The
Two Houses
This
is a fiction.
Once
upon a time, People called upon her children to choose who, among them, would
be wizards, architects and an overseer of the kingdom. For these chosen few,
she built two houses and a Palace. To the wizards and architects, she entrusted
the houses. To the overseer, she gave the key to the Palace.
Fifteen
wizards inhabited the Old House in the hill. They were fifteen until one was
reaped off from the house because of miscalculation. Soon, the Palace sent a younger
one to manage the old house and its occupants. But the thirteen older wizards
give the younger wizard a cold reception. They did not like the way she had entered
the house. There might be other reasons though for this. Well, she is still
young. The prospect of the old ones taking over the management of the household
while the light still shines on all them has suddenly become dim because of her.
As if the insult is not enough, the overseer in the Palace sent another young
wizard to help her manage the house to his liking after an old wizard retired
from the house. And so, they bicker. The older wizards continue to ignore the
young lady wizard. The Old House in the hills has never been the same again. Used
to be known for its justice and wisdom, the Old House has since become but a
travesty of its own virtue: weakened and defeated by the forces that had shaken
its foundation after an old crown was taken out swiftly from it by magic.
The
House of the Architects has two chambers. The architects were chosen, not only that
they seem to fit the job, but also because many of them possess a magic amulet
whose glitter could hypnotize other human beings into submission. The lower
chamber is occupied by young architects while the upper chamber has served as a
dwelling place for the older architects. Despite its grand design, the House of
the Architects is known to be less stable because of the shifting weights that
it is housing. The occupants of the chambers are all jolly and witty. They all live
in comfort and are always feasting every day. However, despite of all the
privileges given to them by their mother they could not accomplish the work
that they are set to do because of their propensity to argue with one another.
The spirit of contradiction in them is great. Because of this, the weight of opinions
in the house shifts every time. And while opportunities to build good design
and structures occasionally pass by, they fail to notice them. Their bickering
and debates prevent them to see things the same way.
Meanwhile,
the overseer seems to enjoy these unhappy scenes. With the occupants of the
houses quarrelling with one another, the overseer is left alone to do whatever
he likes.
Until
one day, an evil monster has shown itself. With a powerful thunder, it smashed
down the houses and the Palace. In split seconds, the houses and the Palace
were destroyed. Every single brick was shattered by the misfortune. Nothing
remains.
The
wizards cry at their misfortune. The architects wail to high heavens because
they lost everything. They looked back at the old edifices but they could see
nothing but ashes. The Palace fell too, but before it hit the ground its
occupant was able to fly to a distant land. Wizards and architects had tried to
flee as well. However, they failed to see what’s hitting them because they were
busy destroying one another.
A
new monster has enslaved the kingdom. It puts all living creatures in prison.
It smashed everyone with its hammer into submission. The beast had been
planning this all along. It had taken advantage of the chaos which had eaten
the hearts and minds of the sentinels of the society.
With
everything gone, the wizards and the architects came looking for their mother,
People. When they found her, they asked her why she had allowed the monster to
destroy the houses and everything that the kingdom had. People did not answer them.
She was ravished and tortured by the beast even before the houses were
destroyed. Now, she was in rag and could speak no longer. It’s only then that the
wizards and architects realized that they were to blame for all of these. Had
they not forgotten why their mother entrusted to them the houses, none of these
would have happened.
Unless the wizards and architects of
our time remember that their mission is not to keep their houses or to live in
comfort but to serve the people, society will never be safe.
