BLACK PACKET
I want to tell you a story of a polyethylene packet.
I do not remember who my parents were. Maybe I don't have one, I do not know. I was born in incubator, such a name we gave to factories, manufacturing polyethylene packages. We do not know, what we consist of, who has invented us and for what purpose.
So, I'm simple black polyethylene package. We were lying on each other, making huge packs together, and the conveyor slowly moved us, these were our first steps. The huge strange beings sorted us by color. I've learned, that the packages can be not only black, but also white, yellow, green, red and blue. There were even multi-colored packages with perfect figures, photos and fonts.
Probably, I had a bad luck. Probably, I couldn’t be born such beautiful, as multi-colored packages, because if so, it wouldn't be me. To be black among white or yellow is not so comfortable. They speak, that each color has it’s own special energy, so different colors can not be in harmony with each other. Especially black color. It’s such gloomy…
Whence come to me such ideas? I do not know, maybe, it is simply genetic memory? But who were my ancestors then? Where from has polythene appeared?
While I was analyzing this heap of questions, I haven’t noticed, that they’ve put me in black pile. The sorter was not mistaken.
How would I feel myself among bright colored packages? Would I feel my color imperfection?
If he put me in another pile, my life could develop another way. Anyway, I do not regret about anything.
We were brought in port and loaded in a hold.
I was in the bottom, it was very dark and stuffy there. The weight of other packages squeezed my breath. I thought that I would die, without air and light. I closed my eyes and lost consciousness.
I came to myself on the fresh air. People took us out on light, examined us, and those, which have gone bad during the road, they threw in a fire. Black stinking smoke raised in the sky.
I was looking, how black packages became a black smoke and departed to the blue sky. A kind of reincarnation. Do I want so? Yes I want in the sky, but I do not want to burn, it is very painful.
Meanwhile they have thrown us in some car, there was darkly and stuffy again, and again I found myself in the bottom. I’m always in the bottom. Maybe it’s because I think a lot and have no time to rise to the occasion.
I’ve fainted.
A bright smell of flowers and oranges brought me to senses. Red tomatoes and green salad, yellow lemons and violet eggplants…
Am I in the paradise? I believed, that I revived after death in a stuffy car.
- Is only a fruit market, you, fool, - my black brother laughed at me, - and we’ll get nothing, as bitches out of work.
I did not know what’s “bitches”, but I was sure that even to see such a beauty around, to inhale the aroma of oranges and flowers was a great happiness.
One of my first discoveries was that not all black packages think equally.
From oranges and grapes I’ve learned, that people buy fruit to eat them. And do they buy polyethylene packages? – I’ve asked.
- Certainly, or you wouldn’t be in the market.
I frightened and asked, - So I’ll be eaten too? Some pomegranate smiled, - As far as I know, people don’t eat polythene, only some cranks, which are ready to swallow everything to get in «The Book of Guinness». And most often, people put provisions in you.
- So, I was born to help people?
- On one hand, yes, if you’re an altruist, - answered pomegranate.
- And if not, you can consider, that people simply have you on, - sniggered a lemon.
Suddenly some hairy hand clutched the pomegranate, snatched it out of the collective and threw it with huge speed. It flew directly to a head of an escaping small man, who hid something in his pockets, but the man has evaded, and pomegranate ran into an old brick wall. It smashed, having left on a wall a huge stain of bloody red color and white grains.
- Yes, the things named the same names, grow equally, - rejoiced a lemon. But there was no jokes for me. A crowd of some small birds flew and began to peck grains.
I’ve already seen something similar, but I do not remember where, maybe it was Germany of fortieth or Russia of thirtieth... Or any other place. Suddenly a thought came to me, that it occurs till now, in each country, in every place on the Earth. And will occur forever. Whence I know it? - I was frightened. Even this Paradise is not so unclouded. I thought about it and shivered, from wind or from fear, I wanted to calm down and to think of something pleasant.
At that moment a girl with her daddy approached to a counter. Fucken thiefs, - the owner of a hairy hand said it, as though apologizing for public exhalation of negative energy. The girl was in a black silk dress and in black patent-leather shoes. She took an orange, smelt it, and asked her daddy to buy it. Her dad ordered some orange, and a pack. There were only black packages, but the girl insisted on a black one. Mum has bought her a beautiful black dress and shoes, and the child thought, that a black package would be a good supplement. If it was multi-coloured or bright yellow, then nobody on the street would pay attention to her beautiful shoes and dress.
So, I've found myself in nice girl's hands, overflowed with fragrant and bright oranges. I will never forget this feeling, it was really a great happiness. My factory polyethylene smell's gone, I breathed oranges. And my black color wasn’t rather exact, you see, black was only the thin film outside, and within I was cheerfully yellow-orange and tasty smelling. The girl talked to her dad, they joked and laughed.
That was the real happiness! But bit later I was interested with other conversation - oranges spoke inside me. One shivering orange pictured how he will be skinned, segmented and eaten. And then he will turn into something unimaginable, and along the underground rivers of the sewerage he will depart with other dross.
-No, no, - assured the other orange, - we're very lucky to be bought. Imagine, what will happen with our mates, which should not be bought. They'll decay, and they 'll not left after them any descendants and in general anything. Now we have a chance to find ourselves on a holiday table, to listen to conversations of the people, music, to watch them dancing. Besides I've heard that the holiday tables are sometimes photographed, maybe they will photograph us also, and we have a chance to be immortalized. I heard the story about the greatest orange - some artist has bought him, and painted his portrait. I do not know precisely, whether it was a still life, or this orange was held by any woman. The essence is that already two hundred years he is hanging in one of the most prestigious museums of the world. What a wonderful fortune. So we have a chance...
The shivering orange calmed down, and others cheered up. So did I. I cheerfully shook in hands of the joyful girl. The oranges liked to shake too, and all of us laughed.
Soon we've come to some room, and oranges were taken out of me. I've become empty and black again. But the people around me laughed, the oranges were peeled and beautifully laid on porcelain plates. They distributed their aroma and self-satisfaction to all the huge room. A wonderful music was heard, and people danced.
I was not put on the holiday table, soon I've found myself on a chair not far from it.
Suddenly something pleasant and soft sat down on me. It was the beautiful woman about thirty years, she wore a wide skirt and no underwear. What a pleasure it was! She has closed me by her skirt, so that nobody could see me, and I enjoyed her alone. I did not think neither about happiness nor about fairness, I simply caught a moment, and my unique desire was to make this moment infinite.
I tried to be as gentle and pliable to her as I could, and adapted to every bend of her body. She felt it, and let me to move more deeply. That was the first time when I was not afraid of darkness.
Oh, these women, they can endear even a package.
The holiday came to the end, the woman turned out to be the girl's mother, and the dad was not her own. Such are people.
The next morning my labour began. My usual everyday work was shopping with the girl or her parents, I carried weights, and in the evening I was laid in my den, where I slept till the next day. Sometimes they forgot to put me in the case, and I had an opportunity to watch TV or a newspaper.
Due to this I've found out, that the state uses it's people, as they use packages. And that manufacturing of packages is the huge damage to a nature. It was a great upset for me, and I tried not to read newspapers any more.
Days passed by.
Most of all I liked to walk with the girl - she never hardly loaded me, and carried in me sweets or toys.
I do not remember, when it happened, but I remember, that I had a very bad presentiment. The door of a case squeaked, and I was pulled by the head of the family. He laid in me a hammer, a saw and a huge amount of nails. But most terrible was an uncovered knife. That was a heavy burden. The nails pricked me inside, and I felt myself the most unfortunate package in the world.
Suddenly I've felt a sharp pain in the bottom. It was the knife. Yes, it wounded me. If I was made of fabric, they could sew me up, but a polyethylene package is not valued. My head went round, I began to fall. One of my handles stretched and bursted. Having notised it, a man cursed me, and took me by the bottom.
I've understood, that my career came to the end. After several days in the garage, I again appeared at home. I do not know, what for I was returned. Sometimes a silly idea came to me, that they missed me. But one day I've understood all. The family took out of cases different old things. Socks, shoes, linen, old children dresses, toys. I was filled up to the top by all this garbage and thrown out. Then I was carried to the urban dump. There I've found myself among billions of unnecessary things, such as me. On a dump I have gone through many terrible moments witch I don't want to describe here. The night cold replaced a smell of evaporations in heat. The spirit of unnecessary things rose in the air and mixed up. Stink, picked up by the wind, was carried to the city and caused troubles such as failures, epidemics and accidents.
Once I saw some people on the dump. It was strange to see this beings here, do people throw out unnecessary men? I did not know about cemeteries than. Those people walked along the dump and shook out packages. Sometimes they got old bread, sometimes clothing, witch they tried on themselves. Finally they came to me. One of them was a woman. But she was not similar to the girl's mum, and I did not like her at all. She looked at me suspiciously and told, - I do not love black packs, there can be dead men or heads of prostitutes.
Whence she knows it? - I had already seen such a things.
- Shut up, - responded her mate and shook out of me all contents.
After some rummage they have sorted all the things. The man took old shoes and a teapot, the woman - a pajamas and a pair of slippers. They wanted to take me, but noticed my torn handle and threw me out. I was bruised badly.
But then I was released from unnecessary things and left to myself. The rain began. I loved the rain, because it made me clean and glossy. A lightning sparkled, and each flare made me gleam. I was overflowed by magic of the lightning and roars of thunder confirmed it. Yes, you are full of this magic! - I rejoiced.
It was something. The thunder gave me feeling of moral certainty, I do not know why. I was afraid of it, and loved it at the same time. There was a moment, when I've thought, that a thunder and lightning are my hands, and with their help I can make all what I want. The problem was that during a thunder-storm I wanted nothing, I only was overflowed with power. I simply lay and did nothing. I've got used to such a way of life, you see, my I never had excessive demands and besides I've learned to see very many beautiful things here on the dump.
I do not know, how much time I was here, but once I have seen some strange creatures, which were as black, as me. They were the birds - rooks or black crows, I do not know precisely, but I admired them. Their black feathers shimmered all colors of the rainbow. They played with each other, and sometimes stalked along, reflecting on works of Edgar Poe. But most wonderful was that they were able to fly. Brothers, brothers, - I shouted, when they passed me. I cried as a wounded warrior waiting for help. But they did not notice me. Probably, they did not understand my language, you see they were birds, and I was an unnecessary used package.
But suddenly I conceived a magic wish - to become a bird.
And suddenly in the sky the huge cloud appeared. Frightened birds waved their wings, croaked and flew away, they gathered in huge flights and left a dangerous place.
- You called me? - asked the cloud.
- Yes, I want to become a bird, - whispered I shivering.
- To you it will be very hard and painful, but I shall fulfill your wish!
The lightning sparkled, the huge wind had arisen. It struck me right in the sore spot, in my wound made by a knife. I screamed from a pain and moaned. The wind tore my wound up, more and more. Oh my god! - I screamed, - if my dream deserves these sufferings, help me to sustain them. I do not remember, what was then. Only one picture is in my memory - that I was flying above the blue, blue sea. Then I have lost consciousness. When I came to myself there was no thunder-storm any more.
But, what did I see! The wind has torn my wound so, that I was not a package any more, but a shapeless piece of polythene. Indeed, I suffered to become nothing! My future frightened me, I was waiting for outcome. The fire has began on the dump, maybe from the lighting. I came to me slowly, devouring rubbish.
And here I have understood that I was in a completely new state! I was not a package any more! I do not want to tell, that I have become a bird. But I felt some yearning for the sky. Maybe, I have suffered so much, maybe, this feeling comes naturally after despair, I do not know, but the fact was, that I already did not feel myself a package. I am not a package any more! So I was already in a new dimension, I should have some other functions. Having stretched in all length, I laid and looked at the boundless light-blue sky, on a flame, coming to me.
Fire approached closer and closer. All around was burning. That is the hell – I thought. The question was - what for? What for? I've began to recollect the most guilty moments of my life. How did I relish the woman sitting on me, and many other things. I was waiting for my last hour.
And suddenly a light wind rose. I have rolled over on other side. The wind became stronger, and rubbish, laying around me, whispered - fly! Fly! The wind lifted me from the ground and carried me higher and higher. And I felt myself so light, that was ready to be dissolved in the air. Then I fell again, but with the next blow I jumped up and flew. I flew above the bushes, trees. I rose higher. I did not noticed, how I turned to a black glossy bird circling in the sky. And each circle became wider and wider.
I saw how the fire eats out the dump and the huge stain goes on the city, where the small girl lives, I saw what people have done with the Earth.
I saw factory pipes, as if huge snakes, they threw up yellow and black clubs of smoke in the sky. I saw cut down woods, and huge dumps of rubbish near the towns. I have risen so highly, that completely other wind picked me up and carried, carried farther and farther from this city. I saw, how people test nuclear weapons on some small islands in the ocean, and it was a great sorrow for me. Really, there are few places in the world, which people left alone, where they faithfully concern to each other, you see, we, packages have soul too, and we, actually, ache very strongly.
I flied for several days, until I have seen in the middle of the ocean a small beautiful island. One edge of it was abrupt, and another was a sandy beach. I liked this island very much. I began to land. I saw small people playing on a coast, they were children.
When they saw me, they cried cheerfully, clapped their hands and jumped joyfully. But I have never seen such people, their skin was black and glossy.
They pick me up and carried me to their leader. Children told, that I came from the sky. The most beautiful women of this tribe decorated my wings, and men have made of me something like a kite.
That's how I became a mascot of this small black people. And now I am flying above this island, which is not touched by civilization. As long as I fly above this island, no explorer neither from a deck of the ship, nor from the space will discover it. Such is my magic power, power of a simple polyethylene package.