WE CAN ONLY HOPE
by John D. Brooke
Hope, a brilliant young archaeologist, worked at the prestigious State Museum as Curator of Hellenic Greek Culture. She adhered to a high moral code but was not prudish. The Golden Rule was her yardstick of human behavior. Breathtakingly beautiful, she did have one tiny flaw.
She could not resist garage sales. Last Saturday, for two bits, Hope bought a pair of antique white figure skates. Not her size, but she loved how they looked. When she got home, she tried to clean them up and felt something lumpy in the right boot. She reached in and pulled out a structure encased in linen. Unwrapping it, revealed an aromatic dark red wooden box, covered in intricate carvings of ancient Greek words and symbols.
As Hope caressed the candlewood box, she forgot about the skates. Insatiably curious, Hope was startled, as she read the inscription on the lid. It was a warning: “A mortal woman opened this lid and inflicted wickedness and violence into the world. Only Hope can return the evil into this box.” An icy chill ran down her spine.
“The world is certainly brimming with evil and violence, or my name isn't Hope," she sang aloud, “that’s serendipity or simply synchronicity?”
She pondered over the warning. Perused the remaining words and discovered a cryptic code that was the key to unlock the box. She picked it up, shook it reverently, it seemed empty.
She quickly figured out the code, but did not attempt to open the box. Hope wanted to share her good fortune, she thumbed his number into her Blackberry.
“Hello, Hector; Hope here… yes I’m fine, thanks. Just wondered how you’re progressing with your Molecular Super String thesis? Wonderful, you published it already! Cool! When can I see you? Tonight! Super, your place for pizza? I’ll bring the Chianti; you order a medium pizza with our favorite topping. I promise you a surprise! See you at 6:30, Love you, bye.”
When Hope arrived at Hector’s loft, the door was open. She found him beaten and dazed. She went to his aid.
Wiped the blood off his handsome face, he was furious, his place vandalized.
“Who did this, why?” She asked.
He ignored her question, “Well they didn’t scare me! My theory had already been published.” Hector staggered to his feet. “Did you bring the wine, I could sure use a glass.”
"Of course, now answer me, who do you think did this and why?” She repeated.
“I’m not sure, suspect it’s our wonky government, military, industrial complex bunch.” Hector replied.
“They’ve tumbled to the fact that your theory would cause permanent peace to break out all over the world.
The pizza arrived. They sat down at his desk and savaged it.
“You’ve witnessed my violent surprise, now you can show me your peaceful one,” exclaimed Hector.
Hope opened her attaché case and removed the box.
“Wow! It looks ancient. Did you steal it from the museum?” he kidded her.
“No! See it is a message of Hope. In addition, it’s the key that opens the box. I had a ‘crazy wisdom’ idea, lets see if I’m right.”
Hope pushed a series of carved symbols, as she finished, the lid opened a little, releasing a whisper of delicate perfume.
”She repeated the translation: “Only Hope can return the evil to this box.”
“Holy synchronistic, my theory states, as you know, positive gravitation attracts negative violent evil human vibrations into a dark matter wormhole. I believe this box contains original dark matter. Let’s find out.”
Hope opened the lid fully.
The box made a slight growling noise. The violent headline on the New York Times, lying on the desk, disappeared, followed by the front-page stories that contained lies, evil, and horror. In nanoseconds, blank paper replaced all abusive pictures and text.
Hector turned on the TV. Gruesome scenes that were playing on every channel suddenly vanished in a steady stream of visible electrons that flowed into the box. Trembling, Hope, closed the lid. A text message crawled onto the flickering screen. “Warning! It is a Federal Offense to manipulate programming on protected channels. You are answerable to our authority.”
Hope opened the lid again, sucked in brutish content from TV networks all over north, south, and Central America.
Hope and Hector next turned to the Internet, and the Middle East. Negativity of Iran, North Korea, Israel, and Palestine disappeared into the box’s dark matter, violence transformed into melodic music. Russia and the Balkans joined the beautiful, peaceful revolution. China and Japan’s negative messages vanished.
Peace permeated the web. The Internet highway was cleansed, as barbaric negativity was sucked into the box.
Newspapers, newsletters, and magazines vanished without paid adverting prevarications. Evil filmmakers and purveyors of corruption collapsed along with Wall Street and the financial chicanery of Dubai, London, Zurich, and Shanghai. Organized religion and governments told the truth as their power shrank.
Love burst out of economic bondage. The world was free of slogans.
John D. Brooke, an expatriate Canadian lives by the Sea in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Formerly a senior advertising scribbler, now an emerging writer of poetry, flash fiction, novels and screenplays. Contact John.
