DISEQUILIBRIUMS The Individuals. Chapter 35

Friday 23 December 2016

Time: 12:55 am

Sofia

His last sentence prompted me to ask him what I wanted to know since I saw the parchment.

“What does the column on the right mean?”

“I am only the Watchmen of Balance and if that balance is in danger,” Nicola explains, making us listen to him very closely because he said the key word, “… I can only help others re-establish it, but I can never do it myself. You have compiled a lot of information. Some of it is important in order to start the journey and the rest you will need later. Only you can decide when and how.”

This leads to another moment of silence. Then, he stands up and stares at the figurine on the table next to the entrance.

“When you return, I will help you combine all the information you find.”

“It is almost one o’clock in the morning,” David starts saying, “and without dictionaries, we can’t translate it.”

Nicola is silent and then continues,

“I will tell you the meaning, but the rest you will have to find out yourselves.”

He pauses for a moment and adds,

“The exact translation from Latin is:

The small is to the LONG, as the LONG is to the whole.

Now I am going retire for bed because I have to be awake before dawn. I am beginning to feel my age. You can stay here for as long as you want, if that helps you to prepare for the jump.”

I have to admit that I am as confused as the others. How can he go? He can’t. We have to make the jump in a few hours and he has not told us anything. It is true that he has shown us something that we were not expecting and that it’s very important in all this business. I wonder how much historians would give to have the parchment he has just shown us. In any case, the sentence does not say anything and it is assumed that there is the clue.

As he is walking away, I say to him, “Nicola, please don’t go yet. We don’t know what to do with this.”

There’s a moment of silence, and then replies,

“I trust you, and I am sure that you will know how to find the way. I will be awake before you have to go.”

And he leaves, plain and simple, without giving any more explanations. I turn around and look at the others. They look back at me and shrug their shoulders, and then we return to the parchment. We have no other option but to verify the response.

I hear a message alert on my mobile. As I lift the screen, I see that it’s a message from my mother. I had completely forgotten about her. I think that I haven’t behaved well. I would have to go back home and tell her everything that they have told me in the last few hours and in the end to ask her directly about my dad. I don’t know how she would react, nor I for that matter. I suppose that it wouldn’t really matter what she tells me because, whatever happens, it would be difficult to believe her, although deep down, I think she knows everything. I imagine that she will be angry with me and would not dare tell me on the phone what she thinks, but may prefer to tell me in a simple message. I don’t think I’m going to like it.

Opening and reading the message, I have a sinking feeling, and I feel very guilty. Not only does she not show anger, but that she understands that we would want to be with David at this difficult time. At first, I thought she had a double intention, but now I see that it’s not so. In the end, my mother always tries to make things good between us. I feel more relaxed. With a smiley face, I send back a message in reply, ‘I love you. Thank you’.

“That’s it!” Elsa jolts me from my thoughts. “How did it take me so long to realise it?”

We watch her in surprise and once again she writes the translation that Nicola gave us on a sheet of paper. She studies the words. Suddenly, she relaxes. We are looking at her in total seriousness. Now is not a time for jokes. I hope she has really found out something. Her expression changes and she smiles at us all. Pointing to the translation, she says:

“It refers to the golden number.” She recognises that we don’t understand what she is talking about. So she explains, “This is sacred geometry. Do you remember what I said about the PHI number? Well, this refers to it. The golden ratio establishes that the small is to the long, as the long is to the whole.”

On the screen on his tablet, Samuel shows us a photo of the drawing that Elsa had done the first time she explained it to us.

“Normally, it is applied to the ratio between segments. As I have explained, this geometrical ratio has been venerated by all world cultures. We can find it in art, musical composition, even in the proportions of our own bodies and, in general, throughout nature, ‘hidden’ behind the Fibonacci sequence.”

She falls silent, looking at the parchment. Then, in a deep voice, she continues:

“The golden ratio is a unique way of dividing a unit into two parts in geometrical progression.”

She looks at Samuel and smiles as he looks at what she explained to us the last time on his tablet.

“This clearly demonstrates my theory about Emperor Augustus: he based everything on sacred geometry,” She finishes her explanation.

Elsa looks proud of what she has discovered, and I would be lying if I didn’t say that we are very happy that she’s with us. Instinctively, David puts his hand on her right shoulder to congratulate her and she turns quickly towards him and with very wide eyes, smiles back at him. David is not aware of anything. That small innocent gesture is going to have consequences.

I focus again on what we are doing. We have before us a hidden message on a stone that the Romans used to construct the old city, for which a historian would give millions. But personally, I have no idea what our next step is going to be.

“And how is this going to help us now, Elsa,” I can’t help asking.

There’s silence. Neither she nor the boys say anything. It has been a real discovery, but we don’t yet know how to use it.