**Episode Sixty Four**
**THE ONE WHO TAUGHT THE WORLD TO WANT***
Part Five: The First Desire
The jungle...
did not move.
Not a leaf.
Not a branch.
Not even the mist.
Everything...
was waiting.
Tarzan looked at the Walker.
The Walker...
was still staring into the darkness.
His walking stick...
had stopped trembling.
That was somehow worse.
Milo noticed.
"You've seen him before."
The Walker didn't answer.
Milo adjusted his glasses.
"You have."
Still nothing.
Arjun stepped closer.
"Who is he?"
The Walker finally spoke.
Very quietly.
"Not who."
"Then what?"
The Walker looked toward the ground.
"An idea."
Tarzan frowned.
"...I DON'T LIKE IDEAS."
Milo raised an eyebrow.
"You are literally traveling through time."
Tarzan pointed at him.
"...THAT IS A DIFFERENT KIND OF BAD."
The darkness moved.
A sound came from beneath the earth.
Not a growl.
Not a roar.
A heartbeat.
Slow.
Heavy.
Ancient.
THUM.
Everyone froze.
THUM.
The jungle floor trembled.
THUM.
Arjun felt something inside his chest...
answer.
He grabbed his heart.
"What..."
"...was that?"
The Walker looked at him.
"You heard it."
"Yes."
"Good."
Arjun stared.
"Good?"
The Walker nodded.
"Because if you hadn't..."
He looked toward the darkness.
"...you would already belong to him."
Silence.
Diana stepped forward.
"Belong?"
The Walker nodded.
"He doesn't conquer people."
"He doesn't need armies."
"He doesn't threaten."
"He offers."
The Keeper...
who had been walking away...
suddenly stopped.
He turned.
"What does he offer?"
The Walker looked at him.
"More."
The Keeper's face changed.
Fear returned.
"Then..."
"...he is still here."
The Walker nodded.
"He never left."
A cold wind passed through the trees.
The Keeper whispered.
"I thought I escaped."
"You escaped yourself."
"Not him."
The Keeper looked down.
His empty hands began shaking.
"I know that voice."
Milo looked at him.
"You've met him too?"
The Keeper slowly nodded.
"Everyone has."
Milo frowned.
"Impossible."
The Keeper smiled bitterly.
"No."
"Human."
1. THE FIRST WHISPER
The ground cracked.
A thin line of pale light appeared.
From inside it...
came a whisper.
Not loud.
Almost gentle.
"Do you want..."
Everyone heard it.
The whisper continued.
"...something?"
Tarzan immediately covered his ears.
"NO."
The whisper changed direction.
"Do you want..."
"...more bananas?"
Tarzan's hands slowly lowered.
Everyone stared at him.
Tarzan stared at the ground.
"...THAT IS UNFAIR."
Milo grabbed his shoulder.
"Don't listen."
"I AM NOT LISTENING."
"You just answered."
"...I WAS BEING POLITE."
The whisper laughed.
Then it spoke to everyone.
"Do you want..."
To Arjun...
"certainty."
To Diana...
"greatness."
To Gandalf...
"power."
To Meera...
"knowledge."
To Milo...
"answers."
And finally...
To the Walker...
"rest."
The Walker closed his eyes.
For the first time...
his face showed exhaustion.
The voice whispered again.
"Just one thing."
"Then another."
"Then another."
"Until..."
"...you never have to be dissatisfied again."
The Keeper laughed bitterly.
"That is the lie."
The voice answered.
"No."
"It is the truth."
The earth shook.
"People are dissatisfied."
"Therefore..."
"They want."
"They want..."
"Therefore..."
"They move."
"They move..."
"Therefore..."
"They become."
The Walker opened his eyes.
"And when do they stop?"
Silence.
Then the voice answered.
"They don't."
2. THE MAN BENEATH THE WORLD
The jungle floor suddenly sank.
A circular depression formed.
At its center...
a staircase appeared.
Descending.
Down.
And down.
And down.
Tarzan looked into it.
"...THAT IS DEFINITELY NOT A NORMAL
STAIRCASE."
Milo nodded.
"Agreed."
"HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE AGREED ABOUT SOMETHING?"
"Too many."
The Walker approached the stairs.
Arjun stopped him.
"Where does it go?"
The Walker answered.
"To the beginning."
"The beginning of what?"
The Walker looked at him.
"Want."
Nobody moved.
The Keeper suddenly stepped forward.
"I will go."
The Walker looked surprised.
"Why?"
The Keeper swallowed.
"Because..."
He looked at his empty hands.
"...I need to know why I was never satisfied."
The Walker nodded.
"Then come."
Arjun followed.
Then Diana.
Then Meera.
Milo sighed.
"Apparently..."
"...we're doing this."
Tarzan looked at the staircase.
Then at his banana.
He took one final bite.
"...I AM COMING."
Milo smiled.
"I knew you would."
Tarzan pointed at him.
"I AM ONLY COMING BECAUSE..."
He held up the peel.
"...I NEED TO FIND A BIN."
3. THE DESCENT
The stairs seemed endless.
One step.
Another.
Another.
The deeper they went...
the quieter the world became.
No birds.
No wind.
No insects.
No footsteps...
except theirs.
Then...
Arjun noticed something.
The walls were covered with drawings.
Thousands.
Millions.
Humans.
Animals.
Cities.
Ships.
Weapons.
Crowns.
Temples.
Machines.
Stars.
Every drawing...
showed someone reaching for something.
Arjun touched one.
"What are these?"
The Keeper answered.
"History."
Diana shook her head.
"No."
She pointed.
"They're desires."
The Keeper looked at her.
"History..."
"...is what desire leaves behind."
Milo stared at the walls.
"That is..."
He paused.
"...disturbingly logical."
Tarzan pointed at another drawing.
It showed a primitive human reaching toward fire.
"...WHAT DOES HE WANT?"
The Walker answered.
"Warmth."
Another drawing.
A human reaching for food.
"Food."
Another.
"Safety."
Another.
"Companionship."
Another.
"Knowledge."
Another.
"Power."
Another.
"Immortality."
Tarzan looked confused.
"WHY DOES HE WANT TO LIVE
FOREVER?"
The Walker smiled faintly.
"Because..."
"...he is afraid of losing what he already has."
Tarzan became quiet.
That answer...
seemed to reach somewhere inside him.
4. THE FIRST HUMAN
The stairs ended.
They entered a massive chamber.
At the center...
was a small fire.
Beside it...
sat a human being.
Not ancient.
Not young.
Simply...
human.
He wore no crown.
Held no weapon.
Owned nothing.
He stared at the fire.
The Keeper stopped breathing.
"Who is he?"
The Walker whispered.
"The first."
Arjun stared.
"The first human?"
"No."
The Walker shook his head.
"The first desire."
Everyone froze.
The man looked up.
His eyes were ordinary.
Almost painfully ordinary.
He smiled.
"Hello."
Tarzan waved.
"HELLO."
The man looked at him.
"Do you have food?"
Tarzan immediately became suspicious.
"...WHY?"
The man smiled.
"Because I'm hungry."
Tarzan looked at the Walker.
The Walker nodded.
Tarzan slowly offered him half a banana.
The man accepted it.
He took a bite.
His eyes widened.
"This is good."
Tarzan smiled proudly.
"I KNOW."
The man ate another bite.
Then stopped.
He looked at the banana.
Then at Tarzan.
"Can I have another?"
Tarzan froze.
The chamber became silent.
The Keeper whispered...
"It begins."
The man looked confused.
"Begins what?"
The Walker answered.
"More."
The man looked at the banana.
He smiled.
"Yes."
"More."
5. THE MOMENT EVERYTHING CHANGED
The fire grew.
The chamber expanded.
The walls began filling with images.
One banana...
became two.
Two...
became ten.
Ten...
became hundreds.
The man looked at them.
His eyes widened.
"I want..."
He stopped.
Then whispered...
"...all of them."
The fire grew again.
The chamber shook.
The Keeper backed away.
"No..."
The man looked around.
"What's wrong?"
The Walker approached him.
"Nothing."
"Then why are you afraid?"
The Walker looked directly into his eyes.
"Because you just discovered..."
"...the most powerful word in existence."
The man waited.
The Walker whispered...
"More."
The chamber exploded with light.
6. THE KEEPER REMEMBERS
The Keeper collapsed.
Memories flooded into him.
Markets.
Cities.
Kings.
Wars.
Factories.
Empires.
Money.
Technology.
Fame.
Competition.
Everything.
He screamed.
"I remember!"
The Walker grabbed him.
"What?"
"I was there."
Everyone stared.
The Keeper's face twisted with horror.
"I wasn't the Keeper..."
"I was the first collector."
Diana whispered.
"Collector of what?"
The Keeper looked at her.
"Everything."
Milo stepped closer.
"Why?"
The Keeper's eyes filled with tears.
"Because I thought..."
"...if I collected enough..."
"...I would finally feel safe."
He laughed through the tears.
"But safety..."
"...became wealth."
"Wealth became power."
"Power became control."
"Control became fear."
"And fear..."
He looked toward the First Desire.
"...became hunger."
The Walker nodded.
"Exactly."
7. THE HUNGER
The First Desire stood.
The fire behind him grew enormous.
His ordinary face began changing.
Not into a monster.
Something worse.
Into...
everyone.
A king.
A child.
A soldier.
A scientist.
A lover.
A billionaire.
A beggar.
A conqueror.
A poet.
A god.
Every face...
was human.
The voice came from all of them.
"I am not evil."
Arjun stepped back.
"Then what are you?"
The faces smiled.
"I am the question..."
"...that makes civilization move."
Milo whispered.
"Desire."
"Yes."
The Walker raised his stick.
"And what happens when desire becomes the master?"
The First Desire smiled.
"Then..."
"...nothing is ever enough."
The chamber trembled.
The Keeper looked at his hands.
Then at the First Desire.
"How do we stop you?"
The First Desire laughed.
"You don't."
The Walker stepped forward.
"Wrong."
The First Desire looked at him.
"What?"
The Walker smiled.
"You don't stop desire."
"You understand it."
The First Desire's smile disappeared.
"You cannot understand hunger."
The Walker raised his stick.
"You can."
"Because..."
"...hunger tells you something."
"What?"
The Walker answered...
"That you are alive."
Silence.
Even the First Desire...
became still.
8. THE CHOICE
The Walker turned toward the travelers.
"Desire is not the enemy."
"Unexamined desire is."
He looked at Arjun.
"Wanting more..."
"...is not wrong."
"Believing more..."
"...will finally make you whole..."
"...is."
Diana slowly nodded.
The Keeper looked down.
Milo pushed his glasses upward.
Gandalf stroked his beard.
Tarzan raised his hand.
The Walker sighed.
"Yes?"
Tarzan asked...
"If desire is not bad..."
"...can I desire another banana?"
Everyone stared.
The Walker smiled.
"Yes."
Tarzan grinned.
"...EXCELLENT."
The First Desire suddenly laughed.
Not angrily.
Almost joyfully.
"Then you understand."
The Walker frowned.
"What?"
The First Desire pointed toward Tarzan.
"He does not want to eliminate desire."
"He wants to choose it."
The Walker's expression changed.
The First Desire continued...
"And that..."
"...is what makes humans dangerous."
The chamber shook.
"Because a human who chooses what is enough..."
"...cannot be controlled by more."
The walls cracked.
The fire turned white.
The First Desire began disappearing.
The Keeper shouted...
"Wait!"
The First Desire looked at him.
"What?"
The Keeper whispered...
"Will I ever stop wanting?"
The First Desire smiled.
"No."
The Keeper looked afraid.
Then the First Desire added...
"But you can stop obeying."
And vanished.
9. THE SURFACE
The staircase disappeared.
The travelers suddenly found themselves back in the jungle.
Morning light...
was beginning to appear.
Birds started singing.
The wind returned.
The trees moved.
Everything felt...
ordinary.
The Keeper stood quietly.
He looked at his empty hands.
Then at the sunrise.
He smiled.
"I want..."
He stopped.
Everyone looked at him.
He laughed.
"I want to see tomorrow."
The Walker nodded.
"Good."
"Is that enough?"
The Walker smiled.
"For today."
The Keeper nodded.
"For today."
Tarzan walked beside him.
He carried three bananas.
The Keeper looked at them.
"Three?"
Tarzan nodded.
"Three."
"Why?"
Tarzan smiled.
"Because..."
He looked at the sunrise.
"...tomorrow is another day."
Milo laughed.
"That may be the most sensible thing you've ever said."
Tarzan frowned.
"...I DON'T LIKE IT."
Everyone laughed.
For a moment...
there was peace.
Real peace.
Not the absence of desire.
But the absence...
of obedience to it.
The Walker looked toward the horizon.
His smile returned.
Then...
A tiny sound came from somewhere behind them.
Click.
Everyone turned.
Nothing.
Click.
Milo frowned.
"What was that?"
The Walker's face became serious.
A small object...
lay in the grass.
A key.
Golden.
The same key...
the Keeper had once offered Arjun.
Except...
this one was different.
Its inscription slowly appeared.
THE DOOR TO EVERYTHING YOU NEVER WANTED.
Arjun stared.
"What does that mean?"
The Walker didn't answer.
Because behind the key...
the jungle began opening.
Not physically.
Reality itself...
was separating.
A doorway appeared.
Beyond it...
there was no darkness.
No light.
No jungle.
No sky.
Only...
a vast white space.
Something moved inside.
A figure.
Tall.
Silent.
Watching them.
The Walker stepped backward.
Tarzan noticed.
"You are afraid again."
The Walker nodded.
"Yes."
"Who is that?"
The Walker whispered...
"The one desire could never create."
Milo stared.
"Then what is it?"
The Walker looked at the doorway.
And spoke the final words...
"Choice."
The figure inside the white space...
opened its eyes.
And somewhere beyond reality...
a voice whispered...
"Then let humanity choose."
The doorway opened completely.
The jungle vanished.
And the travelers...
stepped toward something...
that had never existed before.
TO BE CONTINUED...
**Next Episode 65 - "THE WORLD THAT CHOSE WRONG" **
Written By,
Ivan Edwin
Pen Name :Maximus.
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