(Had written this story some years ago. Thought of publishing it on the blog)
There existed life, unknown to the inhabitants of Mother Earth, about a million light-years away from the Milky Way, in a galaxy called Balleria. Similar to the planets in our solar system, it had several round colorful celestial bodies floating in space, each having some kind of a life form on it. On one such planet called the Blue Ball, there existed a species bearing a close resemblance to the human race. They were called (would you believe it!) the HU-mans. (Pronounced as hue mans)
The HU-mans were not exactly known for their patience. They had long brushed aside the process of natural evolution in favour of a technology called FGT (Frenetic Genetic Tactic). The idea was to endow the HU-mans with qualities that their great grandfathers wouldn’t even have dreamt of. The landmasses of Blue Ball subsequently were all rechristened in a way that reflected the USP’s (Unique Selling Proposition, for the uninitiated) they had come to acquire as a result of this engineered evolution. So we had StrongLand, a place where people had the strength of an elephant, WittyLand, where people were so brilliant that they could solve 99 simultaneous equations in as many seconds, HealthyLand, where the average life expectancy now stood at 151 years, and BeautyLand, where people had the physical features to die for.
But that was not all to Blue Ball. For, amidst all the hoopla, there was a place in an isolated nowhere called No-man’s-Land. It was called so, not because that no civilization existed there, but because the HU-mans which lived there were very ordinary, not particularly attractive, and of average intelligence. They had stayed away from FGT and the likes, and they could also be called the original HU-mans. Their contact with the outside world was very minimal, and not much was known about the ways of this land.
In due course of time, it so happened that the cumulative strength, wit, health and beauty of the four premier lands started to decline. Though a lot of pioneering work had been done in the field of FGT, the scientists and engineers of Blue Ball were all at sea in trying to understand what was going wrong. They even called in consultants from their friendly neighbours Red Ball and Green Ball but to no avail.
The representatives from each of the lands met for an emergency meeting at the headquarters of ‘yoU-n-whO’, a body devoted to the advancement and betterment of HU-mans, to decide on the future course of action. Here they brainstormed again as they had done on several occasions in the past, but soon realized that they had exhausted almost all their options. Until one member suggested that there may still be one place remaining to look for. But all the ensuing optimism died an instant death when the name of No-man’s-Land came up. However, after a much-heated debate, the ‘yoU-n-whO’ decided to send a team of four delegates, one from each of the premier lands to No-man’s-Land in search of that elusive solution.
The following are excerpts from the personal diaries of each of these individuals.
George (from HealthyLand)
The journey to No-man’s-Land was a long and arduous one. From the moment we embarked on it, a sense of frustration and skepticism was prevalent. Personally, I was very upset at having been chosen for this good-for-nothing excursion. When the great Dr. Smith (winner of the highest honour in medicine, the Yes-bel Prize) could not break new ground, what help could these ordinary mortals provide us with. They perhaps would not have even heard of FGT. When we finally reached there, it was late in the evening and Jolly was waiting there for us. Jolly was to be our guide in No-man’s-Land. Since this was supposed to be a covert mission, we had come with the ruse that we just wanted to know more about this land and its people.
Jolly first took us to Happyville, the nearest village where we could relax for the day. The village folks there proved to be excellent hosts. Having a bath in the hot water spring there was absolutely amazing and a welcome change from the scented bubble baths that I was used to at home. Jolly said that it was believed to have a lot of medicinal value also.
We had a hearty meal that made my taste buds stand up and dance in delight, a far cry from the calorie labelled, genetically engineered mundane stuff that made up our staple diet. The village jester then regaled us with his jokes, which kept us laughing through the night. The sound of laughter was music to my ears, a music seldom played back home. Nantie, one of the village elders later told me that though enjoyment was the sole purpose of these joke sessions, one of the healthy side effects was a slight increase in one’s life span. Now that was some revelation for me.
Later that night, we all were invited to a birthday party that was happening in the village. Joining in the celebrations, we had barely danced for an hour or so before we so-called genetically superior HU-mans got tired. But the village folk continued to dance through the night, oblivious to time and tiredness. That is when it hit me that their zest for life was so much that it far superceded the effectiveness of any energy tonic that could be bought in the market. For the first time in my life, I wanted to be like them….
Nicholas (from StrongLand)
Yesterday was great. I never had enjoyed myself so much. In all the bonhomie, I almost had forgotten why I was here in the first place. I asked Jolly if he knew who was the strongest HU-man on this land. He pondered on it for a while, and then took me over to meet Simon. Simon was from the neighbouring village of Joyville, which was also the residence of the strongest man on the island.
At daybreak, Simon and myself set off for Joyville. On the way, my curiosity got the better of me and I asked Simon about some of the feats that this person was known for. But Simon just smiled and told me to be patient.
When we finally reached there, Simon took me to a small hut on the outskirts of the village. There he called out for someone named Albert. Out of the hut came a very aged man, with a creased face and a frail body, clearly in the evening of his life. Simon looked at me and said, ‘Sir, this is your man’. I stood there shell-shocked. What was this, a joke??? Didn’t I have enough of them yesterday?? Even Simon standing besides me looked ten times stronger than him. That is when Simon, with his now characteristic ‘I-know-what-you-are-thinking’ smile, proceeded to tell me the exploits of Albert.
Albert was born almost blind. But he was gifted in what they called the spirit of adventure. He was so full of life that his handicap could barely dampen his enthusiasm. He was very fond of mountaineering and in the rugged and hilly terrain of No-man’s-Land, it was daunting and nearly impossible for someone like him to pursue his passion. But the guy was mentally so strong that he took up the challenge.
One fine day, he and three of his friends set out to realize the dream of every mountaineer, to climb the highest peak of Mount NeverRest. Having started from base camp very early in the morning, they were barely half way through when suddenly a thunderstorm hit them. In the resulting chaos, they lost contact with each other. Albert’s three friends found their way back to base camp, but there was no sign of Albert. Fearing the worst, they got back to climbing early next morning and returned to the same spot where they had split. But there was no sign of Albert. Suddenly they all caught sight of their flag which Albert was carrying. It was fluttering atop the highest peak of Mount NeverRest. Albert, born blind, had become the first HU-man to have scaled the summit on his own. Since then he had been a part of several expeditions to Mount NeverRest and even led some of them. He had become a living legend.
One of the things that drives mountaineers in scaling peaks is the view from the top. If only I could see what Albert saw….
Margaret (from BeautyLand)
From the moment that we landed in No-man’s-Land, I hadn’t seen a single person whom I could say was beautiful. I was pretty disappointed. But the disappointment gave way to joy when I saw that portrait. It was that of a beautiful young woman, so good looking that I could have easily mistaken her for a BeautyLander. It had been been sketched by Elvis, who made paintings for a living. But the work was so good and the sketch so lively that he had never quite been able to put a price tag on it. On further enquires, I came to know that the work was done several years back and the lady in the portrait was Sheila who lived in a village called Careville, not far away. All excited and raring to go, I set off immediately.
On reaching Careville, I found out where she lived and promptly proceeded to meet her. But to my utter disbelief, I was greeted at the door by the most ugly and disfigured face that I had ever seen. It sent a chill down my spine and I fainted there itself. When I regained my consciousness, I found myself in her house. And got to know her story.
Some years back, in an accident, part of her face had been badly burnt. If something like that had happened to someone back home, he or she would have committed suicide, rather than living with that appearance for the rest of their lives. But not Sheila. She had devoted her life to an orphanage that she had since started. Though still unmarried, she had attained the bliss of motherhood by showering her love on the children under her care. She had struggled to run her orphanage, which often encountered funding and other such problems. But she had continued to face them with a smile. In the evening, when she narrated the story of princes & fairies, she had each one of them in a trance. It was as if she had taken them with her to another world free from the troubles and worries of everyday life.
Later, when I saw the children hug her and kiss her good night, I realized something. That for these kids she was probably much more beautiful than that woman in the portrait. If only HU-mans could see such beauty…
Mark (from WittyLand)
Today is the last day of our stay in No-man’s-Land. I, on my part, spared no effort in trying to find the wittiest HU-man on this planet. But I haven’t been able to do so. And neither have George, Nicholas and Margaret been able to find answers to the problems that face us back home. But in the process, more questions have been raised in our minds. About the validity of the very questions whose answers we seeked in the first place. I came to this place expecting nothing out of it. But it has given us something that I had never even considered expecting…hope. Hope, that recounting our experiences back home would open a few more eyes as it opened ours. Hope, that the questions raised out of them, would not remain unanswered. Hope, that the future generations of HU-mans wouldn’t be as self-centered as we were and would not fall victims to the kind of uncertainty that we had created for ourselves. Hope, that we would live to see the day when the race for attaining more strength, more wit and more beauty has ended and nature has taken back its rightful place, at the center of all existence.
