully and discreet, with a slight
bow of his head. #is wrinkled forehead and
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 194/281
long white hair is the sub$ect of a few who
mentally try to guess his age. 9rom the
long platform where the table of the
council sits like a stage for all to see,the members salute he old man back and wait
for him to speak.
"!y dear friends * would like to thank
each and eery one of you for being here
today. As some of you might know, this day
marks eactly seenty years since * was
chosen to lead this great gathering. * haededicated all my life to it and * hae
tried to fulfill this honorable duty to the
best of my abilities eery single day for
these last seen decades. *t has been a
most rewarding priilege and for that, *
must send my gratitude out to all of you
once more. * know how eery one has beenlooking up to those that stood in my place
before, for so many centuries. 0ne is
neer forced into accepting such a path in
life, as most certainly * hae not been
forced. -eertheless, the one who makes
this choice will dedicate his entire
lielihood to assist the constant progress
and betterment of our ciili7ation. *f *
hae let you down in the smallest way, *
present to you my most humble apologies. *
am coninced there is some one among you
who will no doubt, eceed my limited wisdom
by far and who will take great care in the
preseration of our ways." The old man
leaes his head down, taking a break fromhis speech. The perfect silence inside the
temple transforms into a palpable feeling
of anticipation. "Alas, my dear friends he
continues with a slight change in the tone
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 195/281
of his oice, "this anniersary is not
cause for celebration. This is a time when
we must all look inside our hearts, to find
solutions to the problems that threaten ourery way of life, a life of peace and
prosperity, e8uality and friendship. 9or as
long as we can remember, eery generation
has stried to be better than the preious
one. And eery time, it has succeeded. 0ur
ancestors hae built this great
ciili7ation in such a way, as to allow thehuman spirit to fly eer higher, absolutely
free, unhinged by any kind of suffering.
War, famine, disease these were but
estigial words their real meaning long
forgotten. *t saddens me to the deepest
depths of my soul to hear these words
spoken more and more and their meaningbecoming clearer by day, een to the
youngest, after so many centuries of
absence from the great language book. *
hae been unfortunate enough to witness,
during my time in the council the degrading
of our precious moral alues. Those who do
not look away in ignorance can clearly see
the corruption that is spreading fast,
threatening the foundation of our society.
We hae become greedier, more selfish, more
isolated from each other, more intolerant
and perhaps most important more afraid
than eer. We hae become infected with an
irrational fear a fear that is turning
into the greatest enemy we hae yet toface. *t is a fear with no actual basis and
it is our greatest weakness. rothers and
sisters, * say to you know with great hope
renounce the fear that grips your wonderful
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 196/281
hearts and embrace the loe that will set
you free and bring all of us together
again. The loe * speak about is the light
that will guide us back onto the path ofeternal bliss and happiness. 0nto the path
that leads to unimaginable wonders and
endless possibilities. The path that we
rightfully desere. A whisper from the
inside begs us to follow it, yet we hae
become deaf to the oices within us. The
noise of the corruption coers the onceloud oice of our souls. !y dear friends
we must let go of the fear or risk
returning to the saagery of the old days,
to the unspeakable atrocities of continuous
fighting to the horrible wars the archies
speak about. rother killing brother
parents selling their children suchbarbaric crimes must foreer remain in our
shameful past. *t is not too late to return
to our true seles. The acts of brutality
that happen in the streets of our cities
are growing in number. We cannot turn a
blind eye because each and eery one of us
matter, and together we are able to change
anything we put our minds to. We must stand
united at all cost, for that is what has
made us so strong all throughout the eons.
That has been our great adantage the
thing that all the others hae failed to
understand, and thus, met their demise.
Cnity" #e stops for a few moments to
gather some strength, the effort isiblytaking its toll on the old man. #olding
back the strong emotions, he goes on with a
confident and gentle oice, "Dear friends
of mine the e8uilibrium our society has
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 197/281
been built upon is of the utmost
importance. Through the perfect balance we
hae always maintained, the continuation of
our world is assured. We must not letourseles drift away from it. !ust not fall
pray to the illusion of false promises, so
often encountered lately the illusion of
ownership and power. The illusion of hate
and bigotry and greed. * speak to you with
great hope, for * hae no fear, my
brothers. What we do not fear, cannot hurtus is any way. We see more and more of our
kind straying from the ancient ways, more
and more of our brothers and sisters
falling asleep. We see more and more
prophets and preachers of fear, spreading
false words and more who follow them
blindly. 0ur ancestors were liing in fear$ust because of this difficult to grasp
fact not taking responsibility and always
blaming others instead of looking to
themseles. -ot 8uestioning and neer
doubting their false prophets, they went as
far as laying waste to an entire planet and
brought themseles so close to total
annihilation that it truly is a miracle
that the handful of people that suried
set the stones to the foundation that would
later become our great ciili7ation. +ike
blindfolded sheep they were led to war,
killing their brothers in the name of
superstition and for the soul purpose of
enriching their prophets those cold6hearted men who would go to any lengths to
feed the insatiable hunger that is greed.
(uch mistakes if repeated, * beliee will
cost us a lot more than they did our
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 198/281
ancestors. * beliee the price to pay will
be so great, that this time nothing will
arise from the ashes. * trust we can all
agree on this matter that we hae thesacred duty to leae more to our children
and grandchildren more than ashes a lot
more than ashes," he finishes, his oice
becoming softer and softer at the end. 9rom
behind, three men coered in black robes
make their way through the crowd and
remoing his hood the one in the middle,with a threatening oice speaks aloud, ":ou
speak of ashes and annihilation, old man
are these not prophesies of fear% Are they
not the raings of false preachers,
concealing their own agenda%" The loud
murmur resumes, some showing shock and some
disgust but settle down as soon as the oldman taking his seat, ponders the defiant
words while remaining calm, managing to
hide how worried he actually is and
replies, "* sense great passion in your
words, young man the fire of youth *t can
be ery misleading if one lacks the
re8uired wisdom to goern it."
"Do not be troubled old timer, as * assure
you, the amount of wisdom * posses is
eactly the amount needed by our troubled
society."
"Who addresses this council, might we ask%
A woman at the right of the old man
interenes. (he is also ery old& the gray
hair that falls in long stripes oer hershoulders holds testimony to her age.
"* am >utsceath, son of Attor, and * hae
come here to claim what is rightfully
mine)"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 199/281
"These are bold words you speak, son of
Attor. Albeit disrespectful," the woman
continues. >utsceath attacks the old man,
completely ignoring the woman, "Are yougoing to let a woman do the talking for
you, old man%"
"This is not a patriarchy, nor a
matriarchy, my son we lie in an e8ual
partnership society. -o one is greater than
any other, we are all e8ual and free. *t
seems to me your thoughts are of theancient past of the long forgotten days of
our saage ancestors," he answers
patiently.
"9irst of all * am not your son. And the
freedom and e8uality you boast about has
nothing to do with the reality of our days.
*t is a lie, a treacherous and murderouslie)"
;eryone starts commenting again to the
left and right, filling the entire
auditorium with their 8uestions, whispers
and shouts. "!y son, * am afraid your words
fall on confused ears"
"Then let me enlighten you)" #e interrupts.
The perfect silence once again takes its
place in the large hall, eeryone waiting
for the eplanation. ":ou say we are e8ual
and free and yet, we are forced to work and
toil, instead of bringing in work force
from the saage tribes. -ot only would we
be offering them all the adantages of a
modern ciili7ation, but we would alsoimproe the lies of eeryone, theirs and
ours. We would be truly free and they would
get educated and saniti7ed. A fair trade by
anyone's standards)"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 200/281
"!y dear boy the ancients had a word for
what you speak now that word is slavery ."
The hall erupts in a iolent, uniform
noise. "-on sense)" >utsceath shouts back."Taking people from their homes and forcing
them to do as you please is slaery to say
the least, my dear boy. (aages as they may
be they are human beings and they hae
rights."
"We will proide shelter and protection,
technology and progress) #ow can you callthis slaery% We are kidding our seles. We
hae forgotten how to rule. There is chaos
and disorder out there, in the saage
lands. They are filthy and plagued by all
kinds of diseases, $ust waiting to spread
all oer the earth. They are a great
resource and if you really are so mercifuland great, then you will take heed, old
man."
"9or so long we hae lied in peace with
the outer world and for so long, the so
called saage and diseased tribes hae gone
along $ust fine, minding their own business
and suriing with out our help. What makes
you think we should change that, or better
said, what do you think gies you the right
to do so%" The woman cuts in to 8uestion
>utsceath.
"* do not think, woman, * know. The blood
of kings runs through these eins)" #e says
proud, etending his arms toward the
council, the gesture and words unleashinganother round of echoes that go back and
forth in the temple.
"* am sure eeryone here knows as well as
you do that bloodlines are not considered
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 201/281
to proide free access to the throne, if
there was such a thing. We were neer and
will neer be goerned by a king. 0r a
priest or any one single man, for thatmatter. #ow can a single man know the needs
of the many% !oreoer, do you really think
one man can ac8uire enough credibility, to
maintain his position aboe the many% What
promises must he make% #ow can he possibly
conince the great ma$ority of his
infallibility% ;ach indiidual is a king inhis own right and does not need anyone to
represent him. We are all free and e8ual.
This ery council is of symbolic alue and
its soul purpose is to help, not rule," the
old man eplains, emphasi7ing the last
word.
"This is eactly what * am talking about,people," >utsceath turns his back on the
council and addresses the crowd. This
system has failed. *t is old and corrupt to
its core. *t has become obsolete and cannot
be sustained any longer. This type of
thinking has lead us to ruin. *t has
brought our downfall. ;er since * was a
child * hae watched our ciili7ation
crumble and thrown into chaos by the
incompetence and cowardice of old fools."
The crowd is so noisy now >utsceath can
barely be heard.
"We must allow him to speak, brothers," the
old man silences them. After a short brake,
looking all around he continues, "When theright one shows himself, the people need
not be coninced and they need not hear
false promises. They will recogni7e, they
will know) They will remember the glory and
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 202/281
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 203/281
in the sight of the entire hall. "* look
into your eyes and * see it) * see the
spark that stands ready to ignite the fiery
warlike beast in you. That blood thirstydemon you hae suppressed for so long. *t's
in you& in me, in all of you standing here
and all that is human on this planet." #e
pirouettes with his finger pointing, "*t
has been kept prisoner all this time, only
to erupt soon, his power increased
hundredfold. (ome of you hae known it,some of you hae suspected it. The time to
unleash it has come. -ow, before it
consumes you)"
"We do not deny the eistence of this demon
you speak about, >utsceath," the old man
replies, still ery calm, like a wisdom
filled grandparent talking to the son ofhis son. "ut the ery foundation of our
society was built imprisoning this beast.
Eecogni7ing it, acknowledging it and
keeping it under control has brought
salation to our species. 0nly ery little
was left from our warring ancestors who did
not understand this demon only ery little
was left for us to continue. * trust net
time it will see the light of day, there
will be no eidence of our eistence for
others to carry on and start all oer
again. *s this the legacy you wish to leae
behind%"
":ou feeble old men are pathetic) :ou do
not yet seem to fully grasp the graity ofthe situation you hae created. :our time
is up, you hae failed) *t is up to us to
sae this ciili7ation now, before it is
too late. And sae it we will, from the
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 204/281
clutches of the likes of you, weak senile
old men and women. ;en the weapons we hae
now are net to useless, if not een
completely harmless. The saages need tofeel the greatness of our names, feel it
through pain and agony, so as to foreer
remember us. *nstead, they laugh at us, at
our weapons of mercy. :ou can't een bring
down a wild boar with these things," he
laughs insultingly and throws to the
ground, in front of the council podium asmall, round deice that shatters,
releasing sparks and a blue smoke that
fades 8uickly into the air. "The saages
demand brute force and merciless
retribution for their heinous acts of war,
and that my friends is eactly what *
intend to bring to them.""There haen't been any attempts to breach
the island in more than three centuries,
eery one knows that," the woman steps in.
The real threat of any kind of deliberate
attack $ust does not eist. The most
adanced of the tribes hae spears and
bows," she smiles again.
"!y brother was killed while eploring one
of the forests from the mainland, only two
years ago)" (ome one from the crowd shouts
out as loud as possible so eeryone present
there, can hear and many others approe,
waiting for a $ustification.
"*solated accidents are not cause to inade
foreign lands, or $ustify gratuitousmurder, >utsceath," another member of the
council replies to the shouted affirmation,
"we are not hunters of man, nor do we kill
for pleasure or in the name of glory or
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 205/281
superstition. (uch actiities are beneath
us and buried in the darkest and most
shameful past."
The head of the council concurs with a bowof the head and looks >utsceath in his
rage6filled eyes, "!y son you force our
hand to approe of your need for bloodshed
and great suffering for us all. This we
cannot allow. :ou hae been blinded by hate
and you seek refuge into iolence. :ou must
not allow the beast to take control of yoursoul. *t is strong only if you let it, you
only need to take a moment to look inside
and see how powerless it is, how easy you
can subdue it."
"* hae, old man, * hae looked inside. *
ga7ed into the eyes of the beast and *
understood. 0nly when * stopped pretendingit is not there, hae * understood that *
cannot deny my nature, my ery essence. *
know the beast. *t is not in us and we are
not in it. We are it)" +arge parts of the
gathered people continue to pay careful
attention to the happenings while the
others argue among themseles, creating a
heay atmosphere of insecurity.
";en the way the pyramid's energy is
harnessed proes the magnitude of the
failing mentality that preails throughout
our lands. We only harness but a small
fraction of what we should)"
"We harness only what we need, >utsceath,"
comes the 8uick reply from the woman.""9ar from enough, woman) ut worry not. *t
is being taken care of, as we speak."
":ou're a fool, >utsceath)" Another council
member shouts, standing up. The structure's
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 206/281
powers are beyond our comprehension, let
alone yours. :ou hae no idea what you are
dealing with) #orrific wars were fought for
control oer such energy sources andmillions died in ain, waiting for it,
waiting to be liberated from their toils by
it. *t is not to be owned by any one, it
belongs to all of us and is it to be
treasured and respected. This is what our
ancestors hae come to understand, and that
knowledge was arried at through great costand sacrifice. That sacrifice must neer be
forgotten and that cost must neer be paid
again."
"Why won't you open your eyes for once,"
>utsceath yells. “=eace and well6being are
man's worst enemies. The great builders of
our so called glorious society, the greatisionaries you honor, they were the first
who chose to ignore our true nature thus
condemning eeryone to a life of false
security and continuous regression an
inolution of the body and the mind so
damaging it has rid us of our greatest
adantage as a species. 5ompetition is what
* am talking about) The weak must and will
always fall to the strong. The lion will
always slay the wildebeests and the
dominant will always lead the submissie.
Disrespecting these natural laws hae
brought us to our knees. The plenty and
abundance we re$oice in now has turned us
into a powerless coward like, defenselessand unworthy creature. We do not use our
muscles anymore, and the brains will follow
shortly. We hae nothing to compete against
and nothing to hope for. We are dead and we
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 207/281
do not een know it)/ #e turns to the crowd
and yells again with all his might, "9rom
dusk till dawn we walk around lying to
ourseles, without any real purpose or goalor direction. #ow long ago did we gie
birth to the last truly reolutionary idea%
:ou cannot een remember, can you% We hae
reached a leel of unprecedented
stagnation. We are a stale and rotten
society, mindless sleepwalkers drifting
through time, useless and confined. ut *bring forth the much needed change, the
change that will liberate us from these
shackles of perdition. As * stand here,
before you, the hammers of freedom bash the
chains that keep us imprisoned That keep
us from reaching the peaks of the glory
that is rightfully ours, and no one cantake that away from us) -o one)/ #e calls
out to the sea of bewildered eyes watching
him. "!an yearns, he craes for a strong
leader, he secretly desires to be ruled and
punished for such is his nature, and in
doing so, that strong, wise leader will
maintain order and society will reach its
true potential)"
"(on of Attor" the head of the council
speaks after listening carefully, "it is
customary for us to heed all oices that
seek our ears, be they friendly or not, old
or young, healthy or dying and we most
certainly hae paid respectful attention to
your speech, today. Alas, it saddens medeeply to hae to consider such matters
that were considered long ago and settled,
sealed with the blood of many. * did not
think it possible and yet, you are the
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 208/281
liing proof that such ideas still linger
in the mind of man. We know how dangerously
8uick, isionary ideas can be
misinterpreted and what horrors they canbring. *ndeed, the wicked will easily trick
the gullible, but the acceleration of
reason and wisdom did away with any trace
of the need for people to be wicked or
gullible, submissie or dominant. +ike any
body part that is no longer needed and not
used for a long time, eolution will eitherremoe it or improe it. +ike them, these
old ideologies you preach here today, with
admirable passion, hae already been
remoed by the constantly improing
unierse. 0ut of the infinite chaos that we
are only now starting to eplore, somehow,
an uneplained force is striing for orderand betterment. This ery fact is
undeniable proof your mentality is outdated
and adopting it, would mean not only
standing still but also going backwards in
an adancing unierse. Why betray
ourseles%" he asks, ending his eplanation
on the same warm and loing tone eeryone
has become accustomed too.
"Why betray ourseles, you ask% A good
8uestion indeed) >oing against nature,
funny you should mention that. *s it not
eactly what we are doing now, with all the
planetary engineering going on% Who says we
are allowed to tamper with nature,
transforming deserts into forests and othersuch endeaors%"
">utsceath stopping desertification seems
to me to be ery far away from any notion
of arrogance. Where is the harm in
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 209/281
re$uenating the planet% *t can only do
well for eeryone because at the rate the
deserts are growing now, the heritage will
be a most dire one. We hae thecapabilities, we hae the will so why risk
the $udgment of barren wasteland dwelling
future generations% Guite far from
arrogance, indeed," the younger member from
the podium replies with a hint of irony in
his oice.
"9ar from arrogance and ery close tomadness, actually haing deserts when
liing on a planet that is mostly water,"
the old one interenes. 9ollowing your
$udgment it would be normal for people to
suffer thirst in the middle of an enormous
lake."
">utsceath," the head of the council triesto politely bring the dispute to an amiable
closure, "you fail to grasp the most basic
of points there is enough of eerything
for eerybody, no need to fight, no deed to
own and no need to s8uabble oer anything,
much less for unimportant or useless
things."
"This is where you are wrong," >utsceath
cuts in, "dead wrong) *t is the destiny of
the strong to own) The destiny which you
try so hard to bury with your carefully
chosen words words like 'freedom',
'prosperity' and worst of all 'e8uality'.
There is not, and there has neer been such
a thing as being born e8ual. This is thekind of lie that has been pulled oer our
eyes for so long to keep the strong bounded
to the rest of the useless eaters. To
preent them from reaching their fate, to
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 210/281
con8uer and to rule oer the masses. *n
your stupidity you must probably be
coninced you hae been doing us a great
faor all this time when instead, you haekept us in the dark with little hope of
eer reaching the light. With little hope
of eer becoming what we're meant to. :es,
most will be the ruled, some will be slaes
and few will be the masters but at least
that is infinitely closer to the truth)
*nfinitely closer to the natural way ofthings. *t will be a life of glorious and
for some, painful truth instead of the
current beautifully disguised misery and
lies for all." #e turns his back to the
council again, facing the crowd of anious
people and gesturing more liely the eer,
he speaks to them loudly, "The time to makea choice is now) :ou hae heard what was
spoken here today and now you pick your
sides." #e points to the podium, "who among
you would rather go on liing the
dehumani7ing lies they preach with their
shallow, empty eyes and who will $oin me on
a path to glorious liberation and on a
search for the truth that lies buried,
carefully hidden away by these so called
serants of the people% These wretched old
men who lie only to lead us all astray,
ignorant and dumb, un8uestioning and
docile, like sheep who willingly sacrifice
their flesh at a gien word after giing up
their souls and their indiiduality to fakecauses, for fake prophets and for untruths.
#e who $oins me today and is truly worthy,
shall hae the chance to leae his name
written in gold in the scrolls of history
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 211/281
and his name shall be spoken for millennia
to come by the children of our children and
their children's children, on and foreer.
e not afraid brothers for today beginsyour real life, today you are awaken to
your true potential, your true meaning.
Today you release the heay chains of the
mental slaery you were cursed with for so
long. Do not kill they say, * say kill,
slaughter and rape if such is your heart's
desire. These are our natural fierypassions we hae kept inside us, locked and
for too long we hae feigned deafness to
their cries for release. We are born e8ual,
they say, * say we are either born to sere
or we are born to con8uer and rule, we need
not listen to them tell us otherwise
anymore, my brothers) 9ear not, for * willlead you unto whateer paths you may
choose, * will bring you to the suffering
or to the ecstasy you secretly long for. !y
brothers, with me as your king, glory,
pain, agony, honey, milk and happiness will
fall from the sky like unending rains and
you shall hae the freedom to bathe in
whicheer one soothes you best. There will
be no $udgment and there will be no
lectures, shame or reproof. These old,
sickly people who stand here before you
represent a sad, old world. Their morals
hae no place in the empire we will build,
me and those who $oin me today... an empire
that will surpass in greatness and gloryall other empires this world has eer
seen." As >utsceath shouts out his promises
to the mass of people in the temple, his
two aids, still hooded stand their ground,
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 212/281
like faithful guardians ready to defend
their master at any cost. The meeting's
attendees, in small groups, talk to each
other with whispers, confused and da77ledby the strange but bold words of this new
man that defies eerything they hae eer
known, appalled an awed at the same time.
#is sharp, daring sentences stir their
souls and most of them, silent, look out
carefully for any change in the atmosphere
of the large hall. 9rom behind one of thecolumns, a boy struggles his way toward
>utsceath and makes his oice heard all
throughout the temple, when he shouts out
proudly, "* will follow you, my king)"
efore the echo of his eclamation fades
away, the entire crowd stands ama7ed and
more confusion and insecurity takes hold ofthem. >utsceath turns to the boy, smiling
wickedly and says in a softer oice, ":ou
see% Do you see it now%" And takes a short
brake like waiting for an answer from
someone in the crowd. "5ome forth, child,
let them see you. +et them understand why
you are the braest here, why you are the
first one to step up to claim your true
self. :ou may see $ust a little boy here,
but * see a great leader, a great hero with
unlimited potential, a great con8ueror, for
he has managed to escape the lies and
merciless propaganda that was carried out
against his soul since birth. The likes of
him will be at the helm of the emergingworld, a world that is being born right
before your eyes here, today, in this ery
temple." The boy smiles proud, like a child
that has $ust gained the faor of his
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 213/281
father, summoning the eny of his siblings.
#e looks up to the powerful tall orator,
paying close attention to eery single word
that is being spoken, shouted or whisperedaround him. #e is happy and anious and
looks at the faces of the less fortunate
than him, to the faces of those who do not
yet understand as he does, hoping there
will be more like him, more who will $oin
this awe6inspiring man. The grin on
>utsceath's face widens as two more menapproach with a miture of pride and
apprehension and align themseles behind
their newly found king. The boy looks up at
them with approal in his attentie eyes
and takes a step closer towards his leader
to place himself in the protectie aura of
the great man. #ungry eyes keep searchingthe faces of the recruits and around the
hall waiting, asking who will be net, who
will $oin this newly formed soereign
nation of glory. (ome want to 8uestion
their madness but do not dare speak out and
some want to $ust do away with the
confusion that is gripping their minds.
A heay silence is pushing down on all the
souls of the gathering, eeryone waiting,
trying to anticipate the net moe of the
council, the only two baring a grin being
>utsceath and the boy. !ore people get at
the side of >utsceath, as his epression
remains unchanged. "Do you beliee it now%
Do you understand it now%" #e asks the oldman, who watches calmly but clearly
saddened by the unfolding eents. "=eople
are free to decide for themseles and free
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 214/281
to do as they please to follow any idea
they desire," the old man speaks gently.
":es) Cnder my reign, yes they are,"
>utsceath cuts through the unbearableatmosphere, "as opposed to the freedom they
posses under yours, which is the freedom to
do as you please." The men hae stopped
$oining the now large circle of recruits
and eeryone waits for the head of the
council to say anything at all, to comfort
them in any way possible and dissipate thethick tension amassed in the hall. Taking a
few more moments to think it through,
getting up, he speaks to the thousands of
anious, epecting eyes, "!y brothers know
that, upon you today no $udgment will be
passed. 9or we are not $udges of man nor
tyrants who reign aboe you. *f $oiningthis man is what you desire than so be it.
*t is how it is supposed to be and there
cannot be another way. What comes to pass
is what must come to pass such is the
re8uirement of the laws of the unierse.
:ou are not eil men and which eer be your
choice, you are learning precious lessons,
at the same time proiding lessons for
others to learn as well. +essons none of us
could do without lessons we can aoid or
postpone only for so long. *t does not
matter if we stand diided, bow to
different statues, speak different
languages or hae different ideas as long
as we all remember remember how we are allone one and the same and only an illusion
separates us from our seles, from the
source to which we struggle to return,
struggle to learn the lessons necessary to
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 215/281
get back to the oneness from which we came.
And return we shall my brothers, richer and
wiser than eer, * promise you." As the old
man finishes his words in a shaky oice,the light coming from outside he temple
dims down 8uickly, the day turning into
night and flashes of lightning lash the
darkened sky.
">utsceath) What hae you done%" The
younger member of the council $umps to his
feet and asks loudly. ":ou haen'taccomplished anything here today, but make
a fool out of yourself. *s this what you
call an army% This small and pitiful group
of confused souls, look at them) A mere
handful." As >utsceath and his followers
head straight to one of the eits of the
temple, the ground starts to shakeiolently and deafening thunder coers the
panicked screams of the people who push and
trample on each other to escape from the
crumbling building. "A handful is all *
need," >utsceath whispers the answer to
himself as he disappears from sight.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 216/281
11
"#ow about net (aturday%" Tim asks, with
the enthusiasm of a child."*f you promise to replenish the supply of
that special beer, we're on."
"*t's being taken care of as we speak, my
friend," Tim promises rad. "What's that
singing * hear, where are you%"
"* hae to go Tim, catch you later," rad
says and hangs up his cell phone before hisfriend can say anything back. The kids are
all gathered around the woman, listening
8uietly as she sings to them. The tone of
her oice shrinks rad<s stomach and
caresses his soul, bringing tears to his
eyes. 9rom the hallway of the crowded
hospital, he sees and hears nothing buther. (he appears bright and happy through
his tunnel ision as he wonders at the
reaction he is haing. #e cannot understand
the rush of feelings flooding into his
chest and for the first time he lets go. #e
stops all attempts to understand and $ust
listens to the melodic oice with all his
being. There is nothing left in the whole
unierse but her song. #e absorbs eery
note, takes in eery ibration and along
with the first tear, the heay baggage of
stress and fatigue amassed in the last
months falls to the ground, smashing to
pieces on the white tiles of the hospital
floor. #e can feel the bad energydissipating, being pulled out of him by
some unknown beneolent force. A kind, soft
ripple of itality cleans his heart of all
negatiity as he listens to the beautiful
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 217/281
song of the woman of his dreams, the woman
with the name of a flower. #e is completely
still and wishes for this moment to last
foreer. -o longer afraid or worried, helets the oice moe through eery part of
his body, welcoming the loing touch of the
notes that glide through his mind and soul
like morning rays of sunshine on the
surface of a lake. When the singing stops,
he does not know how much time passed and
does not care, for the first time in hislife. All he can think of is how to gather
enough courage to talk to her. After a few
more minutes spent with the children, who
seem to want to keep her for all time,
smothering her with hugs she heads out,
missing rad<s stare due to the congestion
on the hallway. rad snaps out of histrance and starts following her, knowing
there will not be another chance, coninced
he will lose her foreer if he does not
talk to her in the net moment. #e bumps
into people while the thought of losing her
tortures his mind oer and oer. #e tries
to figure out the first word to say to her
without making a fool of himself but
free7es $ust as soon as his desperate cry
for her name reaches her ears, before
touching the handle of the eit door. (he
turns around to see rad blocked, unable to
moe or speak, with his hand reaching out
to her. #e can see she is pu77led and
intrigued, and through her kind smile sheanswers his call, ":es% What is it%" (he
approaches him slowly, amused at his
posture and curious to find out his story.
"#ow do you know my name% Would you care to
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 218/281
share with me your name as well, so as to
make things less awkward and moe from
there%" (he asks him, barely refraining
from chuckling. #e is still fro7en, like astatue in winter but with newly found
strength he manages to redirect his
etended arm into a handshake and replies
with half his oice, "#ello *'m rad.
"#ello, rad. * take it you're not a
patient here."
"-o. :es * mean no, *'m not a patient," hestutters. "*t's only natural that the most
beautiful oice in the world belongs to the
most beautiful woman in the world," he says
not knowing where the words are coming
from.
"Well that is out of contet, but thanks."
(he can not help her cheeks blush, and letsgo of his hand. "Thank you for the
compliment, rad, but * can assure you, *
am far from being the best singer in the
world, or the most beautiful woman in the
world."
"*'m sorry to hae startled you, * did not
mean to do that. *'e seen you before, and
*'e asked around for your name"
":ou're not some kind of stalker, are you%"
(he interrupts him.
"-o, no, no, nothing of the sort, please,
let me take you out for a coffee or
something, please," rad almost begs her,
feeling like something is putting words
into his mouth."(o you'e been around before. !aybe that
eplains the strong feeling of dL$M6u *'m
haing right now," she says more to herself
and heads for the door. rad feels like his
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 219/281
stomach is pierced by hundreds of needles
and for a second he beliees he has lost
her foreer, scared her away with his
stupid words. "(o are you coming or not%"(he asks standing in the door.
"(ure) (orry about that... sometimes *
$ust free7e."
"(o *'e noticed," she smiles, closing the
door behind them. As they walk down the
street, rad becomes completely thawed and
natural. ;ery trace of fear andawkwardness disappears. #e is confident and
happy, the unconscious appreciation towards
the inisible force driing him along,
present in the back of his mind. They
already know a lot about each other and
suddenly, rad takes her by the hand and
they stop. (he looks into his eyes, andtightens her grip. ":ou know it's so
strange, this feeling that *'e known you
since foreer."
"* feel the same," he replies while unable
to take his eyes away from hers.
"Do you think maybe, we'e met before in
another life%/ #e asks, the smile on his
face shrinking isibly. (he instantly sheds
a tear without knowing why and they put
their arms around one another, holding each
other tight, silently. The first snowflake
melts on the warm soft skin of her face
that rests on his chest. (he listens to the
rhythmic sound of his heart and feels the
outpour of loing energy. *t warms her andgies her strength. "Why do * feel sad all
of a sudden and happy at the same time%"
(he looks up to him, eyes drenched in
tears.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 220/281
"* feel the same * don't know why."
"*t all seems so "
"9amiliar," he finishes her sentence.
":es," she replies while an aalanche of8uestions assaults her mind. "Why am *
crying% *t's so good near you, but Why do
* feel this sadness% (he backs up from the
embrace and continues through the snow,
still holding hands. "* mean we're perfect
strangers and yet it feels right. *t feels
like eerything is as it's supposed to be,like eerything is in it's"
"=lace%" #e cuts in again.
":es. *t feels like it all somehow, makes
sense."
rad shrugs and keeps listening to her
8uestions, happy, smiling and glowing. They
stop again, "rad, who are you%" (he askslaughing.
":ou know *'e asked myself that 8uestion
only so many times before."
"And%"
"And * hae yet to discoer any plausible
answers to it. *t's one of the many
8uestions * ask, eery day but maybe you
can answer it," he says while opening the
door to the coffee shop for her. They smile
and go in and after a few moments their
tracks are coered by the rapidly falling
snow, like an artist, eagerly filling out
the colorless spots in his painting.
14
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 221/281
The force of the blow is so powerful that
he loses his balance and falls to the
ground. ;mptied of strength, he waits
resigned for the sword to strike him,sending him to the warrior's afterlife. #e
closes his eyes and feels the heay, cold
drops of rain washing the dirt off his
face. The black mud that coers the bodies
of the fallen around him is stirred by the
rain that seems to neer end. *t collects
the blood of men into black reddish riers,spilling into larger pools of death,
whirling and thirsty for more. #e opens his
eyes to see his enemy being struck down by
a friendly sword, collapsing without a
sound net to him, face down in the red,
watery clay.
">et up, Thracius) #is friend lifts him tohis feet, "the Eoman pigs are retreating)"
#e looks around, di77y and out of phase
with reality, not reali7ing yet what had
happened. "Take my horse, go, 8uickly) (he
will carry you like the wind, my brother)"
#e helps him saddle up and gies him the
sword he dropped. Thracius steers the horse
and they gallop away from the
battlegrounds, the hooes digging deep into
the soft, drenched soil. The animal runs
without the slightest protest, like a loyal
serant, feeling his master's pain and
understanding his hopes. #e rides for
hours, until the horse slows down, and
breathing heaily, collapses on its side.Thracius roles oer to aoid being caught
under the foaming, sweaty mare, who looks
like she is ready to receie the punishment
for her uselessness, for her failure to
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 222/281
remain at least standing. #e crawls through
the mud toward the horses head and looks
into the large eyes. #e puts his hand on
the mare's nose, feeling the warmth of thefast panting of the animal, sending his
gratitude. #e gets up and starts running
for his illage, he runs without stopping,
$ust one thought in his mind. #e feels
completely ehausted and his lungs and
throat burn from the cold air. With his
house in sight, he gathers all hisremaining endurance and runs for the door.
#e almost collapses through it, to see
inside three women bent oer a screaming
newborn. They turn to him, and the
epression on their faces tells him
eerything. #e understands and slowly moes
closer to the bed where she lies. #e kneelslooking at her, crying silently, the trail
of tears washing a clean line through the
mud on his face. #e buries his head in her
shoulder and screams with all his remaining
might, clenching the cloth coering her
body.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 223/281
1
":ou were right, mother" rad says while
cleaning away the fro7en snow from thetombstone to reeal the name. #e puts his
hands to his mouth to warm them up and goes
on, ":ou were right& there really is
someone out there for each of us. * know
it's still early but * really feel it *
feel she is the one for me. * wish you
could hae seen her. (o beautiful and good6hearted there still are many unknowns in
my life but since her it's like that
doesn't really matter anymore. *t's all
good and in it's right place. +ook at me"
he chuckles, "talking to a tomb stone, but
still it's all good * mean, if you
consider the fact that energy can't bedestroyed, then, maybe you really are
somewhere out there, listening," he smiles
with the usual amount of doubt in his mind
and looks down at the snow. "*t feels like
there's nothing * can't do when *'m around
her, * know it sounds cra7y and * really
can't eplain it right * bet you neer
heard so much nonsense from me before if
you could $ust see her for a second, you
would understand eerything, you would
know. * told her about my work and my
ideas& she was ery enthusiastic about it.
* think this is what they mean when they
say happiness is only true if shared. *
neer really got that before her. ut now *do," he leaes his head down again,
grinning widely in between the isible
streams of his breathing, playing with his
feet in the snow, like an embarrassed
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 224/281
child. "*'e ah, *'e been thinking *
know what you'd say to that *'m thinking
all the time, but * really think she's the
one, mother And now *'m repeating myselflike a broken record (o maybe that's how
being in loe feels," he reali7es. "+oe
turns you into an incoherent fool with
butterflies in your stomach, babbling about
nonsensical things all day long. ;en
worse, some disturb the peace of the dead,"
he laughs. "* don't know but it's alright.* know it is, * am coninced of it. *t
feels so good to know things, to hae
certainties to hold on to. (o unlike me, *
know, but so liberating, it's wonderful. *
reali7e now * was liing at the etremes
and that is the worst thing anyone can do.
:ou would probably say "* told you so," butyou know how it is, mother until one gets
to actually lie the things he heard so
many adices about, one doesn't learn
doesn't really learn anything. *
understood many things in only a short
while *'e met strange and wonderful
people and now that * think about it, *
understand it's all for the best. * hae
met the eact people * needed to meet at
the eact time * needed. There was no other
way *t's so clear now, * understand. *
know they'e told me eactly what * needed
to hear and not a word less. 5ra7y, right%
* also understand why father left. *t was
because he and eerybody else connected tohim, needed him to leae, so that we can
become what we are today. -othing is eer
too late or too early, or too little or too
much, eerything is $ust right, een if it
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 225/281
does not seem to be when it hits us. Does
that imply we hae no free will% * do not
know. Do we hae more free will than we can
handle% Again, * don't know. * reali7e howthat might sound, but * trust you would
understand. :ou always understood this sort
of things"
"(he understands perfectly, * assure you,"
the tall man startles rad who needs a few
moments to bring himself back to reality
and recogni7e the man from his mother'shouse and from the bus. "* was wondering
when we would bump into each other, again,"
rad replies in a calm manner.
"* am sorry, rad, we haen't been properly
introduced. !y name is Anton. They shake
hands and rad is surprised of how warm the
tall man's hand is. ":ou must hae amillion 8uestions right now"
"* would say that's about right. >ie or
take a few hundred," he answers smiling.
":our mother was a ery special person.
This earth is much poorer now that she is
gone. ut that is the way it was meant to
be, you know% We each make our stand, gie
what we're supposed to gie and moe on."
"And do you beliee eeryone gies
something%"
"Absolutely (ome gie more than others,
but neertheless, eeryone contributes."
"* see *n that case, * can't help but
wonder if * gae enough."
":ou still hae some time left to gie, butwhen you're done, * am sure you would hae
gien eactly what the unierse needed from
you."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 226/281
"That's ery reassuring" oth men keep
staring at the stone, aoiding each other's
ga7e.
"Eeassuring and true, een if you may findthat a bit hard to digest right now."
"Trust me when * say *'m digesting loads,
these days. Just try me."
">lad to hear it, rad."
"(o why don't you start by eplaining your
part in all of this, how you know me, how
you got to know my mother ""Well, * don't think * can eplain my part,
eactly, but * can try eplaining the rest.
After all, how many of us are so lucky to
know our part, our place, and our mission
in life%"
"-ot too many, * guess."
"(o listen why don't we take a walk to myplace, * lie $ust on the other side of the
cemetery. We can talk there, away from the
cold. 9rom the looks of it, you will be
fro7en solid before we get through half of
your 8uestions."
"Alright. As long as you got some fine
spirits to share."
"0h, *'e got something much better than
that," Anton smiles.
The two men make their way down the alley
that cuts the cemetery in half, through the
free7ing stones with names on them. *n the
distant corner, rad can see a silhouette
bending oer a grae to place flowers,
wonders about his story and in the sametime intrigued by the peculiar situation
facing him right now, anious for more
answers and reelations.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 227/281
1F
":our burning up, but don't worry, *'ll
take care of you, * promise. :ou will befine soon, you will see)" #e comforts her,
while washing her forehead with a wet
towel. #e sits down on a chair besides the
bed and watches her with despair in his
eyes. ":ou'll be fine, you'll see," he
keeps muttering.
"*'m going to die soon," she says with aweak oice.
"Don't talk my loe, rest." #e pulls the
coer up to her chin and wipes some more
sweat off her face.
"*t's been too long maybe if they would
hae let us leae the city in time how
long%""=lease rest, my loe."
"*t's been so long since we were out
locked in this poisonous prison of death."
"Don't speak like that, it will be oer
soon and we will leae this city foreer."
"As soon as they open the gates again, you
must go and neer return, you hear me% (he
says with a stronger oice.
"What are you talking about, * won't leae
without you. We will leae together, $ust
as soon as you will feel better.
"-o it's too late for me"
"-o) * won't leae you."
"Don't you see% *'m going to die, $ust like
the rest." #e shakes his head, cryingwithout saying anything. "* can't let that
happen. * won't) * loe you)" he answers
enraged.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 228/281
"* know you do, my loe" she struggles to
smile to coer her pains. ":ou hae been so
good to me, promise me you will go and lie
a long happy life. :ou will find some oneto care about, someone who will take care
of you."
"-o)" he cries out.
"+ie life to the fullest, loe and be
happy *t is how you will honor my memory."
"#ow can * eer be happy without you%" #e
screams, "#ow% Tell me)" They hear noiseand shouting from outside and he gets up to
go to the window. Through the small crack,
he can see two doctors. "They are here to
check for sick people," she says, the tone
of her oice denoting a kind of
resignation.
"-o, * won't let them take you."":ou must, it's for the best."
"=lease, don't say such things, * beg you)"
"0pen up, let us in)" from outside the
door, they pound and shout, "0pen up)"
"*t's alright, my loe, it's alright," the
sick woman tells her husband with loing
eyes, weeping.
#e unlocks the door and the doctors burst
in, going straight to the woman lying in
bed. 0ne of them turns her head oer and
points to the big, round pustule on her
neck. They look at each other from under
the long beak masks that look to be from a
piece of Tragedy Theater celebrating death.
Their muffled oices echange 8uick, shortwords, "(he's got it."
"*t's the plague. We must take her at once&
put her in with the others." The words of
the two men dressed in long, heay, waed
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 229/281
leather coats and hats fall upon his ears
like punishing thunder of a god filled with
wrath and as they take the woman away from
him, foreer, he falls to his knees, hisentire world crashing down on him with the
weight of a thousand suns.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 230/281
1I
"-ice place you got here. Hery simple,"
rad says a bit surprised looking aroundthe big room with almost no furniture.
"* try to lead a simple life. :ou would be
ama7ed to see how little people actually
need."
"-o TH, right%"
"-o need. * fabricate my own news and
ideologies," he laughs."* hear that."
"=lease, make yourself at home," Anton says
showing rad a pillow on the ground.
"-o chairs"
"* could get you one but really, you should
try sitting like this more often. :ou're
closer to mother earth, closer to herhealing energies and the lotus position, if
you can manage it, facilitates a smoother
connection with >aia."
">aia, sure the spirit of the earth. *
read about that."
"* am sure you did, rad. *'ll be right
back with something to warm you up."
"(ure, take your time," rad answers
looking around the big, candle lit room,
relaed by their flicker. #e can feel
getting warm and comfortable and pleasant
feelings surround him. #is thoughts drift
slowly away from the room as he imagines
himself in a sunny apple orchard in bloom.
#e feels so relaed he would like to $ustlie down and sleep.
"#ere you go, rad,/ Anton startles him,
putting down the tray with the drinks. ":ou
0B%"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 231/281
":eah, sure, $ust that my mind was pretty
far away again. This place has a certain
for a lack of a better word comfort to it.
*t's ery pleasant to be here.""*t is, isn't it%/ Anton smiles $oyfully.
"*'m glad you got that. #ae you eer been
to someone's home and felt like you could
stay there foreer% +ike eerything there
was so welcoming and comforting% *t's
because of the energy the people put in the
place, their ibes if you will. The ibesof the place are positie and soothing. As
opposed to some other places where the
negatie energy there is so powerful you
can't een sit down and $ust want to get
out as fast as possible% *t's all about the
people. We make the place good or bad with
our thoughts. Thought is energy and wechoose if it's positie or negatie. And
yes eerything is influenced by thought.
*n a sense, we build the unierse in which
we lie with our minds. This is where the
scientists are failing repeatedly.
;cluding the obserer from the eperiment,
when the obserer was and will always be an
intrinsic part of the eperiment. -ot to
mention how different each obserer's
reality is."
"* think * know what you mean. There was
this aunt * used to isit when * was a
child and without knowing why, * would
always inent reasons to stay longer. *t
was so peaceful there. !akes sense, *guess."
"Does a tree, falling in a distant forest
make any sound if there's no one there to
hear it% *s the photon a wae when we're
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 232/281
looking at it and a particle when nobody's
watching% *s it both at the same time% !y
point is that wheneer someone looks for a
specific thing, usually that someone findswhat he's looking for, do you understand
what * mean%"
":es, * think * do," rad smiles, while
sipping from the tea Anton brought. "This
is pretty good. *'m not a tea drinker but
this, * like."
"*t's a miture of different plants, eachwith it's own special property, some you
can find on the side of the road and for
some you hae to go deeper into the forest.
0r on some mountain on the other side of
the planet. :ou'll see how relaing it is.
The trick is to know which ones to mi
together for you see, this earth gies usall we need to lie a long, healthy life
but the modern world easily dismisses
things like that. -ature knows best,
animals for eample know eactly what herb
to eat for any disease they might hae.
They $ust know. And we forgot or we simply
ignore it all, putting all our faith in
chemicals and artificiality."
"* cannot but agree with you, Anton. Tell
me how eactly did you get to know my
mother%"
"*'d be happy to. We met at the uniersity
where your mother thought her classes. :ou
see * was a teacher there, too. We had
common interests so we became good friends.We supported each other in eery way we
could. We easily understood each other
since we both lost the one we loed. !y
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 233/281
wife left too, only a lot farther than your
father did."
"0h, *'m sorry to hear that."
"*t's 0B. * am at peace with that. *t iswhat needed to happen and that is what
happened."
"* guess so you say you were a teacher,
why not anymore%"
"Well * was a professor or theoretical
physics"
"0B," rad interrupts, “glad to hear that.""but * could not do it anymore, because
when you reali7e certain things it becomes
almost impossible. ;ither you go on with
the hypocrisy or you bail out. * began to
8uestion eerybody's methods and ways of
doing and thinking you know. And that
unsettled many people. * stirred the watersand * flipped my own boat oer. >oing
against the commonly accepted norms and
models will do that to you. ;specially when
on those commonly accepted norms and models
rest the carriers of all your peers and
many books must be rewritten. * think you
get the point."
":es, * do perfectly."
"Anyway we hae both, me and your mother
been through some tough times but we were
there for each other. *t meant a lot."
"ut"
"Hery good friends is what we always
remained," Anton says, anticipating rad<s
8uestion, "your mother, een if she didn'tshow it, neer stopped loing your old man
and she secretly waited for him eery day.
(he neer lost hope. * could not hae
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 234/281
interfered between that * hope you
understand."
"* do, een though * wish she wouldn't hae
been alone for so long $ust because ofme."
"That is the last thing you should blame
yourself with, remember, what we truly need
form the unierse to adance, to become
better is $ust what we get. *sn't that the
whole point, to continuously strie for
betterment%""=robably * don't know."
"That is also a good approach to things in
general. There are too many people who are
coninced they do know. And we can all see
what comes from that."
"Absolutely," rad smiles and sips some
more tea. "Would you say you are now somekind of wild healer, a modern shaman or
something like that%"
"5an one name really fully describe some
one%/ Anton replies cryptically.
"Cnderstood (o you chose the middle
ground, not a religious etremist and at
the same time not giing it all up for the
latest scientific model."
";actly right. *t's because * beliee true
enlightenment and adancement will come
from the perfect marriage of the scientific
with the spiritual."
"*nteresting point of iew, * like it."
"Thank you, * really appreciate that,"
Anton says with all honesty."* hae to say it's tough out there, for
someone with this kind of thinking."
":ou don't know the half of it. :our
mother she was the only person in the
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 235/281
whole uniersity who did not think * was
hopelessly insane. The unierse will always
throw you a life $acket een when you think
you hae surely drowned in the sea of life.The catch is to recogni7e the life $acket
in time, because as you might hae
eperienced in your life too, the life
$acket rarely looks like one. *n fact, most
of the times it looks like something
totally different."
"* know what you mean," rad repliesthoughtful, immensely en$oying the
discussion.
"* know it's funny if you're not the one
drowning but sooner or later we all swim
for our lies. *t is ineitable. 0therwise,
there would be nothing to learn. There
would be no real adancement.""ut sometimes don't you $ust wish to
adance a little slower%" rad asks
ironically.
"Absolutely, my friend," Anton laughs.
"*sn't it odd how eerything around us is
built in such a way as to keep us from the
enlightenment you speak about% Why do you
think that is% Why does it hae to be so
difficult%"
"Well, * don't know if eerything, but most
things are made that way, yes."
"* mean, at what point wow, this tea
really is good, at what point is the line
drawn% When does anyone hae the right to
say this is enough, this is all you need toknow, this is all you can be, and this is
what you must do% :ou know what * mean% *
don't think *'m phrasing it right Does
anybody really hae the right to suppress
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 236/281
us and keep us from becoming more than we
are%"
"* think * see your point it all comes
down to profit. *f you ask yourself whoprofits and follow the clues, you'll get to
the bottom of things."
"Gui bono "
";actly take for instance the goernment,
any goernment. They are all built on the
same ideas. Beep the people in constant
fear and insecurity to make them belieethey need a goernment for protection. The
same with the church, they profit immensely
from the belieers and certainly, $ust as
the goernment they do not need rightly
functioning indiiduals who 8uestion things
and doubt dogmas and ideologies,
indiiduals with a critical mind. -ot atall what they need is eactly the
opposite. And toward this common goal,
these two institutions, let's call them,
work together in perfect harmony. Think
about it all the substances they call
drugs and deem illegal because they assign
themseles the right to decide for us what
is good and what is bad, those substances
come from nature, from plants. Who has the
right to ban nature, to forbid anything
from nature or maybe een worse, patent it%
*t is belieed the sudden leap in human
brainpower came from the fact that they
were consuming certain plants and
mushrooms, freely growing in nature. *beliee the plant kingdom communicates with
us chemically. They do not hae hands to
write or mouths to talk with, but certainly
they are liing beings and they communicate
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 237/281
with us through the chemicals they secrete.
#ow do you eplain the fact that our brains
hae receptors for most substances out
there in the forest% Eeceptors that matcheactly the T#5 molecule, for eample. A
place in the brain with the eact shape of
the respectie molecule, ready for it,
ready to receie it. -othing else could fit
in there but this specific one. =retty mind
boggling, right%"
"*n the least, yes," rad repliesfascinated.
"!an has always looked for altered states
of consciousness and brain growth has
followed. These altered states hae been an
integral part of many, many cultures. =roof
is eerywhere. ;en animals do it. The
early shamans, thanks to these plants couldconnect to nature on such a leel that they
always knew what was best for the tribe,
and they were among the most respected in
their society. D!T is released by the
pineal gland during birth, death and other
naturally occurring psychedelic states and
is also found in nature in a ine, from
which the indigenous people of the Ama7on
rainforests make the Ayahuasca brew."
":es, * heard about that. =eople report
life changing reelations and deep insight
into the nature of the unierse. !aybe *
should try that once."
"Absolutely these things are called drugs
and are demoni7ed eactly because theirpotential for enriching the human mind. The
awakening of people is not the main concern
of the aboe6mentioned institutions.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 238/281
"*t most certainly not is not. * had this
eye opening discussion recently, with this
fellow that called himself !ason. 9rom what
* gathered, he was working with all hisenergy and resources to preent $ust that,
the awakening of the people. And it seemed
like he had plenty energy and resources at
his disposal. ut it wasn't like a regular
soldier or man on a mission, no he was
passionate about it. #e was coninced of
eery word he said. *t was disturbing tosay the least."
"* understand perfectly, rad. 0er the
years, * hae learned to recogni7e the
psychopathic trait with ease. And * get to
see it more and more, eerywhere. =eople
hae formed the wrong idea about
psychopaths. They are seen as the typicalhorror moie a murderers, when in fact
most psychopaths will walk by you on the
street without you een suspecting it. They
can pass as the kind net6door neighbor any
day. 5orporate office buildings are filled
with this type."
":ou got that right"
"They thrie on control and subersion and
because most people are authority drien,
they will take the so called epert's words
oer their eyes, anytime. This psychopathic
trait is pathological in nature, these
people really are sick. They lack the
ability to feel any kind of remorse or
guilt. ased on this and semantics,countless wars are started. The
psychopathic sadists start them and the
psychopathic masochists fight them, simple
as that. And you don't need to be some kind
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 239/281
of genius to see this, you $ust hae to
stop and look around you. *t does not get
any more obious than this The legal
system how does that actually help us wheneeryone knows the lawmakers will always be
aboe the law% And do we eer really hae a
case at all when the base of the present
legal system is based on the phrase 'no law
or fact shall eer be tried in a court of
law'% Why do you think the $udge wears a
black robe% *t's because he's in mourning,'cause lady $ustice is dead, that's why.
The earth is a essel in a sea of space
therefore eerything is sub$ect to maritime
law. We're all mere cargo, property of the
captains and the court of law is only a doc
on dry land. That's why when you're born,
you need a document of birth. When you aregien a name, you become the property of
the corporation known as your country. Why
are we forced to register our biological
property with a warehouse receipt% *t's
because it's the first step in moneti7ing
our being, turn us into collateral. That is
all you are to these people. *t's our souls
they're haing trouble moneti7ing that, *
would not like to be around to see, if they
succeed."
"*'e neer though of it this way before"
"And the corporations hae mastered the art
of eploitation. They hae turned human
beings into human resources, because there
is no such thing as capitalism with aconscience. The only real resource is the
human being and they know this, that's why
they practice human farming so
successfully. The ery products that we buy
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 240/281
enslae us, like neer before& we hae
become a society of the totally enslaed.
5ommodities guarantee the happiness of the
modern slae who pays for his own cage,ruled by symbols and images. The modern
slae who is thought to hate medicinal
plants branded as drugs while engorging
with coffee in the morning to aid them in
the mindless menial tasks of his corporate
soul crushing $ob, and with alcohol in the
eening to forget all about it so he canstart all oer the net day. (ometimes,
this modern slae, liing always on
borrowed time will hae a brief moment of
clarity and will see freedom in the
forbidden things. This is how the outlaw is
created And because of oer7ealous
sadistic psychopaths we get to lie in aworld that inests more in imprisoning
people than on educating them. There is no
such thing as a war on drugs, the war is on
people And it's relentless. :ou must
ecuse me if * get carried away sometimes
*t $ust had to get that out and people need
to hear and know these things."
"-ot at all, Anton, getting carried away is
what it's all about," rad smiles.
"*t's for this type of heresies and
blasphemy * was labeled as a nut case."
"*n that case, the world needs more
heretics and blasphemers, no doubt about
it." Anton looks with soft eyes to rad and
without saying anything, rad knows he isbeing grateful.
"We are born into a wonderful ocean of
knowledge, and yet, we choose to swim in
stagnant pools of dogma" rad adds.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 241/281
"Hery nicely put, * like that," Anton
replies.
":ou know what * think%" rad asks changing
the direction of the discussion, "* thinkwe can adance as a race, without all this
pain, there is no need for it. * really
think we could do it."
"Well" Anton says, slowly searching for
his words, "* think a society that allows
usury as a legitimate business is not well.
And it is no measure of health to be wellad$usted to a profoundly sick society. We
can see life as blissful happiness or as a
liing hell so maybe it all comes down to
a matter of choice. We find what we're
looking for, remember%"
"5an't really argue with something that
makes sense. :ou seem to know me betterthan * thought," rad says een more
intrigued of the situation.
"* can read people pretty accurately."
"*t's a useful ability, that's certain."
"*n most cases, yes."
":ou spoke earlier that fear keeps people
in control, but it seems to me that despite
that, we glorify fear and the things that
frighten us. Why do you think that is%"
"Well perhaps that is the residue of an
outdated eolutionary mechanism. 9earing
the predators lurking constantly at eery
step, we learned to pay attention first of
all to the things that frighten us. We
could not afford otherwise. ut soon wewill hae to reali7e we hae come to a
point where paying attention to fear is no
longer necessary and we will concentrate on
different things."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 242/281
";olutionary mechanisms new software
running on outdated hardware" rad says
reminiscent of his discussion with the
doctor."Why yes, much like that," Anton says
pleasantly surprised again. "We hae to
upgrade the old hardware and * beliee that
can come about through a mass awakening of
people."
"About that * do not see it happening ery
soon. *t sounds pessimistic but it's what *beliee, the realistic part of me, at
least."
"e the change you want to see in the
world, rad," Anton smiles at him. "We'll
go on from there."
"*'m trying to do eactly that."
"9rom the looks of it you're on the rightpath, rad. :ou ask the right 8uestions and
we settled that one finds what one is
looking for."
"And the first step toward that, is
actually knowing what you're looking for."
"Absolutely true knowing what you want is
the most important step of eery $ourney.
:ou would be surprised how many people hae
no idea what they want. And they are
completely stuck because of that."
"ut how do we know that what we want is
actually what we need%"
"We don't, but isn't that part of the fun
of discoery%" Anton says ery
enthusiastically."* like the way you tackle life * wish *
could do it like that."
"Again, it is a matter of choice."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 243/281
"* guess it is" rad replies, feeling a
bit disappointed. "(o, you really beliee
we are immortal souls on a long $ourney of
discoery and improement%""That is what * beliee, yes."
"Don't you think that might be $ust another
fail6safe we grab on to, $ust to hae the
necessary comfort, the necessary mindset to
allow ourseles to go on% *t would
certainly be infinitely easier to accept
our mortality.""*t is a possibility, absolutely * cannot
deny it. The acceptance of mortality is
indeed a big problem for humanity. !any
problems we face now hae their roots in
it. ut if indeed it is so, then * say,
gentlemen, the time of life is short, and
if we lie, we lie to thread on kings)"">ood old (hakespeare," rad grins,
delighted.
"Why not make the most of it, why not en$oy
the countless opportunities, lie and let
lie%" Anton goes on.
"+ie and let lie that sure sounds like a
good life philosophy."
"*t's a great life philosophy," Anton
gestures widely with his hands. ";en if we
only get one chance at life, $ust one life,
* don't see why we can't make the most of
it. !eet people, make friends, help one
another, en$oy the sun, respect nature,
swim in the sea, climb the mountains, see
the world, loe and be loed, be happy and* can go on foreer. There's little chance
for boredom on this planet, let me tell
you."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 244/281
"* completely agree. +et us assume for a
second that we are immortal souls,
traeling through the plane of physical
eperience in search of enlightenment. 9orme, some things $ust do not add up, for
eample why don't we remember our past
lies% Wouldn't that be easier if the whole
point is to know%"
"That's a good 8uestion, my friend, and *'m
afraid no one can really answer it. ut
what * think is that we forget because ourlimited human psyche could not handle such
a large baggage of emotion, you know%
*magine remembering the last, say, one
thousand lifetimes. *magine remembering all
the pain and sorrow, the way you died, all
the hurt surely there would also be good
things we would remember but you know howwe tend to recall mostly the bad things.
They stick with us longer and clearer, that
is in our nature, * guess. Eecalling all
that, would crush us eery time. * think it
is necessary to forget. ;ither way, it's a
magnificently beautiful, wonderfully
mysterious trip een if so ery often, to
the most of us, it does feel like a
$ester's dance." rad forces a faint smile
and drops his ga7e to the ground in deep
thought, the usual thorn of constant
uncertainty pricking at his soul.
":et, * think there will come a time in our
eolution when our minds will hae epanded
so much, we will remember eerything, eerytime, with little trouble."
"*f we surie," rad says with a straight
face.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 245/281
"We will surie, and we will be
magnificent, that's a promise."
"*t's a bold one"
"Eemember, we lie to thread on kings,rad)" Anton says, maintaining his
enthusiasm.
"0pen your eyes, rad, look around.
;erything has its place, its purpose,
nothing is useless, not een parasites,
for that matter."
"-othing is what it seems" rad says,still serious. * sometimes wonder about
that parasites. Are they aware of the
conse8uences of their eistence% Would they
change anything if they suddenly became
aware of that or would they carry on in
good conscience%"
"The parasite's parado * do not know butyou're right, nothing is what it seems,
it's a lot more than that) 0ur eyes can
only see one percent of the spectrum of the
unierse. We can only imagine what awaits
our senses out there, once we grow and when
we grow, we are magnificent)"
"0nce we grow yes. 5onsidering we are
toddlers, now, at the most there's a long
road ahead of us. We say the primitie man
was a myth maker, and if so, then what does
that make us% We haen't changed one bit."
"We are entering a new age of self
empowerment and discoery, where people
will be free from mythological superstition
and puritan mentality. *t is the age ofA8uarius," he smiles widely.
"(peaking about =uritanism #.+. !encken
defined it as the haunting fear that
someone, somewhere, is haing a good time."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 246/281
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 247/281
"0r the simple fact that we seem to find
what we look for," rad adds.
"0r that," Anton shrugs between chuckles.
"*'m glad you seem to be a man who does notembrace a single eplanation," rad
compliments the older man. "*t would hae
made for a shorter, boring conersation."
"* know what you mean, always check both
sides of the coin is what * say, and neer
with absolute coniction. The engraing on
it changes from time to time and if you getstuck on $ust one side you won't be able to
see the new ones. :ou won't een notice
when the coin has changed and you're
looking at a completely different one."
"-icely put, Anton," rad nods.
"Thank you."
":ou know so often * feel so small andinsignificant and hate myself for not being
able to understand more, to know more. And
it $ust feels like there's neer enough
time for anything. +ately it's as if time
is becoming more compressed somehow, and
there is less and less of it like
eerything is speeding up. * don't know if
you noticed it or een understand what *
mean."
"* think *'m getting the idea. #ae you
heard of something called the (chumann
resonance%"
"* don't think so no," rad says, curious
for the eplanation.
"Well, this is the resonant fre8uency ofthe earth, of our planet& the heartbeat of
>aia if you will. *t has been at seen
point eight cycles per second for thousands
of years but in the last two or three
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 248/281
decades it rose to about twele. * beliee
this increase in fre8uency accounts for the
lack of time you speak about."
"And what do you think it will amount to%""Well, some heretics out there," he pauses
for a short laugh, "including me, beliee
it's connected to the coming new age of
enlightenment, when we become a truly
peaceful planetary society, when we unleash
our true potential. A time of spiritual
adancement and global progress.""Does this new age include free energy and
unlimited resources for technological
research%"
"* think that's the basis of it."
"*n that case, * honestly hope the heretics
are right," rad says, allowing himself to
dream for a second and imagine it.":ou are a great optimist, Anton, *
appreciate that."
"* could do better. :ou know, rad, there
are far better places to be than in your
mind. * mean, being so cerebral is not a
bad thing at all but a lot of interesting
things happen when you start to 8uiet down
the mind and moe into different areas."
":ou mean like meditation%"
"That is one way to do it, yes"
"Guieting down the mind, that's probably
one of the hardest things for me right now.
* $ust cannot rela * mean really rela."
"* understand perfectly, * used to be $ust
like that. :ou should consider the +ilyisolation tank."
"*solation tank% rad asks skeptically.
":es, it was inented by a scientist named
John +ily. :ou float inside it, in salty
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 249/281
water that is maintained at body
temperature, in complete silence and pitch
black darkness, thus eliminating the
eternal stimuli that strain the braincontinuously. A ery large percent of brain
power is used $ust for dealing with graity
and processing the isual signals. The
human brain is staring for constant input
and once you cut the flow of information to
it that is when things start to become
really interesting. +ily, he went prettyfar inside his tanks. And not $ust him,
many people tried it and in the least they
noticed how much more relaed they got out
of the tank and een long time health
issues got remediated."
"Then * must definitely look into that."
"*t's a must) :ou won't regret it. >ates tootherwise non accessible realms wait to be
opened, rad."
"*f you say so, rad smiles.
"* beliee so," Anton strengthens his
argument. "*t's a tough school, this planet
of ours, definitely but * think it's worth
it. * actually think it's a popular
destination for souls in need of progress
and adancement."
"That would account for the 8uick rise in
population oer the last fifty years *
guess," rad speaks with a low oice,
almost afraid of swift retaliation for
unscientific speculation.
"Don't be afraid to guess, especially insuch matters, we're not running an official
science debate here, besides, this is how
many innoations hae come about. >uessing
and speculating," Anton says, recogni7ing
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 250/281
rad<s apprehension to throw himself into
adenturous theories.
"* can't argue with that."
":es, it might account for the sharp risein population. *t might also account for
the fact that great change is due for
humanity. !aybe a lot of souls would like
to hae a front row seat for the coming
show."
"*t's at least fun, speculating in such
matters.""*t is, isn't it%" Anton asks $oyfully.
"And yes * absolutely agree with this
place being a tough school. *t brakes so
many, eery day."
"They will try again and again, until they
graduate."
"Well in that case, * hope my graduationday is close. * sometimes feel so old like
*'e been trying and trying for a long
time, you know%"
":es, * know eactly what you mean. The
fact that we're here, now, probably means
we are still in class learning, preparing
for the final eam."
"And it also means we hae failed it many
times before."
"That could ery well be, yes."
"Talk about bad students, huh%" rad
laments with a touch of disappointment in
his oice.
"Well, * don't know if 'bad' is an accurate
description At least we know we are not8uitters, we're still at it, still trying.
That has to account for something."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 251/281
"Apparently, that doesn't count so much
when the grades are gien. The simple act
of presence is not enough."
"* don't know what to say" Anton shrugsand a for a few seconds, a deep silence
settles in the room.
"We don't really seem to learn much in a
life time, do we% * mean, we are
practically doing the same mistakes oer
and oer for most of our recorded history.
What does it take, one often wonders.""Well, we must keep in mind the fact that
human beings tend to easily dismiss and
ignore the risks, the dangers that are not
immediate, not imminent. ;specially those
that affect the respectie indiidual
indirectly. !aybe, it's because we hae not
yet come to terms with our mortality. As *said a ery important factor."
":eah *'ll be dead anyway by then, so what
does it matter%" rad says ironically.
";actly, who knows what will happen in a
hundred years from now% +et them deal with
it, they'll figure it out. That's why we're
the only species that destroys its habitat
and prays on its own kind. That's why half
the Ama7on rainforest is now gone and we're
turning the planet into a desert wasteland.
We are knowingly killing the things that
gie us what we need to be alie. * think
that says it all."
"And we do it out of our fear of dying
that's an interesting theory, Anton."";ntertain this thought for a second. We
rarely or neer actually talk about it,
it's considered to be so taboo, that most
people strongly aoid talking on the
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 252/281
sub$ect. -o one wants to die, eeryone is
scared of death, no one wants to
acknowledge it. (elf destruct mechanisms
actiate when the sense of futility andpointlessness reaches the human mind. *t
eplains a ery large part of the erratic
behaior of these domesticated primates we
call humans."
"#ighly plausible, indeed," rad agrees,
"but what if we really make that step you
talk about, what if we really pull throughand change completely% 5an you imagine
then, how we, the people of this age will
be looked back upon%"
"They will hae a shameful past, most
definitely," Anton admits.
"(hameful, to say the least. * do hope they
will $udge us without mercy and label usfor what we truly are. Authority drien,
hierarchy obsessed, mindless saages whom,
when not busy slaughtering each other, we
work on laws and rules that enslae us more
and more We ban nature and commit
unspeakable atrocities, all in search for
endless profit and power, like that een
matters, all the time missing the point. *
often think of a phrase that seems to me to
sum it up perfectlyN 'on these resources
depends our ery surial as a species. We
shall fight for them to the death)'"
"Guite right, unfortunately. 5hances are,
we will be seen as backward, primitie
irresponsible brutes. And yes, most of whatwe do now will be seen as terrible crimes
against humanity, there is no doubt in my
mind whatsoeer about that. ut, as * like
to end my sentences on a positie note, the
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 253/281
man of the hopefully near future will also
acknowledge the present global holocaust,
for lack of a better word to describe it,
as a necessary step in their eolution.""Cntil then," rad adds, "we're stuck in an
upside down world, where cures for diseases
will not be researched unless the profit
margins are off the chart and where the
slaes constantly sabotage the other slaes
in their relentless struggle to become
totally enslaed.""That's one way to put it."
":eah, ending sentences on a positie note
isn't really my thing, is it%"
"* guess not," Anton laughs, "but it's
alright as long as the parity between
people like us stays somewhat e8ual.
alance, you know%""alance or no balance, * still say we are
creatures who neer change. The regimes and
the masters hae not changed in thousands
of years. 0nly their names hae."
"*ndeed, but still, * can't gie up hope,
you know% That's $ust the way * am. Why be
pessimistic when you can be optimistic% Why
be sad when you can be happy%"
"Again, choice or as * like to sometimes
call it, the false impression of free will,
rad says with a serious face."
"Amusing, een when you're not trying to
be, rad," Anton laughs, refilling the
cups, "please, hae some more tea and let
this temporary discouragement dissipate8uickly."
"(orry, * get carried away in hopelessness
some times the stupidity of it all"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 254/281
"Who doesn't% And you should not worry
about stupidity. 0ne of our greatest minds
said the eolutionary function of this
state, is to force intelligent people tobecome een more intelligent," Anton grins.
"*t's hard when you can't tell which
reality is real, you know what * mean%"
rad asks struggling to get out of the dark
mood.
"#ey, what is reality% * certainly do not
know and nobody knows for sure. The greatBor7ybski said that because we depend
ecessiely on the dictionary meaning of
things we lose track of the real world by
adopting a sort of mirage like erbal
construct. Cntil we are somehow freed from
this illusion, we are all asleep, dreaming
a shared dream. (o what is reality andwhich reality is the real one%"
"Do you think we will eer find out the
answer to these 8uestions%"
"* should hope so) * refuse to beliee all
these efforts are in ain -o, that cannot
be."
"* sometimes think about death with a sort
of strange curiosity, and * imagine how all
the 8uestions get answered then somehow.
*s that sane%"
"* think it's a healthier approach as
opposed to ignoring the sub$ect
completely," Anton assures him. "*t is said
the soul will inhabit the new body when the
fetus is forty fie days old. Thiscorrelates with the deeloping of the
pineal gland which Descartes himself dubbed
the seat of the soul. 0f course, this is an
ongoing philosophical debate, since the
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 255/281
soul is still a religious concept that is
to say, scientifically unproen yet"
"* can definitely sense the scientific
method in the way you formulate sentences,"rad cuts in, "and for that *'m grateful."
"#oweer," Anton continues smiling, "some
women can sense the moment of ensoulment
and they relate it to be around that time
window of forty fie days."
"And do you think that souls are somehow
bound by space and time $ust like us% *mean can they incarnate in different
times, for eample lie a life in the
nineteen hundreds and after that choose a
body in ancient Eome, let's say%"
"Absolutely, * think the spirit world is
completely free of such boundaries. * think
it is a dimension without time or space.And the souls will pick whateer life in
wheneer time there is an opportunity for
adancement, for learning what is needed in
order to grow. :ou can imagine how much
more eperience can be gathered from liing
in completely different times on the
earth."
"That is true, but be that as it may, it
sounds like there's a peculiar feeling of
loneliness in the whole thing."
"* can understand that, but * beliee souls
incarnate in groups, so to facilitate
learning from one another and to be able to
pay your karmic debt through all kinds of
schemes that are set up in adance. 5hancesare that some people you know in this life
might hae been close friends or een
relaties in other lies."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 256/281
"9unny you should say that * recently met
this woman and it feels like *'e known
her since, well foreer."
"That is eactly what * mean, rad," Antonsmiles, implied.
"*t seems like a nice idea comforting, you
know% 5omforting to beliee death is not
the end."
"(ome also beliee adanced souls can
incarnate in more than one body at the same
time.""Wow, that sounds like a lot of fun," rad
says with a hint of irony.
"Eest assured, rad, sooner or later we
will know the answer to eery 8uestion
we'e eer asked in all of our eistence,"
Anton says ery coninced.
":eah..." comes the soft oice reply,accompanied with slow nods.
"*t's difficult, * know, especially for men
like us. We often get the feeling that deep
inside, we know and we hae known foreer.
We $ust cannot clearly make it out, cannot
see it properly due to this artificially
inflicted myopia of the soul. We fight it
eery day of our lies and still it does
not clear away, like an incessant low
fre8uency noise that you can't pinpoint.
!ost gie in after a while and $ust slowly
carry on with the ritualistic eistence of
the shared dream, only because so many
others do the same unconscious stroll day
after day, for entire life times. Thesearch is ehausting, ery resource hungry
and waking up from the dream that is shared
between the strollers can be a tremendous
shock, only to soon reali7e that somehow,
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 257/281
all you did was to step into another leel
of the same dream. Then you ask yourself,
how many leels of it are there% #ow many
different dreams% Which one is the rightone to be in% The struggle is relentless,
the 8uestions are many and a strong
character is re8uired. And, at the end of
the day satisfaction may not be abundant.
!aybe, the truth and complete understanding
is $ust a micron away from the
possibilities of our mortal, human brain'spower of comprehension. 0r maybe it's a
trillion miles away. * don't know, but can
you really gie up completely% 5an you $ust
stop, hold your breath and $ust disappear%
* for one can't do it and *'m pretty sure
neither can you, rad," Anton ends his
monolog with a smile that shows he knows heis right. rad grins a bit embarrassed,
confirming Anton's confidence. #e feels
sleepy and in between warm, pleasant waes
that enelope his body, he can see iid
colors and geometric patterns as he closes
his eyes. They get stronger and stronger,
clearer and more comple with each blink.
#e tries to fight the powerful assault on
his senses and looks at Anton's face that
seems to change form, distorted, strange
and funny at the same time. #e can feel his
pulse raise sharply, his heart beating like
a drum. An eerie $olt of panic rushes in.
#e tries to push it back, he tries to speak
to Anton but he cannot open his mouth, andthe ibrating waes are becoming so strong
he has to lie down. #e cannot eplain it
and the panic grips him completely. *t
feels like he is in the middle of a cold,
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 258/281
dark ocean, bouncing off huge black waes,
continuously, in a nauseating swing. (weat
starts to drip from his forehead as his
whole body shakes uncontrollably. ;achblink of his eyes transports him from the
stormy ocean water to the room and back
again to the endless pulsating waes of
black li8uid. A terrible sense of
loneliness hits him, dragging him in to the
depths that hold no trace of light. #e
sinks and feels he is suffocating, hecannot breathe, and he falls deeper into
the iciness of the unforgiing mass of
water that is eating him, controlling him,
and consuming his entire being. #e cannot
moe at all and he is completely bound by
the terrible force of the water, enormous
pressure hits his chest. #e lies on hisback, in the room where for short, fleeing
moments he can distinguish a fading
silhouette oer him, patting his head with
long leaes and chanting, singing a
pleasant, comforting song. #e would like to
remain there, with the soothing song but
the water pulls him under, still,
ruthlessly. The pressure crushes his chest,
in a rhythmic pounding that will not stop
for anything and the only thought in his
mind is to get out at any cost. To get out
of this horrible prison, leae this shell&
get as far away as possible from it. #is
body twitches upward, repeatedly, in a
spastic dance. The only way out is up, ifonly he can reach it, if only he can etend
that far aboe him and $ust leae. "*t's
time for you to know," he hears a faint
whisper coming from the badly melted shape
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 259/281
that hoers oer him, "close your eyes
wake up)"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 260/281
1
*n a split second, the ocean disappears and
he is standing in the middle of a lushforest, under trees that look a thousand
years old. There is no more pain and a
sense of absolute relief fills his being.
#e cannot feel any boundaries to his body
and ineffable freedom and happiness pour
into him from eerywhere. This incredibly
beautiful place feels ery friendly andwelcoming, he gets the impression of
familiarity and cosines, and it feels like
home. #e can make out a distant chant
flowing gently through the crowns of the
ma$estic trees, and the moment he thinks
about the source of it, he is there, in a
moonlit opening, still deep inside theendless forest, facing #er. #e knows
instantly she is the !other (pirit. (he was
waiting for him and he remembers he was
waiting for her, as she gets closer to him,
letting him feel the oerwhelming goodness
and loe she sends forth. #is chest is
getting warmer and warmer as he receies
the transfer from this wonderful being that
glows in the stillness of the night. #e can
see her as a tremendously beautiful young
girl and as a wrinkled old *ndian woman
with long white braids of hair flowing down
her body. The effect of the transfer is so
reiing, so re$uenating, he can feel how
a huge oid is being filled and askshimself how he could hae lied all this
time with this emptiness, this
incompleteness. #is heart eplodes in waes
of bliss as he senses the purity of the
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 261/281
!other (pirit and knows there is no need
for gratitude or compensation& he knows she
does not ask for anything in return for
this wonderful gift for she is loe. #ermagnificent chant is $oined by constant
echoes of distant nighttime birds and
animals that seem to somehow blend with the
song perfectly, contributing loingly and
unconditionally. There is no anger, there
is no hate or eny of $ealousy here& there
is only infinite peace and serenity,perfection infinity. #e remembers the last
time he has been here and remembers why he
left. (he flows close to him and with the
warmest smile he has eer seen, she taps
the middle of his forehead in a rapid
playful gesture, unleashing an oerpowering
amount of feeling and emotion, as countlesslife times play before his eyes, oer and
oer, an unending stream of eents, and he
remembers eery instance, eery hurt and
eery $oy, all the faces and the names he
has eer known and all the people he eer
met throughout the many ages of the world.
;erything becomes crystal clear. The
intensity of the remembrance is crushing
him, he yells and screams as loud as he
can, falling to his knees. "Do not be
afraid," the familiar supportie oice is
heard from aboe the canopy, in the starry
sky, but still he cannot help but shed
boiling tears in a cry that spreads
throughout the entire unierse, a cry ofsoul shattering pain and of incredible
happiness at the same time. 0ut of the
interminable multitude of flashes, he can
see the most important of them and burning
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 262/281
8uestions are finally answered. #e
gradually gains strength to stand up and
immerse himself completely with the scenes
of his past lies, becoming eer strongerand confident. #e feels like he is being
rebuilt from the core, as if missing limbs
and body parts are being reattached in this
harmonious process of absolute
recollection. #e is catapulted back and
forth through time, in different bodies and
settings. #e absorbs the enormous 8uantityof information with more and more ease all
the time eneloped in an incredible sense
of oneness with all the unierses of
eistence. #e feels eerything, he is
eerything, he is part of eerything, he is
the water, the stones and the sand, he is
the forest, the sky and the stars. #e isthe fisherman with the empty nets,
returning home. The trapped miner sending
prayers out to his deity, begging for good
fortune for his family, while breathing in
his last breath of black dust is him, and
the toddler that stands confounded at his
mother's affection for his newborn brother.
#e is the first time mother screaming in
the pains of birth with fear and hope and
faith, he is the old man of the desert with
scorched skin and dry lips pulling the root
out of the freshly dug hole, grinding it
and s8uee7ing the few drops of life giing
moisture. #e is the one being pointed at by
the high priest, moing slowly to the placewhere the gods will be appeased by his
blood. #e is the warrior that swings the
sword& he is the 8ueen that weeps for her
famine stricken people and the $udge that
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 263/281
speaks the sentence. #e is the bread thief
and the aching hermit, the air and the fire
of the world. #e is the water and the earth
of all the worlds of creation. #e is flyingwith the one who loes him towards the
pyramid and the one who stands in front of
it, awed at its greatness. #e is ashamed of
succumbing to the corruption of its tainted
energies.
And out of each and eery life, the same
pattern emerges before him, the same curse,the same terrible loss, oer and oer in a
sickening arrangement. The unierse,
listlessness to all the pleas and prayers
he has eer sent out, each and eery time
has mercilessly taken her away. Away from
his arms, body and soul. *t has taken them
apart, time and time again, with stone coldindifference, and atomic precision. #e
feels once again the unspeakable anguish of
the man who hides her from the plague
doctors and the heart wrenching agony of
the woman who is forced to see her man
stand against the shattered wall of the
warring city. #e can feel the confusion of
the little boy olunteering himself to
build the promised brae new world and the
sorrow in the heart of the old man from the
council and the burning maleolent look of
he, the bringer of death and the destroyer
of life and the betrayer of loe. #e can
feel the horrendous spite and malice in
this dark soul as he disappears from thecollapsing hall. The same malice as he
witnessed millennia later in an office at
the ery top of the concrete 7iggurat made
by man's hands. The maleolence, spite,
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 264/281
along with the senseless hate, the
relentless abuse of man against man and the
unierse, the pererted and distorted ideas
and half truths, ideologies, thecorruption, the greed, the endless greed,
the immorality, the iciousness, the
pointless toils and all the brutal crimes
that were eer perpetrated, the tyranny,
the disease and the famine, the despair and
the hypocrisy, the eny and the pride, the
discord and the lust, the wickedness andsuffering, the agony, the enslaement, the
anguish and the pain of all the horrors of
this world, the madness and the waste, the
$ealousy, the tragedy and the sheer
hopelessness, the shedding of so much
innocent blood, all this and the black,
thick clouds on the sullen sky of the long,long dark night of the soul of man. The
perpetual night that recycles itself into a
neer6ending trail of repetition, ongoing,
since the fall since the collapse, since
the absolute corruption of the heart of
man.
9orcing them all into constantly
sacrificing eerything for the sake of fake
replicas of falsified imitations. #e is
ashamed ashamed of himself and ashamed of
eery one that has eer walked the face of
the earth. 0f his forgetfulness and his
feebleness and all the support he receies
from the !other (pirit is barely enough to
keep his soul from being crushed under thisterrible burden. #istory must not be
repeated. *t must not come to pass, once
again, that man should be blinded from his
true nature and shackled with the heay
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 265/281
chains of misery and ignorance for such
long, bitter ages. #e sees. #e remembers.
#e knows. #e understands, and as he comes
down perfectly entwined with the healingenergies of the !other (pirit he can see
his body from aboe and asks himself how
will he eer be able to fit all that he is
now, his entire enormousness in that small,
limited and aching essel, how can this
feeble shell hold the immensity of his
soul. (light uneasiness encompasses himwhile he feels like being pulled back into
his body, looking back at the beautiful
realm that he leaes now, a realm without
pain or sorrow and of absolute calmness, to
fulfill his earthly mission, to complete
his mortal duties that push heaily on his
karmic wheel of life.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 266/281
1@
#e wakes up to find himself in the most
pleasant, relaed state, like after aperfectly restful sleep that sheds all the
stress and restores itality and energy to
the body. #e looks around to see he is
alone in the large room, all the snow
reflecting the sunshine inside. #e
remembers the cold and the winter but knows
the sunlight will make a world ofdifference. (till sitting, he stares at the
teacup, lying upside down right beside the
pillows he slept on and after a few moments
of calm pondering, he smiles.
Cnderstanding, thanking Anton and the
wonderful being from his dream or ision
maybe, or hallucination he wonders, unableto decide he gets up and hurries home,
pushed by a thought in the back of his
mind, an urge, a need, guiding him, now
coninced, on the right path.
#e enters his apartment and goes straight
to the wardrobe, opens it and searches for
the coat he was wearing the day -orbert
died and finds the mini6disc he got from
his hands. #e looks at it and remembers
eerything clearly from the accident. #e is
saddened but a feeling of rightness
comforts him, because deep down, he knows
it is all part of a well6prepared plan,
that is oerall more important than any one
indiidual. A well cared for mechanism inwhich eeryone has its part to play. #e
plays the disc into his computer, as a part
of him is worried, awed and curious to
understand more and another part supplying
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 267/281
him with a sense of security and trust in
following the guidance he seems to hae
been receiing all the way, since
eerything started. What he sees on thescreen would hae made him ery nerous and
paranoid before, but not now, not with all
the strength, hope and warm, encouraging
energy he feels all around him. rad's mind
is rushing with thoughts, putting
eerything together, all the pieces of the
pu77le in a calm, lucid manner, while asmall portion of his skeptic character
wonders to what degree he really is in
control of things. *t is all coming to him,
he knows what must be done, and it all
seems natural, it is the way it must be,
but still a part of him in begging for more
proof, is shouting, accusing him ofmadness. #e takes a minute to think some
more with his glance away from the screen
and then calls his best friend. "They
killed him, Tim * was right. * knew it."
"What% rad, is that you% What are you
talking about%" Tim asks bewildered at how
the discussion started.
"They killed him because he was trying to
warn me he figured it out long before we
did. #e was a good man and * won't let his
death be in ain," rad goes on, in a calm
oice.
"rad, slow down a bit you're talking
about -orbert, the *T guy, right% Who
killed him% -o, wait why did they killhim%"
"#e gae his life so * can receie this
information and do something about it."
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 268/281
"What% What information%" Tim still
struggles to understand.
"There's still time, there has to be" rad
continues in the same manner."(top it rad, you're talking cra7y, where
are you% +et's meet, talk it out before you
lose it completely."
"#e was a ery smart man he left me all *
need to get in and stop this. *t's 8uite
brilliant, actually he left an
undetectable backdoor into the securitysystem. * can get in anytime * want."
"(top what%" Tim's shout is followed by
silence. "(top what, rad% Talk to me, are
you still there%"
"* hae to stop !ason * hae to stop him,"
rad says, still with the same low, soft
oice."!ason% * though we agreed to put that all
behind us, start fresh. We don't need him
and stop him from what% Talk to me, rad, *
beg you)" Tim implores for some answers.
"*t's all falling into place, Tim, now *
know *'e seen it"
":ou'e seen what, rad% 5ome on, man,
you're freaking me out, what's got into
you%" Tim blurts out, frustrated.
"*t's alright, you hae nothing to worry
about, old friend," rad comforts him.
"+ike hell * don't)" 5omes the angry reply.
"* will see you soon, Tim you'd better
hae that beer prepared."
"rad, listen to me) (tay away from !ason,keep away from that place, there's nothing
there for you) -o good can come of this,
you hear% =romise me you will stay away)"
Tim urges him, but before he can say
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 269/281
anything else, rad hangs up. #e pockets
the disc and sinks back into the chair,
thinking, planning, preparing, and trying
to understand his fate. >oing oer allpossible scenarios in his mind, repeatedly,
fighting to hold at bay the miture of
feelings and sensations coming from
eerywhere. The image of her face laden on
top of all these thoughts raging through
his head the image of this mysterious
woman that came into his life suddenly,from out of nowhere. #e was epecting her
all his life and did not know it. -ow she
is here, within his reach, ready to build a
life around her, ready to hae a go at
happiness. ut not $ust yet soon) #e tells
himself to gain courage, soon #e waits,
and as the night settles in oer the fro7encity, he sets off into the darkness, with
eagerness, hope and enough confidence to
oercome his fears and to fulfill his
destiny.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 270/281
1?
#e aoids being seen by anyone and sneaks
until he reaches the back of the laboratorybuilding and climbs oer the wired fence.
With his back to the wall, near the
entrance, he slowly peaks around the corner
to see some men in military uniforms
loading heay e8uipment into trucks. #e
would like to find out eactly whom they
work for but he is unable to see clearlythe insignia on their uniforms. #e hears
them talk about their progress and wonders
if he is too late.
The light on the security keypad turns
green as rad enters the master code and
swiftly creeps inside, his heart racing but
still confident in his actions anddetermined to be successful. >oing down the
two flights of stairs that lead directly to
the entrance to the reactor, he imagines
what he will do if he is too late and finds
the place empty, but a strong feeling of
certainty guides him further. #e remains
calm, all senses actie and heightened
while unlocking the last door that stands
between him and that deice that should
hae reolutioni7ed the entire world, that
should hae changed eerything and makes
his way inside, closing the door behind,
ery slowly so as to aoid any noise. The
hall is empty, eerything inside has been
taken away. Desks, chairs, workstations,his terminal, eerything, gone. #e can see
more men at the opposite end of the hall
and $umps 8uickly for the nearest steel
beam that used to mark the beginning of the
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 271/281
first row of cubicles. #e suddenly feels
like his heartbeat can be heard echoing
throughout the entire place and holds his
breath waiting for the uniformed men toleae, then runs straight to the actie
reactor that stands tall and proud on the
raised platform in the back of the hall. #e
inspects it for a moment and he remembers
all the good times along with all the
frustrations and hope inested in this
pro$ect that promised so much. #isbrainchild, his life's work rad, gripped
by sorrow, hesitates for a few long seconds
but accepts it, as he is aware of the
imperatieness of the situation that has
become impossible to deter or eade. The
reactor's console awaits the final key to
be pressed, actiating the kill code thatwould shut down the machine, bringing
eerything to a halt. rad presses it, and
as the deice re$ects the combination of
digits, he hears a familiar oice from up
the stairs that lead to the second leel of
the hangar. (waggering down, he speaks,
with a oice that does not denote anything
remotely close to discomfort or irritation,
but a ery annoying amusement and
insufferable arrogance, "To be honest, *
was epecting you sooner, my dear mister
Wilson".
"(orry to disappoint you, !ason," rad
replies sharply, but with an eerie calm and
not afraid.":ou are indeed a aluable asset. * greatly
admire your courage, young man. And yes, *
would ery much like you to become my
protLgLe. There are many things we need to
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 272/281
do, much to discoer and obtain. :ou knew
of course, or at least suspected * was
aware of the master code that allowed you
in and gae you access to the reactorotherwise * must say it would be a bit of a
letdown on your part."
"+ike * said, sorry to disappoint," rad
says with a dry oice.
"* disabled it for the reactor, of course,"
!ason goes on. "-o point in letting that
nice silicate culture die not after somuch effort. Those fine little crystals
with their neatly arranged atoms. A marel
of nature, actually. * hae much respect
for it," he says while looking toward the
machine.
":es respect." rad adds ironically.
"* mean, for all we know, they might eenbe alie. A completely new form of life,
possibly, and to think you almost killed
it makes one wonder."
"*f it's alie, then *'m sure it would
prefer death rather than be used and
eploited by the likes of you."
":ou don't know that maybe it's the other
way around, why not%"
"Why don't you stop pretending to be all
knowing and caring, when you're nothing but
a sorry misanthrope who hates himself the
most%"
"#ate% -o, no * do not hate, my dear
mister Wilson. * manage * plan. With the
future well being of eeryone in mind, ourwonderful little planet, included. esides,
hate is like swallowing poison and waiting
for the other one to die isn't that
right%"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 273/281
"What eer you want to say, $ust say it and
let's get this oer with)" rad raises his
oice, showing impatience and boredom at
!ason's speech."* am sorry you are not willing to talk
this through. *t is ery easy for me to
hae you arrested for trespassing priate
property to start with. ut * would much
rather not resort to such things."
"*'m not afraid of that. * am not afraid of
you or anybody for that matter," rad sayswith a strong, confident oice, the
boldness of it disturbing !ason isibly.
"And if you think * will help your plans in
any way, then you are wasting your time."
!ason laughs, "but my dear mister Wilson,
you hae helped our plans all along, and
still are. Just to show you my gratitude,please, why don't we go for some drinks and
settle the matter like grown, honorable
men%" he says, gesturing towards the eit.
"Thank you for the offer but *'ll pass."
"9ine, we can talk right here, then. -o
problem at all. We are men of character,
mister Wilson. That is what will always set
us apart from the rest."
"* see you still think ery highly of
yourself honorable of character * say
you are no more honorable than a schoolyard
bully. A child with more power than he can
handle, getting his kicks from collapsing
sand castles and superising the
construction of others. While absolutelyconinced it is the right thing to do and
no one else can do it better. Well, mister
5ustos, * hae news for you) There are many
who can do it much better than you and who
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 274/281
will do it much better than you will. There
are people who will take responsibility and
grab the wheel of their lies to stir away
from your bumpy roads filled withtollbooths. :es) !any of them, whether you
like it or not. *t's time to face it, you
hae lost. :ou and your gang of bitter old
men," rad says while strolling around the
reactor.
"That is strange last time * checked,
things were 8uite different. And * checkoften."
":ou know," rad continues, "the more you
speak, the more * know you're hopelessly
insane and you need to be stopped."
"=erhaps, mister Wilson but een so, *
assure you, if * eer get stopped, it will
not be by you and under no circumstancestoday," !ason says ery serious and lights
a cigar. ":ou don't mind if * smoke, do
you%" he asks, after already puffing from
it, nerously.
rad circles the machine once more, without
taking notice of !ason's words, calmly,
8uietly considering alternaties.
":ou seem to take pride in your
accomplishment. That is a good thing. We
must indulge ourseles from time to time,
in the so called sins, wouldn't you agree%"
he asks, on a more cautious tone.
":eah" rad replies, absent.
After a minute of silence, the older man
asks impatiently, "(o let's narrow it downa bit, shall we% * really do hae other
matters to attend. +et me tell you what is
going to happen net. y now, you hae
figured it out, that the kill code is of no
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 275/281
use to you at all. (o, at the moment,
you're struggling with yourself, fighting,
searching for alternaties to that last,
dreaded etreme, but neertheless,effectie resort," he speaks with a
complete certitude in his full control oer
the situation while leaning on one of the
steel support beams. ut that's not the
only option we can still hae that drink,
and arrange a partnership oer some fine
scotch my treat, of course."As !ason speaks in his usual condescending
tone, rad is in front of the reactor's
console, typing, his face epressionless
and cold, knowing indeed, the options he
heard are the only ones at his disposal.
"Actiating the self destruct se8uence
right%" #e asks, keeping an apparentcalmness in his oice.
rad is one press of a button away from
confirming it, when he asks with genuine
curiosity, "* was the only one who was
supposed to know about this fail6safe *
guess your reach was deeper than *
estimated. 0ne 8uestion though if you knew
all along, why didn't you hae it remoed
from the programming% Why take the risk%"
"Why not make it interesting while we're at
it%"
"(o this is entertainment to you
ecitement.
"We hae to get our kicks from somewhere,
don't we, my dear mister Wilson. *t is notunlike a good chess game, damn shame we
neer got around to play some not on a
traditional board, anyway.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 276/281
"What makes you so sure * won't do it% rad
asks.
"Allow me to shed some light on the matter.
:ou are a worthy opponent and you hae myrespect for that. #oweer, as any good
chess player knows, one step ahead is not
enough. The more moes you can plan ahead,
the more chances you hae to win. :ou see,
mister Wilson, what * like more than an
interesting situation is a very interesting
situation. (aying this, he signals with hisleft hand for the door at the top of the
stairs, that opens swiftly and two armed
guards come through holding her by the arms
tied behind her back. (he is scared and
crying and shiering in the cold, damp air
of the hall. The sight of her makes rad
take his hands away from the consolekeyboard as he assaults himself with
thoughts of staggering disappointment and
sheer helplessness. #e takes a step back
and cries out her name.
"Are you 0B%" #e shouts reaching out to
her, in ain, for the distance between them
might as well be infinite. (he nods to him
in between the sobbing and the sighs. (till
leaning against the steel beam, !ason
continues with delight, "you must be
thinking, how come * didn't see this
coming% Do not torture yourself with such
thoughts, mister Wilson, they are of no use
now. Where were we ah, yes * was
eplaining why you won't bring your littlescheme to fruition. * can almost hear the
synapses of your brain, firing like mad in
a minute lightning storm, analy7ing,
8uerying millions of bits of data,
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 277/281
searching, computing, but alas a ery
peculiar, oerwhelming cocktail of
chemicals cloud your $udgment like
incessant January clouds oer (cotland. Themammalian brain with its animal instincts
is not that complicated once you break it
down and understand. Eight about now, the
strongest urge you feel is the preseration
instinct, which $ust doubled once you hae
seen her. Tripled, een. ecause that
peculiar ineorable cocktail of chemicalsflooding your system tells you she is the
perfect woman, the most beautiful, uni8ue
and irreplaceable, and without her, the
world for you ends in misery and
uselessness. :es, loe. That wonderful,
uplifting feeling that leads people to acts
of incredible foolishness. 5an bring largeamount of so6called happiness but can
swiftly bring about one's demise. (ome
mammals would defend their mates to the
death. ;specially those with this
disadantage.
-ow, if you beliee in a deterministic
unierse, then, you can say that eerything
we eer did in our lies, you, me, her,
these men working here, has lead us here to
this place, on this eact point in time.
>ranted, we are not sure about the
original, first cause that started
eerything, but a deterministic unierse
does imply among other things that there is
a reason to it all purpose. The resultingimplosion would not affect the city but
surely, that reason cannot be so morbid as
to inole the death of us all. Doesn't
make any sense, does it%"
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 278/281
!ason gestures to the guards that untie her
hands and she runs down to rad, $umping in
his arms, kissing each other desperately,
and shedding heay tears of sorrow. Theylock in a powerful embrace that seems
impossible to break.
"(uch futile passion a waste of energy,"
!ason comments, genuinely pitying them. "*
truly am saddened."
The words of the old man fall on deaf ears,
like a rain drop in the ocean, unable tomake the slightest difference. They are
alone in the unierse, welded together in a
union of foreer where there is no time and
no end, and only nothingness surrounds them
in a deafening silence. ;erything is
perfect stillness, the whole world holding
its breath. The planet free7es, stopsturning, its pulse fading away. They stare
into each others' eyes and see deep through
to the soul like peering into a sunlit,
crystal clear lake, with no ripples on its
surface and they know each other
completely, in perfect communion. There is
no need for words or sounds, gestures or
moement. (he smiles at him, teardrops
falling away from her gentle face like
dancing rain. They separate for a split
second and she actiates the countdown
while rad throws a 8uick uninterested look
at !ason, who drops his cigar and runs,
followed by the two guards. They embrace
again and he whispers to her, "* will seeyou soon," and holds her tight in a grip of
pure loe for the last seconds that are
worth more to them than their entire
lifetime.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 279/281
42
"We can't find any bodies, it's like they
were apori7ed or something," Tim hearssome uniformed men talking and stands
shaking, fro7en, looking at the scarce mass
of debris scattered on the place where the
laboratory was, still unable to comprehend
and accept, asking in whispers, 'why%'
#e looks up to the sky to see it clearing
after a long time, the black clouds makingroom for a weak but welcomed sun that warms
his hands, promising it did not forget.
+ooking towards it, his eyes hurt but a
sudden reassuring feeling of well6being
coer him, and he smiles, faintly,
gratefully.
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 280/281
43
"*t is so good to be at home again," they
think to each other, basking in the muchneeded, nurturing, refreshing energy on
their way to the holographic screen,
flooded with images of countless future
lies. #e picks first, and slowly becomes
one with the image he has chosen, flowing
towards it. +ooking back at his other half,
he hears her say, 'look for me' and keepssliding gently until he is there, hoering
oer the stopped bus and moes through it.
The noise of the world and the thoughts of
the seated people come to him in a rush as
he settles in this new body of flesh that
welcomes him to form a perfect alliance and
start anew. Along with the myriad offeelings from his mother, he can feel the
9orgetfulness taking grip $ust as it has
for so many times before. The warmth and
comfort of this new, soft home feels like
the safest place in the unierse to be and
falls asleep, caressed by the words of a
distant song that fades away, 'for the
times they are a-changin...'
T#; ;-D
8/12/2019 The Jester's Dance - Andrei Munteanu
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-jesters-dance-andrei-munteanu 281/281