Once upon a time, in the present moment, in a world of papers and booklets, there were letters dancing to the tunes of texts, building their words and sentences, and guiding their reality with great wisdom and adherence to grammatical rules.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDZ7nXOVR8
From A to Z, and even to the vowel markers, they harmonized and formed their world.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDVukA7UpQ
Here comes the train: the letters C and T joined together, along with A and R, to build it and ride along the streets shaped by their own letters.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbOllIFGNss
A complete world inhabited by the letters in a state of perfect tranquility, building buildings, vehicles, squares, stadiums, and everything else that could be represented by spoken letters.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wdmMlpm16
But this world, which was merely a reflection of the colossal human efforts to find ways of expression and communication, was not limited to a few elements; numbers too had their share in these considerations.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiyBPJOmWCm
The invasion of the letter world by numerical symbols was uncommon, but wars were inevitable. As everyone knows, numbers are endless, which always motivates them to invade and conquer spaces.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4K3Cg27lI
“Alas! Alas!”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkOo80Wmo00
The letter W cried out, its voice so loud that it woke up the sleepers, then it continued while fleeing:
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4WzmUIUg8s
“We are being invaded by monsters! We are being invaded by monsters! Wake up and save us, oh people!”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF3hRf57vpG
What is this? Letters do not usually face such things; they are used to connecting and building their community structure, not to meeting strangers. In fact, they had never encountered outsiders throughout their existence, for they are writings isolated from the world in every case. This might be the reason why W called these numbers monsters, despite the possibility that they were friendly symbols.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMYIXjgYFW8
Just a few hours passed, and all the letters gathered (or so they thought) and gathered in the book square, looking like a crowd despite their small number.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdEYkHFbYwv
The letter W stepped forward and took the podium. As soon as it climbed it, it glared at the letters M, N, S, and T:
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFBMzZz2TM3
“What are you doing here?! Join the rest so I can address you! We are in a state of emergency!”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlKnsQ1OXOj
The letters M, N, S, and T (in one voice):
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUDD1KADMQ
“But the podium…”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9bFbmBxFNS
W: “Forget about that! I don’t need it. Quickly, go join the others so I can finish my speech!”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCl34k7Q3P
(They joined the crowd, and before the leader could address the public without the podium, he turned to look behind him.)
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoAhFRa5hZd
W: “What’s going on? Why are you standing there motionless? Are you tourists or invaders?”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡohCNSnTlCO
(Realizing) No doubt, they cannot hear me.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2lQC7fyTq
“Loudspeaker! Come to me!”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Qk22hPtI7
(The letters that were called came to him and formed into a loudspeaker, which W used to repeat his question.)
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhv7k0GFMvn
One of the numbers responded, looking over the entire book:
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjWl8k4lt3
“We are neither tourists nor invaders, we are explorers.”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCE2ObVlha
“We are an endless series of ourselves, and there is no place left for us anywhere we’ve been, because places are limited, unlike us…”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNSqmCX8J6z
W (interrupting):
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFc7KGB7RB
“So, you came to examine the place?”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBYzGMHiI3q
One of the numbers:
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlh93M6ngwv
“That’s right.”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIev4chALP
W: “Then go back! This place doesn’t accommodate anyone but us.”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGfXvBiYlJj
One of the numbers: “We thought it was abandoned, but it turns out it’s inhabited, so we might buy it if you’re selling.”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGU3qoxnH9t
W: “Buying and selling?”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhydFcvm5dD
One of the numbers: “Yes! Buying and selling, is that so surprising?”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIc0DEdiTN8
W: “I don’t even know what buying and selling means.”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Rc9nbMeQq
One of the numbers: “What a shock! A society so prosperous yet unaware of trade?” (To himself: It seems these foolish beings lack much knowledge! Exploiting their ignorance of sciences would be to our advantage!)
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2q6t581Um
“Trade, my dear, is two things: buying and selling. You give me something, and I give you something else of equal value in return.”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPoitrZsuOE
W: “That doesn’t sound too complicated, but I refuse to hand over our land under any circumstances.”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRfcXJTXFVa
One of the numbers: “It seems we won’t get a satisfying result!”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJUdzIylipW
W: “Indeed. Leave.”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9DT9N7LGN
The number turned to its companion and ordered it to leave and continue the exploratory journey with all the newcomers. Then it took a final look at what it had hoped to steal.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGzDxJmVkEg
This is how stability is achieved! This is how stability is achieved! All the letters cheered as they lifted their leader on their shoulders.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWeChoukFen
But one dissenting letter stepped out of line and condemned the leader:
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb6CelZKwc2
“We should have fortified the book with a wall! I’ve told you a million times that the book should be surrounded by a wall! Now, those numbers have found a place and will attack us with their massive numbers!”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8N3ORjdZE
The letter K responded: “A wall cannot be built. Letter G went on a journey long ago and hasn’t returned.”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcCuzAehvC1
Suddenly, the letter D spoke with wisdom:
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡznymR5xevs
“It could have been better than it was. The book could have evolved by adding those numbers, and that would have been a beautiful step toward promoting diversity and co-existence, not to mention gaining new contributors to enrich our nation in ways we can’t even imagine!”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqIzPWfCxRx
Whispers and murmurs spread among the attendees:
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XLpWh2WvA
“A noble idea!... A symbol of love!... I agree... Beautiful!... Why not?... That would have been wonderful!”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSPUSE1kia
The letter T responded:
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrBYZvk1cF
“You are truly a misguided letter, and your error is your ignorance! The problem is adaptation. This environment is made for letters, not numbers. Besides, we are productive beings, while they are mere numerical values that will consume our products without giving anything in return.”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8Y4PAUkKN
Whispers continued:
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ20oGVblOfg
“That’s true!... Yes, adaptation… How did we not think of that?”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl6wduqC5CH
////////////////////////Meanwhile///////////////////////////
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI9u9sQUPGM
On the fixed path of numbers, one blamed the leader:
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnKV8ggA8Ti
“Why did we retreat? We could have crushed those worthless letters and destroyed their place, then occupied it! There were only 28 of them, while we are 280,000 or more!”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl8NmLtco7U
The leader stopped, smiled, and patted his head:
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNe6QVbcDQD
“The idea is not about aggression or recklessness, and there’s no need to take risks, even if our enemy is weak. Furthermore, a military success can be achieved with a single move, and the results would yield an economy and abundance of resources. Do you understand now?”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzorjohWyGM
The other number signaled yes and asked about the next step, to which the leader replied:
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9uBeMU47C
“These letters don’t understand trade, meaning they don’t understand goods, meaning they don’t understand the poisonous goods!”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtZxu26UCh5
The number stood frozen, stunned by the shock. Poisoning was possibly the most dangerous thing it had ever heard of before… Then, after the shock wore off, it added:
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrYGybCJge
“But you condemned aggression and recklessness!”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOpOKgBfNee
The leader interrupted, laughing:
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡieB0qPfy66
“But not wise aggression or careful recklessness!”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW7A0gjXU3W
The number praised the leader:
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYwcYVDgF2
“What an impressive leader! You exploited their ignorance and proposed a solution that will annihilate them without any losses! But how will we give them the poison? As a gift?”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4xkmQteaKn
The leader: “Yes, as a gift.”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoOQOb6yacc
The number: “A gift for what?”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJ4ilJldQT
The leader: “As a token of gratitude and generosity.”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡouGUz6i8b1
The number: “Gratitude for what?”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1BDveF3OxI
The leader (with growing impatience): “For nothing! Just because! Be quiet and keep walking!”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9YkLsbZrw
The number (apologetically): “As you wish, I apologize.”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUMBlQqA81i
The numbers continued on their journey.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUA5DXMstAk
From nowhere, the absent letter G descended to the ground after many years. It had heard the wicked conversation. This conversation had taken place in a socially isolated area rich in inanimate objects, one of which was the "tractor" vehicle that letter G had made from metal, forming shapes similar to the letters R and A and moving ahead of the numbers for all that time.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUUwjZQVizI
Letter G realized that the numbers came from the place of its writing, so it rushed to it eagerly, warning them.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhmPwkuAFT
Upon reaching the book, the letters greeted it warmly, with longing suppressed in their hearts.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0fmltIAVF
It sat down, and in awe and wonder, it spoke, expressed its feelings, and shared the conversation it had overheard, along with a solution that was not strange to its kind:
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmchiC5etjx
“The solution is to build the protective wall, and now its construction is easier than ever.”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhfPe1rtdBZ
One of the letters screamed in fear:
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF4GVLh4s2m
“Poison that kills! Is it directed at us?! Let’s build the wall!”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQPPvpoCzV
The leader (proudly and arrogantly):
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaaOcUZz3Zl
“You heard, my followers! Build the wall!”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu8nKIuiUWq
The letters D, A, and R rushed to build the wall, and G remained silent, head bowed.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSDeYi7MhZb
All the letters (in one voice):
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2BpDJzMp3h
“What’s wrong? Why the bowing?”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYadbpbawpS
Letter G replied:
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPhTy79lI7c
“Truthfully… the reality is that protection, despite its importance, should not be prioritized over prevention, which is the true priority.”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKp3EF0qs3I
Confusion spread across the faces of the letters from A to Z, and they exchanged quiet analyses.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDC8yS7JB1W
The leader stood from his seat and asked for more clarification, which was granted:
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE44woLLy5I
“I heard from one of the humans – I’ll tell you who humans are later – that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAdVCEO3x3
This means that self-preservation is important, even more so than the means of protection itself, without diminishing its value. Therefore, it is crucial that we never fall prey to ignorance, which would allow the predators to devour us. This is a matter of extreme importance and should be considered a basic need for survival.”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv24ZojLyDQ
The message I want to convey is that we desperately need to study poison, sciences, history, and more in order to strengthen our existence. After building the wall, do we intend to build our future?”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIsW2bSbf0a
All the letters cheered joyfully and eagerly, united in a loud voice full of enthusiasm:
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRyfKm4bYub
“Build the wall, build the future! We work and we learn!”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOsxvnz0nzg
The leader promised letter G a prestigious position before they began building the wall that would keep the invaders away forever.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9p9ryR0KE
