Villanueva, Dublas, Hassan, Urbano (Aristotle) Learning Outcome

LAND a WATER SKY

A long time ago, the world was paradise. Everyone lived in harmony, and each creature cared for each other dearly. They would help each other and there was no rivalry among them. Tranquility reigned, and it was almost, if not already, world peace. There were three kings, and even they all lived and remained close to each other. On the vast plains of Adar was the King of the Earth, Raneh. He was a loving and caring king, and he lived by moral principles. His kingdom remained green and full of life, where all of the animals, plants, and the few hundreds of humans living in friendship. In the depths of the waters of the Gilmer Sea was the King of the Waters, Vilam. He was a calm, wise man, and all of his advices paved the way to the tranquil community that his kingdom beholds. On the peak of the majestic Mount Akton was the King of the Sky, Gahal. He was powerful, yet he was humble. Not a single time had he boasted and abused all his power. His kingdom was a place of helpful creatures who would always be there for those in need.

Some nine hundred years later, the number of humans grew. It should have been a positive impact and a great help upon the world, but what happened was quite the opposite. As more and more people inhabited the earth, the more tranquility faded. The people began fighting with each other, and all of these conflicts often led to tests of strength. The bonds of friendship between man, plants, and animals have torn apart. One cunning and cruel man with out-of-this-world power, Frank, decided to overthrow the kings and become the most powerful in the entire world. He would repeat this phrase over and over as he stood upon the peak of Mount Akton, the people listening to him: “No one but Frank is the king! I shall rule over all!”

Frank had an idea. He decided to make the kings suffer by destroying their kingdoms. “Of course,” he thought. “I would not do this alone”. I shall force my people to follow me, and together we will be able to make the world “PLANET FRANK!”, he shouted, his face grinning wickedly. The next day, Frank announced the news to his people. Some thought that the plan was a bit too ambitious of him, but of course, the majority outnumbered them. Frank would soon become the king of the world and the ruler of the planet. Using his power, he built a creature he named “Pollution” and he would be the destroyer and conqueror of the world. “Sure enough, my master. I would never betray you”, Pollution replied. Frank promised that only the people who will support him will not suffer from the attacks. Frank left everything to Pollution, and soon enough, their plan started. The first target was Raneh, the King of the Earth. Pollution spawned trash everywhere. Garbage flew to the north towards the Kingdom of Adar. His goal was the destruction of every single plant in the area. He thought: “once I destroy all the plants, the animals will suffer, and when they all suffer, Raneh’s kingdom will be no more.” Raneh, while watching over his Kingdom, noticed something different. Strange whirring noises came from the southern sky. Suddenly, garbage appeared before his very eyes. It all happened in a split second, and for a second, he was confused. As powerful as he was, he decided to make all of the trash vanish. However, before he could do anything, due the quick buildup of trash on the ground, Raneh drowned under and could no longer see. Eventually, he could no longer breathe and he lost his consciousness. Adar, which used to be a green land, full of life, is now a dark grey, desolate wasteland, filled with endless heaps of garbage.

Frank was so arrogant that he couldn’t restrain himself from shouting atop Mount Akton: “I will be the king and Pollution will be my prince!” Frank congratulated Pollution for his first mission, but he still had two more kingdoms to destroy. Frank said to Pollution: “grab me some fish. I want thousands and thousands of fish, and I want them to be sent to me in sixty minutes. “Sixty minutes?” Pollution thought. “Isn’t that virtually impossible?” Frank got furious. “Use your speed! It isn’t that difficult, is it?” This made Pollution confident, and he then left off for the Gilmer Sea. The distance was quite long, but since Pollution was created to be moving at light speed, he reached Vilam’s Kingdom, the Gilmer Sea, in no time. Instead of trash, this time, he dropped dynamite bombs on the surface of the sea. Vilam noticed a strange noise that sounded like thunder: and it was getting louder. Eventually he noticed that bombs were being dropped on the surface of the water. Every single ocean creature: fish, whales, sharks, corals, were all killed in the process. Vilam tried to save them, but alas, he became a victim of Pollution’s bombing. Eventually, the King of the Waters floated alone, in the vastness of the ocean. What used to be the deep blue

Gilmer Sea with all sorts of fish and creatures, is now a solitary with no sign of life beyond hundreds of kilometers. Frank became more boastful. He again could not control himself and he screamed: my plan is working and Pollution will soon destroy the last king!” He then called pollution for the climax of his plan, and he said these words to him: “This will be your last test, I want you to conquer Mount Akton and topple down Gahal’s throne.” Pollution set off for the peak, and if Pollution did not have the strength and speed he has now, it would take thirty days to climb Akton which was four thousand meters high. Pollution climbed fast, and it looked like as if he was teleporting. In just ten seconds, he reached the top. The peak of the mountain was cold, but he didn’t care at all. He made a machine that spread

smoke. This smoke was mysterious, and not even Frank’s people knew what it was. It spread throughout the air and it discolored the sky. Gahal immediately noticed this peculiar sight, and came as quick as he could to stop it, but alas, the birds fell to the ground before he could do anything. Gahal was sad seeing that his kingdom was starting to get attacked, and he was afraid that it would crumble down. He had not seen or heard from his fellow kings the whole day, and he was worried that something bad has happened to them. The smoke spread and eventually Gahal suffocated. Frank’s reaction turned him into the biggest bragger in the whole wide world. His minion Pollution has overthrown the thrones of the Earth, the Water, and the Sky. Frank, on top of Mount Akton, has declared himself king, and his minion Pollution as the prince. He was now the most powerful man, and nothing would destroy him. His people, however, even though saved, were sad. Why? Weren’t they supposed to be happy that Frank is now the ruler of all?

Well, the world was no longer like it was before. Before, the land of Adar was a lush green plantation, full of life, and where all animals had a friendship among each other that was as unbreakable as the diamond chains on Raneh’s throne. The waters, before, once expressed the depth of Vilam’s sincerity to all the members of his kingdom, abounding in fish and millions of other creatures. The sky above Akton was an endless blue blanket that stretched miles away. Now, all these were gone. The past faded away in the span of twelve hours. There was no more hope of recovery. It had to be that way forever, beyond millions of years. All of a sudden, as the orange sun set below the horizon, a feeling struck Frank. He suddenly felt regret for his actions. That exact moment, Pollution disappeared before his very eyes. He cried, he cried profusely, and he realized that he has destroyed the world. He said in a still voice: “What is power when the kingdom you have is no longer paradise.” But alas, there was no more hope. Or was there? It was all just a dream.

Frank woke up with sadness, and he saw the view outside his window. It was not as bad as when Pollution spawned everything that led to the pollution of former paradise. He also used to pollute the earth in the past, much like what happened in his dream. He then decided to take action, whispering to himself as he leaves his home: “at least the condition is not as bad here. Still, I must not let my dream happen in reality. It’s time to make the earth a better place to live in.” And so, he stayed true to his words, and he began to deliver this statement, on top of Mount Akton: “Let us not take for granted the beautiful world we live in. This world is for us to take care of, not to pollute. It is for us to make friends with other creatures, and not commit actions that will harm them. We must start to revert the bad actions we have done, and replace them with good actions. Let us do it, right now.” So, they all did.

They started to save the land first. Those little heaps of garbage were taken one by one by the people. Everyone, especially Frank, worked hard and dedicated their time each day to clean the surroundings. He changed from his old ways, and he told everyone to stop littering, because otherwise, the situation will be dire. Eventually, after weeks of efforts, the land was cleaned, and the green landscape that was full of life was returned to its original form. Next, they went to the sea. Frank decided to host a sea cleanup. At first it seemed difficult, but his dream reminded him, and it served as his motivation. He knew that through teamwork, they would be able to revive the ocean again. It took everybody at least three months to complete the work, but it was all worth the wait and effort. The ocean was clear once again, unraveling the depths and beauty of the underwater.

Lastly, the air would be the one that they would save. Now, it does seem impossible. How could they possibly help something that is boundless, limitless, and cannot be reached? How can something that as abstract as air and as vast as the sky be saved by Frank and all of his volunteers? Frank thought of it, and eventually, he found a way. He encouraged everyone to use bicycles instead of cars. He said to everyone: “it may take a long time, but surely, we will be able to live in a clean world once again”. Soon enough, the sky became blue again, and the air became fresher. The distinctive shade of the sky and scent of the air reminded Frank of the good old days that have returned to him some thirty years later.

One night, Frank slept relieved. He was happy that the world was a better place to live in again. He felt that even in simple ways, he could help the earth, and in doing so, could also help other people. It really was true. The earth was like the old Adar of his dream, the sea like the old Gilmer, and the air like the free open sky atop the former Mount Akton. Frank had another dream. In his dream, Raneh, Vilam, and Gahal appeared and all said this to him: “Dear friend, words alone cannot express our gratitude to you. We knew that deep inside, you felt regret after you tried to pollute the world. Thank you so much for you change of heart, and as a result, you made the world almost paradise once again. Thank you for making it a better place, and for all that you’ve done – we will be your friends, though you will only see us in your dreams, we will always stay close to you. We appreciate everything, dear friend.” Even though Frank was asleep, and his eyes were closed, he shed a tear of joy, knowing that he has done something that would heal the world.

THE END

By: Laurence Villanueva Robert Dublas Naizer Hassan Cyrus Urbano Images taken from freepik.com