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.
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7lbm3nJoh
From A to Z, and even to the vowel markers, they harmonized and formed their world.
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCgQwe8ywZ
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.
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2XvQeUV4TA
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.
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09sZ4shMVU
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.
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7XwuLMrTX
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.
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe1kZEC0vik
“Alas! Alas!”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfZWQvo37n
The letter W cried out, its voice so loud that it woke up the sleepers, then it continued while fleeing:
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7niwiQ7DQY
“We are being invaded by monsters! We are being invaded by monsters! Wake up and save us, oh people!”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdvMRWexLWD
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.
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSXdsdoR0x
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.
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaYM6WSODJZ
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:
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvloQrfJsy
“What are you doing here?! Join the rest so I can address you! We are in a state of emergency!”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlw1DfCXZRy
The letters M, N, S, and T (in one voice):
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡngsMDE3paZ
“But the podium…”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpUuVvMKGiQ
W: “Forget about that! I don’t need it. Quickly, go join the others so I can finish my speech!”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoVn7UrdRDH
(They joined the crowd, and before the leader could address the public without the podium, he turned to look behind him.)
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75251fZ3ai
W: “What’s going on? Why are you standing there motionless? Are you tourists or invaders?”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJre3DAtBN
(Realizing) No doubt, they cannot hear me.
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2z7fAOJVja
“Loudspeaker! Come to me!”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe3vMXAdQI5
(The letters that were called came to him and formed into a loudspeaker, which W used to repeat his question.)
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOsJxhzFOfc
One of the numbers responded, looking over the entire book:
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsOOAwJUWwo
“We are neither tourists nor invaders, we are explorers.”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgshCIu5SVu
“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…”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJaMu5sGZQ
W (interrupting):
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgxwtBlsLYI
“So, you came to examine the place?”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2IXmtIJo8b
One of the numbers:
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPNGd9RlFTW
“That’s right.”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqACryFFI82
W: “Then go back! This place doesn’t accommodate anyone but us.”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmzoh5iEUjB
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.”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqB8ZI9Iy6Z
W: “Buying and selling?”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFsSNhsmbdZ
One of the numbers: “Yes! Buying and selling, is that so surprising?”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbkovZbOm5
W: “I don’t even know what buying and selling means.”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9d9NHGmpB
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!)
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf85NzfYpv6
“Trade, my dear, is two things: buying and selling. You give me something, and I give you something else of equal value in return.”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmeP3W51ND
W: “That doesn’t sound too complicated, but I refuse to hand over our land under any circumstances.”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡksLS9xhUBL
One of the numbers: “It seems we won’t get a satisfying result!”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtBvUAsbal
W: “Indeed. Leave.”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡawShaQlFWf
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.
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUdTyAX3kt
This is how stability is achieved! This is how stability is achieved! All the letters cheered as they lifted their leader on their shoulders.
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50FDenehNE
But one dissenting letter stepped out of line and condemned the leader:
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgeroaqu1kh
“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!”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlekcyCz1Us
The letter K responded: “A wall cannot be built. Letter G went on a journey long ago and hasn’t returned.”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfSmE2KoM4q
Suddenly, the letter D spoke with wisdom:
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAcKB8rrv2
“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!”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7GFrRGScI
Whispers and murmurs spread among the attendees:
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLWASDQCKP
“A noble idea!... A symbol of love!... I agree... Beautiful!... Why not?... That would have been wonderful!”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFGcvAAjTB
The letter T responded:
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqtaIdzOvy
“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.”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyvuVi4SM1B
Whispers continued:
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJ6CHGD5IW
“That’s true!... Yes, adaptation… How did we not think of that?”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5onaVysC9T
////////////////////////Meanwhile///////////////////////////
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNM2lKW4Xwj
On the fixed path of numbers, one blamed the leader:
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡesfvyXYmy1
“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!”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLeZzNvd4a4
The leader stopped, smiled, and patted his head:
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzcIS5RMTXw
“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?”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3c8qqusCb1
The other number signaled yes and asked about the next step, to which the leader replied:
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9uSIChpL5
“These letters don’t understand trade, meaning they don’t understand goods, meaning they don’t understand the poisonous goods!”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8nyRb2lL7
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:
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPphDUwrA68
“But you condemned aggression and recklessness!”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTxV3l9i8kc
The leader interrupted, laughing:
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkyjqROYCZ
“But not wise aggression or careful recklessness!”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPSncLkDlm3
The number praised the leader:
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyKywIGff0V
“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?”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwbZqZlrp2a
The leader: “Yes, as a gift.”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhWc9yi8OS
The number: “A gift for what?”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSP0X06MbQ
The leader: “As a token of gratitude and generosity.”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3q6LBbFmh
The number: “Gratitude for what?”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpSTmXfiw1H
The leader (with growing impatience): “For nothing! Just because! Be quiet and keep walking!”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWN5HDPqus3
The number (apologetically): “As you wish, I apologize.”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlp8ESQyDv
The numbers continued on their journey.
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwtM3SwCQjG
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.
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ68iKjH701W
Letter G realized that the numbers came from the place of its writing, so it rushed to it eagerly, warning them.
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmW3Fh1awWN
Upon reaching the book, the letters greeted it warmly, with longing suppressed in their hearts.
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6f6MViK99P
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:
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQF5iVyGds
“The solution is to build the protective wall, and now its construction is easier than ever.”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzj68gdxs8
One of the letters screamed in fear:
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4pk1wQCOSS
“Poison that kills! Is it directed at us?! Let’s build the wall!”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbrPx1yi9H
The leader (proudly and arrogantly):
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijUFCBfnVl
“You heard, my followers! Build the wall!”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDIt1mZVOh
The letters D, A, and R rushed to build the wall, and G remained silent, head bowed.
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh55FEkJDse
All the letters (in one voice):
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcPDIEls4o
“What’s wrong? Why the bowing?”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9Rx8flbbe
Letter G replied:
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UMpAmFSax
“Truthfully… the reality is that protection, despite its importance, should not be prioritized over prevention, which is the true priority.”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABeAQYPJPz
Confusion spread across the faces of the letters from A to Z, and they exchanged quiet analyses.
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZau2kJitQ
The leader stood from his seat and asked for more clarification, which was granted:
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPMAywLZJa
“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.
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocjMJ7gmKQ
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.”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbcIi0j8Cv
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?”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAeVKec9Ypg
All the letters cheered joyfully and eagerly, united in a loud voice full of enthusiasm:
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeMXkCFcvO0
“Build the wall, build the future! We work and we learn!”
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3FPWeLpexU
The leader promised letter G a prestigious position before they began building the wall that would keep the invaders away forever.
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvortff8iQr
