Devil’s Paradise, Youssef RZOUGA [reading list .txt] 📗

stupid to us to wait longer,” said Wellwell. “All this talk isn’t getting us anywhere. Come on, move! We’re going to be late. No sooner said than done.”
One behind the other, something like five hundred people, those interested, the children and the elderly, men and women, there’s been a rush on the castle. The demonstration passed off peacefully.
The gateway to freedom, is over there, through the eighth gateway of the “Hanging Gardens”.
Seeing the riot, the guard and guard dogs, could not resist and ended up taking flight.
Demonstrators had a look round the castle, inspecting all the corners but in vain. There isn’t anyone here.
Neither Samara nor any other creature.
Open-mouthed, Di turned round, crying: we’ve looked everywhere, without troubling us, nothing but the truth: Samara is here but not here. It’s no joke, I swear. Samara must be there, we’ll check.
It’s true, isn’t it? – Yes it is!
Samara was there, on the roof of the castle. She was playing the piano, in front of one thousand and one butterflies.
* What role is for the guard here?
- She employs him as a slave.

Her voice choked with emotion,
Samara’s singing: (- repeat all together now!)
Once upon a time there was a king to the power of thousand and for the umpteenth time
I’ve heard that one before!
That’s nothing new
Do re mi!
War and peace
Peace and war
It’s always the same old story
Between the goodies and the baddies
The baddies, I don’t trust any of them.
The goodies, I don’t see them any more.
And he, the king to the power of thousand
What’s become of him?
Do re mi!
I don’t know what has become of him

The one time
I was on time
And no one was there
Today’s war
I remember it as if it were yesterday
It’s six of one and half a dozen of the other
Lawn scorched by the sun, promise and mirage
I’m back to my country where’s good to live
There’s a time for everyone
We’re singing life in all its nuances
Nothing is stopping us
We’ll wipe the slate clean and make a fresh start!
Samara is back in her beloved house:
- Ufo ! can you give the kitchen a sweep ? asked Samara. All right Queen! Ufo finally confessed: I love you dear Samara in 3-D. Di began laughing and Wellwell kisses her: As for me, I love you in small doses dear Di
* but… do you travel much, in the whole wide world!
- I used to, said Wellwell, now, I love you in reality.
…………………………………………………………………………..
And they lived happily ever after!
Sweet dreams!

On the horizon, a boat is bobbing up and down on the water.
CHAPTER-21

1
They all left to as far as there, in the countryside, where the river joins the sea.
- And now, how do you feel Wellwell?
* It’s the return to normality, in sunnier climes. 40 degrees in the shade.
It’s forever etched on your mind!
It’s been a long war.
Among other things, and with a certain amount of discomfort, Di is well, as are the children.
Finally, Wellwell is wide awake to the danger. Thank God! Now, he is the archetypal father figure.
Silence is gold.
Everything has turned to normal.
His little girl came running towards him:
- I adore riding daddy, she said.
* Here, no witches, but there’s enough bread. No bargain in Love, Wellwell’s joking.
Di brought him something to read. While reading, Wellwell fell asleep.
2
Wellwell Jr knows which side his bread is buttered on. It’s in the nature of things. By the way, he’s successful in everything he does. That’s how he became a mining engineer.
He opens his laptop to complete his research, but…he isn’t in the mood of work.
It just isn’t his day today!
Prompted by curiosity, he skims through some paragraphs of a book, within reach, entitled “Devil’s Paradise”. It’s a short story written by Wellwell Something, his father of course.
‘I’m glad to know it. I’m amazed at his courage, goodness!’ he exclaimed, ‘that’s very true!’ From these pages, some arresting items fell on his lap. A piece of paper and two comments about this book.
He read the first comment. A feed-back.
3
‘Hi!
Well, I read your short story, it's an interesting one.
Actually, I support your story because it upholds my own convictions. It sheds light on one of the most impacting problems of our century, the side-effects of technology and mainly the abuse, overuse and misuse of the internet, webcam etc. The unconscious victim /fishes tragically hooked, the idleness of people short of occupation which lead them to 'kill' time on the net instead of employing themselves in more edifying activities such as reading a book or playing sport to keep fit...
(They are unconsciously killing themselves and not time).
It also highlights the STUPIDITY of some women who fall immediately in the trap of the first man who tells them ' I love you', and surrender by giving their msn, phone number and even other precious things.
By extension, I can say that most victims of the virtual world and the devil's paradise are UNHAPPY and UNSATISFIED people in the real life, people who lack attention, care, affection, understanding and love, because in the opposite case they wouldn't have preferred the interminable company of a screen instead of that of a real person in flesh and bones.
Your story does not bring about a solution. It does not intend a didactic message either.
What I suggest is that CONSCIOUSNESS and SELF-CONTROL should be the STRONG MESSAGE to convey.
Satan's victims should wake up and read and foresee the risks they are running in leading a virtual life in parallel to their real life – ruining their conjugal lives, losing and neglecting their children, divorcing not only from their companions but also from the real world, by losing themselves in a virtual existence.
The internet is the new version of COLONIZATION in the 21st century, and what is surprising about it is that it's not imposed but rather chosen, and it's not physical or military but rather intellectual, spiritual, cultural and religious...
The complete absence of ethics, morality and fear of GOD are at the origin of this phenomenon’. (Comment end)

* Apparently, this comment by Olfa something is nothing new.
–I grew into knowing Olfa for a long time, some years ago.
–This comment… I think it’s magnificent.
– yes, if you like, but…
–Daddy, you always surprise me with your ifs and buts.
–Honestly, I have no objection to this comment
–So what?
–As a writer, I don’t like myself in a dress uniform, just intent on giving whomever a lecture. I write and cry while leaving the window open. It’s more than enough.
–But how to draw a conclusion or a solution for this story?
–I don’t know. It is up to you to do it.
He lies on his back as though to awake fully.
- You should see over, there is another comments by Ariane Wolteche. It’s another point of view, “but it’s rude to read while you’re eating,” he exclaimed.
Wellwell Jr stops chewing his snack and reads attentively the comment.
4
Quite puzzled indeed…
Curiously enough, not easy to get into the story…
Probably because I am not young enough to appreciate. But in fact, I don’t get what you are aiming at, and thus find it difficult to follow the conversations, as if the dialogue only could understand itself… and what purpose do they serve? … something missing? … Isn’t that most likely one thing too much?
Somehow the whole has something surrealistic which gives it a charm of its own, no doubt, though the story isn’t funny, quite anguishing in a way, perturbing in another, and not simple is the least one can say.
You are pouring tremendous knowledge in your writings, but is it suitable when too much mingles in a way that gets the reader lost between two sentences? A forest of ideas whooshing in his brain, and no indication of a way out (a bit like in your poetry? You follow your own ideas regardless of how we could receive them)… We don’t feel like sticking to the story in order to understand it (in between lines?); what’s more, to like it… In fact more than one reading seems necessary but one doesn’t feel like doing so, though I wonder what the other readers honestly think about it.
Don’t take it badly. I’ve put it bluntly, and it is just a quidam’s opinion only well-founded for one person, which means I am the white iris sticking out of all the purple and green of the painting.
Obviously, I didn’t get it, but to defend myself I’d say it is not a language problem… I swallowed all the Harry Potters in English in no time, absolutely loving the way they were written, more than the story itself (I dislike children’s stories). I could never drop the books’ (comment end)
Ha!, Ha! She is absolutely right to say any such a thing. I agree with her. I challenge anyone to deal with this story. Is all that necessary? You didn’t exactly strain yourself? Ha!, Ha!
Lol! Yet, nothing could be simpler but goodbye patience! The world’s gone mad on screen;
it’s a strain on the heart especially. A labyrinth. A message bomb. It’s almost another “Waste Land”. Do you know Eliot? Well, what about Wi? How often do you see her?
* At home, in the office doing research.
- Hem! But I believe she was badly advised about her studies, Ha!, Ha! I’m joking. That’s right! You and Wi, you’ve been long engaged since but it turned out that Wi doesn’t like you because she never writes to you.
In all sincerity, I can’t imagine her married! She sees you as an enemy or a frustrating guest.
The least little thing frightens her. The less she sees you, the better she feels Ha!, Ha! Once or twice, I saw you with my own eyes, I saw you on line, waiting for her while she was miles away, very busy. No doubt, silence kills, doubt too.
* Daddy, what are you talking about?
- Time will tell, there’s a but you’ll just have to manage Well Jr!
You can’t see the river because it’s screened by the crows.
She’s nice, isn’t she? She’s not bad. She looks good in the photo but…
- It’s very remiss of her no to phone or come to meet you. She’s free, I know but she hasn’t a spare minute for you. She lives off the generosity of her fellow captives. Oh the seriously wounded! It’s her absolute right, in the state she’s in, it will be difficult for her to come. There’s no time for you. It’s been a long time since you last saw her.
* Whether she comes or not, it’s the same for me.
- lol! Stop! You’re stressed; it’s disgusting, isn’t it? But instead of doing something stupid, try to find excuses for her. It’s only normal for young people like her to escape from something specific in mind, from the house towards the unknown or the jungle for example.
Until further notice, being apart is our virtual reality that proves the rule
* You can’t see very well from here.
- But what’s stopping you telling her? - The fear of the unknown? For fear of being expelled from her circle of respect, for fear of considering you mad and backward, skiing off the main road ?
Listen carefully, there are bends in the