Parmenides - A time traveler

He took one step and then hesitated. The Engine had never been tested in practice and this made him anxious. However this was the only opportunity they had before the Pentagon guys got their hands on it in a few hours. A time machine was the dream of every superpower and they seem to have made it come true. Before the generals came to claim their prize, they wanted to fulfill one of their own - more personal - dreams. A few days before the body of a man was discovered in a ditch at Athens Greece. The body was dated back to the time of ancient Athens. With him archeologists found some notes on Parmenides. Now they wanted to try to go back in time and make every philosopher would envy - to try to talk with Socrates face to face! "Certainly a much more noble goal," thought James and started again walking towards the Engine. The latter had been secretly transferred with a C-5 in Greece and was set in a place near the ditch where the archaeological discovery was made.

The whole scene was simple and nothing betrayed the importance of the moment. Suspense filled the air. With a paper notepad as his only ally, he got into the Engine. Enable.

Without the many effects or colors that he imagined he would see, he was in ancient Athens. It was getting dark. The gold Attic Sun was setting and suddenly his heart calmed. All the stress was gone. He was in the middle of a dirt road. Alone. Heard footsteps behind him. Hide. Reacting instinctively, he lowered his head beneath a mound, without knowing why. Three men were walking toward him, talking. Even from afar he began to understand his terrible luck! It was Parmenides and his pupil Zeno, who had come to visit Athens. And the third man, who now looked young, was Socrates! Many historians wrote about this meeting of these giants of philosophy. And he was now there – a live witness! He pulled out his notepad and quickly began to take notes. The men walked slowly and spoke loudly in the deserted dirt road. But it was something he did not like in the whole scene. Ignore it. The men had approached him now. James continued to frantically write down what he heard and then he realized it with terror. At the same time a snake suddenly bit him in the neck! She was beside him all the time as he was concentrated in writing and he had not noticed it. He started spitting blood while the snake was moving away in the ditch. The same ditch where the dead man with the notes to the Parmenides had been discovered! A tear rolled down his cheek as he was dying. The men moved on.

It started raining. Thick mud slowly covered him. He pulled his notes close to him and slept.

Spiros Kakos

Athens, 04/2013

One last spaghetti...

He had just come back from the funeral. His mother had just died. She was his most beloved person. She had taken care of him for so many years, raised him, she... his eyes wet, started crying again. From a small child he had been pondering on the possibility (it was just a... possibility back then) of his parents dying. And whenever he thought about it, his mother always came and reassured him that everything will be OK... But today she wasn't there. She would not be there anymore. Not now. Not ever again. And that "Never" really made his heart ache. It was that sense of security that he missed the most. A person who loved him so much that would do anything just to make him feel better. He felt good around her. Now he felt void.

With heavy feet he opened the door. Entered the lounge, then went slowly into the kitchen. He hadn't eaten since the previous day. Since he heard the bad news... He thought eating was an insult to his mother. He could not put anything into his mouth after her death. But now biology came to overcome his will. He had to eat something. Mechanically and unwillingly he opened the fridge trying to find something editable. He opened the door and saw a plate of spaghetti. Tears started pouring from his eyes. Tears he couldn't stop. It was the food his mother made for him yesterday just before she died. Ready as he liked it. He couldn't even see the plate with his blurred eyes. Took it. Placed it on the table. Started eating it. Slowly. Each time he ate, he remembered of his mother preparing it. He cried even more. Every bite brought more sadness to his heart. The sauce. As he preferred it. With a lot of vinegar as he liked it. Another bite. And another. He kept on crying while finishing his food. She had even put extra chesses as she only knew he liked it. And another bite. The food was getting less and less. The last meal from his mother. He ate it but at the same time wanted to leave it as it is. It was the last thing he had from her. Another bite. Every time he felt so pleased from the excellent food, he also remembered of who prepared it and the pleasure went away instantly. Tears again. Mechanically he ate it all. When he was a kid, he would always ask for more. And she would - with all her love - give him more. Smiling.

He fell sleepy. Slowly he bent over the table and laid his head on it. His eyes closed and he dreamed of the only thing that would make his soul pleased. Another plate of spaghetti with cheese... And in his sleep, just for a fleeting moment, he smiled...

Spiros Kakos

2/2013 – Athens, Greece