Hostile Takeover

Chapter Twelve

Hope was no longer a glimmer, it was beaming right in front of his eyes. Sitting opposite Mr. Suseyi, who had on a navy-blue T-shirt, black jacket and a black pair of jeans, Arista was grinning from ear to ear.

‘Are you serious?’ he asked.

‘I wouldn’t joke about it,’ Mr. Suseyi said, grinning back.

‘We did it?’ Arista asked.

‘Yes, we did it.’ ‘How did it go?’

‘I was expecting to be called as a witness.’

‘There was no apparent need, the court deliberated on the written testimonies of fifteen witnesses only, in the chambers, the complainants didn’t even get to testify.’

‘It didn’t even go to trial.’ Mr. Suseyi replied.

‘Wow, and the settlement?’

‘Liquidation.’

‘Liquidation?’ Arista asked surprisingly.

‘Yes.’

‘Not what I expected but okay.’

‘Though I countered, reasoned with the judge, liquidation will take time and will also take innocent employees out of their jobs.’

‘I suggested a buyout instead,’ Mr. Suseyi started.

‘At least that’s what it’s being called in the media.’

‘Wait, what does that mean?’ Arista asked with curiosity.

‘It means, as of yesterday, The Noisiv is owned by twenty-eight of you. All with equal shares as the dividends owed could not be determined.’

‘Of course, all employees and managers remain, until the time the appointed C.E.O chooses to make a change.’

‘What!’ Arista exclaimed loud enough to turn heads.

Other inmates and their visitors shot over glances and retracted.

‘You mean I now have shares in The Noisiv?’ He asked.

‘Yes, you do.’ Mr. Suseyi replied.

‘How much?’ He asked in excitement.

‘You’ll be contacted by accounting very soon. What I can tell you is that it’s not a small sum,’ Mr. Suseyi replied with a chuckle.

‘Who is the appointed Chief Executive Officer?’

‘Well, all the twenty-seven voted you in, in appreciation for starting the wildfire.’

‘So you are, when you are out.’

‘There’s an acting for now to fill in.’

Arista’s face fell in his palms as his eyes flowed with euphoric tears. He couldn’t believe it,

‘Take care of yourself now,’ Mr. Suseyi said and left.

...

‘Hello Arista, come in and sit down.’ The doctor said as he answered his office door.

‘Would you like anything to drink?’

‘No, I’m fine thank you,’ Arista replied.

‘You look even brighter than last time, what have I missed?’ Dr. Isudik asked.

‘I don’t even know what to say.’ Arista sighed.

‘I have moved from broke to wealthy in just a day,’ He replied.

‘Really, how so?’ Dr. Isudik asked.

‘The Noisiv, I now have shares in the company together with all the other victims.’

‘I still can’t believe it,’ he replied.

‘Wow, tables have turned, haven’t they?’

‘I am happy for you.’ The doctor spoke.

‘Massively, and thank you so much.’ Arista replied.

‘So, did you ponder on it?’ Dr. Isudik asked.

And immediately Arista heard those words, the memory of the last session kicked in. Dr. Isudik seemed to trifle with his great news, he went straight into the session.

‘Who am I?’

‘Well, I guess I am a human being, created by God I think, going to wherever life takes me.’ He replied.

‘You don’t seem to believe in what you have just said,’ the doctor said.

‘Shut your eyes, breathe slowly, and now think, who are you? Where are you from and where are you going?’

‘I am confused, honestly,’ Arista replied.

‘Yes, that is right, you are confused, they have confused you,’ Dr. Isudik said.

‘Who are they?’ Arista asked.

Dr. Isudik picked something from a small tumbler. As Arista opened his eyes.

‘What is this?’ he asked.

‘A seed?’ Arista replied.

‘Look closer,’ the doctor said.

‘A lemon or orange seed perhaps,’ Arista replied.

‘Shut your eyes once again, think about it, what is this? Where did it come from? And where is it going?’

Arista closed his eyes, getting weary of the nonsensical questions.

‘It is a lemon or orange seed that came from either a lemon or an orange, it is going to be thrown away.’ He replied.

‘No Arista, it came from a system, with rules and principles supporting its existence and programmed it to become what it is now.’

‘It is going in the ground to sprout into a lemon tree, and grow into hundreds of lemons with hundreds of lemon seeds in them that will in turn go into the ground and sprout into hundreds of lemon trees having thousands of lemons with millions of lemon seeds in them.’ Arista opened his eyes.

Dr. Isudik smiled mirthlessly.

‘This right here my friend, is a plantation of endless lemon trees, with countless fruits.’

‘Do you understand?’ Dr. Isudik asked.

Arista was baffled. He had never heard such profound revelation.

‘Came from a system, huh?’ he finally asked.

‘Yes, and everything this seed needs is placed within itself, all it needs to do is conform to the laws placed inside it. And when it is in the right environment, it obeys those laws and transforms into a plantation.’

‘You and this seed, Arista, came from the same system, so you are like this seed.’ The doctor replied.

‘And who made this system?’ Arista asked.

‘The same lifeform that made the seed and you.’ Dr. Isudik replied.

‘God?’ he asked.

‘As commonly called yes, but I can assure you that even that word is insufficient to describe what this lifeform is.’

‘I can assure you, that some of the things you know about this lifeform are falsified and most of the truth is misrepresented.’ Dr. Isudik replied.

‘You say lifeform as though you’re talking about an alien,’ Arista said.

‘What is an alien?’

‘A being from outer space,’ Arista replied.

‘How do you know they’re beings from outer space? How do you know outer space?’ The doctor asked.

‘I have read about it, and movies, and also does it make sense that we are the only ones in the universe when there are more galaxies and solar systems out there?’ Arista replied.

‘You have to be very careful with information, Arista. Though knowledge is power, it is also very dangerous. It can be manipulated by those who control the flow of information.’

‘So what are you saying?’ Arista asked.

‘Let’s progress, shall we?’ Dr. Isudik said, smiling.

‘If you are the seed, and all the laws and conditions needed for you to become a plantation are placed within you. Where would you search for answers regarding your progression?’ Dr. Isudik asked.

‘Oh, within myself, I get it.’ Arista replied.

‘Exactly, there are things you have that you do not know you have, there are things you know that you do not know that you know because you look everywhere but within.’

‘You must understand this Arista, there are forces within you, laws that create, and they are always in motion, they have to be for you to live. Always creating, good or bad; if they stop, you cease to exist here.’ The doctor spoke.

‘These laws, these forces are influenced by your thoughts and your emotions. They get what you think and how you feel, and they create in relation to the environment you’ve placed in yourself.’

Arista was just staring, his mind lost in wonder.

‘These laws merge your thoughts and emotions to create substance, and that substance becomes reality, whether you’re aware or not.’

‘Wait, so you’re saying I create my reality?’ Arista asked.

‘You’re here this moment, in this office, because you thought of coming and you felt like coming. The laws within you necessitated your presence here, your reality as of this very moment came into being because you thought, you felt, and you acted.’

‘Had you had different thoughts and emotions about today, you would not be here right now, you would not have this reality.’ Dr. Isudik dissected.

‘Oh my.’ Arista’s mind was spinning so fast he developed a headache.

‘This is extreme.’

‘Knowing what you know now, don’t think anyhow, don’t feel anyhow, because you are creating; all the time.’ Dr. Isudik continued,

‘Remember when I said the problem is your perception?’

‘Yes, this is what you meant?’

‘Precisely.’

‘Now these forces within you, can be manipulated, they are manipulated and controlled, and tamed.’

‘By what?’ Arista asked concerned.

‘By the nature of information entering your being.’

‘When you see a video of people mourning, you feel sad, the information, the knowledge has manipulated the laws within to create a sad reality.’

‘Now I am not saying feeling sad at a funeral is bad, I am simply giving an example,’ Dr. Isudik said.

‘Everything you are today, is a summation of your thoughts and emotions stemming from the nature of what you saw or heard, which is information; knowledge.’

‘If information can manipulate the laws within you, and people can manipulate information, then you need to be always on guard regarding what you’re receiving as information,’ Dr. Isudik said.

‘The only difference between you and this seed, is that this seed does not receive any new information to manipulate the laws inside it; but you do, constantly, every day, everywhere you look.’

‘By your reasoning, you’re entailing that if I want a certain reality, I must align my thoughts and emotions to it, then place myself in the environment that supports that reality?’ Arista thought.