This Place is Not a Ditch

BY: Amir Abbas Fakhravar

CHAPTER 1
The big bellied man standing in the front of the group started yelling harshly at the top of his lungs. Those in the small group followed his command by dropping their heads and, staring at their muddy tired feet, started singing: Dropping our heads We shall pound mud on his way Moobeh Daar is our doctrine All of us - young and old Shall pound the mud Moobeh Daar is our doctrine taking his orders we shall place flowers on his head his commands make us win supporting the lion that is bold shall pot the buds his commands make us win

As they reached a huge sycamore tree, other groups arrived. At the order of their big-bellied leader each group shouted, No head worthy of a strand of Moobeh Daars hair. They all stood still. Along with her grandfather, the young girl arrived to experience her first filling of ditches with mud She wanted to show off and prove how well she had learned everything taught in the training camp. This was a big day for her. From now on, no one could tell her, Keep quiet; you don't know what you are talking about. Yes, from that day on, she could proudly pound mud with her feet and show off her skills. With that kind of enthusiasm she spent the entire day working hard with no sign of fatigue. All the others were bored mixing mud with their feet and could not appreciate the value and beauty of such a grandiose and exciting occupation. Only she realized that this was far better than doing nothing. She felt sorry for the others who had no enjoyment in what they were doing; especially her grandfather, the oldest person in the group, who nagged and moaned all day.

The command, All heads up. No head worthy of a strand of Moobeh Daars hair, snapped her out her thoughts. In a low voice the apprehensive old man growled, Look up. Dont you want to live? From the corner of her eyes she looked at the others and saw all heads up. As she looked up, she was shocked by what she saw; such a horrible sight that she felt nauseated. First her legs started shaking involuntarily and then her whole body started shivering. But no! She must get a hold of herself, demonstrate her endurance and not allow such scenes to undermine all her efforts to receive the honorable title of Mud Pounder. Fear had taken over her body. She was shaking uncontrollably; so much that the sound of her teeth broke the silence. From branches of the huge sycamore trees, many corpses were hanging from ropes. A big man with a huge belly, long hair, shaved face and wearing strange, tailored attire was standing by the tree. His belly was so big it hung so that the lower part up to his naval was visible under his colorful shirt. No head worthy of a strand of Moobeh Daars hair. bellowed a supervisor. There is someone here who has eaten less than her ration and afterward thought more than her share. Therefore, she has been denied the privilege of mixing mud and instead is granted a hanging rope. He then went to a beautiful young woman, took the rope off her shoulder and handed it to the man with long hair. The man ran his hand over his hair, pulled out one strand and lifted it toward the sky. Then, he kissed it and after blowing on it, tied it to the end of the rope. Immediately, several big-bellied men rushed over, put the rope around her neck and hanged the woman. In the deadly silence of the crowd she stopped kicking her legs and her tongue pushed out of her mouth. The wind swung her body back and forth. She was now a part of the unsynchronized movement of the corpses hanging from the tree. The older corpses, already attacked by vultures, had become hollowed and lighter and swung faster than the fresh corpse of the woman just hanged. With great pain and fearful, confused eyes, the young girl turned to her grand father. That man with long hair is our leader, Moobeh Daar. the old man explained, If you eat less than your ration and think more than allowed, a strand of his hair will be tied to the rope on your shoulder, and you will be hanged in Moobeh Daars honor.
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How come I have no rope? she asked softly. Oh, they will give you one. Be patient and dont look Moobeh Daar in the eyes. the old man answered. He himself will hand you your rope. The girl asked, Is he the one that gave you your rope? No, I got mine from his father, the old man answered. Suddenly, she thought of something and asked, How do they know who eats less than their ration and thinks too much? The old man, frustrated with her ceaseless curiosity, answered, Why are you so dumb? It is obvious because one who thinks more, talks more. And, one who talks more, eats less! At that instant, he saw Moobeh Daar approaching them. The old man panicked so much that he could not utter another word. He could only kick the girls leg as she was already preparing to ask the next question to warn her of an ominous fate awaiting them. As Moobeh Daar walked towards them, rope in hand, she stared at the womans hanged corpse to avoid looking at him as she repeated her grandfathers words to herself. As punishment for thinking and then talking too much, in a moment her corpse too could be swinging from the tree that bore dead bodies as fruit. Once ripe, the vultures pick at the ghastly fruit and tear them apart right off the tree. The groans of the vultures hidden in the thick leaves of the tree could be heard, as though waiting for the people to leave in order to commence their feast. Corpses, now nothing but bare skeletons, were still hanging from the tree. She thought of many things and how she hated the disgusting vultures. She wondered why they had to wait for people to leave before beginning their feast. Were they ashamed of people watching them picking at the flesh of corpses? She then felt sorry for them. What a horrible fate they had. They would never understand the joy of life or become honorable members of society. She then thought: when alive those bodies were not edible but, once hanged, they became ripened corpses fit for a vultures feast.

She felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. She stopped staring at the womans body to find out who had laid his hand on her shoulder. With a slight turn of her head, through her thick hair, she saw him staring at her and became paralyzed. She was not supposed to look at Moobeh Daar. A rope was left on her shoulder and the man with the heavy hand walked away. The old man exhaled with relief and said, Now you can be proud of yourself. You have become one of the Mud Pounders like the rest of us! She was, however, too numb to feel anything like courage, self esteem or pride. While everyone was singing on their way home, she mulled over why one wasnt allowed to look Moobeh Daar in the eyes? What secrets were kept in those eyes; the discovery of which would get one hanged? Then she realized that she had been thinking a great deal without talking too much. Arriving at that, she concluded that one could in fact think a great deal without getting killed; so long as one did not speak too much. Absent mindedly, she began murmuring the sacred song she had learned in the training camp, remembering the tearful eyes of the woman just hanged. Dropping our heads We shall pound mud on his way Moobeh Daar is our doctrine taking his orders we shall place flowers on his head his commands make us win

CHAPTER 2 All the family members had gathered at home. After washing up, they all sat around the kitchen table, enjoying all sorts of munchies and telling funny stories. The young girl, still thinking of the woman hanged, had no appetite. She was about to get up and go to her room to watch the stars when she was stopped by her mother. You must finish your food ration. I wont let you leave it half finished. Who knows? Perhaps in the next few days youll decide to think more than you are allowed to. Paying no attention, she got up. Her mother raised her voice, Dont you hear me? Im talking to you. You cant do this to your family. When she saw that her daughter was not taking any notice of her she turned to her husband and father-inlaw and pleaded, Why dont you men say something to her? She hasnt finished her food and Im worried about the consequences. You worry about yourself; youre the one talking too much! Be careful, Her husband looked at her helplessly and added, Be quiet. We may be overheard. You see she doesnt want to talk a lot. That means her lack of appetite has nothing to do with thinking too much. Perhaps the excitement of her first day at work is overwhelming her. She will be fine tomorrow. The old man said nothing and, with a could-not-care-less air, kept quietly eating his food. Only a spark of hope, so faint that no one else could notice, shone in his impaired eyes. All members of the family resumed their cheerful conversation. They all looked happy; knowing that pretending to be cheerful was the only way to push back grave feelings of sorrow and defeat. They had been pretending to be happy for years. By now, just acting happy had become their second nature. Early in the morning, with full stomachs, they all queued in front of their beautiful houses to leave for the pasture with many ditches. The big-bellied man shouted orders and everyone began walking and singing. The singing of other groups was audible and everyone seemed content; all pretending to be very happy! Once they arrived, following the orders of the big-bellied leaders, each group jumped into the ditches; their feet sinking into the mud up to just below their knees. As they pulled their legs out of the mud, the void, immediately replaced by

air, made a chelep chelep sound. In no time, the erratic, discordant sound of chelep chelep filled the entire area. The quiet young girl, with her feet deep in the mud, kept thinking until lunchtime when they all came out of the ditches and looked for shady spots on the beautiful pasture to enjoy the beauty and peace of nature while taking their lunch break. The young girl took her food, pieces of delicious roasted chicken, and headed toward the shade of a poplar tree where she had her lunch the day before. The sky was blue with no trace of any clouds. The sun was shining on the leaves and branches of the trees growing all over the pasture and the gentle breeze was caressing them. She leaned on the tree but, although her food looked delicious, she had no appetite. She thought perhaps she was getting ill, followed by many other passing thoughts. Closing her eyes, she turned her face toward the sky and leaned her head against the tree trunk. Sitting down, she pulled up her knees and wrapped her arms around them, trying to concentrate on many issues. But, she couldnt think. Then she thought about why she couldnt think. One must think. It didnt seem to make sense. Did those who did not think have any problems? They all seemed content. They ate, slept and, most importantly, pounded mud with their feet. Her train of thoughts was interrupted as she heard a cracking noise of broken branches. She turned her head and saw someone else leaning onto the other side of the tree trunk. She got up and went to the other side. A handsome boy, with eyes closed, was leaning his head against the trunk. He had not touched the chicken in a dish next to him. The wrinkles around his eyes were a sign of his trying really hard to think. She coughed. At once, he opened his tearful eyes full of anxiety and fear. With a cheerful tone she said, I see youre not hungry either! Panicking, he nervously replied, I am. I am. I am very hungry! She sat next to him and whispered, Relax. I am not one of them. Im not hungry either. That means youve got the urge to think too?, he asked in a happy and excited tone.

With eyes closed and a broad sympathetic smile, she nodded agreement. They stared at one another for a few moments and then started laughing from the bottom of their hearts. Away from the scrutiny of the big-bellied men, they talked the entire lunch break. They felt lighter and more hopeful, without knowing for what they were hopeful. But, that wasnt important. The important thing was that they felt more confident. There were only a few ditches between the ones they were working in and they could easily see one another while pounding mud. They felt at ease and worked hard until dusk as they kept looking, winking and smiling at one another. The others kept singing and hopelessly pounding mud. Only the girl and the boy pounded with renewed determination. They agreed that the chunks of mud in the ditches were their problem and pounded powerfully, trying to smash this newfound enemy. When the night, illuminated by the cool emergence of moonlight, arrived the girl sat by her window staring at the stars. She kept thinking of the days events and a sweet smile appeared on her lips every few minutes. She put her hand under her face and fell asleep right there. At the same time, the boy lay on his bed with his hands under his head watching a moth swirling around the light fixture. He felt sorry for the moth because the fixtures protective glass would not allow the moth, fascinated by the light bulb, to get to the source and fulfill its passion of losing its life to the light. Then he thought: someone in the town was actually cared and worried about him and nurtured his love. After meeting for several days, their weight losses became apparent. On the weekend, having the day off, they had kissed amongst the wild flowers and experienced the ecstasy and warmth of holding one another. That night he was supposed to sneak into her room. She fastened the rope, which she usually carried on her shoulder, and dropped it out of the window so he could climb it to her room without her parents and grandfather being aware. Just as she did on other nights, she sat by the window. But, unlike other nights, instead of staring at the stars, she was staring at the land stretching in front of her window. The moonlight made the ridge of the hill look like a faintly illuminated arch. In the middle of the night, a silhouette outside began moving. She brought
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her candle close to the window and moved it sideways a few times. The silhouette drew rapidly closer and emerged as a real person. The young boy climbed the rope and threw himself in her arms. For the past few months, more and more people gathered at the sycamore tree. There were many corpses hanging from its limbs since thinking had multiplied and spread like poisonous mushrooms. There were many murmurs by those working in the ditches. People were starting to look very different. Some had shaved the hair on their head. Some had cut it short. Some had cut it like the pattern of a chess board. By snipping their long hair, it seemed as if everyone was sending a message; especially since the combination of haircut, shaving and makeup signified certain changes or even protests. Now they would meet every evening at the sycamore tree. The hair of the Moobeh Daar had noticeably thinned out, as he kept pulling out strands of it and tying them to the ropes of the doomed ones. Groans had changed to whispers and whispers changed to dialogs amongst different groups. The big-bellied supervisors had gotten used to these talks and usually could not curb them. The supervisors would yell at times but realized that their intimidations had become ineffective and the Mud Pounders were no longer afraid of them. Even Moobeh Daar didnt have his original fearful posture and looked like an old lion loosing his teeth. The Mud Pounder groups, seeing so many hangings, lost their initial fear of that horrible act. Gradually, the exchanges in the ditches turned into heated discussions. The Mud Pounders vigorously debated one another as they pounded. The loud chelep chelep noise of mud pounding usually covered the sounds of debates and conversations inside the ditches but, at times, the supervisors would stop and listen attentively as they continued to throw more newcomers into the ditches. Paying no attention to those hot debates, the old women and men awaited their deaths. Everyones appetite had noticeably decreased and there was always a good deal of leftovers. People began turning to those with bald heads and disliking those with long hair, including Moobeh Daar and his shaved face. They trusted those with bald heads and long beards since Moobeh Daar and his ruthless aides were clean shaven.

The Bearded Shaved Head working alongside the young girl talked about the sweet days to come when everyone could have anything they wished without fear of the ropes. No more hangings from the sycamore tree, no more pounding mud and no more yelling by the supervisors. Everyone could eat delicious food, and enjoy life. The girl thought what a beautiful life that would be and wished the boy was there to hear the sweet words. Then it occurred to her that she already had delicious food, happiness and enjoyment of life. Thinking further, she thought there was still something wrong with the picture because more and more people were being hanged from the sycamore tree. Finally, she concluded that life would be much better without Moobeh Daar, his big-bellied fellows, the sycamore tree and the ropes hanging from it. The old man gave her a pitiful look and cautioned, Dont let those thoughts deceive you. Life cannot get any better than it is. Those who replace these will be even worse. In my lifetime, I have seen many of these transitions! Realizing the futility of arguing with him, the young girl remained quiet. No food was prepared at dinnertime that night. Instead, an unusual level of excitement filled the air. There was a knock on the door. The entire family of the next door neighbor came in. Everyone hugged and congratulated one another; unsure what they were congratulating each other for but the important thing was that they were actually congratulating one another. The young girl thought perhaps it was because, after years of terror and anxiety, they had finally gained the courage to speak and visit one another. With an indifferent mood, her grandfather sat in his old wooden chair smoking his pipe. He leaned his head on the back of the chair and stretched his tired feet toward the pleasant warmth of the fireplace. It was very cold outside. The joy of visiting and being together warmed the body and soul of everyone in the house. The young girl wished that the young boy were there too. The next day, they were lead singing back to the ditches by the fat-bellied supervisors. The shaved head man working next to her again talked about the bright future ahead and getting rid of the fat-bellied bullies. Suddenly a cry was heard from the ditch next to hers. Ignoring her supervisors warnings, she pulled herself out of the ditch. Concerned about the young boy, she exhaled with relief when she saw him crawling out of his ditch. As the commotion continued, everyone in the ditches stuck their heads out, trying to identify the source of the turmoil. The group in the adjacent ditch followed the Bearded-Bald
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fellow, who was carrying the bleeding corpse of a young man and shouting, We cant take it any more. The rest of the group kept repeating after him We cant take it anymore. We cant take it anymore. Word spread quickly. One of them had challenged his big-bellied supervisor, who hit him so hard with his club that he fell back in the ditch and bled to death. Nonetheless, the others supported the Bearded-Shaved Head and his fiery speech which had incited the young boy just killed. Defying the big-bellied supervisors, the left their ditches and walked off to bury the corpse. That evening, the entire group, except the Bearded-Bald men, was hanged from the sycamore tree. The following day another commotion began; this time in another ditch. In the evening, when everyone gathered around the tree to witness more hanging, they noticed a message engraved into the tree bark. The message read, We dont want Moobeh Daar! The big- bellied men hurriedly tried to wipe off the sign but it was too deeply engraved and before it was erased, the young girl had read the message. She first murmured it and, once assured she had read it right, kept repeating it. Although initially apprehensive, those around her started crying out at the top of their lungs, We dont want Moobeh Daar! Hearing the ever increasing shouts, Moobeh Daar and his aides started to lose their grip on the crowd. A woman approached Moobeh Daar and after staring at his eyes, turned to the crowd and cried. There is no secret in his damn eyes. His eyes are just like ours! The Bald Men moved to the front of the crowd and cried, We dont want Moobeh Daar! Everyone kept repeating, We dont want him. We dont want him. We dont want him! Shaved Head added, We dont want those big-bellied supervisors. and everyone kept repeating, We dont want those big-bellied supervisors. We dont want those big-bellied supervisors. We dont want those big-bellied supervisors. We hate ropes! everyone chanted, We hate ropes! We hate ropes! We hate ropes! Then, following Shaved Heads example, everyone threw the ropes on their shoulders at Moobeh Daar. Moobeh Daar yelled, I heard your protest. I will miss the noise of your chelep, chelep. I will see you in your ditches tomorrow.

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Everyone shouted back, No you wont! No you wont! Shaved Head declared, You wont see tomorrow! and attacked Moobeh Daar. Repeating his chants, the others joined in. They tied Moobeh Daar to the tree, threw all pieces of rope at his feet and set fire to Moobeh Daar, the ropes and the tree. They danced and celebrated around the burning tree until dawn. Even the big-bellies quickly shaved their heads, tightened their big stomachs with wide bands and joined the crowd for the celebration. Meanwhile, the young boy had fallen ill and the young girl took him to her house. All the houses were empty, as no one had gone home. Her grandfather was sitting motionless in his wooden chair with the piece of rope on his shoulder. After laying the boy on the bed, she rushed to her grandfather to share the news with him but he showed no sign of life. His feet were still muddy. She remembered that the day before, when everyone began demonstrating against Moobeh Daar, the old man had left the scene, dropped his head and walked home. Grieving for him, she took the rope off of his shoulder and hid it under her bed. This was the last piece of rope left in town that was not burnt. She tended to the boy, who had a high fever but there wasnt much she could do. She washed his feet in cold water to lower his temperature, left a soaked handkerchief on his forehead and left home to get help. Encircled by both shaved and unshaved fellows, the bald man was speaking to the crowd gathered around the fire. Other speakers with chess board hair as well as bald men were present. Despite their differences of opinion, they all agreed on one fundamental issue; they didnt like how things were and were serious about changing it. Now that Moobeh Daar was dead and his body burned, many of those who had been quiet and subdued under the fearful reign of Moobeh Daar only a day earlier , were now making more noise than any one else. The bald man cried, We shall now experience the sweet taste of freedom and go in search of the Promised Land, a place not yet seen by anyone. We no longer need Moobeh Daar, ropes; pounding mud, big-bellied supervisors and those damn ditches. We have left ditches behind to gain our freedom. Having left the boy to look for help, the young girl was fascinated by the bald mans words and mulled over a number of questions in her head. She asked
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herself, now that we know what we do not want, why dont we know what we do want? If someone does know what we want, why doesnt he or she publicly announce it so everyone will know about it? One of the bald mans companions said, In order to get to the Promised Land, we should prepare food, water and other necessities. Nobody was willing to help the young girl with the boy as everyone was rushing to Moobeh Daars storage. The crowd was swinging this way and then the other, anxious to go somewhere but not quite clear where that was. Like a small boat caught in a turbulent ocean, she was helplessly pushed in all directions. There was a cloud of dust and everyone gathered around the burnt sycamore tree. Not having found any help, she decided to go back home and stay with the boy. The bald man ordered everyone to start moving. She decided to accompany them a little way, then go home and join the group later, together with the boy after he recovered. They had walked only a short distance when they saw a huge, dark, circular shaped hole. The bald man stopped and sent someone to examine it more closely. Thinking it was another ditch, the man tried to determine its depth by sticking his foot in it but it seemed bottomless. He turned toward the bald man and the rest of them and said, It looks like a ditch, but it has no bottom. The Bald man cried, In order to reach happiness, are you all prepared to experience this black circle? Without hesitation everyone shouted back, Were ready. Were ready. Were ready. The bald mans companions with short haircuts ran towards the dark hole and fell into it. Those with chess board haircuts followed next and, finally, the ones staying close to the bald man joined the stampede. Everyone, except those already smashed and killed under the horrendous weight of the charging crowd rushed forward. All, including the young girl who was helplessly pushed forward by the crowd, fell into the hole. Amongst the crushed bodies at the bottom of the well she saw her mother and father. He had thrown himself over his wife in a desperate, futile effort to protect her from the unstoppable crowd. Both of them, trying to achieve peace and in search of the Promised Land lost their lives in those exhilarating moments.

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CHAPTER 3
The bottom of the well was pitch black. Women were screaming, children crying and those injured in the fall were moaning loudly in pain. The cries of entrapped men added to the horrendous terror and torment that was the bottom of the well. The first to fall into the well, including those with checkerboard haircuts and short hair, had no chance of surviving the fall. Had they not died from the impact of the fall, they definitely would have been killed by the falling bodies landing on top of them. There were many, many wounded and killed. Casualties amongst the bald ones were far less than the others because their fall was cushioned by the bodies of those that had gone before them and, as they were the last ones to jump in, there was no one left to fall on top of them. Consequently, all the intellectuals arranging demonstrations, leading revolutions, mobilizing mass demonstrations, disseminating political propaganda, delivering fiery speeches and playing significant roles in helping people out of their miseries perished. Only the Bald Men remained alive. At the bottom of the well, it took a while for families and groups to locate one another and get acquainted with the other survivors. It was a deep well with a large opening at its bottom. Many corridors and dungeon like caves were carved around the perimeter of the central open area. It could very well be an abandoned and dried up Ghanaat1 irrigation canal? Even as everyone settled in, there remained the problem of a great bunch of corpses in the center of the fall area. The wells mouth, way far up, could be seen as a small bright circle. Gradually, their eyes adjusted to the faint light at the bottom coming from the sky above. Little by little, things became more recognizable and the Bald Heads, gleaming like the moon, became the dominant ones of the bunch. After assembling the survivors, the Bald Bearded proclaimed, This is the Promised Land. The Promised Land I mentioned, it is here. The sun will no
1

Ghanat, is a primitive irrigation system consisting of connecting chambers and canals, in order to regulate the flow of water.

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longer burn our skin, nor shall we perspire. We will no longer allow a big-bellied guy to scream at us. There will be no more hanging from ropes fastened to the sycamore tree. There will not even be any ropes or trees or any plants to remind us of the sycamore tree or Moobeh Daar. Here, the light shall not bother your eyes as we have paid the price of this land with the blood of our many friends and comrades; those who fell because of us and lost their lives for our cause. From now on, we shall call them the Enchanted Ones. They were heroes attracted by earths gravity to the bottom of this well, guaranteeing happiness and enchantment for the rest of us. With their eyes open and free will, they chose this land. By sacrificing their holy blood, they gave our free falling a sacred purpose. This is not a well! This is the Promised Land. This is the Dark Heaven the Holy Land that will protect us against other lands and the entire world. Yes, it is the sacred Land of Darkness that we finally reached by our holy fall! This is a victory that will take others years to achieve but we did it in such a short time and that is a divine miracle! Isnt it!? Everyone shouted, Of course it is. Of course it is. The bald one, surrounded by many of his look-alikes, with and without beards, continued, A big belly in here is a sin and long hair is the symbol of the enemy. Knowing that not everyone in that large, dark space at the bottom of the well could see him, he had an inspiration and continued, Many lost their lives to guarantee our happiness. We know they would do anything to ensure success of the Heaven of Darkness. Therefore, we will use their bodies to build a high platform so that you can all see me; to learn from my advice and let me lead you to happier lives. Crying, But of course. But of course, the crowd, with guidance from the baldheaded men started piling corpses around the perimeter of the center court, building a high platform. When all the corpses had been stacked and covered with soil, the platform was complete. The Bald one and his bald headed followers climbed the only stairway to the top of the newly constructed platform. The rest, awaiting his speech, remained below. The Bald one said, To have happier lives in the holy Heaven of Darkness, the bald headed ones must guide you. Now go and celebrate. I shall talk to you again soon. Now, everyone repeat after me, Death to the ditches. Long live the holy Land of Darkness.

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Everyone repeated the litany after him. Only the tired, bewildered and shocked young girl sitting in the dark remained silent, staring at people and listening to the Bald one talk. At the large opening at the end of the well, adjacent to the piled up corpses, there were sacks of food and other necessities such as clothes, fabrics, paper, cookware, musical instruments, etc. After the Bald Mans speech, each family and their friends withdrew to different corners of the many dungeons, reassuring, and comforting one another. There was no conflict and no argument. Everyone behaved heavenly, hugging and kissing one another. Even those who had just kissed, would exchange pleasantries and resume hugging and kissing all over again. Arriving at the Promised Land so quickly and easily was an unbelievable event, fostering joy and good attitude. They all soon adjusted used to the very dim light. The girl entered the center free fall court and looked up. She saw a small circle of light way up high that grew dimmer. For a moment, she inhaled fresh air, a relief from the stinking smell of the well. They had gotten used to the sharp, foul smell and the lingering excitement of falling into the Heaven of Darkness made them oblivious to minor problems such as a foul stench. Looking at her feet, as the foul smell got stronger, she crouched down. She touched the slimy stuff on the ground with her hand. Picking some of it up, she was nauseated by globs of yellow fluid covering the gooey stuff spread on the ground. Unbelievably, what she was examining were contents of the burst intestines of the unfortunates who had fallen to their death. When the corpses were removed, these ruptured pieces were left behind. A disgusting mixture of blood and human waste oozing out of burst intestines had been stepped on and crushed by people walking around listening to Bald ones speech. Some of the disgusting slime was already smeared against sacks of food left beside the dead that that the Bald one had called the Enchanted ones. The mixture of blood, human waste and soil had formed a new kind of mud. She got up and resumed the habit of mud pounding, reminiscence of Moobeh Daars rule. Suddenly she shivered, then perspired and paused. Suddenly, she remembered the sick boy she had left to get help before unwillingly fallen into this dark well; the horrible place that, according to the Bald Mens pledge, was the Heaven of Darkness and not a well. If this was Heaven, why did it stink and smell like death? Why was it so filthy? Why was there no light? Why were all the colors
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hidden? If this dungeon was indeed Heaven, The Promised Land, why was her lover not with her and why did she miss him so much? Why were her parents not there? Why was she so lonely? How come she had no food? Why, this place nothing but a terrifying, stinking hole! She asked herself many other similar questions without having any answers. She felt dizzy and wished she were dead but quickly changed her mind. She must live to see the boy. She raised her hands to wipe her tears but her hands smelled so bad that she stopped before they touched her face. Her delicate, white hands that had been admired and kissed by the boy so many times were now smeared with a nasty mixture of filth, blood, and urine. She wiped her face with her sleeves. Looking around, she tried to figure out a way to stay alive and get out of there. Only one narrow stairway connected the top of the huge platform constructed from the corpses. In the lower dungeons, families were settling down and storing what they had plundered from Moobeh Daars storage. She was alone with no food or other necessities. While others were rioting and stealing all sorts of goods from Moobeh Daar, she was only thinking about the boy, oblivious to everything going on around her. She ran to the big sacks of food, smeared with blood and filth, that had belonged to the dead Enchanted ones. She picked out some food and other necessary items such as matches, a pair of scissors, candles, a dress, shoes, a knife and set them aside. As it was getting darker, she lit a candle and kept working. She put her collection of goods into a number of sacks, dragged them into a small, hidden dungeon and finished her work before the candle completely burnt out. With a dustpan, she took as much soil as she could scrape and dumped it over the pieces of intestine and other human remains, blood, and waste. The revolting surroundings began to look a bit more tolerable. She looked for water to wash her hands but, despite the wells moist soil, found no trace of water. When the candle died, she decided to be frugal and not light another one as she had a feeling that she may have to survive under these pathetic conditions for a long time. Such realization was frightening and heartbreaking, especially because something told her the boy was waiting for her. She decided she had to accept the present situation and avoid pondering upon her miseries as much as possible. She cleaned her hands with some rags, laid down in a corner of the long corridor and, before thinking anymore, fell asleep from exhaustion. In the darkness, one could hear the soft moans of women and hard breathing of men, indicative of life
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going on. The darkness would allow wives and husbands to recklessly enjoy sex without worrying about their kids inquisitive looks; as if darkness would cover everything.

CHAPTER 4
P. 41

Only the bald-headed ones, whether slim or big bellied, with or without beards could walk around on the high platform. Of course, some had wrapped their big bellies so tight that they could hardly breathe. They had familiar faces and, although hard to tell, it was quite conceivable that these were the same people that bossed everyone around in the ditches during the Moobeh Daar era. That was because, when working under Moobeh Daar, these big-bellied fellows had long hair and clean shaven faces but now they had shaved their heads and had dirty, messy looking beard stubble Next morning, after enjoying a big breakfast, all residents of the Holy Land of Darkness gathered at the main opening of the well. After a brief wait, the Bald one and his bald-headed aides appeared on the platform. Without hesitation the crowd started chanting, Death to the ditches. Long live the bald headed ones. They kept repeating it until the Bald one raised his hand for silence. The Bald one spoke, We appreciate all the kindness bestowed upon us. The Bald ones and I have saved your wretched and useless souls from those ditches in which you were enslaved in misery, desolation, and ignorance. We have pushed you toward the Heaven of Darkness with incredible speed. Here, after the sacred free fall into the Heaven of Darkness and under auspicious care of the bald ones, you shall embrace happiness and shall enjoy the sweet taste of freedom, and Being so exhausted the night before, she had awakened late. The small dungeon that she had chosen was in one of the adjoining corridors, close enough to the main opening that she could clearly hear the cries of the Bearded Bald ones. Before getting up, she opened her eyes and in the very dim light stared at the muddy, wet ceiling of her dungeon. She could still think while others seemed to have lost that ability. The excitement of this incredible event had sharpened everyones appetite
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except hers. She could not eat any of the food she had collected off of those who had died the night before. All food smelled like blood, human waste and urine. She could not convince herself to appropriate what had belonged to the poor, desperate souls the Bald man had named the enchanted and the martyrs, who died in the free fall. She missed and worried about her lover. Did he recover from his illness? Would he know in what a horrible predicament she was? She yearned to find a way to communicate with the outside world. Still lying on her back, she placed her hands under her head and listened to the Bald Mans voice. The question now taking shape in her mind was: how could one accept that those killed, a source of pride for the Bald ones and used as foundation of the high platform on which they were standing this very minute, had really sacrificed themselves to guarantee happiness for the others? She had witnessed how many of them were simply trampled under the feet of the mob rushing toward the well. Others, including her, arriving at the opening were simple pushed into the pit by the hysterical crowd. She had seen the fanaticism of those rushing toward the well. Those who feared the Promised Land would fill to capacity very quickly and, in order to secure their own place, they would not hesitate to walk over others; even their own family members were treated as enemies and invaders. Now, however, the Bald one was claiming that those dead all willingly lost their lives and their blood was sacred. She could still hear the Bald one saying, My people, we, the Bald ones, stayed up all last night, working hard to devise a comfortable living condition for you. From now on, after each session of the holy Bald-heads, we will inform you of our decisions and the laws we pass. In order to assure your happiness, all of you must listen to us from the bottom of your hearts with unquestioning sincerity. Be careful not to say one offending word that might annoy the Grand Holy One watching us from the circle of light above us. Suddenly, she jumped up and ran to join the crowd around the platform. She wondered, how could he refer to the natural daylight shining in from the opening of the well as the eye of God, the Grand Holy One?Infuriated, she turned to the Bald one and cried, That is simply the day light. Why are you making up stories? Since yesterday you have been saying anything that came into your mind and no one has dared to speak up against you. Now, I demand an answer. If the source of that light is Gods eye, why did it darken last night? Dont tell me God fell asleep.

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The Bald one surveyed the perplexed, expectant crowd and then intensely examined the beautiful girl with long black hair, large eyes and sexy figure. Staring at her prominent bosom, tiny waistline, shapely thighs and delicate ankles, he was aroused by this beautiful girl. He didnt want to upset the instant object of his desire, yet he couldnt leave this act of defiance unanswered. Addressing the crowd, he said, All of us are sometimes good, sometimes bad. If the Grand Holy One closes his eyes, it is not because he gets sleepy, as he never gets tired. He simply does that to not witness our sins. He does that so every night you can hug your spouses without apprehension and do anything you please. About this girl; Im afraid she is still faithful to Moobeh Daar. Look at her long hair. Her protests are proof that she still supports Moobeh Daars shameful doctrine. Stay away from her, until I decide what to do with her. She is so stupid that she dares call this grand place a well! People milled moved around throwing angry looks at her. They were anxious to hear the new laws agreed on the night before. The Bald one, still smiling and feeling very smug about how he had handled himself with regard to the beautiful girls bold protest, continued, The instructions are as follows: In order to maintain justice and equality in the Heaven of Darkness, all stored food items shall be submitted to the Bald ones so they can be re-distributed in daily portions in a fair manner. Long hair, a symbol of Moobeh Daars era, is strictly prohibited. Big bellies are banned. Everyone should converse and become educated. No one shall eat too much. Everyone is equal and there will be no more ropes. No one should dig another ditch. No one shall dictate anything and no one shall be disrespected. The sacred bald ones are officers of law and must be The girl didnt want to hear any more. She distanced herself from the group and took refuge in the isolation of her little dungeon. She had an enormous lump in her throat, was very upset and felt like crying. She wished she were under the blue sky where she could scream out to her hearts content and relieve herself of the anguish. She couldnt stop thinking about the boy and the love that had flourished between them. Many tears later, she felt a little calmer. When she brought her hand close to her face to wipe her tears, the foul stench of her hands reminded her of the night before. Distraught and devastated, she got up and started running, whispering to herself, I must stay alive! He is waiting for me. Oh, my beautiful love! Wait for me. I shall come, and bring help with me. She ran down other corridors and kept whispering, Wait for me. I shall come, and bring help with me. Yet, she was so lonely and needed help herself. She couldnt think straight and while running her foot got stuck in a sack and she fell. Crying,
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she tried to push her hair from her face and kept repeating, I am waiting for you. Help me. Please come and save me! The crowd was still listening to the Bald one. For a moment she forgot why she had begun running with so much pain and agony. She paused a moment and tried to remember. Confused and tired, in that place, nothing would cheer her up. Nature was dead here. There was no tree, no pasture covered with flowers and plants, no blue sky or rushing river, no color. There was nothing but the disgusting odor and the darkness. Oh, river! She remembered that she was looking for water. She got up and kept looking. There were many corridors, each containing many dungeons. Them all, she observed they had one thing in common; they were all filled with disorder and chaos! Right next to some dungeons, she noticed fresh human waste. Those who were anxiously listening to the Bald one had eaten, urinated and voided in the same place they slept. Apparently, in dark dungeons where things were invisible, there was no need for law and order or common sense. She checked everywhere looking for some trace of running water. Finally, she gave up as the Bald one continued preaching. With heavy steps she went back to her dungeon. She was glad that at least there was no one in her dungeon to urinate and void and make things worse. Despite the huge piles of utensils and food in the corridors, she knew, due to the great number of people down there, that before long the bottles of water would soon be finished and she should not use them for washing. She leaned against the wall of her small dungeon and thought of the day she met the boy. While trying to rest and eat, he had leaned against the same tree as her. That day they had talked and laughed and, without hearing the approaching soft steps of love, fell in love and holding hands went back to those ditches, ditches Relishing these memories, she got up with a sparkle of hope in her eyes. She came out of her dungeon and tried to listen intently to the bald-headed ones who were still preaching to the fascinated people. Rummaging through a nearby pile, she picked up a metal dustpan and returned to the end of her dungeon. She thought how fortunate it was that her dungeon was in an inconspicuous place away from traffic. Otherwise, she would soon lose her mind and be covered with filth; something that would happen to everyone down there, sooner or later.

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While secretly digging at the very end of her dungeon, she remembered that digging was banned. She reasoned that the people who had not lost their lives in the free fall were still enjoying this temporary excitement. And, that the bald headed ones were power hungry madmen taking advantage of peoples innocence and trust. She felt by thinking more, she could understand more and distinguish good from bad. She had not firmly decided whether the bald-headed men were bad or good but her gut feeling was that they were not a good bunch. By now, her newly dug ditch seemed deep enough but there was no trace of water. She stretched her feet in there anyway, feeling so helpless. Not being able to focus, she kept thinking about the boy, her ominous future and the things the Bald ones were saying. Remembering the earlier announcement that everyone must give up all their belongings, she hit her forehead with the palm of her hand, blaming herself for being so dumb and went back out to listen. The baldheaded men had left and people, loudly praising the Bald Mens promises, were returning to their dungeons. She had to move quickly and get to work before they had a chance to come back and confiscate everyones belongings She laid the dress she had found the night before at the bottom of the ditch, placed the food and supplies she had found on top of it and covered it all with soil. She then went back to the front of her dungeon and, sweating heavily, sat down and occupied herself with braiding her hair. She wanted to be sure that when the bald men arrived they found her busy with her hair. She was still braiding her hair when she heard a thick, familiar voice crying Is there anyone here? Although she knew that voice, she couldnt identify it. Trying to control her voice, she answered, I am here. What do you want? Several Bald men, one holding a lit torch, appeared at the opening. He stepped in, swayed his torch and remarked, What a pitiful place. There is not a thing in here. Then, bringing his torch closer to the girl, insolently added, Look, It is that pretty girl who talks too much. Turning to his comrades, he continued. She is the one who interrupted our Bald Leader. She did not believe in what our leader was saying and tried to make others disobey and loose faith in him. But the Grand Holy One noticed her ill intentions and stopped her.

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Now, although he had completely changed his appearance, she recognized the person talking. She couldnt believe he was the same big- bellied supervisor who used to lead her and her grandfather to mud pounding, every morning. He had shaved his head, grown a stubby dirty beard and tied his big belly with a broad piece of cloth but had not been completely successful in hiding it. She looked at the man holding the torch and in a ridiculing tone said, How quickly you changed your appearance! Are the other fellows your old partners or did you meet them here? The man felt exposed and in desperation cried, Shut up, you blabber bitch! A beardless companion put a hand on his shoulder, and with a tone of advice said Bald brother! We must not use foul language and show disrespect to others and shout at them. Have you forgotten?! That is our leaders order. Trying to adopt a quieter tone, the one with the torch replied, Youre right of course but you dont really know this girl! I well remember when working in the ditches she would constantly try to contact a boy in a nearby ditch and send him kisses. A cheap person like her is not worthy of living in the Heaven of Darkness. With much anger, she cried, You lazy fat ass! Were you pounding mud while you were studying us or were you just keeping an eye on us from above, outside the ditches doing nothing? Turning to another of his comrades, the man with the torch said, You see my Bald brother? This girl deserves to be burned. Look at her long hair resembling the long hair of Moobeh Daar - that merciless traitor. While trying to appear cool and in control, holding a knife he approached the terrified girl, abruptly cut her hair with the knife and gently said, Oh, lovely girl! I hope youre not upset with our friend! He meant no disrespect, knowing that the fresh and horrible memories of Moobeh Daars era have driven you insane. But, you must know that, according to our Bald Leader, were impatiently awaiting happiness. Their disregard and contempt lit a great fire inside her. Fury had dried her tears and wouldnt let them flow over her face. Her beautiful, silky hair that the boy had caressed and run his fingers through was now cut off and in the hands of a despicable, stinking, two-faced bastard.

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With peace and serenity, the beardless Bald man asked, Oh, lovely girl. How come you have no utensils and no food saved up? Clinching her teeth in anger and with a chopped voice filled with rage, she said, It happened so fast that I didnt get a chance to get anything. She couldnt utter another word. She sat down on the ground; pulled up her knees, put her head over her knees and began weeping. The Bald Men left. The one holding the torch handed it to one of the others came back and, putting his hands over hers, said in an intimidating manner, We will meet again soon! Very soon! Laughing aloud, he left.

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CHAPTER 5 Standing at the dungeons opening, the girl, looking so lovely with her arms crossed, leaned against the wall. A cold breeze caressed her cheeks. She missed her long hair embracing her face and couldnt stop crying. Ever since she was a child, others had complemented her long, silky hair and now, for the first time in her life, the breeze could not spread her beautiful hair all over her face. She wondered how to explain that to her lover. The kind and loving boy loved her hair; he was always playing with it, smelling it and kissing it. Sorrowfully, she watched the moving torches and Bald Heads running around on the platform as the others, completely captivated with so much enthusiasm and emotion, helped the Bald one relentlessly confiscate all food, utensils and other property. Following the orders of the man called the Bald Leader, who delivered the speech, several blindfolded young men were put to work building storage spaces above the platform under the supervision of the Bald Men. None of them complained about having to wear blindfolds because The Bald Leader had proclaimed that remaining on the platform was a special privilege; closer to the Grand Holy residing at the top of the wells opening. In his speeches, he reminded everyone that ordinary folks were not to climb onto the holy place as it would anger the Grand Holiness; common folks lacked the ability and sensibility to appreciate his divine beauties and spirituality! On the other hand, digging large cavities in the sides of the well around the high platform required a tremendous effort; something the bald men were reluctant to do. They needed ordinary people with covered eyes to dig those spaces. High management did not want the storage spaces dug at the bottom of the well as that would make supplies more readily accessible to the common people. Worse, it would require the Bald ones to belittle their status by walking below the platform to retrieve good for their own use. That night, just to be on the safe side, the girl slept with a large knife she had found under her head. Exhausted, she fell asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.

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The stinking lower floor was very quiet. On the platform, however, the newly excavated spaces were decorated and illuminated by many torches. The air was cleaner up there, not only because it was closer to the fresh air coming from the wells opening; the Bald men had designed and constructed sewer lines that dumped their waste, piss and trash onto the floor below! Only the rhythmic footsteps of a few men disturbed the silence. Tiptoeing, one of the Bald ones approached the girls corridor as his friend went to another dungeon. Entering the girls dungeon, he placed his torch in such way as to illuminate her beautiful body as much as possible. The torch was behind him and his face was not recognizable. She was fast asleep. For a few moments he looked at her. His heart pounded and his body shook with lust. When she stirred, he hastily covered the torch so as to not awaken her. Hed prefer she didnt wake up immediately so he could admire her beauty. As his lust sharpened, he crept nearer the girl on his hands and knees and stretched his hand over hers. As his shaking hand touched hers, he felt her grip his hand very tightly. Seeing a smile on her face, he figured she was having a sweet dream and decided to take advantage of the moment. In her sleep, she murmured, My love! I knew you were coming. I was waiting for you. She woke up to the unfamiliar sounds of his heavy breathing. For a moment, she thought she was still dreaming of her love but then realized that this was no dream. A torch was lit in the corner of the room. As she lifted her head, she saw the stranger crouched over her body. He pressed the palm of his hand on her mouth to stop her from screaming as he pushed her back so forcefully against the hard ground that the wind was knocked out of her. She could not scream but she could see the knife shining within her reach. The Bald Mans limp body fell to the ground. Her dress was ripped to shreds and his blood covered her entire face. She dropped the knife and crawled to a corner, grabbed her knees and tried to hide her bloody, naked body from the torch light.. She couldnt stop trembling and weeping. Upon regaining control a few minutes later, she took the torch and held it close to the mans face. She was surprised to learn that this bastard with his bald head and shaved face was actually the same person who had approached her with some dignity and respect earlier in the day. She had sooner expected it to be his big-bellied companion who had promised hed come back soon.

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She had to get rid of the corpse. Sooner or later, his absence would be noticed and the others would begin searching everywhere for him. She would also have to take care of her nude body and the blood that was smeared all over her. Preoccupied with these thoughts, she heard the muffled scream of a woman. She went at once to the adjacent corridor, seeking the source of the scream. A child was sitting at the entrance of a small dungeon near the beginning of the corridor, staring inside and crying. The heavy breathing of a man inside the dungeon was quite audible. She patted the childs little head and took the torch in the direction of the boys stare. The lusty cries of the man assaulting the woman got louder but she had no strength left to resist. Seeing the torch, the rapist jumped toward her. Although she had the knife in her hand, in her panic she dropped both the torch and the knife as she instinctively pulled the little boy into her arms and ran to a dark corner. The semi-nude Bald man ran away without paying any further attention to them. The girl picked up the torch, took the boy to her own dungeon and told him to stay there until she returned. She then went back to find the woman taking her last breath. With eyes full of pain, in the agony of death the woman used her last breath to ask the beautiful girl to take care of her little boy; suddenly leaving her with the immensely heavy responsibility of raising a child. She dragged the Bald Mans corpse from her own dungeon, placed it next to the dead womans and placed the bloody knife in the dead womans hand. Returning to the child, she went to the rear of her dungeon, where she had hidden her belongings, to find him some food and herself some clothes. She found an old banana, some dried bread and a bottle of water, which she gave the boy. After lighting a candle, she retrieved the dress buried at bottom of the ditch she had dug to hide her things. When she put on the dress, she felt a strange, cool dampness around her waistline. With all the dirt, sweat and blood sticking to her body, her dress clung to her uncomfortably. She put her food back in the ditch, covered it completely and sat next to the little boy. She couldnt remember any lullabies and, as hard as she tried, she only remembered Moobeh Daars lyrics. While holding him tight, trying to put him to sleep, she sang: Dropping our heads We shall pound mud on his way Moobeh Daar is our doctrine All of us - young and old Shall pound the mud taking his orders we shall place flowers on his head his commands make us win supporting the lion, that is bold shall pot the buds
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Moobeh Daar is our doctrine

his commands make us win.

He interrupted her singing asking, Who is Moobeh Daar, Nervously she replied, A very bad person. With his head against her bosom and holding her waist, he asked, So why should we drop our heads and place flowers on his head? Reluctant to lie or to admit she didnt really know, she replied, Oh, it is just a lullaby for you to fall asleep. He lifted his head from her bosom and asked, Why must I sleep, please? I like to stay up. I want to go to the river and play with my mom in the morning. Ever since weve come here, morning never comes. I think the sun has deserted us because it is mad at us. I want to stay up, please. I know because the sun is mad at us, it only tiptoes by us when were asleep and then leaves. Just like tonight. When my mom fell asleep, I stayed up to see the sun. He did come tiptoeing tonight. He had a fire lit next to his face. He was bald and had a dirty, stubby beard. His belly didnt look too big but when he undressed in the corner of the room, I saw his big belly when he took off what he had tightly wrapped around it. He didnt know I was awake. He picked me up gently and, after leaving me outside, he returned to our dungeon. I think the sun wanted to discuss something very important with my mom when I wasnt around. I understand these things very well and know that kids are not supposed to hear everything. Thats not good for them and my mom taught me all that. But I got worried as he was talking to my mom in a very strange language; a language, nothing like ours. He had thrown himself over her. He had torn her clothes and, along with his heavy and scary breathing, he kept talking to her. He was pulling her hair and biting her. My mother was scratching the back of the fat sun while screaming. I dont think my mom could actually talk back to the sun. I was very worried and couldnt tell whether my mom could tolerate his scolds and understand why he was mad at us! I remember one night my mom told me about the sea being mad and that the pains of seas, mountains, moon, sun, and forest are beyond tolerance of common people like us. My mom once said that the mountains complain through their volcanoes and the seas through hurricanes. Thats why I was so worried whether my mom could handle the suns complaints. She felt the tears on her face. A few of her tears fell on the face of the poor, innocent boy who was staring at her eyes as he talked to her. In his childish innocence he told her of his world and his dreams. She held on to him tightly and
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gently caressed his hair. The boy wrapped his arms around her and began caressing her waist. Unfortunately, reality, unlike this childs dreams was hideous. How would he feel if he ever found out that, instead of the sun, a bald criminal had tiptoed into their place and savagely raped and tortured his mother to death to satisfy his revolting, beastly desires,? How could he ever rationalize such horrible behavior? He took his head off her bosom, and said, Your dress is wet! She reddened from embarrassment but the dried blood on her face did not show it. Did you just wash your dress? The boy continued, When you came to our dungeon a bit earlier, you had no clothes on. I think because of being shy in front of me you put your wet dress back on. The girl smiled, and kept playing with his hair. The little boy kept going. But, you shouldnt feel shy in front of me. My mom says ladies shouldnt be shy of little boys, so long as the little boys have not grown hair and their voices have not thickened. You see, I am so little, with no hair and no thick voice! Kissing his face, she replied, You are a very handsome and smart boy, just like your sweet mom. Se got up to wipe her bloody face with bottled water, using the torn rags thrown all over floor. The boy said, If you dont feel comfortable, I will sleep facing the wall. Then you can take your wet dress off, and dry it next to the torchs flame. I promise not to look! While taking her dress off so as to not hurt his feelings, she couldnt help laughing. Holding the dress in front of the flame, she noticed a large damp circle on the back of the dress. Smelling the dress, the wet circle didnt smell bad. With a sparkle in her eyes and the torch in her hand, she grabbed the boys hand and ran to the rear of her dungeon. She pushed away the food and other junk hidden in the ditch. Touching the bottom of the ditch, she found it wet. She grabbed the dustpan and before his inquisitive eyes kept digging. After digging just a bit more, a tiny spring began bubbling. Moments later, thinking of giving birth by nude mothers in pure springs, they both began happily bathing and laughing in the clean water.
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CHAPTER 6

The disintegrating corpse of the raped woman was now hanging from the wall of the main area of the well. By now, it was just a bunch of bones covered by a few pieces of dried skin. Her eye sockets were empty and her kind, pretty face had turned into a skeleton. The young girl, looking at the gross sight, decided that she was no longer identifiable. She decided she could allow the little boy to come to the main area of the Well. Reluctantly, she relived the awful night the poor woman was brutally raped and killed. The next day, they found the filthy corpse of the degenerate bastard lying next to the clean, white corpse of the victim. She was still holding the knife and there was a deep wound in Bald mans neck. A huge commotion ensued. Everyone gathered in the main area and the Bald Leader talked about many important key issues that his aides repeated for weeks afterward. Standing on the high platform, trying to mollify the people angry about the womans rape and death, he said, We have just arrived at the Heaven of Darkness and happiness is only a few steps away. All goodness, beauty, and justice await us. We cannot even imagine what lies ahead. The sweet days ahead of us are unimaginable. However, when falling into this Holy Land of Darkness, some with evil spirits joined us. They came with their old grudges and hatred to prevent us from reaching happiness and justice. We should always look out for their hidden agendas while maintaining a quiet and solid front. Is that right?! The crowd replied, Thats right. Thats right. Once ensured of peoples full support, the Bald Leader continued, There are two corpses in front of us. One belonging to an innocent person and the other to a most immoral one! The devil fooled the first one and penetrated her soul. The second one was a victim of circumstances and has now joined the Grand Holiness. This Beardless Bald holy man resided on the higher level and hence was closer than you people to the great Holiness. This holy man was killed during his holy mission; guiding people. He had an exceptional way of speaking, thinking and conducting himself. He sacrificed his blood and life to bring you happiness and
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peace. Therefore, he deserves the title of the Grand Enchanted. We shall bury him and erect a tombstone for him in the main area. That way, he will always remain amongst us and ensure special blessings of the Grand Holiness on us. On the other side, there is this dirty bitch. Look at her beautiful face, granted to her by Satan so that she could corrupt the public and foster sin. Trying to fool the holy Bald Man and force him to commit a sin, this whore showed her naked, lustful body to him. He sacrificed himself to keep this society clean, went to her wicked arms and got himself killed The appalled crowd, although skeptical, stared at the Bald Leader as they murmured, Thats right. Thats right. These folks were completely brainwashed. They were ritually repeating those words without really believing them or even giving them a second thought. Before coming to hear the Bald Leaders sermon, they lifted the corpse of the ill-fated woman in their hands; seeking justice for her unwarranted torture and death. At the same time, they purposefully spit at and dragged the dirty corpse of the rapist. That corpse, with many wounds, was smeared with urine, and other foul waste. Now they were being told that everything was the other way around; he was the innocent holy one and she was an agent of Satan! The Bald Leader, sensing peoples confusion and disbelief, resorted to his ultimate weapon - crying. Suddenly he burst into tears and in a heart wrenching, broken voice continued, We shall hang the corpse of this bitch upside down from this platform so that all those beauties who work for Satan will never again dare to corrupt our dignified and faithful people. They should learn a lesson and, as agents of Satan, give up corrupting the residents of the Heaven of Darkness. We shall crush their mouths with our iron fists. Before he finished his last words, some of the Bald men, followed by a few others, rushed to the corpse of the doomed woman, kicking, pissing and spitting on it before they hanged it upside down from the platforms sidewall. After the disgraceful treatment of the womans body, they buried the criminals corpse with a high degree of respect in the middle of the wells main opening and called it the Enchanted Circle. For the rest of the day, encouraged by the bald ones, people mourned, hitting their heads, pulling their hair and weeping for the deceased rapist.

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Witnessing all this, the girl was the only one not mourning and crying. Seeing the dishonesty and deceit behind the crying, she decided not to ever cry again; leaving that hypocritical act to the gullible folks and the criminal Bald men guiding them. Until then, she had been struggling to decide whether the bald ones were good or bad. After witnessing the lies, hypocrisy and injustice, she definitely decided that they were indeed bad. Then she felt some inner peace. From that day on, she never allowed the little boy to go out to the main space. He had grown much attached to the girl. Perhaps these two were the only ones who had found some happiness amongst all the miserable and deceived souls in the well. Every night they would bathe in the hidden spring and continue digging a new passage while playing and reciting poetry. The boy and the bubbling spring, which came into her life at the same time, inspired her to keep reciting new poetry that she would then teach him every night. Otherwise, life in that dark space, hardly illuminated by a faint light from the top of well, was meaningless and boring. The words day and night had lost their meaning, except to keep track of the passing time. Sometime later, when she was sure the corpse of the boys beloved mother was beyond recognition, she decided to let him again go to the main opening of the well. She knew she had to prepare herself to answer many of his questions. On the other hand, she thought she could not deprive him forever from walking around the only large space of that God forsaken underground place. Filling her water bottle, she decided to take him along that night. She had a strange feeling as they approached the tomb of the rapist in the middle of the opening. The gorgeous full moon was shining directly through the opening. She watched the beautiful sight with overwhelming desire and fascination. It had been a long time since she had last seen the moon and she was not sure she would ever see it again. Trying to mimic her, he stared at the moon too but before long, feeling a pain in his neck and cramp in his little feet, he gave up, sat down on the criminals tomb and started to look around. Spotting the corpse hanged upside down, he got up and approached it. Although not recognizing it, he was so attracted to it that even the nauseating odor did not keep him away. Touching the face of the skeleton, he felt a peculiar sweet calm.

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For a moment she quit looking at the moon and watched him. He gently kissed the corpse and began playing with her long hair, which reached to the ground. He sat by the corpse and gently started chanting the lyrics she had taught him: Days will be coming, Whether in Spring or Fall, When deer giving birth, And eagles flying high. Those days will herald rebirth of happiness, And I, deep in thoughts, Longing for your hugs, And lost in my dreams, Wondering could we again, Smile at butterflys colorful wings, or Weeping tears of the candle. Could we again, Fly side by side? Hearing the sound of a piece of rock, dropped from the wells opening, strike the ground, she jumped aside and cleared the criminals tomb. The rock fell right next to the tomb. Running to the little boy, she gathered him in her arms and looked up. She saw nothing but, when she looked at the piece of rock again, she noticed a piece of paper wrapped around it. Putting the child down, she unwrapped the paper and looked up at the opening again. She could see a shadow in the moonlight. She screamed, Oh, my love! Is that you? Were down here. Please get us out of here. As a sign that her voice was heard, a torch appeared at the opening of the well. Her eyes were filled with hopeful tears. Even though she had decided not to cry anymore, she couldnt help it. She lifted the boy and while kissing him over and over again, kept saying, We will be rescued. We will be saved. Do you understand that? But the child had no concept of being rescued and set free. He had heard these words from the Bald Men many times without realizing what it actually meant. Her cries alerted a few Bald Men on the platform. One of them, holding a club in his hand shouted with a coarse angry voice, You dumb woman. Dont you know everyone is asleep? Why are you disrupting the peace and quiet of the Heaven of Darkness?
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Realizing her reckless and dangerous behavior, she cried back, I am here to pray for and wash the tomb of the sacred body. While she meant the doomed women, the Bald Men thought she was referring to the tomb of the Enchanted. With a softer tone he continued, Why are you screaming then? I couldnt help it. She replied, By coming here, I felt hopeful and excited. Talking to his comrades in a low tone, he said, You bitch! Why dont you come to our arms to give you so much hope and excitement? Youre so dumb! Laughing aloud, they went back to their rooms. She felt relieved and looked back up again. No longer could she see the shadow and the torch. Yet, her heart filled with hope and joy. That was a very special night. The little boy asked no more about the hanging corpse. She had seen her love above the well and had received his love letter. Another interesting realization was that, when questioned by the Bald ones, she didnt have to lie. She just manipulated the truth in a way that satisfied them in their idiotic and imprudent state of mind.

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CHAPTER 7
A long queue formed early every morning to receive their daily rations. The Bald Men, with their constant shouts and rods in their hands, herded people like shepherds tending their flocks. They all were dirty, unwashed, stinking, hungry, thin, and scruffy looking. With long nails and dirty hair, they resembled wild beasts. Women were so dirty and foul smelling that they could not possibly arouse their mates. The number of corpses of beautiful women and girls hanging upside down from the wall of the platform was on the rise. In every corridor, dungeon, nook and cranny, there were piles of human waste, resembling a pasture where cattle dump their droppings where ever they please. The repulsive odor of hanged corpses, human waist and urine, had completely poisoned the air. Due to famine, people had lost so much weight they could think of nothing but their next meal. They tried to go to sleep earlier every night to forget their hunger. Under such adverse conditions, friendship, kindness, and love for family had lost all value. Everyday, while waiting in long queues to receive their daily rations, they would first have to listen to the Bald Mens instructions and advice. Everyday, there were more restrictions and more laws to abide. Children with bald heads attended the school opened on the Enchanted Circle. They were taught ways to achieve happiness and to completely obey the Bald Leader and his gang. The young ones with hair were sent to labor camps where, with covered eyes, they had to keep digging new spaces over the platform. Tools became scarce as all the men were looking for sharp objects with which to cut their hair short, qualifying them to climb onto the platform. The foul smell and poor living conditions had wiped out any notion of hope and progress. The everincreasing hunger hindered everyone from thinking about anything but food. Wives would leave their husbands in the middle of the night to climb the platform to sell their bodies to the holy Bald Men in exchange for food. If they went out of their way to please their exploiter, theyd probably earn some extra food to take back to their children. Water had become so scarce that the level of hygiene worsened. On the platform, however, things were completely different. Everything sparkled as the Bald Men forced the young men drafter to perform free labor keep wiping and cleaning. he
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Bald men were always well fed and threw parties into late hours of the evening to discuss homeless children and their need for legal protection. Every night, they drew a name designating someone to give a speech the next day. The original Bald Leader disappeared and the Bald Man, who had shown some questionable kindness to the pretty girl, had assumed the role of leader. Laughing, celebrating, partying, dancing, yelling or reciting any song except Bald Mens songs was banned. The daily food rations continually decreased, as did the portions for each meal. Instead, queues were getting longer and the walls of the platform higher. All corridors and dungeons were named after enchanted ones. For instance: Corridor of the Enchanted Bald, Bearded, Thin and Weeping One; Corridor of Enchanted Bald, Bearded Tall One; Corridor of Enchanted Bald, Bearded Short One; Corridor of Enchanted Bald, Bearded with Brown Eyes; etc. Names and addresses had turned the Heaven of Darkness into the land of the dead. The young girl would not allow the child to loiter in the corridors. They were the only two clean people on the lower floor. Outside of them, only the Bald men were clean and she figured they must have discovered a few springs as well. Every time he returned from school, the boys feet were soiled up to his knees with all sorts of filth. With his help, she kept excavating every day. In her mind, she had drawn many maps and ways to escape this hellish place. Every night, she would discuss what he had learned in school, trying to wipe out every fictitious historical and social lesson they were trying to teach him. She concluded that the only way to counteract the Bald rulers corruption of the mind and body of those at the bottom of the well was to preserve the true history. Therefore, she worked harder every night, reading stories and reciting poetries to the boy and, after putting him to bed, she would take food and water to families struggling under even worse conditions. She dared not confide with anyone about having found a spring; as such information could cause devastation worse that falling into the Well. On the other hand, she could not stand by witnessing the despair and inhuman living conditions. On her late night walks she would frequently see semi-nude Bald Men running out of widows or girls dungeons, leaving their battered and sometimes dead bodies behind. However, no one approached her place; the new leader of the Bald Men had taken her under his protection and prohibited his men from getting close to her. The Bald Mens leader and the girl were the only ones who knew what had actually happened the night the Grand Enchanted one died. The Leader was the only one that knew it was she, not the young boys doomed mother, who had killed
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the Enchanted. The fat bellied Bald leader had other plans for her. He was saving her for when no other woman, on either the upper or lower level, had any attraction left. He also knew about her spring; another reason wouldnt let his people get close to her. When doing her nightly rounds, she would tell the children and the young people about the beauty of nature, open spaces, the background of the Bald ones and Moobeh Daar and the history of the Free Fall. At times, she was accused of blasphemy, plotting against the Bald Men, fostering animosity and encouraging conspiracy. The parents would sometimes kick her out of their dungeons but she believed in her fight and struggle for freedom. In hidden places, she would secretly read to the others the love letters that the boy kept sending in the middle of the night. The love struck boy wrote to her about colors, the blue sky, the green forest, the sun, the stars, the moon, the sea, the pastures, the trees and flowers. He wrote poetry about open spaces and his great desire to see her. The letters boosted her spirit and hope, which she kept trying to convey to others. Other nights, after dinner, they went to bathe in the springs cool water and she would recite the latest poetry she had received from him: Oh, the Stranger, Perhaps some day or some night, The rest of citizens, Get together at night To laugh, To laugh, To laugh At their gossips At tulips singing, At canarys flying in the cage, Who knows? In our alley There is a vendor older than time Who sells, Verses of darkness, Verses of dumb nave nights filled with dreams of the Bald Ones Couplets of defects, deception, and spying. ..

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The child loved the poems and the other school kids loved to hear him recite them again. The Bald school teacher sometimes heard their strange recitals but, after a few disciplinary attempts with whips, shouts and profanity, he gave up. Hed act like he was falling asleep to avoid hearing their new verses. He didnt really care whether the kids wanted to learn the verses; he admired only the Grand Enchanted and other Bald Men! The school was like a military camp. Early every morning, after the Bald Mens announcements, all the kids would have to bow their heads and go to the school in a space created off the main Grand Enchanted circle. The kids would only learn to obey the Bald Men, how to dig out new spaces while blindfolded, how to chant for the rulers and abide by the rulers commands. Before classes began in those damp and dark spaces, they would all have to sing together: With allegiance to the Bald Men, With royalty to the darkness, With allegiance to happiness only steps away, With adherence to the holy Bald Men unparallel justice in the whole world, With devotion to the Bald Leader who is the best man on earth, And with commitment to all goodness, We know there is no well here, That there is no well here, It is the Heaven of Darkness; it is the holy Promised Land, Bald Men are our masters, Death to ditches, Death to ropes, Death to Moobeh Daar, Death to trees and Death to the Fat Bellied one Of course, under the leadership of the Bald Bearded Fat Bellied one, the last verse was deleted. Children were taught in the school that their parents had come from a dirty, bad smelling, horrifying land where, under the tyranny of the ruthless, long haired Moobeh Daar, the suns heat burned their skin, sunshine blinded their eyes, trees caused death and people were kept hungry and miserable However, under the leadership of holy Bald Men, who occupied special places in front of God, the

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masses had been guided to the promised Land of Darkness and had entered the Holy Heaven of goodness, purity and darkness. Incongruously, the weak, famished children, buried in filth, urine and blood up to their knees, were told that in their present Holy Land, the refreshing perfume of happiness filled the air and hygiene, health, delicious dishes and a wonderful life were ever-present. Desperately weak, hungry and ill, the children had no energy to pose questions or protest the nonsense and absolute lies of their bald headed masters. Only the little boy would openly object and sing new songs about the outside world to the others and later, when bathing, ask the young girl to treat his wounds inflicted by the slashes he received daily. Every day, upon opening the school, the Bald men would give speeches and announce the new rules and regulations of the Heaven of Darkness. The Bald Leader had become so fat that he had trouble breathing and was carried onto the platform on a divan to give his sermon. While devouring a whole roasted chicken, he spoke, My people! Do not advocate injustice. Believe in the Grand Holy. Do good things. Be mindful of fairness when handling yourself or when saying or doing things. Help the homeless and poor and always pray for the Grand Holy One. Pay homage to the sacred blood of those enchanted ones who helped you to reach this holy Land of Darkness, and dont let the hidden hands of the enemy and Satan keep you from achieving your ultimate happiness Dumbfounded, emaciated people with open mouths, cracked lips and eyes bulging out of their sockets impatiently waited for the leader to throw them the bones of the chicken he was devouring. Every time the leader asked, Am I right? the people, following the Bald Mens example from the platform, would shout all together, That is right! That is right!

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CHAPTER 8

The sack was full of soil and although she was very tired, she kept digging, as she had for months, excavating an escape tunnel. She sensed she was close to completing the tunnel but couldnt tell how much longer she had to keep working so hard and still maintain her sanity. With great difficulty, she carried the heavy sack down the narrow stairway in the meandering, spiral tunnel. The tunnel had become so long that it took her a while to go back to its origin. Her food supply was exhausted and if it werent for the food parcels the boy frequently dropped from the top of the well, she would be as hunger stricken as the rest of those poor souls. Due to the vile conditions in the well, people were gradually transforming from humans to bloodthirsty beasts. The situation was so desperate and food had become so scarce that no rodent or insect was spared from being served as the next meal. Mice, snakes, cockroaches and even ants were now considered edible. Both the people and the Bald Men wondered how the young girl and the boy still looked healthy and clean. Superstition was the best tool in the hands of the few who held the power. With this mighty tool they manipulated the lives of people more and more everyday. The comfortable Bald Men, enjoying the status quo, increased their exploitation by spreading superstitions in the name of the Bald Mens doctrine and the Grand Holy One. Although the foul smell, poisonous environment and disgusting living conditions had reached intolerable levels, dispensing fallacy and dogma of lies and theocracy had become more important than even food. Every day, the people would freely drop waste and urinate everywhere and, even though the young girl spread her sacks of excavated soil over the revolting filth, it was of no use. Everyday, after standing in long queues, enduring monotonous, boring speeches and new laws, people returned to their dungeons empty handed. They either had to catch a vermin, grab a bite that someone else received or, worse, distract children, the disabled and the weak to steal their meager food. All day long, the young girl kept excavating and, when the little boy returned from school, he helped spread the excavated soil over the main opening. In order to avoid attracting attention by collecting too much soil in her space, she made her

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tunnel a winding one around the circular perimeter of the main well, with many steps, and twisting rounds. She knew there was freedom and open space outside of that dark God forsaken hell, called the Heaven of Darkness, a tormenting space favored only by the Bald Men and the ignorant people. Hunger, poverty, superstition and ill manners had caused people to forget how it used to be before falling into the Well. Consequently, the beautiful elements of life such as fresh air, sky, sun, moon, night, day, trees, flowers, delicious food, rivers and colors, that the lover boy referred to in his nightly love letters to the young girl, no longer had meaning for these people. The young girl had no way of sending a message to her loyal lover above the Well. She could only hope that he remained optimistic and kept sending those messages and food parcels. Many times, she had a horrible nightmare of the boy having no knowledge of living conditions down there or whether she was still alive. He had so far persistently sent his letters and the food parcels but what if he lost hope and ultimately gave up on her? Reassuring herself of his all-out love for her, she kept pushing the nightmares out of her mind. Every day, the well-fed and comfortable Bald Men preached about goodness, kindness, justice, commitment and the doctrines new guidelines. At the same time, struggling with poverty, hunger, misfortune, death and empty promises, people kept expecting the arrival of the happiest days in their lives. After a hard day working in the spiraled tunnel with hardly any oxygen, as on other nights, the girl, with the little boys help, was spreading the sacks of soil onto the open space. She had to be careful not to raise the suspicion of the bald headed guards. Upon finishing their nights work, they bathed and, after the boy fell asleep, she went to the wells main circle right under its opening, and sat waiting on the tomb of the Grand Enchanted One. Relieved when, another parcel of food fell right next to her, she knew for at least one more night she could stop worrying about the boy forgetting her. She picked up the parcel and waved at the wells opening. For a few moments she stood by the decaying body of the boys mother and the other hanging ladies, victims of the bald headed mens savage lust and rape. She then walked toward the corridors of the hungriest, most ravaged residents of the Well. As she walked, she observed that the disgusting, nauseating human waste had become so thick and mixed with urine it had become a layer of mud, producing the familiar chelep, chelep sound under
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her feet. Passing by some of the dungeons, she could hear the short cries of women and heavy breathing of men. She couldnt decide whether those acts were something to be happy about or not. If those men were making love to their lawful wives and enjoying one another in darkness, it would be a reason for happiness, as it meant life was going on and there was still hope. If, on the other hand, those were savage men attacking girls and young women, she would blame herself for not helping them. Because the number of offenders was on the rise, she did not carry a torch that might attract the attention of the roaming rapists, who she frequently saw running semi-nude toward the upper platform after their attacks on helpless women. A few nights before, she witnessed a gross and obscene sight that she would not forget for the rest of her life. A bearded Bald Man carrying food entered one of the dungeons that the girl happened to be passing. Seeing his torch, she hid behind a dark partition. The man threw the food in front of a man in the dungeon. His wife and daughter sat in another corner, watching the Bald Man with horror. Upon seeing the food, the starved man dropped his head and started devouring the food. The Bald Man took his clothes off and performed strange ritualistic acts, touching the ground with the palm of his hand and then rubbing his face with it. Then he approached the mother and her teenaged daughter. He began raping the daughter in a cruel, animalistic way. Her father lifted his head and looked at the inhumane scene unfolding in front of him but that was the extent of his reaction. This was probably not the first time this had happened in this dungeon. From her hiding place, she could see tears of despair rolling down his cheeks. In a desperate effort to save her daughter the mother removed her own rags and tried to attract the Bald Mans attention. Apparently, he had already used the mother and had no more interest in her. Finished with the daughter, the Bald Man arose, performed the same ritual, got dressed and left without bothering to take his torch. Crying uncontrollably, the mother began wiping her daughters body clean. The father also got up and, with bent back and tearful eyes, embraced his daughter and fed her bite size bits of the remaining food. The pretty girl emerged from her hiding place. Pretending she had just arrived, she served them water and food. She held the young rape victim tightly in her arms and recited new soothing poetry to her. Witnessing the heartbreaking scene made her more determined than ever to save all those trapped in the well. She promised the parents they would soon find freedom.

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She shared all her food, saving just enough for her and the little boy to survive and to have enough energy to finish digging their escape tunnel. Heading back toward her own dungeon, she heard the familiar chelep, chelep noises of mud pounding coming from another dungeon deeper in the corridor from her own. Approaching it, she clearly heard the murmuring of a familiar song: Dropping our heads taking his orders We shall pound mud on his way we shall place flowers on his head Speaking to an invisible figure in the dungeon, she asked, Are you alone? A man replied in a very weak voice, Completely alone. What are you doing here, girl? Its so dangerous. Go back and sleep. It was so dark that she couldnt see inside the dungeon. She sat at its entrance, leaning against the side of its opening. Defiantly she protested, There is no danger, at least not for me. The men living on this lower level are so weak and devastated they have no energy or drive to even move, let alone to hurt me. Lowering her voice, she continued, Of course, the danger of the Bald Men is a different story for those who are stationary but not for me because I keep moving all night long from one dungeon to another and that should save me from those beasts. The man pounding mud contemplated something as the noise of his chelep chelep became rhythmic. Mixed with the sound of chelep chelep, she heard him saying, Youre smart! Perhaps you are also in love! Only wisdom and love can save one in a dark, horrifying place such as this. Turning toward the sound, she asked, Are you in love? After a brief pause and with a faint laugh, the man said, Abandoning love, I turned toward wisdom. I dont remember whether it was a few months or a few years ago when everyone fell in love and lost their heads; right next to that old sycamore tree. The love for a better life overwhelmed and fooled everybody but, instead of a happier and better life, they ended up in this well. Feeling a surge of happiness and joy, she anxiously commented, Youre sane, then! and, after a brief pause, continued, I didnt think amidst all this foul odor, darkness, dogma, horror, insecurity, harassment, blind obedience, cheating,
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dishonesty, and corruption, there would still be one sane mind left that I could talk to. The chelep chelep sounds stopped and the man asked, Are you a poet? Not hearing a response, he lit a torch and invited her into his small, ordinary dungeon. As she entered, however, she noticed a door at its rear, from where the mans voice and light were coming. She got up and walked toward the light. Walking through the dirt, she smelled the nauseating odor. Even though she had been stuck in that place for a long time, she still suffered from the stench while, apparently, the rest of the folks had gotten used to the nasty odors. She thought, she and the little boy must be the only exceptions. Her main incentive to continue the tremendous effort of excavating the escape tunnel was her sheer love for breathing under the blue sky and living in a joyous place filled with perfumes and surrounded by abundant herbs. Her miraculous energy and high hopes were boosted by the nightly love letters. Entering the inner dungeon, she saw a tall, well built, middle aged man washing his feet in a bubbling spring. In the other corner, she noticed a small, muddy ditch; bringing back many memories.

He said, Close the door before the Bald Men notice the light, please. Confused, she looked around and noticed a huge piece of dried mud leaning against the dungeons opening. As she closed the opening with it, she understood how the rear dungeon was kept a secret from the intrusive Bald Men. Looking further, she saw stacks of food, clothes, firewood and, most importantly, the bubbling spring. He washed his feet and offered her to some cool, clear water and potatoes. Behind that space, he had prepared, with tremendous effort, a large patch for cultivating potatoes, wheat and beans. He had obviously learned how to survive in that dark well. She spoke, Obviously, in this beautiful space, you have learned how to grow plants and have managed to stay healthy, and strong. That being the case, why are you still maintaining that infamous ditch with mud in it? What is so special about that song belonging to Moobeh Daars era? Instead of answering, he asked, Do you remember Moobeh Daars era? Were you honored with the title of Mud Pounder?
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A very interesting discussion took place between them. The man kept thinking about what she said and she felt a great surge of joy and hope.

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CHAPTER 9

Conflicting interests had caused a division in the Bald Men. They were now divided into two factions, the Bearded Bald Men and the Beardless Bald Men. Even on the platform, the dividing line had become visible. Some chose to reside on the right side and some on the left side. Parallel to their increasing conflicts about the proper ways to guide the people on the lower level, their use of propaganda increased. In their daily and monthly meetings, they kept advocating the Heaven of Darkness, the advantage of darkness over light and adverse effects of light and sunshine. Once they left the public view, however, they would begin fighting amongst themselves; even getting in to fist fights. Meanwhile, the youths with covered eyes kept excavating new spaces above the platform. Many times, however, without being able to see anything, they could hear loud arguments and angry exchanges amongst the Bald Men. They argued about how much pressure they should exert over people. The Beardless Bald men thought they should not assume an excessive supervisory role or meddle with every detail of their lives. They thought it would suffice guide them only as to political and other fundamental issues. The Bearded Bald Men, on the other hand, thought that it was quite necessary to keep peoples private lives totally checked as ordinary people, in their view, could not discern good from bad and would need guidance in all things. They considered people to be nothing more than blind, immature children who needed help and they, the Bald Men, were destined to guide them in every aspect of their lives. Such conflicts spread to the lower level. The main difference was: those on the upper level would begin arguing after eating a hearty meal and emitting disgusting burps. Those on the lower level would usually scrounge just enough food to survive until the next day to listen to the leaders harangues over and over again. The young men with covered eyes performing their mandatory holy services excavating the upper level told others about the conflicts between the leaders. However, peoples conditioned belief in the benevolence of the Bald Men hindered them from any skepticism about their rulers.

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With guidance from the bald headed ones, people were convinced that their grand, one-day revolutionary, holy upheaval free fall had eradicated the dictatorship of Moobeh Daar. As reward for their opposition and bravery, they were privileged to enter the holy Land of Darkness and draw closer to the Grand Holy One. People had gotten so close to him that, out of supreme munificence, he allowed the poor, sinful souls to actually look at his open eye above the Well. Carrying out the Bald Mens orders or anything done to serve and please them was their holy duty and any opposition to their way of handling things was a crime and defiance of the Grand Holy One. This message, preached daily by the Bald Men, had so brainwashed people that by now they believed the erroneous and forged arguments were the most true and eternal principles. One day, one of the young bearded Bald Men went to the Grant Enchanted Circle to speak to the people and strengthen their fundamental beliefs in the ruling party. He shouted, Here is the end of the world. We need nothing and no one else. Outside of this holy dark place, everything is dirty. Even thinking of living outside of here would be a sin. The only good road originating from here is the one going up toward the eye of the Grand Holy One and everyone is free to travel that road. Dont forget, however, that this must be done without the use of ropes, reminiscent of the hated Moobeh Daar and his contemptible deeds. Through unconditional allegiance to us, every one can connect with the Grand Holy One, going straight up toward his holy eye and upon his eye, experience all the good things in life. With guidance of the late Bald Leader, we were able to pass through that difficult passage and become the most compassionate and superior of human beings. His holy spirit has penetrated all our lives. We need no other groups or other people. We have earned our independence; we have separated ourselves from those stuck in ditches of ignorance and repetition and by adhering to the holy principles, we have already made connections with the Grand Holy One. We are the only people lucky enough to have seen the Grand Holys eye. Our most sincere respects to those martyred enchanted ones who sacrificed their lives to reach the spirit of the Grand Holy One. In respect of the pure blood of those daring ones, we must defend their achievements with all our might. The guidance of the holy Bald Men, reaching the Holy Land of Darkness and life and death in pursuit of the Grand Holy One are fortunes bestowed only upon our people to earn a good name in this life and peace and happiness in the next life. It had been quite a while since the pretty girl had listened to that nonsense and instead had begun constructing her escape tunnel. After the long discussion with

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the wise man, however, she decided to pay more attention to the deceiving double talk. She decided that, as much as her nerves would allow, she should make an effort to know her enemies better; that avoiding the enemy and staying aloof would result in oblivion and eventual victory for the enemy. Yes, By taking a step back, the enemy takes a step forward. The mud pounding man had said some insightful things when she told him about her escape tunnel. He smiled and gently reminded her that the most difficult part of would be to persuade the masses that by walking through the escape tunnel they could escape the God forsaken Well, reach open space and step into beautiful nature. He reiterated that through false propaganda the Bald Men had convinced the entrapped masses that here was the Promised Land, the Holy Land of Darkness. It would be a challenge to change the masses beliefs after being so completely brainwashed. In fact, they would probably revolt against anyone trying to save them by erasing their beliefs. He further reminded her that the Bald Men had convinced the masses that the only way to reach happiness was by going straight up the well bore. It would be hard to persuade these misled folks to choose an entirely different path to freedom and happiness. The so-called holy men preached everyday, explaining new dimensions of holiness of that dark space. For their own convenience, they would ban certain things and legalize others that had previously been banned. For instance, having a fat belly was no longer banned as almost all Bald Men were shamelessly walking around with huge bellies. Instead, conversing was banned and no one was allowed to talk about the Bald Men. Therefore, tales such as Little Bald One, the Bald Blacksmith, the Bald Parrot, the Bald Store Owner, and the Lazy Bald Boy, etc., were only retold by frightened mothers trying to get their famished children to go to sleep. The school children were so brainwashed by their teachers that they would even stand against their own parents. The army of ignorant, excited children, along with the young people with covered eyes who had enjoyed the lavish life style while digging holy excavations on the upper level, were the Bald Mens only advocates. Now, the entire mass had divided into three major groups: The impolite, illmannered kids who blindly worshiped the Bald Men and their beardless leader; the greedy, gluttonous older ones who loved the abundance of the higher level and carried clubs to suppress any objectors and the remaining group, consisting of the ordinary people battling starvation and poverty, desperately dependent on the bread

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and water of their daily food rations. The fear of death and starvation had turned them to pawns in the Bald Mens game. Under such circumstances, only a few were able to keep away from the bald headed men. When alive, the Bald Beardless Leader had considered the rope a necessary and useful item. However, as rope signified the loathed era of Moobeh Daar, all ropes had been burned. There was no rope for climbing out of that well. She tried hard to convince the starved and abused souls; now resembling hideous skeletons, that aside from climbing with the non-existent ropes endorsed by the bald headed men, there was another way out. But, she did not dare argue that the bright spot up there was not Gods holy eye but an opening to the free world where they once lived. She knew the masses believed in such big lies that it was nearly impossible to convince them of the truth. Therefore, she tried only to convince them of her escape tunnel. Every midnight, she still stood below the wells opening, staring upward for a long time. She prayed for her lover not to loose hope and to keep sending her food, poetry and other necessities. That night, the young boy stood beside her and began telling her about the absurdities being taught at his school. She was alarmed. So far, people with little education would eagerly repeat the poetries she recited for them. Even though there were hungry, ill, dirty, mentally disturbed, and feeling low, their hearts would still beat for her poetries. She was like a beautiful angel that had miraculously managed to live amongst the most savage people and still remain healthy, up beat and in love. The boys voice was changing as he approached adolescence. She knew biological changes were the reason behind his erratic behavior. The Bald Men were well aware that the young ones were susceptible at that critical age and took advantage of it. No wonder these teenagers were the most avid advocates for the Bald Men. Their propaganda and misinformation had deeply penetrated their nave, easily influenced souls. It was rooted so deeply it had become a part of them. They would defend the Bald Men with all their might. The young ones with covered eyes, having experienced the easy life up there, were defensive of the leaders and no longer desired to associate with their own parents and siblings. The majority was the hungry and miserable bunch that would flatter and cajole anyone for a bite of food. They were devastated by the Bald Mens revenge and punishment, fearful of loosing their meager water and dried bread rations. In this well, those holding the wealth and power had the means of mystifying and baffling the masses and everyone obeyed them. Everywhere she looked, she saw nothing but misery and

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filth. The layers of waste got thicker everyday and trying to cover it with her layers of excavated soil did not help at all. The rats were having a feast in the piles of rubbish and so were the so-called humans!

CHAPTER 10

Lately, the boy, who had reached adolescence, had almost deserted her and rarely came home. Nonetheless, she kept digging her tunnel, creating steps to make it easier for people to exit. Entering her escape tunnel that night, she climbed all the steps. Banging against its thick, unyielding ceiling, she became disheartened and disappointment fell over. her. Exhausted, she momentarily resigned herself to abandoning her efforts, going back and living the rest of her life in misery, poverty and filth just like the rest. She then remembered her lover and thought that she must live long enough to explain everything to him. She yearned to put her head against his chest and tell him all about her pains and sorrows. She wanted to tell him how desperate and weak she felt and that her arms would no longer move. Newly resolved, she resumed banging against the ceiling as she wept. Feeling totally helpless, she bent on all fours and wiped her tears with her long hair as she murmured, With my last banging against this hard dirt ceiling, I will say good bye to your love and disappear amongst the poor souls living like pigs down there. She grasped her little excavating tool tightly, looked at the ceiling with tearful eyes and shoved it into the dirt of the ceiling with all her might, crying, Oh sweet freedom, please save me. She pulled the tool but nothing happened. She dropped to the ground and collapsed. As she lay motionless, she felt a few pieces of dirt falling on her head. She looked up as a little more dirt fell. Suddenly an enormous amount of dirt fell on her. Kicking and screaming, she uncovered herself and sat up straight. She barely escaped being fatally buried. She heard a sound like an animals cry and fresh air filled her lungs. She covered her nose and mouth until her lungs gradually got accustomed to the fresh air. Having so much of the poisonous foul air in her system, she was afraid the fresh air might kill her. Looking up through the newly opened roof, she saw a portion of the sky beautifully decorated with thousands of stars. She had not seen such a breathtaking scene for a long time.

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She couldnt believe it; it was nothing short of a dream, a very sweet dream! A stray dog shoved its head through the opening and sniffed her. For a moment, her eyes, shining in the moons soft light and the dogs eyes locked. Then, the dog let out a faint cry and left. She grabbed the edge of the new opening and with a short jump came out. She was saved. She got up and like a child jumped up and down, singing loudly. She couldnt stop her tears. Like a little girl, she was running in circles around the trees, dancing, and singing. She reached the river. The beautiful full moon was illuminating the sky and its reflection was shining in the calm surface of the river. She washed her face and put a flower in her hair. Pleased with her looks, she patted and caressed her hair, getting ready to meet her lover. She remembered the day that bastard had cut her long and beautiful hair. Suddenly the horrible memories of living in the well rushed back to her. She murmured, So what is going to happen to those poor souls still stuck down there? Not wanting to keep all this happiness to herself, she decided to go back to rescue them. Making up her mind, she didnt move toward the boys cabin. Like heroes portrayed in storybooks, sacrificing themselves for their people, she went back to the new opening and descended the tunnel leading back to the bottom of the well. Before entering, she took another look at the pasture, the sky, the stars, and his cabin some distance away. Filling her lungs with fresh air, she went back in. The new opening was located at an inconspicuous spot behind a hill. Reaching the end of the tunnel, the nasty odor began burning her lungs again. She didnt stay awake that night. Out of all the time living in the well, this was the first night she stayed in her dungeon. She didnt go to the main circle to receive the boys food parcel nor go around checking the other needy people. Instead, the overpowering fatigue of living in that horrific space came back to her and she confidently quickly fell asleep. The adolescent boy didnt show up. The Bald Men, who usually checked her space and invariably found her absent, were very much surprised to see her in a very deep sleep. Their immense excitement was quite apparent under torches illumination. They covered her mouth and carried her off to the upper chambers. The newly adolescent boy and his peers were serving in the army protecting the Bald Men. Many nights, until morning, he, along with others, would stay at their school for further training by their instructors. They were getting ready for a huge event celebrating the sacred Free Fall and the auspicious rule of the Bald Men,

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although the celebration not favored by many attendees in previous years. As the starving people; skin and bones with horrendous skin diseases so they hardly resembled humans struggled with hunger and disease, the Bald Men were constantly occupied with devising new celebrations to commemorate the Grand Free Fall and the Enchanted/ Martyred Ones.. Terror, suppression, illness, poverty, and hunger had transformed these beautiful people into atrocious, filthy beasts. Walking along the corridors, the stinking mud squished under their feet. They could not even bury their dead. Rotting corpses were abandoned everywhere until their bones fell apart and were crushed with the rest of the filth. The school, the speeches, the holy drafting of the young ones to serve the Bald Men and the long queues for receiving meager food rations continued regardless. Lately some new elements were gradually added to the speeches. Digging ditches and owning ropes were no longer considered crimes. However, as the entire space was covered with a very thick layer of filth and human waste, there was no way of digging new ditches into the ground. Regarding ropes, there were none available or possible to obtain. Since the day they burned Moobeh Daar, along with all ropes, by the old sycamore tree, there were none left and the young ones had no idea of what a rope was or looked like. Even the older ones did not remember ropes having multiple uses such as a tool for tying, pulling and fastening, as well as whipping. By misusing it, Moobeh Daar had made it the symbol of atrocities and torture. When he was replaced by the Bald Men, they had burned every piece of rope available despite of its many good uses. Now that it was finally legalized, not a shred of it could be found. Captured by the Bald Mens leader, no one could hear her screams. In a bright and well-decorated room at the end of a vast, plush hall, the leader and the girl were alone. With only rags left on her body she kept screaming. With no compassion, he attacked her, tearing more pieces of rags from her almost naked body. Losing all hope and totally exhausted, she finally gave up and stopped screaming. No longer able to resist, she stared at the ceiling and wept as the leader assaulted her. A few minutes later, he rolled off of her and started snoring. She was too exhausted to even think. Weeping, she kept blaming herself for having returned to that hell hole, placing herself back in harms way. There was a knock on the door and a bald headed man called on the leader to give another speech. The masses were impatiently waiting to hear his soothing promises

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and advice. Of course, their primary interest was the end of his sermon so they could receive their ration of awful food and polluted water. When he started his sermon, she could hear every word he was saying. You must learn the right way of living from these holy men. You must learn to respect the rights of others. You must learn not to ever steal the property of others or have any interest in their wives and daughters. Stay pure, truthful, and considerate. Never foster injustice. Be humble and do your best to assist others. Our holy men are your best guides to follow Hoping it was all a horrible nightmare, she fell asleep. She would no longer laugh or object to his advances. He introduced her as his new wife and all other wives in his harem were instructed to respect her. She did not even object to the leaders filthy, bald, handicapped servant who would come to her when his master was busy giving his sermons. Contrary to all his preaching, not a shred of morality and spirituality could be found in his household. So long as it remained a secret, all men would try to make love to every married woman within their reach and, of course, their husbands would do the same to other married women. Every day she would walk around luxurious, grand mansions of the leading Bald Men, built on the top level by the youths with covered eyes. Up there, everything was entirely different from the floor below. They wore expensive clothes and, due to excessive eating, they all, including the ladies, had big bellies. Everywhere was always well illuminated, and there were all sorts of games available to the Bald Men. She was puzzled by the contrast with the living conditions of the starving folks below. She asked herself: how come these people had so much to eat, although they were living in the same well. She finally learned the reason on a day when the leader tried to amuse her by sharing a secret with her. He ordered his servants to dress her in her best clothes. Then, holding her hand and telling tasteless and stupid jokes like little children, he took her to a room behind the big house and asked her to close her eyes. Seeing her indifferent and emotionless stare, he began bouncing around her and performing ridiculous dances as he opened a door. As the door opened, she saw a new shred of hope. From this end, his house opened to a hill overlooking a lush pasture covered with flowers and, standing farther away, lines of green trees; a picturesque and breathtaking view. What caught her attention was the tree by which she had met her lover. Quickly running out and kneeling over a grassy patch, she picked some grass blades and

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smelling them, started to smile. She felt that the icy feeling devastating her was thawing and she was regaining her enthusiasm and good spirit. She stretched out on the grass and let the warmth of the sunshine caress her eyelids. Keeping her faint smile, she touched the grass by her sides, trying to relive those sweet memories with her lover. She was elated and beside herself. Sensing his smell, she pushed her lips out in anticipation of his hot kisses erasing all her miseries and misfortunes. She felt his hand in her hair and caressing her head. Without opening her eyes, she brought her hands up to feel his hair and face. She thought it was indeed a most sweet dream that she would snap out of by opening her eyes. She felt his head, and the familiar feel of his skin. When she finally opened her eyes, she saw instead ugly, bloated face and intoxicated eyes of the beardless bald fellow. Like a kid touching a hot piece of coal, she quickly withdrew her hand. He gave her a hard slap on the face. She got up and ran toward the tree where she had met her love. The motionless bald man, perplexed and shaken, stared at her. As she ran, she was struck with an epiphany. She knew what she had to. She stopped, paused and came back to him smiling. She took his hand, pulled him off the ground and together they went back inside and closed the door. The next morning, as his wife, she was the one talking to the people. Inside his bedroom, a servant was tending to the blood body of his late master. The pretty girl, now acknowledged as the principal wife of the dead Bald Leader, invited people to celebrate and ordered the Bald Men to distribute all stored food amongst the people. The Bald Men obeyed her, wholeheartedly! There was much work to be done, including demolishing the houses of all Bald Men. She would have to return sanity to all those totally corrupted and brainwashed minds. She started talking to them daily. The more she talked, the more the Bald Mens fabricated piety and lies about their dark world surfaced. She talked about distant and recent historical facts, including the era of Moobeh Daar, the upheaval, and falling into the well. She wanted the masses on the lower level to see the luxurious houses of the Bald Men, and their secret way to the beautiful nature and free world. She was determined that all must be informed of the way the Bald Men were having feasts while they were famished. But, she was afraid of their rage. She was certain that on learning of the gross deceit and seeing all the luxury, those who had struggled for so long with hunger, illness, poverty and filth, would be driven mad to the point of burning and
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demolishing everything. The worst thing about a potential riot would be the possibility of ruining the escape way she had so painstakingly constructed. Consequently, she made sure to educate them one step at a time. The beautiful girl remembered Moobeh Daars reign and the riot that overthrew him very well. She knew what she did and didnt want to occur. She knew this place was nothing but a well and not a sacred land. She detested the dark and bloody rule of the Bald Men. She was trying to cultivate strength and courage to challenge the Bald Men. She wanted to guide them to the blue sky and the lovely nature where these creatures could get a chance to think; to remember their past, to collaborate based on their experience and learn how to create and manage their happy lives. She knew she couldnt and mustnt decide for others. She yearned only to emancipate them and then leave them alone. It would be up to them to either pursue happiness and a decent standard of living or to go back to the hellish well. These thoughts preoccupied her constantly and would not let her sleep. Every night, she descended to the lower level, talking to various folks and every day she made her talks from the high platform. Due to extreme fatigue, her eyes had become red and sunken and she showed an obvious weight loss. Yet, she knew time was running out. She stopped the mandatory holy draft and shaving of childrens hair. She would no longer allow the Bald Men to teach. She would do all that on her own. Soon, in a meeting amongst the Bald Men, she explained the situation to them, People are now alert and can no longer be cheated, and exploited. An all out upheaval is imminent and it will be advisable for all Bald Men to abandon this place. She continued, The days of fooling, scaring and bullying the people has come to an end and no force can resist their rage due to their persistent hunger and deprivation. Before she could finish her sentence, one of the thugs amongst the Bald Men occupying half of the hall, interrupted her by shouting. The argument between the Beardless and Bearded Bald Men elevated. The bearded ones objected to her replacing her late husband. The beardless ones, on the other hand, supported her and attacked the first group. Instantly a huge brawl broke out. It was complete chaos. Knives, bats and swords could be seen going back and forth above the heads of the fighting mob. The leaders widow, with a satisfied, victorious smile and sparkling eyes, left the spacious hall of the late leader of the Bald Men and locked the door behind her. Moments later, seeing blood seeping underneath the door, she took her confident steps toward her final conquest. After midnight, she declared a state of emergency and called on the people. She told them that dreaming of the Grand Holiness, she
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was ordered to ask everyone to leave the Land of Darkness. The men were instructed to go through the spiral tunnel in the back dungeon by the main circle and the women and children by climbing the steps to the higher level and the exleaders mansion. She cautioned every one to obey law and order when leaving. Listening to the instructions of the leaders pretty widow, whose natural beauty was overtaken with fatigue, people separated into men and women and children. The men found the spiral stairway and climbed it all the way to the top in an orderly fashion. With the widows guidance, the women and children climbed the steps and exited through the hallway of the mansion leading to the open pasture behind it. Her love, bringing food to the well at midnight, as was his habit, heard a commotion. The noise was coming from behind the nearby hill. Climbing the hill, he saw a string of tiny, ugly creatures coming out of a hole in the ground. Seeing them and smelling their stinking, intolerable odors, he almost gagged. For a few moments, he remained in his hiding place and watched their movements. As their number increased, so did the foul odor. He heard more noises from another direction and looked the other way. A short distance away, other hideous, bony souls were coming out of another hole in the ground. Seeing the battered women and children moaning and crying as stepped onto the ground; falling everywhere and passing out, he rushed to help them and gave them water and food which they attacked and devoured like wild animals. He then realized these were the people from his town, who had disappeared in that sinister well. He asked them about the pretty girl but no one had the strength to answer. He stared at every woman, trying to recognize amongst them the girl he loved. But, no such luck. It was gradually getting light. The last of the strange creatures came out. The entire area was covered with filthy, wretched, stinking souls. He kept checking everyone, but couldnt find her. Hopelessly he sat down, and leaning on his knees, started to cry. He heard a child asking her battered mother, How come that pretty girl didnt come up with us? Hearing that, he began running toward the well. The sharp stinking smell ittitated his nose and eyes. Holding a handkerchief in front of his nose and instinctively squeezing his eyes as he entered the well wasnt of much use. He could feel his eyes burning and filling with tears. He could hardly walk in the thick sludge of human waste covering the ground. He couldnt imagine how anyone could have ever survived under those conditions.

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Inside, there was no trace of his lover. Corpses were scattered here and there. He was turning his torch, and frantically searching through the remains of the hanged bodies, when he heard a familiar voice breaking the dreadful silence. Sky is blue, The earth is green, and the hearts are bright. Oh, the lovely happiness, Oh, the unknown tomorrow, Take my warm hand. I detest terror and darkness, I loathe lies, and deceits. Take me with you, Take me with you, Now I even hate myself. The lovely widow of the deceased leader, leaning against the tomb of the Grand Enchanted in the main circle, was singing to the baby in her womb as the boy held up the torch, trying to distinguish this woman from the girl he loved.

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