Sci-fi Novel - Underground City - Part 6

Part 6

Philosopher Akman opened his eyes to the new day on the tunnel that connects the library with the grand theatre. According to Akman, the fact that he was awakened every morning from the day he was born as the same person did not necessitate repeating the same event the next day. So when he woke up, he would check to see if he was still the same person. He put his hand on the surface of the board he was lying on, and when he felt the fibers of the wood on his fingertips, he woke up in a relaxed manner, and went out of his bucket, pulled off his capri pants and his sleeveless blouse, which he did not take off day and night. After a slight stretch, he began to walk towards the central station in the square to make the suburban train.

Pedestrians, electric mini-cars, and one-wheel bicycles were starting to appear on the streets of the city with the street lights on. Mini-cars used cobblestone roads, single-wheel bikes used narrow concrete lanes and pedestrians were walking on pavements at the side of the road. During the night, the city's air was refreshed by ventilators, and the smell of dust in the air was reduced. There was no rain on earth, so the humidity in the air was low. Akman left the great theatre behind and passed through a large tunnel. He grabbed the first suburban train. There were workers on the train traveling to the mines and the vast greenhouses in the outskirts of the city. One of the workers who knew Akman got up and gave him space. Akman watched the stations in the morning light, and after a long trip, he got off the suburban train. Along with a few workers, he went to the two upper floors using the spiral stairs and reached the gallery opening to the underground lake through a narrow tunnel.

The surface of the lake was still as usual, and the thin layer of mist on the lake was selected in the twilight. He took off his clothes and became naked and jumped into the water. The water of the lake was chilly at first, but it didn't take long to get used to it. After swimming on the surface for a while and warming up his muscles, he dived into the water. Since he was swimming regularly every day, he was able to extend the time that he remained breathless under the water. He moved slowly towards the bottom of the water, and after a while, he reached absolute darkness. He had to move to stay at the bottom. He felt something touching his skin as he slowly proceeded down the bottom of the lake. Even though he couldn't see them, he knew blind catfish surrounded his body. These fish, whose lengths could reach half a meter, touched and accompanied the tentacles in front of their heads. Akman became almost motionless in the dark water, and he began to listen to his heart beating slowly in profound silence. In the depths of the lake, surrounded by catfish, he felt as if he was integrated into the universe, and at that moment he dreamed that his heart was beating at the same frequency as nature. He kept moving for minutes at the bottom of the lake. After a while, he noticed that the catfishes had abandoned him, and he fainted because he was pushing himself too hard. He was in utter darkness, and he no longer heard his heartbeat. He knew he had to go up, but his body had ceased to obey him.

Now he was no different from any object drifting in the water, and he thought he was dying. He remembered when he first saw the holy volcano as a child, how much he admired the redness of the lava and the smell of ashes, he recalled the first time he had eaten strawberries when he was a little boy. He remembered how excited he was when he read Aristotle's books and how he fell in love with philosophy. He loved Omay very much and made great mistakes during their relationships. He remembered that they had made love in harmony with the spirits of the gods and with the excitement that would make Galla demons jealous. He wished he hadn't made those mistakes; he could have been with Omay for a long time. It wasn't going to change, though. No life was enough for anyone, no matter how full it was.

As he continued to drift in the water, a light point appeared somewhere above. The light grew and gained volume and illuminated Akman's drifting body like a projector. It was as if the thousands of rainbow were nested, and those colorful lights were calling Akman towards him. Catfishes began to push him up. He was able to re-dominate his body, moving his arms and legs, and he began to swim into the light. The catfishes were now behind him. After swimming for a while in the colorful lights with sharp boundaries, he went up to the surface and breathed deeply. The light was lost, and he was alive. It was like he went back to the realm of the dead. He swam and went ashore. During his lifetime, he would wonder what saved him that day, and he would never get a clear idea of it.

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