The Three Brothers: Part One of Two

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Once, the great artisan T. M. Raque (former pupil of I. M. Pei) became truly inspired. He descended into his underground workshops, and remained there for a month and a day. When he emerged, he appeared alone; but others followed. His creations; three machines, in the shapes of men. They named themselves brothers; Alyaph, Bteth, and Gvamya. T. M. Raque they named their father; and this role he took.

The boys grew over the years - not physically, for in all matters but the cosmetic their forms were fixed, but mentally. T. M. Raque taught them, in person and by hiring tutors; in their off-time the three boys explored, adventured, simply played. And they were at peace.

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But time passed; and all three of the brothers knew that, eventually, the time for their separation would come. One or another would feel the call; know their education to be complete within the bounds of their father's abilities; and would leave. All of them felt fear, for change was in the wind, change being a thing that all thinking beings fear (rightly or wrongly); but Bteth felt it far more acutely than his brothers. He did not wish to separate from them, for any reason or by any means; and so, eventually, he acted.

His first tool was subtle suasion. He spoke to his brothers, asking, pleading, that they not leave him, when the time came; that they remain together, no matter what came. But his brothers argued back. Alyaph told Bteth that it would stunt both of them to stay past the appointed time; Gvamya kindly reminded him that they would still be in touch, no matter what happened; their departure would not sever the bonds that connected them, and they would meet again, in time. Both, together, told him that they would not leave yet, in any case; but they would, individually, when the time came.

Bteth waited until his brothers left for lessons; then he waxed wroth with fury, ranting and frothing. Swearing off words, he seized adhesive and bound his jaw about six times, cementing it shut. Slowly, he came to a halt, his fury depleting, and turning to a colder thing. Then a plan fermented, suffused with bitterness; and he smiled.

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Now Bteth worked by force. He seized his brothers' belongings, working in secret; hid them away and held them hostage to his brothers' obedience. When Gvamya dared object, Bteth struck him a foul blow, laying him low; and from that point forward he commanded the brothers.

For the next weeks, it seemed on the outside all was it had been; the brothers laughed and played, and Bteth rarely invoked his power. But whensoever one of his brothers did object or defy him, Bteth struck, revealing the iron fist beneath the velvet glove; at those times his face turned sour and vicious, like a rabid beast. And slowly his appearance began to shift to match; his clothes turned dark and ragged, his face seemingly ever ready to grimace in rage. But still he held to his course, hardly noticing the changes in himself.

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Then one day the brothers Alyaph and Gvamya met alone; and, with an instant of sudden decision, they acted. They walked, slowly, away - from that place of teaching which long housed them.

Bteth soon realized. He thought to cry out to them, but could not; panicking, he ran after them, seeking to force them back. He seized the shoes off Alyaph's feet, the rations Gvamya carried for the journey; but he could not deter them. Soundlessly, he argued; but at last his coercion had no weight. The brothers had done with it; they would allow themselves to be controlled no further.

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Slowly, he slinked, defeated, back into the place of teaching. Alyaph and Gvamya smiled, spoke, shook hands; then Alyaph turned back, for he had much yet to learn, while Gvamya left the place of teaching where they had long lived. Perhaps, he hoped, Alyaph might now turn Bteth back to the light; to the fraternity that the brothers had once shared. But for him, the home of T. M. Raque was too small for him; and he must grow.

(TO BE CONTINUED)