Carlo Antonelli

The black sun of Zeda A fable

English translation by Antonio Siclari

Carlo Antonelli The black sun of Zeda © 2011 by Carlo Antonelli ISBN: 978-1-4477-9941-2

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales in entirely coincidental.

To my wife

The second edition

When I started writing this fable, I was in the bed of a hospital, but all I needed it was a pen and some paper sheets. A pen that could even write upside-down, considering I could not do it. Then, unexpectedly, it was one of the most beloved stories, with so many positive comments that, however, often ended this way: -It cannot finish this way! - -Is there a sequel? –

As all things, The black sun of Zeda has a beginning and an end too; however… the end can be so far.

Carlo Antonelli

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That little spider went down jerky along the blue wall of the room and it stopped every now and then to make sure there were no dangers, then it kept on going down. Geo had been looking at it for some time not saying a word, but he could not stand it anymore.

- Grandpa, kill it!

- What? What do I have to kill? - the surprised grandfather asked, looking around to the direction of the aimed finger.

- That spider! The one on the wall, don't you see it? - The grandfather adjusted better his glasses turning toward the wall, then he slowly stretched his arm, grazing the wall. The little spider seemed to fly in the room now, suspended at little distance from the grandfather’s finger.

- Why do you want to kill it? It has done nothing to you.

- It is ugly and it is disgusting, take it away! - The grandfather had opened the window and shaken his hand, Geo didn't care about that spider by now, he looked at his grandfather and turned himself in the cot to rush him.

- Then?

- Then don't rush me, this is a long story, it must be prepared well, you have to make yourself comfortable, I make myselt too, so…

- Do you give me your hand? - Geo asked, looking for his best position

- It is a good thing, because it is a dark story and you could see nothing, it will be my hand to guide you, my hand and my voice.

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The sun of Zeda

Over the most distant galaxy, over the confinements of the known universe, more distant of the same imagination, there was a small planet, perhaps smaller than Earth: the planet Zeda.

This planet rotates alone around its sun, a particular sun because its rays, rather to illuminate they darken, they are warm and black rays that allow to see only the contours of things.

It is not known if the inhabitants of that place had given it a name, if they loved it or if they were afraid, but it was the black sun of Zeda for everybody.

At night the weak light of the stars left just to glimpse some confused forms or, better, some shades, difficult to understand for the inhabitants of Zeda that could not orientate themselves

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in such strange greyness, and they didn't certainly want to go out of their residences.

In the daytime the rising of the black sun was advanced by a pleasant warm wind and the gilded reflections that perfectly underlined the contours of the objects, the roads, the trees, as well as the people. Then, slowly, the sun was in the sky, and introduced itself with its shine as a completely black disk, surrounded by a thin and bright golden ring.

It was a strange way of seeing, however it was very simple, there were no colours and even no shades, only the contours can be seen, the gilded contours of all things.

The inhabitants of Zeda had not gotten used to the unnecessary things, however they loved the conveniences, the good foods and they appreciated above all the beauty, the precise and soft lines, not too big and too thin.

Only the sea didn't perhaps attract them very much: all those ripples of the water made many gilded reflections, reflections

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moving over and over again, they changed position, it was difficult to understand. In effects the sea frightened them very much, even if on Zeda it was always calm. Someone very brave had a swim sometimes, but the contours of his body seemed to get deformed in the water, it was a gruesome show indeed, and when he went out, he was even worse, as if he was sprinkled with small dots and gilded lines, every imperfection of his skin could be noticed, every particular. Not much people really had the courage to go into the sea water.

Zeda was commanded by a prince: the prince of the day, and by a princess: the princess of the night. They were brother and sister, descending of a noble family and they guarded an ancient knowledge handed on from generation to generation, a knowledge concerning their sun and their future.

This knowledge, in remote age, was patrimony of all the inhabitants of Zeda, but it caused a lot of pain and unhappiness, so, they don't known well when, it was decided to let the heavy knowledge in the hands of two people only in order they guarded, each one separately, a part of it, in exchange for an absolute power on the whole planet.

The dark day of Zeda cancelled the night without any warning, it suddenly went down like a curtain, and it always came on time. The inhabitants woke up from their bed, and they were ready for their work or school, children and the old people still delayed for a while in their beds before having breakfast.

Also the night came suddenly like a dense grey barrier; it advanced fast instantly cancelling the black day and its bright gilded contours that delineated the landscape and the objects.

There were no dawn or sunset, but only the day and the night.

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The beings of the day knew it very well, because their life would have been very difficult indeed if they had suffered the night out of a sure shelter, and this was more and more important for the beings of the night, animals or men.

In that remote age, something very sad happened for Zeda and its inhabitants.

It had never happened before that a being of the night met one being of the day and, among all the beings living on Zeda, the two most unlikely people, to which this possibility was denied by their same nature and the laws of the planet.

They met on the threshold of a new day from a side, and from the other of the invisible barrier that had been dividing the day from the night: the princess of the night and the prince of the day.

They were suspended in the air, lifted by the energy of their own crystals, and they moved around Zeda with the same

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rotation speed of the planet, the one in front of the other, crossing the sky of the whole world. They peacefully spoke, as if they were standing, looking each other in their eyes; each of them in his own element, without making them graze by the time that didn't belong to them.

They had been speaking for a long time and many witnesses thought to see them suspended in the air, a too fast wake in the sky to be stopped by the look.

They had been speaking for the whole day and, perhaps, someone thought to perceive a tear, slipping along princess' face in the night. They talked beyond the time and only at the end, before greeting, she stretched her arm, penetrating the dark barrier of the day of Zeda by her hand, just the time to caress his brother's face while her hand already turned into a light and golden dust, bright like the gold reflections of their sun.

Nobody saw the princess of the night anymore, and what the ancestors of Zeda wanted to avoid at all costs, it had somehow happened already. The crystal of water and fire gathered, they returned in the hands of an only living being.

The High Council of Zeda waited for the words of its prince, but nobody dared to look, they knew that the power of their Lord had grown beyond all limits. They wondered how long he would have resisted to the corruption of a similar power, but the reason why this was happened, it tormented them even more. All this would not have been possible without the free willing of the princess of the night, and without her sacrifice.

- Don't you dare to look at me? - the prince of the day severely said - You know I can read your minds, but you don't know I

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don't like this; it is not one desire of mine. It is not me that you have to fear, but our sun. -

A buzz raised from the meeting while the advisers exchanged perplexed and incredulous looks. The prince continued:

- I don't know a less painful way to tell you what I have to, and there is no more time to prepare you to this news, therefore I will tell you what you have to know, and I immediately will do it. The energy of our sun is ending. Ours beloved sun, a different sun and maybe the only one in the whole universe, a sun that has given us its beneficent and vital heat till now, it is dying. Its big and wise heart is cold now, and it is stopping soon. There is no time to escape, there is no more time to build spaceships by which we can leave Zeda, and tomorrow everything is ending. Tomorrow, when there is no day after the night. -

He stopped, leaving the emotions and desperation of his people could freely express, he was silent in the middle of them, he was alone, surrounded by all those people, alone, as his destiny was, until he could read on their faces a more calm resignation. The uncertain looks started looking at the prince, but looking for other, another answer or possibility.

- What I have to do, it could already reduce this brief and uncertain life on Zeda more and more, but it will leave a hope so that our history, our culture and our vital spirit will not be lost forever. -

- You want to leave! - it echoed - You want to leave with the power of the crystals! –

- And where would I go? - the prince repeated more times, almost in a low voice.

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- And how long could the energy of the crystals protect me without our nourishing sun? And even if it could protect me, I would grow old, and I would die before having reached a possible habitable planet. No! I won't go; I will follow my people and its destiny, as well as my sister did before me, preceding me in the sacrifice. Tomorrow, before the day that won't come, I will melt the power of the water and fire crystals… -

- And all will end instantly! - an old adviser badly broke into! It is the absolute evil! –

- What worse evil there can be than the loss of our life, or the spirit of life of a whole planet? This is what I have to do, and I will do it! I will wait only just before sun rising, residual energy will allow the fusion of the water and the fire, producing the legendary black crystal: the will of Zeda.

The image of the black crystal had diverted the thought of the imminent end for some instant, and the prince continued-The third crystal will guide the others two ones along the universe, irresistibly attracted by the water and the fire, the life elements. The will of Zeda won't exhaust, until it has found a living planet that can welcome it. I have decided so, and it will be! –

The dawn without day advanced fast, covering with an icy mantle of death every inhabitant, every animal up to the smallest bug, and a thin cover of ice stopped the time itself, and the flowing of some vital pulsation of Zeda.

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The prince of the day could not wait over, he lifted his hands until the blue and red crystals lights melted in a dazzling white rising along his arms, it rose higher and higher, illuminating the world in a strange way never seen before.

He remained with his lifted arms, but he didn't close his eyes, he kept on looking, while in the middle of that dazzling light, a small black sphere was taking form, a black sphere that seemed to absorb the whole surrounding light. He stayed there, standing and looking up, until everything got dark.

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A long trip

Bright and fast like a lightning; the light of the crystals of Zeda had departed from the planet, toward the stars, over the stars, crossing galaxies and new suns, comets and black holes. A trip in the universe, guided by the hope to find a place where to stop, a place where to pass its own essence and its own history.

Only a weak wind remained of Zeda and its sun by now, only a thought contained in that trip in the space and time. A memory the same time was weakening, millennium by millennium and even the strength of the legendary crystal was almost exhausted, absorbed by the endless space, by the gravity of so

TABLE OF CONTENTS The sun of Zeda .......................................................................... 10

A long trip .................................................................................... 18

Lilly's awakening ......................................................................... 28

At grandpa's ................................................................................ 32

The dream of Zeda....................................................................... 39

Imprisoned in the crystal ............................................................ 41

Mark grows up ............................................................................. 43

The queen of Zeda........................................................................ 46

I always see you ........................................................................... 56

The dark world ............................................................................. 59

Happy birthday.............................................................................. 62

I want.............................................................................................. 73

Found again................................................................................... 76

The end of Zeda............................................................................. 88

Back to school .............................................................................. 90

The top of the class....................................................................... 91

The house on the sea front .......................................................... 93

The water colourist........................................................................ 96

The doubts ..................................................................................... 98

About the author

Carlo Antonelli born in Brescia, Italy (May, 1965) where he got a first-class degree. He is an expert of pain therapy. Psychotherapist, he is a medical specialist in Anesthesia-Intensive-Care medicine and clinical hypnosis and Erickson's psychotherapy. He loves research, the study and the popularization of the knowledge as tools of growth in the freedom. He is currently responsible of the Antalgic Therapy by the ASL of the city of Potenza, city where he lives with his wife and three children.

The first short stories published on local magazines of his native country go back to 1981: La tartarughina acquatica, Il merluzzo, L'isola di Rkr, I portieri, subsequently collected in the first novel of science fiction Tempo e Luna published by G. Laterza (Bari). He made his debut in 2003 with the publication of a university essay: Ipnosi e Dolore (integrated aspects) introduced by the prof. Rolando Weilbacher and published by Giuseppe Laterza (Bari). He subsequently devotes to science fiction and fantasy. After Tempo e Luna published in 2006, he publishes in 2009 the novel Oltre l'abisso di Moinbù and in 2010 the first edition of the fantasy fable Il sole nero di Zeda (The black sun of Zeda). In 2011 he publishes with his colleague Marco Luchetti the essay Ipnosi Medica: Parola, informazione, esperienza published by Lulu Enterprises Inc. USA.

Further information on: www.carloantonelli.it

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