THE NINTH
by Ruben de Vela
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Part I
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Apolinario J. Carpio lived in a boring subdivision on the island once called Earth. He and his best friend, Aram, were sitting in a wide open field (wide open fields were common in those days) looking at the night sky.
"Make a manticore.", Nario said.
"Huh?", said Aram.
"A manticore. A lion with a scorpion's sting and eagle wings", Nario said.
"Okay. How long the wingspan?", asked Aram.
"Uhh... Any."
Nario watched in awe as a collossal white winged lion with a scorpion's sting and prismatic, glowing feathers flapped it's wings across the night sky. It's bright azure eyes the size of houses, a maw large enough to catch a Boeing 777 without breaking it. A blood red scorpion sting, longer than several soccer fields, glinting in the moonlight. It gracefully flapped it's wings, which could shelter whole mountains, the cirrus clouds draping though it's wings and legs at such an altitude where no one would hear it's powerful wings.
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It began long ago, when Nario and Aram were just seven or eight years old. Those were the years when they didn't know any other friends aside from each other. Nario and Aram were playing, surrounded by little, colorful plastic toys and big, colorful books with huge letters, as their mothers peacefully chatted outside. Nario could hear them talking about the weather, politicians, the price of rice, and so on. Aram and himself were talking about their future careers.
"I'm going to be a mage-god.", Aram said.
"What's that?", asked Nario.
"I will be able to do anything. Whatever I can think of can come true. If I wish it."
"How are you going to do that?"
"Practice, maybe. If I wish it."
"How about if you practice now?"
"Huh? I've never tried before!"
"Do something! Make a...... Make a..... a cheesecake! I DARE you!"
"I'll try.. First I'll concentrate on this toy.."
Then the little blue rubber horsie became a cheesecake.
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Years went by.
Aram and Nario remained best friends. Most of the time, Nario would try to help Aram do more and more things. Aram could already levitate, move through rooms without walking the space between, could hear people's thoughts, could create objects from nothingness, and make ancient creatures appear or dissapear at a whim.
"Whew!", Aram said. The sky became salmon pink while the sun was high in the sky.
"Whoa!", Nario said. "That's the most amazing thing so far! You can do anything I dare you to do! Oops.. It's lunchtime. My Ma's going to be angry. Can you change the time?"
"You know we agreed never to try things like that! Never affect other people! they could get hurt! Or worse.."
"Yeah, yeah."
They ran home, each house on the other end of the wide open field. Nario was filled with wonder.
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The manticore flew away.
Nario was silent.
"Well?" asked Aram.
"Hmm..."
"What? I know something's bothering you."
Pause.
"Well, I.. We should let other people know. You know, about you."
Aram shook his head and laughed. "No.", he said.
"WHY?"
"Because I do not wish it."
"Hmmph."
"Just kidding. No. None except you should know about Aram the mage-god. They might crucify me, or worse, worship me. And I made my own rules that I should never affect other people but you, Nario, you are the only one who will ever know about this. You know that."
"Hmmph."
"What now?"
"But it seems to wonderful.. To great and awesome.. For just two people to share."
"No one else but you..."
"Wait. Was the manticore real?"
"Why? How real do you want it to be? It was made of quarks, atoms, molecules, proteins.."
"No. Did it have feelings?"
Pause.
"Feelings."
"Feelings. Emotions. Conciousness.."
"Probably in the same way a fictional character has those."
"What do you mean?"
"When I create something, or someone, they aren't as real as you or me, Nario. I made a rule that I should never harm a human conciousness. It's the same if you're a writer, and you can just hurt the people you imagine. Their pain is real, but they are not. You can draw a man being dissected alive, but since it isn't real, it doesn't matter. It's just fictional. I know that."
"But you said the manticore was real!"
"Yes I did."
"What do you mean!!??"
"Watch."
Nario watched the sky. The prismatic, white-furred manticore circled back, flew directly over them. It was the most beautiful thing Nario ever saw.
And then the manticore, a thousand tons of wings, fur, teeth and bone, burst into a bright orange flame. It roared in pain, circled, and fell for a whole minute before crashing into the ocean.
Nario cried for a time, feeling rage, grief, loss.
After a while, Aram said "It didn't matter. Your grief is the same for a comic book hero who dies, or a character in a book who is doomed to forever walk the earth. Or a pet dog of a cartoon character who..."
"But you didn' have to do that!!!"
"No. I didn't."
They sat there for an hour, saying nothing.
Then.
"Make a third.", said Nario.
Aram, without any expression on his face, looked at Nario.
"A third one of us. Someone for me to share this with, besides you, obviously.", said Nario.
"You want me to make a false human being."
"Yes."
"I've never done this before."
"Yes."
"It's too serious.. Even a false human.."
"You just killed the most wondrous thing in the world and you're worried about a false human! So what?! You just said it that it won't matter!! Whether we burn her or skin her or disembowel.."
"Her? A false woman?"
"No. A girl."
"But a false human being-"
"You, Aram, have always took my dares, and executed them, perfectly. Ever since you turned my Mister Blue-Grey into a cheesecake."
"Ok... This will be a challenge."
"Why? You easily created a manticore the size of a mountain and destroyed it just as easily."
"Wait. It takes a lot of imagination to create a truly fictional human being with emotions, thoughts of his-"
"HER."
"Her... own. I'll imagine her interests, her thoughts, the food she likes... Believe me, Nario, I know next to nothing about females! Practicing Mage-gods have very little time to socialize!!!"
"But we mere mortals have lots of time, Lord Aram. I'll descibe her to you..."
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"Well?"
"Well."
The girl stepped lightly onto the grass. Her dark hair swayed lightly in the wind.
"Number three.", Aram said.
"Why is she wearing a white robe?", Nario asked.
"Why not? You didn't describe her wardrobe this time."
"Okay. Let's see if she'll at least act human this time."
Nario approached the girl. He looked in her eyes, walked around her."
"Sheesh, Nario! why a girl?", asked Aram.
"Well, I know you know nothing about.. them. And the guy you know most about is yourself. I don't want to have another you around here."
"Very well."
"Okay. Hi there. What's your name?"
The girl looked surprised, as if she didn't expect to exist. "Um, I'm number three, aren't I?"
Nario looked at Aram. "At least now she can talk, but she shouldn't call herself 'number three'. This one still lacks a lot of personality."
"Sorry."
Aram waved his hand, and she disappeared.
"She should have interests.. Uh.. She should like.. um..", Nario said.
"This is too dificult, Nario!" , Aram said. "How about if we model her on a real person.... Like.. You know, from Carrie.."
"Hey, Lord Aram! You said we shouldn't affect other mortals, such as myself! And why Carrie, of all people!? She's..."
"Well, how about a blend of interests, personalities, etcetera, from other real people. A blend of non-fictional people to create a real false human."
"NO. No no no. She has to be completely fictional."
"Okay."
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"Number four is still a cardboard cutout! Give her some spark!"
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"Five is better, but seems, uh, plastic."
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"Six is still fake!" Nario said.
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"Better, better, she's getting real. Let's try for eight."
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"This is hopeless! The eighth still has no personality! They're either too plastic or too spunky! You're working too hard, Aram."
"I'm working too hard, Nario? Look at you. You're practically drooling."
"Shut up. I already told you why I chose her to be a girl!"
"Sheesh. It's to hard, Nario."
"Aram! Have we finally found the limit of your power?"
"Maybe my imagination! Sheesh! I can't fully imagine the aspects and ins and outs of a human being!"
"So, you're giving up?"
"How about if the ninth is blank?"
"Huh?"
"Blank, but will absorb personalities and aspects from the subconciousnesses of ficton authors' characters... Your pocketbooks, comics, uh.. T.V. shows, you know..."
"Then why didn't you do that with your own subconciousness?!"
"I'm not a dreamer. I'm a mage-god."
"Then make yourself one!"
"You want me to profoundly affect a human being."
"You! C'mon! I know you made a rule that we shouldn't affect anyone, but it's YOU! You can choose yourself, I mean..."
"You mean that because I already know about my own powers I should be exempt from the people that I can't affect?"
"Yes."
"Very well. I wish it."
Aram blinked.
"Well?", asked Nario.
"Well... From now on I am Aram the mage-god-dreamer."
"You don't look different."
"Why? Do you wish it?'
"Why not? Let's test how much more imaginative you are now."
"Fine. Look up."
The manticore flew over them, creating a huge blast of wind that swept the whole field. Nario saw that the wings were more brilliant now, glowing fire of unimaginable multi-colored hues. It's fur was whiter than snow, and it's blue eyes burned like stars. It's crimson red sting glittered impossibly like a million tons of rubies in a nuclear explosion. It roared, louder than anything Nario heared in his life, and would ever hear. It landed in front of them, and it shook the whole plain with it's seemingly unimaginable power.
Aram helped Nario up.
The manticore's foot was in front of them, each toe the size of a house. Each ivory claw the length of a bus. Nario looked up at the awesome face, noble, benevolent, valorous.
"He's magnificent!", the someone said.
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Nario looked behind. A girl was standing there, in jeans and a plain shirt. Her dark hair swayed in the wind. Her dark eyes reflected the firey glory of the manticore, but by her own very simplicity, she was even more beautiful.
"Uh.... Hi. What's your name?", Nario asked her. The deep breathing of the manticore echoed across the field.
"That depends, doesn't it? I mean, am I not the ninth draft of the fictional friend you wanted?"
"Nine.", Aram said.
"Ok. Hi! I'm Nine. That's not my age, of course!", she laughed.
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Aram, Nario and Nine were walking down the road back to the subdivision.
"It seems my handiwork is better than even I would expect.", Aram said.
"Of course! You may be omnipotent, Aram, but not omnicient.", Nine said.
"Ok... Are you hungry?", Nario asked, without anything else to say.
"Yes, I guess. My first meal!"
"Nario! What should we tell your parents!?", Aram said.
"She's.. A new student at the school who will board in the dorm but her room is still being cleaned because it's never been used in years. Yeah.."
"Sheesh, Nario that's stupid! She doesn'thave a uniform, she doesn't even have stuff, like a bag or anything!" Aram said.
"Then give her some, to show my family.", said Nario.
"That would be lying, Nario", said Aram.
"But Nine is a lie herself!", Nario said.
"Yeah, Nario's right, Aram.", Nine said.
"Sheesh. Okay."
Aram waved his hand. Nine's clothes changed immediately, and a bag slung itself over her shoulder. She smiled. "Hey, Aram, you'd make a good tailor! It fits perfectly!"
"I'm not a tailor. I'm a mage-god-dreamer."
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"Now, Nario, Aram, have you thought about the implications of my existence?", Nine said while gorging on the lasagna.
"Well, Nine, do you have something to say?", Aram asked.
"Yes. Have you thought about... creation of artificial life? I'm talking about.. um... I am fictional, right?"
"Yes."
"But I have real feelings?"
"Yes."
"But how about a soul? Do I have one?"
Nario spoke up. "Well, someone once told me that if a being can ask itself, 'do I have a soul' then they certainly do.."
"Well, maybe not in this case, Nario. She is fictional. No soul. No need."
Nine pouted. "Hmm.. But could you give me one? You could do anything, right?"
"Well, not anything. I still don't know if my powers are unlimited. Besides. You don't need one. What's the difference? You won't look or act different..."
"Aram. Please. That's like saying I could just be an automaton or.."
"YOU ARE! If I gave you a soul, you would be real! But I don't know if that's morally right.. To make a real person."
Nario's eyebrows furrowed. "It is morally correct. It's called procreation."
"WHAT? Nario! Nine is not my daughter. I am a god! I did not concieve her or anything... I thought you said she had to be fictional, Nario!"
Nine looked at her lasagna. "Son of god. Daughter of..."
Aram put down his fork. "I could, but I won't. I still have to know the true meaning of the soul, the theology, etc., etc..."
"Then Make Yourself Know!" Nario said.
"I won't. If I did, I technically would be affecting Nine. If she realy was fictional, it wouldn't matter. And! And I'm not purely omnipotent. I'm bound by my imagination and the rules I set upon myself.... And the present laws of physics."
Nine looked at her lasagna again.
"But that would mean that I'm just a soulless device.- a toy! For your benefit..Your fun.. Pleasure.", Nine wispered after some time.
"C'mon Nine! Aram gave you free will! If you wish, you could leave right now and run away, get into a boarding house or something, get into school, get a job, raise a family, whatever! You may be fictional, but you have will. You are conscious."
She smiled. "You're right actually, I could just leave."
Aram grinned. "Then why don't you?"
"You know the answer, Aram. This is too interesting." Her eyes glittered.
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End of Part I
[Back to Main|Go to Part II]
