The Grasshopper (32 page)

Pascal held her to his
chest.

“And another thing, Pascal” Manami
continued. “You say that Julius is the mayor of Megapolis. He
created everything that you only talked about. It’s true that he
created Megapolis and the University – but for his own reasons, in
his own way. Within a given theme. He took part in and won Kaella’s
competition.

“It is true that he offered
everything to young and talented people. But he couldn’t understand
that those scientists and artists became unhappy when they grew up.
Because they had to focus and use their talents and their knowledge
to increase production efficiency, reducing costs and increasing
Prince’s profit.

“Prince had the greatest respect
for Julius because the scientific institutes in Magapolis developed
materials and tools for tearing down skyscrapers and building new
ones, in the same location, in only a month. Your apartment’s
season is over, folks! You now have a new apartment, folks! And
your rent is higher, too!

“Artists had to create only odes to
Humane Capitalism or to solely commercial products. Literature,
fine arts, music, theatre, film… they all created the ideal of the
super-consumer, which younger generations would admire and
mimic.

“Julius didn’t question that at
all. That was a given for him. He acted, with exceptional success,
within such a system. He could never understand the hopelessness
and desperation of young people. And their escape into depravity.
Even now, after everything, after your arrival and the talk to the
students, when you told them that they should dream, when you gave
young men and women hope, when they listened to you and returned to
themselves, even now, when the war started – Julius still does not
understand that. He only understands that Megapolis and the
University will be able to function only in your world, not in
Kaella’s or Erivan’s.

“But Raul understood that, Pascal.
And the fact that you stayed in the shelter and that you will
safeguard yourself so that tomorrow you can help people create a
new world, that is an expression of your greatest admiration, your
deep respect for your friends’ sacrifice.

“And understand that already! A
hundred Juliuses and Levis could not create a better world. Only my
Pascal can do that, my dreamer,” Manami said and kissed
him.

“I am a dreamer that has seen his
dream come true,” said Pascal. “I’m living my dream. You were my
only dream this entire time, Manami. Everything that I dreamed of
in life, everything that I did in life, was all a dream about you.
I realized that the first moment that I saw you. When the light
that reflected off of you first reached my eye.”

“What are you saying, my love? Why
are you torturing me so, when I can’t kiss you?” Manami touched his
face and looked him in the eye. “Who are you? A biology teacher or
a lovesick poet? Tell your Manami – who are you?”

“I don’t know. I know only that I
am yours. And that nothing else matters.”

Manami couldn’t hold back anymore.
She kissed him passionately. Pascal was still caressing her
back.

“Cuddle my breasts… just my
breasts…” she whispered in a moment when she separated from his
lips.

Pascal gently cuddled her breasts
through her nightgown.

“Not like that!” Manami screamed.
She raised herself from his lap, lifted her nightgown and placed
Pascal’s hands beneath it. “Just my breasts, Pascal! Don’t you
dare…”

Manami and Pascal could barely
part, standing in front of her door. They had to get a few hours
sleep so that they could function normally in front of the
children.

“I’ll tell you this, my dear.
You’re not a coward. You’re the bravest man there is… who has ever
lived.”

Chapter 117

“Wow, Your Imperial Majesty! It
looks so good on you!” shouted the Grasshopper when he saw Erivan
in the black short tunic, wearing a wig.

“I don’t know… it’s a little
strange… but at least its comfortable…” Erivan stated his
opinion.

“It’s perfect, Your Imperial
Majesty. But, do you remember that reality show before the war? The
one where the competitors killed each other, and whoever survived
won money?”

“I do, how could I forget it! I
loved it! I kept sending messages. I spent a bunch of money, but I
have no regrets.”

“You should now organize the same
show, but at a stadium. Let the people watch them live as they kill
each other.”

“Wow, that would be great! Even I
would go watch that.”

“Of course you will go, Your
Imperial Majesty. In the central box. And your throne will be
carried in by hand.”

“Will they do that?”

“Only if they want me to vaporize
Capital City…”

“So, that’s what I should
say…”

“It’s clear to the people, Your
Imperial Majesty. You just give the orders and don’t worry about a
thing.”

“I will. I’ve really missed that
show,” Erivan finally relaxed.

“When the show is over and one
survives, you get up in your box, you slowly raise your
hand…”

“And?”

“And then if you give the thumbs up
– the survivor gets the prize, and if you give the thumbs down,
Charlie’s boys will kill him.”

“That’s great! I can’t wait!”
Erivan was excited.

“That’s only the beginning. I have
many things to teach you, Your Imperial Majesty.”

Chapter 118

“Today I was definitely convinced
that you will tell Seneca about the two of us one day, Manami,”
Pascal smiled.

“I couldn’t leave you with that bad
haircut. I don’t know what was up with Peter. He’s always cut your
hair nicely. I guess his hand trembled for some reason.”

“And you pounced like a lioness.
You grabbed the scissors from his hand. Peter was
shocked.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It was really strange. I was
watching in the mirror. I was watching you, my love. How silly you
were. You were all red. And you, the missus, took the scissors to
cut my hair in front of your son. You won’t let me be
ugly.”

“Well I won’t! I won’t let you, my
handsome man,” Manami kissed him.

“Really kiss me, Manami,” Pascal
placed his hand on her breast.

“Not now, Pascal. The night has
only begun,” Manami grabbed his hand, but she didn’t move it away.
“Alright… two minutes, but through the nightgown… We mustn’t… you
know how it would end. We always have to leave that for the end of
the evening, my love. Two minutes before bedtime. Kissing and
cuddling breasts beneath the nightgown. That’s our
agreement.”

“Yes. But these two minutes now,
through the nightgown,” Pascal caressed both her breasts, “can it
also be with kissing?”

“Alri…” Manami was already kissing
him, not to waste time.

“Alright. Now you tell me,” said
Manami five minutes later, when the agreed two minutes were
up.

“What should I tell you about?”
Pascal asked.

“I want you to tell me what kind of
world you will create.”

“I won’t. I’ve already told
you.”

“Yes, you will.”

“Alright, I will. Whatever you
say.”

“Well, then it will not only be the
law of the jungle that applies in the struggle for survival in your
free market.”

“It isn’t my free market, Manami.
It doesn’t belong to anyone. That’s why its called a free market.
Those are its rules. As powerful as nature’s laws. Like evolution.
Whoever opposes it will lose. Sooner or later.”

“Evolution created life, Pascal.
All life. Including man. And human life, regardless of whether it
is strong, young, full of energy, triumphant… or weak, ailing, old,
incompetent, a loser… whatever it may be, it is the greatest value
there is. You will create a world that will bow to life… and
protect it.”

“Whatever you say,
Manami.”

“Pascal, as your wife, I will warn
you.”

“My wife!” Pascal shouted. “My
wife, my beloved wife!” He kissed her passionately.

When they finally separated after a
while, Manami continued:

“I will tell you when you must
interfere. When you must stop the torrent of the free market and
protect the people. Protect the little nature that we still have
left. To defend life. And you will listen to your wife.”

“I will. I will obey my wife. I
will always, always listen only to you. I will do everything that
you want.”

Manami kissed him gently and placed
her head on his chest.

“Manami, do you have a gold
kimono?” Pascal asked.

Manami raised her had and gave him
a puzzled look.

“I do. How do you know
that?”

“I don’t know how I know. Perhaps
the mayor mentioned it during one of our conversations. I really
don’t know. But I dreamt of it that day… before the
war.”

“Of my kimono?”

“I dreamt of the two of us… in a
huge ballroom… I dreamt of it while I was putting on that dark suit
and the shiny black shoes… like dance shoes. And a white shirt. I
wanted to be shot in the heart. So that you could see on TV how my
heart bleeds for you.”

“Don’t say that! I don’t want to
hear that, Pascal!”

“Forgive me. I won’t. I won’t let
anyone shoot at me. I want to live every moment with you, Manami. I
dreamt of just the two of us being in that ballroom. Hugging… and
you, my love, were in a gold kimono. Beautiful!”

“That’s my great-grandmother’s
kimono,” Manami said. “My family gained artwork status for it. So
that the Inspectorate wouldn’t destroy it, as outdated. Perhaps you
saw that kimono somewhere on the Internet. There are pictures of
it. It says that I own it.”

“Possibly.”

“The kimono is my family’s prized
possession. That’s why I brought it with me to the
shelter.”

“Manami!” shouted Pascal. “Go put
it on! Immediately! Please!”

“Not now, Pascal. I didn’t know
that you knew about my gold kimono. And that you imagined us
dancing alone.”

“Alone, Manami. Just the two of us,
in the whole world. Why won’t you put it on?”

“Because, Pascal, this entire time
I’ve been having my own dream about the kimono.”

“What is your dream, my
love?”

“When we first make love, I’ll be
in the gold kimono. And you will take it off of me slowly and
gently.”

“Well that’s what I’m telling you.
Go, put it on,” Pascal said with a smile.

“Don’t torture me, Pascal, please.
Alright, alright… as a reward for dreaming about my kimono you’ll
get two extra minutes under the nightgown…”

Chapter 119

“Are you comfortable, Your Imperial
Majesty?” the Grasshopper asked.

“Comfortable? Fantastic,
Grasshopper!” Erivan exclaimed. “Like in the nicest
dream!”

“I’m glad for you, Your Imperial
Majesty. And what do you like the most?”

“Everything. I like everything! The
reality show at the stadium… Wow, how quiet it gets when I raise my
thumb. And when I give the thumbs down – ovations! How my subjects
adore me! How they shout when they carry me through the streets…
You see that, I guess?”

“I do, I do, but I don’t have
audio. And I like it when you tell me. I’m the happiest if you are
happy.”

“I’m overjoyed! And the orgies!
Phenomenal! Live, at my residence. And not like at Kaella, only in
porn movies. But do you know what’s bothering me,
Grasshopper?”

“What’s bothering you?”

“I get stuffed to quickly, I’m
about to burst. I want to eat more, I want to eat all the time… all
the goodies that they make for me… and I can’t.”

“That’s no problem, Your Imperial
Majesty. As soon as you feel that you can’t eat anymore, just
vomit.”

“Yes?”

“Yes. Make some room in your
stomach, and then go at it.”

“Great idea! How didn’t I think of
that?”

“That’s because Kaella first made
his money from food, and later on teas, pills and therapies for
losing weight, and he covered up this best method for continuous
eating. And I see that you also have interesting events in the
streets and squares.”

“We do, we do. I do all that for my
subjects. And I love them.”

“Of course.”

“I have something for them every
day… a firing squad, a hanging, guillotine, impalement,
crucifixion… and then they make an offering to me. And I eat a
young heart. You have no idea how healthy it is! I come alive! Hey,
do you know what my subjects love most of all?”

“What?”

“Bonfires! I do them twice a week.
They all cry out in excitement.”

“You’ve spoiled your subjects. It’s
no surprise that they adore you.”

“They adore me terribly!
Terribly!”