Math City Read online

  Chapter 6

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  There were many militias, and all corners and holes of the city were completely full of them. They ate anything they could see. After a few weeks, the city faced famine, and all the numbers were starving. The starving Ladies One rebelled and plundered a few stores. It was absolutely terrible, this was a tragedy. The Ones sincerely felt that they were right. They said, “We hadn’t stolen; we had only eaten a little food”.

  In fact they were not robbers, only desperately hungry. Indeed, who is the sinner, a hungry robber or the one who causes hunger? Regardless, in the name of justice, the government ruthlessly suppressed the rioters. Oh yes, the government was the Horizontal Line, who had promised to share everything more equitably, even going to the toilet.

  Of course, it is always in a minus’s nature to decrease anything: weight, differences, rights, protests, security, etc.

  It is vitally important that we be able to control our tyrannical nature, because everyone has a hidden character that can destroy the world. For example, I can destroy the earth only with an atomic bomb. Also, this very poor Zero once told me that it could unite all the other Zeroes of the world, to make a long chain fastening all numbers together and send them to prison. Oh, my God, can we only destroy, ruin, and make the whole planet desolate? Why are we unable to do a good thing?

  Anyway, the news of the famine spread quickly all over the mountains, and it was great news for my father. He then decided to reconstruct his army because he wanted to take revenge and recapture the city. He gathered his partisans and said, “Dear friends, we know that famine is ravaging the city; so now is the best time to attack, and we can get our revenge.” In any war, revenge would become the most important issue: Hatred & Revenge…

  Professor Six, who was tired of politics and fighting, said, “But why should we fight our brothers? Why can’t we solve our problems by negotiations? Why war?”

  One of the thin numbers shouted, “Really, that’s right.”

  Overall, my father was a macho man, and if they had been somewhere private he would have given Professor Six a sound thrashing. But among that crowd, he had to answer the professor, “I oppose killing my brothers, too, but there is a more important issue; the Horizontal Line has turned the entire city over to foreigners. Why has this famine overtaken Math City? Clearly, foreigners are pillaging everything there. Mustn’t we save our city from plunderers?!”

  Mr. Lovely Ten, who had not yet reached Lady Fifty-One, said, “That’s right. We must not let anyone misuse us!”

  “I agree, too,” someone among the people shouted.

  Lady Seven, who thought she could become a senator only through fighting, said, "We will fight the pillagers and the enemies of our city, and we will kill the traitorous Horizontal Line.”

  I saw my friend, poor Zero, and I asked it, “What do you think about this?”

  Comrade Zero said, “We are like a dead tree that has been colonized by ants. A revolution is the only way to salvation.”

  “Revolution! What is that?” I said.

  Comrade Zero answered, “We all must unite and defeat our enemies.”

  “Good gracious! What difference is there between a revolution and a fight?” I asked.

  Poor Zero answered, “Well, a revolution unites people to protect their rights. Afterward, everything will be divided equally among people because the revolution belongs to everyone, but war only belongs to a person.”

  I wanted to continue the conversation, but my father had been staring at me with surprise and said, “Who are you talking to? Who is here?”

  I said hastily, “Do not worry; I am training for giving speeches in the future.”

  My father liked my words and said, “Okay, Okay… you need to give good speeches. See, what else can I do? You are my successor.”

  All the thin numbers agreed to fight for the city's freedom, and the professor was forced to accept this decision.

  One of the thins asked, “How can we do it?”

  My father could easily persuade the thin numbers to fight, but Physics City did not want to help us because we had called them pillagers; therefore, he did not know what to do. With his small force of thins, we could not fight the enemy; then, like always, Professor Six offered another solution.

  Unfortunately, intelligentsias have a high level of mental and emotional ability and often help to make sad events. Professor Six also had powerful mental abilities, but he was gullible.

  Deep inside everyone, there is a destructive power which can be so dangerous to both themselves and others. It is vitally important that we all identify this destructive power in ourselves, because this thing is more dangerous to us, more than that within another person.

  Being sentimental can be like a deadly poison to an intelligent person, though to be sentimental is a good thing in artists. Unfortunately, Professor Six did not recognize this danger in himself. He quickly got excited and blurted his interesting ideas out before someone could stop him. The others also became emotional and maybe even more than he did, but they did not have any idea to share. Some ideas never must be outspoken, never; or at least, before stating the idea, it must be carefully thought out.

  Anyway, the professor put forward the idea of bringing all the numbers together. This was a terrible idea, implementing which would endanger everyone, even Professor Six.

  My father added all of the numbers together and made a big number. The new number was so huge that people called it Monster Number. Monster Number swallowed all of the whole numbers. Only my father and I remained. Along with Monster Number.

  From then on, Math City did not have any professor giving speeches or ideas, even a terrible idea, and no artist to entertain the people with his art. Although Lady Seven was also destroyed, there were still a lot of people who wanted to be a senator.

  I have forgotten to tell you about Comrade Zero. Poor Zero has not been destroyed because it is not added to any numbers and is not deducted from anything. Poor Zero’s body is hard and strong, but the problem is, nobody values it.

  Monster Number was grossly overweight and had a shaggy body, like a mammoth. In the beginning, Monster Number could not walk very well. Though he swayed a little, tottering and often falling, my father trained him to detect and to kill. In a few days, we attacked Math City.

  Math City was bombarded, the doors and the walls shaking while the dark shade of the Monster Number came down, covering the city. Monster Number threw big stones, one after another; and like a repulsive ghoul crashed through any barrier.

  Then, after many horrible explosions, Monster Number entered the city, and we followed him. He smashed countless numbers as he plodded along. My father added Ladies One to the Monster Number, so that he became bigger and bigger. Soon he became obese and could not breathe. He eventually fell down and crawled on the ground. My father furiously ordered him back to fight, but he could not continue any more. Monster Number begged piteously, “Please help me, I cannot carry this giant body.”

  The Monster Number had conquered only half of the city.