Math City Read online

  Chapter 3

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  For many months afterwards, both groups of numbers secretly fought each other. The fat numbers, who generally had more power over making decisions in Math City, forced the thin numbers to obey their orders. Seven Million severely fined the thin numbers for no reason at all except that he was the boss.

  Dr. One Million started extracting their teeth. Moreover, if one of the thins objected, the dentist did it without anesthetic.

  The confectioner, One Hundred Eighty Thousand, was making special sweets and puzzles for the thin numbers. These puzzles did not have any answer except snake poison. That meant that any answer to these puzzles was wrong.

  Of course, I must say that the thin numbers and my father did fight back against the fats. To show their objection, the thin numbers did many things, but they would not help to solve social problems. For example, Comrade Zero did not cooperate in making fat numbers, or skyscrapers, or cleaning up streets. Also my father (Plus), angry about the situation, ordered Professor Six to give fiery speeches to thin numbers against fat numbers. Ms. Seven, who hated being female now became a journalist without any education, traveled from street to street, looking for white walls on which to write the motto: Death to Fat Numbers. And when no white wall was left in Math City, she began writing it on paved alleys and streets. Lady Seven was crazy about the congress and craved to become a senator; so she was ready to do anything in order to obtain this position.

  Mr. Lovely Ten, whose love for Lady Fifty-One had made him age, became an artist. One day, he played a film about the Horizontal Line (Minus) stealing from his parents, and he had grown in bad condition, for that reason he was a bad man. And the other day, he drew the face of my father with warm colors because he loved my father; but finally he took to drugs to escape the pain of overwhelming love.

  Although they fought, the thin numbers were not able to overcome the fat numbers because the fat numbers seized all the power until Professor Six argued that this situation was unfair, and that we had to use guns. My father agreed.

  The thin numbers who worked for my father were quickly armed with guns. Under cover of darkness, they attacked gangs of the Horizontal Line. The roar of gunshots and the screams of numbers shattered the silence of Math City. My father’s group broke into a fat number’s house and fired at them. The fat numbers ran with fear, but bullets chased them everywhere until they were trapped in a corner of their house and fell down on the ground. Of course, most of the young numbers could run away from this dirty trap, but most women, children, and elderly were covered in blood. It is so regrettable that my father was behind the massacre, but he was my father, and I cannot say more about this tragedy.

  The Horizontal Line ordered his fat group to escape to the mountains, but some of them were panting and could not climb. They were shot and fell down one after another until my father commanded his subordinates to stop firing. At midnight, it was impossible to see what was happening there; everything had been wrecked, but the following day everything seemed normal again, but in fact nothing was normal. As always, the cold wind blew over the city, but there was a difference. Now the city was silent as the grave. It was not possible to see or hear the crowds in the city center, or the hubbub of busy sidewalks.

  After the war, the Horizontal Line members hid in the mountains, which have always sheltered mutineers I think we are deeply indebted to nature because it has sheltered us and numberkind’s ancestors from dangers, even its own forces, such as storms. Now, the earth is tired, and we should do our best to pay off our immense debts; but who cares about the earth?! Nobody?! Oh, our poor earth…

  Anyway, my father had destroyed his opponents, and afterwards ordered thin numbers to celebrate the victory all over the city. The musicians played, and the singers sang. The slim numbers danced and shouted, “Long live Vertical. H. Line….” My father was extremely happy and cheered with his followers, “Hip, hip, hooray!”

  At the end of the celebration, my father really thought that the fat group was completely defeated because there was no trace of fat members in the city; so, he introduced himself as the chief of Math City. To the extent that my father could curse, he did so, and then he spat on the number Seven Million’s picture and announced, “I am the new boss and the leader of the city from now on. What I say is the law and you must abide by my rules. Put a fence around the houses of the minus groups; no one has permission to go in or out.”

  All of them embraced my father as leader because they derived many benefits from my father (Plus). Never forget, you must accurately assess the qualifications for a boss when you would choose her (him) as a boss. Of course, many bosses, after being chosen, break all their promises; therefore I think electing a boss for all is very wrong. Why do we must choose a person who does anything?

  After the victory and becoming boss, my father took to using MUST in his speeches. “You MUST do…” “We MUST…” “They MUST make…” All the orders given by my father had to be obeyed. Once, all people were forced to come out at midnight, and had to sit around listening to my father’s speech. After some time, he said, “Just now, the sun must shine.” All said that it was impossible, but the weather suddenly turned bright, and it looked like the sun started shining. Everyone was amazed and bewildered to see the miracle. My father became a despot who could get blood out of a stone.

  Mr. Lovely Ten said, “Oh, my God, I suppose he came down from the sky.”

  Poor Zero said under its breath, “Foolish, do not believe it.” Had it spoken aloud, and had one of my father's numbers heard its words, certainly poor Zero would have been brutally beaten. I was annoyed with its words at the time, but Comrade Zero was right because that was just a big projector in the sky. Oh yes, you understand very well, it was just a ruse; my father had created the illusion of an impossible thing happening.

  My father’s minions followed orders and captured all mutineers. The Professor Six produced theories about how to control Math City, by means of law and policy. Lady Seven, as a journalist, carried out the Professor’s recommendations in full; she wanted to show she was very particular about law enforcement. The dream of giving a speech in the Senate forced her to do anything.

  Mr. Lovely Ten then, as an artist, made a movie about the new laws, and then used movies to justify the use of force against others. In addition, he covered all the walls of the city with my father’s photos, and next he wrote this motto below the photos: Strict, happy, hardworking, our leader, Vertical. H. Line.

  Pictures are so important in our lives; a picture is a proper substitute for the owner of that picture. Even our ancestors, who lived in caves, drew pictures of animals on cave walls. With these pictures, they were able to control the souls of animals forever, and after that, the prey could not escape because hunters were able to see the animals anywhere. Little by little, this power has grown, so that now the pictures grasp and control us. It means anywhere my father’s picture appeared; the people shuddered in fear and thought Vertical. H. Line (my father) was there. Yes, a picture has magical powers, and my father understood this. Therefore, he forced the people of Math City to put his picture on the walls of their homes, even in their bedrooms.