Escape from Paradise

Chapter 24: The Schemers

A week had passed since the two women sent Larry into the sun. With the transportation system between the Waterworld and Paradise destroyed, the population was split into two – those living on the blue moon, happy that their vacation would never end, and those stuck in the chaos of Paradise, attempting to comprehend what was going around them.

William had not been soft on the dreamers. His intention was to wake everyone up. Over the week, the Paradise has changed into a grotesque world of deformed clay. With William's coming all the wondrous and magical colors such as crepe, crimson, or azure have died or grown old, turned into a pallet of black and white with intermediate shades of gray. Buildings that had sharp, thought-provoking contours had melted into smoother shapes as if clips that held their lines straight had been blown off the surface of the world.

After dealing with the central square, William had taken a long walk around the Paradise. Where he walked the city mutated into a dull, useless thing not much different to a system of caves suitable for animal habitation. He mutated the world according to his own image – ugly, imperfect, barely functional, and minimalistic. People had noticed that it was him who changed their world but none of them dared to approach him, ask him what was he doing and for what reason. Like dumb sheep they watched him from a distance, murmuring, scheming, discussing their theories, none of them daring to step closer towards unknown and risk leaving the safety of a crowd.

Watching at the little man messing with their world struck them with a wake-up slap. Many people realized that the world was not what they initially imagined it to be. They had lived in a beautiful place where every change required a thorough bureaucratic process, where life was stable and they were free to do whatever they liked. Now a man walked through their city and turned it into something it was never supposed to be – a pile of hardened mud.

With many restaurants and eateries destroyed people crowded by the remaining ones. They were starving, at least at first, they thought they were. Then they learned that eating was only mandatory. If they skipped eating or drinking – nothing changed, they remained as they were. Thirst and hunger diminished over time.

For William's amusement, Larry's statue in central square grew larger day-by-day. The menace in Larry's face increased and the air of superiority around him strengthened. Over the week, similarly to what picture of Dorian Gray did over the span of a few decades, Larry's statue changed from a little-known dictator to a great war despot responsible for genocide to an evil god of war and lies. No one who glanced at the statue remained untouched by its imposing superiority and suffocating pressure.

For six days the tiny angel of apocalypse circled the city and on the seventh day, two daring women approached him.

"I hoped you'd get back a few days earlier," William sneered to Jessie and Diana.

In the gloomy grayish city, both women – Diana in her mustard straps and Jessie in an emerald dress – were color characters in a black and white movie. Neither of the three figures showed enthusiasm about their meeting, neither of them showed any signs of happiness, on the contrary, they appeared as grim as the city around them.

William asked, "Where is the ignorant fool? Where did you put him?"

"Out there," Jessie said pointing her finger at the white spot barely visible on the surface of the dark clouds. "I thought we deserved a break."

William said, "Not the wisest choice. He'll return angrier than before. We won't be able to negotiate with him."

"Negotiate? Are you stupid? The man doesn't even comprehend what we're saying to him. You can't apply logic to illogical humans. This just doesn't work. He won't cooperate."