Chapter 0

Chapter 0: The irrelevant Segway

This scene is set in the medieval ages, when there were kings and kinsmen. Through a portal that had been accidently discovered a messenger of the King had been sent to the future to learn the ways of the men of the future. Today, he arrived at the palace of the king with the news from and about the future.

At the court of the palace.

The King: Before you begin your tale of adventures, enlighten me first why you have arrived so late?

The messenger: Your majesty let me start by saying – it’s not really my fault. First of all they took away my horse and thought I was some kind of mad man.

The King: Oh! So, people have become thieves, all of them, in the future, have they?

The messenger: No, your majesty. They don’t use any horses anymore.

The King: (surprised) Are you barking mad? Do you hear what you are saying? People more advanced than us don’t use any horses? Have you gone mad?

The messenger: No, your majesty. I am speaking the complete truth.

The King: Well, you must be kidding? So, what do they do? Just walk on foot? And how do they send their messengers to different places? On foot? That just sounds ridiculous.

The messenger: They use mobile phones, your majesty.

The King: What in the God’s name is that? Is that a name of a new species of bird? Or an animal?

The messenger: Well, it’s a wireless communication system where people can make and receive phone calls using a radio link.

The King: (just stares back at the messenger for a while) What gibberish talk is this? (Before the messenger can say anything, ordering the other servants) He is just speaking gibberish. Give him some wine. He must be thirsting for it. (The servants go and fetch some wine)

The messenger: No need for that, my lord. I brought me some Coca-Cola and some delicious French wine.

The King: What on earth is that? (Suddenly realizing) And how dare you bring wine from the enemy? 

The messenger: In the future, we become friends.

The King: Nobody becomes friend with the French. I will tell you what will happen in the future? France will be no more. That’s going to happen in the future.

The messenger: But you majesty, future already happened and that what you just said did not happen.

The King: How dare you speak against the King? (The wine arrives)

[The Kings gets up and by himself gets the messenger to drink the wine forcefully.]

The King: Now he will talk some sense. (Goes and sits in his throne) Speak now. What were you saying about the messengers?

The messenger: (After recovering from the King’s assault) I was saying, your Majesty, they don’t use messengers anymore. They use what they call the mobile phones to make calls over long distances.

The King: All of them? Even the miserable low bunch?

The messenger: Yes, sir. Everyone uses mobile phones, everyone, kings, ministers, common people, everyone. They can talk to anyone, anywhere on this earth. It’s incredible, sir.

The King: So, what do they do with this mobile phone? Do they take it to the top of the towers and just shout?

The messenger: They don’t have to, your majesty. You can just sit here and use radio link to call anyone around the globe. (The king looks puzzled) It’s not a problem. And then they use computers to do all of their work. And they use cars instead of horses which carries themselves to wherever they like. (the king stares at him more and more disbelievingly)

The King: And tell me, do they also fly like birds?

The messenger: In fact, they do, your majesty. They fly in those big flying planes and you can reach from England to India in less than a day.

The King: (whispers to his chief commander beside him) Earth going round, people flying, I told you he has gone mad. Take him to the prison.

[The commander orders his soldiers to drag him out of the court.]

The King: Take him to the dungeons and bring him back when he starts speaking some sense.

[They drag him out of the King’s court as he protests, saying he is perfectly sane. He mutters to himself “I should have just stayed there in future, and not come back. It was better there.”]

[Soon after few days, the king gets ill and he sends for his guards to fetch the messenger.]

The King: (upon arrival of the messenger) How are you feeling now? Better? Can you remember who you are, where you are, and who I am?

The messenger: Of course, I do, my King.

The King: I am very glad to hear that. So, now tell me, what did people do for treating diseases and illnesses?

The messenger: They are incredibly good at treating diseases and illnesses, your majesty. They have their medicines manufactured in a pharmaceutical industry, which are usually round or cylindrical shaped pills. And some of the medicines have sensors in them, so when you ingest them, you can know or your kin or your doctors can know if you have taken the medicine or not, and when you have taken it.

The King: (looking suspiciously at him) So, you said, that the medicine that you just ingested tells your kinsmen or your doctors, from the inside of your stomach that it had been eaten or swallowed, and it also tells you what time it, itself was eaten by me or whoever has swallowed it. Is that right?

The messenger: Yes, your majesty. But you also have to have a smart …..

[Before, the messenger can complete, the King speaks to his commander again.]

The King: I don’t think he is cured yet. Take him to the dungeons.

[The messenger is again dragged out of the King’s place helplessly.]