The Truth Berries

IV

          Wolf was never really a friend for him. It was only his own decision to consider themselves as friends but the truth was he hated him so much. Wolf thought his shop was built for the sole purpose of business and profit but it was more than that. It was his passion and life. He did not see his shop as a prison for art and history but a showroom instead. A private museum for the world to see the glorious past. True, he did sell some very important artifacts for quite a reasonable price to a few very powerful men, making them part of their very own private collections. But he did not go as far as faking them and selling them as genuine ones. It was only Wolf’s doing that he ventured into that but what would you do if you had a Magnum .357 revolver pointed at you? Old man Yoel would have even made a fake Egyptian pyramid for him that very moment.

          It was three years ago when they had last seen each other and talked. It was still the same kind of job. That time, Wolf wanted him to make a replica of Tutankhamen’s scepter. He told him that it was for a state museum in Canada, for educational purposes, but he knew better. The job took twelve hours to finish and he was given four thousand dollars. Wolf said he did the students of Canada good and kept on thanking him repeatedly. Two days later, he got the news that a rich but ignorant American tech magnate took possession of the ‘real scepter of King Tutankhamen’ through an auction for a whooping eighteen million dollars. Wolf gave him some chump change. No wonder he could not stop thanking him. Yoel thought that would be the last time that he would ever see him. Apparently, he was wrong. Human greed does have an ever-expanding stomach and you can never keep it satisfied, he realized.

He was not a religious man at all but he respected the gods. So when he saw what Wolf had in possession and wanted to replicate, he knew he had to do something. He knew that that piece of history did not deserve to be in possession of someone like Wolf or anybody with intent of using it for personal gains only. Although he was a firm believer of sharing every piece of history to all men, he also knew that what he saw would be better off if it remained undiscovered. Because throughout time, mankind proved to be not worthy of keeping that kind of power. For the thing that Wolf wanted to desecrate was the fabled chest belonging to the Egyptian god of knowledge Thoth. According to Yoel’s father, it was rumored to contain The Seed of Truth-a lesser relic compared to the divine Book of Thoth which holds all the secrets of the universe. But it still wielded an unimaginable amount of power for whoever should grow the seed into its fullest and eat its fruit shall have the chance to know the truth about anything for a split moment in his life. That, he knew, could be good to mankind. But knowing Man, Yoel knew He would most likely use it to rival the gods and cause the balance tilt. So right then, he did what he believed to be best for the sake of mankind.

          At first, he thought it was impossible to execute the plan because Wolf was watching him the whole time he was working. From the moment he put the chest down on the worktable, Wolf never took his eyes off of it. He never trusted anyone, not even him. So he devised a way to take away his attention. Even a couple of seconds would be enough, he prayed.

          “Where was it found?”, he asked Wolf.

          “That would be a long story to tell, my friend. But what I can tell you is that I would not want you to miss a single detail on that so keep your focus.”

          “A polite way to say ‘mind your own business’, huh? Very well.”

So he worked with sweating hands for a long quiet time. After more than two hours working with the outer surface of the chest, he asked Wolf for permission to open the chest. Wolf was benumbed.

          “Is that really necessary?”

          “You wanted it to be a perfect replica, right? Who would create this kind of beauty outside and leave the inside plain and lifeless? Would you think they would accept that as the real one? Do not worry ‘cause I can make it look as if it was never touched.”

          So they opened it. After who knows how long, the chest was finally opened and he felt a sudden feeling of joy and excitement mixed with fear. Inside was a sheet of papyrus, still in its pristine state, wrapped around something the size of a pea. When he was about to unwrap it, Wolf took out his gun and pointed it to his right temple.

           “Don’t. Do your job and your job only.”

           So he did as he was told. He started to carve the inside of the replica akin to the original. And it was then that the idea hit him. In his peripheral view, he started to observe the entirety of the cabin. He had a single bed at the far side of the room. A little to its left was the toilet and a sink. On its right side were the kitchen and a small table for two, probably used whenever he’s eating. Sitting at the end of the kitchen sink was a navy-blue plastic container full of water. It would take at least four seconds for Wolf to reach the water container and another three seconds for the glass to be filled, he calculated. So he had seven seconds to do the trick. He pictured the whole scenario mentally several times and all the possible complications he might encounter. It was doable. All he had to do now was to remain calm and not screw the plan.

          “I’m thirsty. Can I have a glass of water?”, Yoel asked.

          A bead of sweat ran down his nape. Did his voice quiver? He didn’t know. He felt his hands shake so he inserted them in his pockets and pretended to straighten his body after a long while stooping. Wolf stood so slowly that he thought his voice betrayed him. He put his hands on his waist, almost touching the gun and measured the old man. Then, he softly laughed at the old man and unsuspectingly headed for the glass of water. The moment Wolf turned his back, he felt a great rush of adrenaline inside him like in his younger years. Instantly, Yoel pulled out something with his left hand while his right hand aimed for the papyrus. And as smoothly as possible, switched the two pieces of papyrus. Four seconds left. He carefully put the original one into a secret compartment in his watch which he specially made for certain situations like that. Two seconds. He closed the lid and then, he intentionally dropped his small carving knife on the floor. He stooped to pick it up but was surprised to see Wolf towering over him when he got back. 

          “What happened?”, he questioned him. Yoel swallowed hard.

          “I dropped my knife. Comes with old age. These shakes, sometimes they can be a real problem when I’m working. But it’s okay. I’ve experienced worse than this so I’m sure l can still manage”

          He did not say anything. He put the glass of water on the table and went back to his place where he could watch him work. Yoel proceeded work for another hour, constantly looking at his watch. When it was finally done, and after Wolf warned him again about keeping that a secret, he headed for home without saying goodbye. He did not even dare look back. He was walking so fast yet he still wished his feet would grow wings. It was the first time in his seventy-two years of existence that he ever felt he was doing something noble and great. It was also the first time that he ever felt fear for he knew he was in grave danger by crossing Wolf. But he had no choice. If he turned his back on that one, he felt he just sold the whole world. So he decided to take the risk and take the responsibility of guarding the Seed of Truth because he remembered what his father used to say;

          “The truth, my son, is a double edged-sword. You must know how to swing it. For one side is called Freedom, the other side is called Death.”