Amarys' Journey - A Fairy Tale

Once upon a time there was a young man named Amarys who lived in one of the richest countries in the world. At that time it was customary for the young men to first spend many years in a selection house where the best were selected. They were then allowed to complete an apprenticeship and go to work. Amarys had always been very good in the selection house, and after he had finally been released from the institute, praised for his great talent, he decided to study medicine. Amarys believed that his mastery of medicine, coupled with his wise mind, would enable him to discover something that would benefit all mankind.

Shortly after Amarys had begun his studies, he also joined the Federation of Medical Students. At first he was a little sceptical whether this was the right decision. For he had heard that the members of this covenant had no head of their own, but were those who went to the house of prayer every Thursday and were told how they had to think. Actually, he could not have believed that such people could be found at a university at all. And so he asked at the first meeting with the other members of the Federation: "Are you really going to the prayer house every Thursday?" Horrified by the question, the then chairman of the Federation replied: "Yes, we do. We are prayer housers. We take our faith very seriously." After a while he continued: "If you think differently, then so be it. Because of your talent, we make an exception and take you in, even if you don't really fit in with us."

From then on Amarys regularly attended the meetings of the Federation of Medical Students. Once he also took part in a mass in honour of the Great Chairman. This mass was one of the highest celebrations of those who went to the house of prayer every Thursday and took place towards the end of each year. At this Mass all the members of the Federation sat in a semicircle, only the chairman stood in front of them and said: "Well!" And everyone chanted: "We drink mead, we drink mead, we drink mead! We drink mead, we drink mead, we drink mead! Yes!" And everyone took his mead jug in his hand and flushed it down. Everyone except Amarys.

Amarys was surprised how healing students could only drink mead. Didn't they know that mead was very bad for their health? At the next opportunity Amarys spoke to his fellow students about this fact: "Why do you drink mead? You know that's not good for you." "Oh yes, we know that," replied one of the other members of the covenant, "but we don't mind. Because we know: Sooner or later every human being will fall asleep forever. Whether one falls asleep a little earlier or not is the same." "But I don't see it that way," Amarys contradicted. "I'm studying medicine precisely because I don't want a single person to fall asleep forever in the future!" "Haha, no. We don't want that," the federal brother replied. "But why?" Amarys was surprised. "Quite simply," explained the healing student, "because it's like this: Whoever leads a good life, after falling asleep forever, will come to a beautiful place where there is a swimming pool, many palm trees, a sandy beach and beautiful girls. But those who lead a bad life will come to an ugly place, where there are only bare rock walls. We want people to fall asleep forever, because only that and belief in life after eternal sleep leads to people behaving morally right." "But I don't see it that way," Amarys outraged himself. "I am of the opinion that everyone has the right to live as he wants! And for as long as he wants! And I have my head, I have always had it, and with my head, paired with the knowledge from the healing school, I will find a means by which one will achieve that no single person will ever have to fall asleep forever again!" All of a sudden the face of Amary's interlocutor darkened. With a dark face he said: "If you think so, then you are a sorcerer. And you know: sorcerers are burned at the stake."

Amarys was very annoyed by these people's narrow-mindedness. But he still went regularly to the healing school, learned well and also took part in the meetings of the Federation of Medical Students. Again and again there were disappointments. There were so many problems: The state was hopelessly overindebted, the environment destroyed, and there was mass unemployment. What did the other healing students say? They said: "That is not our problem. We pray to the Great Chairman, he will judge it. We drink mead and pray to the Great Chairman, and all will be well."

At some point Amarys finally finished studying medicine. But even before he finished his studies, Amarys began to think seriously about the world in which he lived. Why did everyone tick so differently than himself? Maybe he, Amarys, was really a sorcerer and that's why he was so horrible? Amarys decided to stop pretending he was like everyone else and made the decision to confess: "I'm joining the League of Sorcerers!"

The League of Sorcerers was not very popular with the public because sorcerers had a bad reputation. But Amarys believed that at least there, in the League of Sorcerers, he would meet reasonable people on his wavelength - if his fellow students at the healing school were such a disappointment.

In order to be accepted into the League of Sorcerers, one had to pass an extremely strict entrance examination, which served to prove one's hexeric abilities. Amarys thought to himself: "I can pass this exam with my left hand!" Said, done. Without preparing, Amarys took this exam - and passed it immediately.

Finally becoming a member of the League of Sorcerers, Amarys believed he would find people there who ticked similarly to him. But the disappointment was great. In the League of Sorcerers there were also many who went to the house of prayer every Thursday and even held the opinion that sorcerers who did not do so were not good sorcerers. They regarded Amarys as a crackpot, didn't think anything of his plan to get rid of the problem of eternal sleep once and for all. And the other problems Amarys was dealing with - national debt, environmental destruction, mass unemployment - did not interest the other sorcerers either. "That's not our problem," they used to say. Amarys was desperate. Apparently he was really alone in this world.

But Amarys had fortunately been wrong. One day a new member joined the League of Sorcerers, and this man, a healer like Amarys himself, was finally someone who understood Amarys. "Yes, Amarys, my remedy may not help prevent people from falling asleep forever," said Amarys' new friend. "But it will at least help to delay eternal sleep considerably." Amarys was enthusiastic and promised: "I offer you my services. Together we will be able to help people lead a better life."

Amarys worked diligently with his new friend and published numerous essays on this new miracle cure. But Amarys' colleagues were not enthusiastic. Eventually it became too much for them and they grabbed Amarys and threw him at the stake.

But what a miracle: Amarys did not burn!

Then it became clear to the healers that Amarys had been right. There are ways to prevent people from falling asleep forever.

That put the healers in a rage. The former chairman of the Federation of Medical Students moaned, "No one should know! There must be no witnesses!"

And so it came as it had to: All those who had been present were burned and Amarys himself imprisoned in a deep cellar, where he must now live for the rest of his life.

Strive to stay alive as long as possible and refrain from any action that could shorten your own life or that of your fellow human beings.

Claus D. Volko, cdvolko@gmail.com, www.cdvolko.net