Memoirs of the Unborn. Country

Memoirs of the Unborn. Country

Eighth story

Preface

This country never came into existence.

Although all of us wanted it so much.

We yearned for it, that "land of happiness."

Yearned, but never reached.

And wherever we all may be, wherever fate may lead us, we share something: we all come from that unborn country.

"Wide is my Motherland,

Of her many forests, fields, and rivers!"

This country hardly differed from others.

A country, like any other. People, like people. Cities, like cities. Fields, rivers...

 

In the historical museum, the entire history of the country was preserved, and anyone interested could familiarize themselves with it. For example, this country owes its birth to some explorer who stepped on its land many years ago. Later, it was named after that very discoverer. They say he discovered many countries. And all are named after him. It turned out he had many names, so each of the countries he discovered was named after one of them.

 

The climate in this country was tolerable, the lands fertile. The people were simple and hardworking. Surprisingly, politicians were prudent. Wars and disasters avoided it.

 

It was ruled, neither shaky nor wobbly, by a king.

 

He was neither short nor tall. Of average height and build. In his decisions, he relied on ministers and advisers. And two - or more - heads, as they say, are better than one.

The king claimed that his lineage traced back to either an ancient tribe or the very first discoverer, after whom the country was named. Either way, it didn't matter, as it had no impact on the course of history.

 

Hurricanes were rare in this country, as were snowstorms. Only dust storms often shrouded the country in a haze, whose territory stretched two thousand miles from north to south and one and a half thousand miles from west to east.

 

The historical museum holds information that during the reign of the great-great-great-grandfather of the current king, the country was invaded by a locust tribe, terrorizing farms and farmers and their families. Perhaps, it was the most terrible incident in the relatively prosperous country.

 

Browsing through the museum's materials, you'll find stories of various cities, country residents, families, and communities, the information about which has been stored almost since the country's discovery.

 

An important moment in the country's development, with around ten thousand inhabitants divided by deserts, mountain ranges, and rivers, was the documentation and perpetuation of today's history in real-time mode.

 

Royal documentarians recorded current events on video, took photographs, recorded on audio carriers, and even preserved them in 3D format. Moreover, artists and sculptors captured and immortalized these events on canvas and in clay, bronze, and stone.

 

Almost any day from the country's history could be reconstructed not only through media archives but also from this unique database. All information was carefully stored and duplicated.

 

For any historian and writer, especially in the memoir genre, this method opened boundless possibilities, and the only difference in their creations was the interpretation of facts and events.

 

But, as always, there was a flip side to the coin.

 

This country played such a meager role on the planet that its events and history interested no one except the country's residents themselves. Their historical novels and memoirs had almost no value, also because this extraordinary country... never existed.

It simply was not born.

 

The history of the unborn country was never born either, just like the history of the unborn Planet, on which the unborn discoverer never discovered this unborn country.

 

And the materials of its historical museum, which was also never founded, could only serve as the basis for one category of memoirs.

 

Memoirs of the unborn country.

 

Yes, this country hardly differed from others.

 

Except that it was never born.

October 25, 2014, Original (Russian) version.