THE LAST NEWS!


Teófilo Huerta



The scientists, the monks and the man generally, did not explain the causes of so singular phenomenon that affected all the Earth and put in danger the life of its inhabitants, their stability, its congruent ecological balance and its capacity to shelter so many beings.


The fact happened suddenly in all the countries, in by day in others at night. The news was begun to spread and merely seemed local, because people, tired to read, to hear and to see information on the wars of the Middle East and Central America, the threats of a radioactive war, the rises in the interest rates for the debts of the underdeveloped countries, the coup d'etats and the foreign intervention, did not give credit to the holders of newspapers of that day: “NOBODY DIED YESTERDAY! ”, “NO ACCIDENT NOR DEATH”; without lacking those headed ingenious: “PAYABLE THANATOS”, “THE SKINNY TILICA AND OF VACATIONS”.

Resemblance done yes was the news, by everything what of newness it contained. The wireless and televising reporters extended the information, before an expectant and surprised public.


- “Confirmed - the charismatic one said and reliable speaker, yesterday did not report any homicide, suicide nor imprudent accident in delegations or courts… Our reporters at this moment realise a diligent investigation in all the funeral wakes and hospitals, then, apparently, did not die either yesterday ill serious”.

In the offices, in the schools, the coffees and the neighbourhoods, all world commented the event, but in a calm atmosphere, since it was afraid to listen to in few hours the same news of always. The event was certainly considered extraordinary, but after all fleeting.


Nevertheless, the public found out more reports on the subject. To wherever the needle of the radius or the selector of channels of the television moved, the journalists gave to details del that already was considered everything a phenomenon.

- “We faced a fact without precedents, are already 48 hours without a death is registered, not only in our country, because according to cables of the international agencies, this one is a world-wide case”.


- “This is something unusual, the hospitals begin to remain empty, because the patients heal miraculously and in the last hours a cold is not registered nor, nor a diarrhoea”.

- “The News of last hour: the absence of deaths is not only restricted to a powerful one and mysterious capacity of the organism to regenerate its functions in the case of which they were ill and to avoid the entrance of virus in the case of the healthy ones, no, most incredible is than the human being has become invulnerable to the accidents and the bullets in agreement with the last information of our reporters”.

- “From kilometer 25 of the Mexico-Cuernavaca highway we communicated to them on the violent shock between two buses of passengers in who the vehicles were practically exhausted, but their occupants are unharmed, I repeat, the occupants of both buses that finish hitting are unharmed”.


On the other hand, the journalistic companies began to have a great height; special editions were thrown that were sold in enormous amounts. The headed ones continued being extremely showy: “WORLD-WIDE EUPHORIA”, “WE ARE IMMORTAL! ”, “ONLY LACK THAT REVIVES DEADS”.

A celebration atmosphere arose in all the homes, in many of them was authentic row. Happiest they were those than in a pair of minutes they left the incurable sanatoriums where they were dealed with the evils of the heart, the kidneys, the vesicle; it seemed that finally the cancer and AIDS had been defeated. Also they were happy those that in spite of being run over, streamlinings, navajeados, hanged people and drowned, were entirely healthy.


The joy was almost general, even those that had not crossed by danger some felt like insurances of which nothing would happen to them. The children played without getting tired and repeated the phrases of the adults: “we are not going to die, we are not going to die”. The young people drained vinaterías materially and besides emborrachar itself profusely (the crude ones had disappeared), they sprinkled the content of the bottles on his hair. Old, the stupefied ones and injected of energy, danced, sang and they did not stop of platicar in the long term about his projects.

- We have so many years Juventino ahead - a viejecita said between sighs.

- So many nonMariquita, we have all, every year ahead!

- It is Juventino truth, it was going who it to say truth?

- Because you say Mariquita, now we are all those years old and we have recovered strength, we could be very happy together…

- Ah that gift Juventino, does not cause that me sonroje!


Men and women celebrated veiled after veiled their immortality, drunk of happiness broke calendars they sent and them to the wind, others, safe of the eternal prosperity its businesses dared to give tickets to the almoners that not yet guessed right to define their situation, because in spite of having guaranteed its health, they did not stop suffering the indifference of the society.


More the contentments, without fear some, rose the stop of the buildings to throw themselves time and time again. All the sites were turned into true centers of varieties, in the churches the faithfuls even praised with shouts to God, in spite of the prudence that the parents invoked.


Although in the news programmes and special programs one was to give an explanation to the phenomenon, to people to only it interested him to enjoy his new condition and not even it gave credit to the rumors that this outside possible one.

- “Some scientists of Massachussets - the speakers aimed think that the present phenomenon of survival can be bound to the existence of chemical substances until now strangers, given off with the recent birth of the volcano Trainee in Seville…
“Another one of the theories is the one that maintain specialists of Moscow, whom attribute the existence of the phenomenon to a variation of the Earth orbit, caused perhaps by the interferences of so many space satellites…
“On the other hand, Its Sanctity declared in the Vatican before a multitude of faithfuls, who today like yesterday, whoever they are the material conditions that subsist, it is not necessary to let itself touch by the worldly things that offer a relative happiness to us and that, first of all, more than to celebrate a presumed immortality of the body, it is necessary to worry about the salvation of the soul…
“As much the scientists as the Pope, have their reserves about which this phenomenon is indeed perennial”.


Nevertheless, soon conducts began to pronounce themselves that nobody had anticipated and that caused serious problems to the authorities of each country, each region, each town.


The doctors were in favor desperate of not being able to take care of neither a wound, nor a headache, not even a fracture; the human organism had become perfect. In these conditions, some doctors preferred to dedicate themselves solely to childbirths, whereas others tried to carry out different activities, just like the employees, managers and owners of funeral wakes and pantheons. Even many of the new and luxurious cemeteries, became clubs of golf and deprived recreational centers.

The companies of life insurances no longer had clients and suffered bankruptcies just as many pharmaceutical laboratories. On the other hand, the police worked extra hours to track and to catch thieves who, trusting in not becoming assassins, only forced to their prey by the force, to give their purses, portfolios and jewels.

In agreement they spent the weeks, the situation became more complicated. Many jerarcas politicians, embarrassed by the unusual presence of the phenomenon, preferred to make an indefinite truce in the battlefields. However, other leaders with their expansionistic mentality, chose to order their soldiers to fight hand-to-hand primitively and to place ingenious traps to captivate to the greater number of enemies.

Although the humanity was relatively more united and its main goal was to live, to live and to live, the diplomatic relations between the countries did not vary much, because with dead or without them, the ambitious interests of certain statesmen stayed unalterable.


Many problems stopped being it in these conditions. No longer it existed the drama of the lack of foods and the undernourishment; the human beings lived although they would not prove a mouthful. The environmental contamination no longer threatened the lungs of the inhabitants; the number of smokers and drinkers notwithstanding its health was increased.


But new problems were generated: the food production no longer had the same demand, the trade balance between the countries underwent by the same a well-known misalignment. And nor what to say of the production of warlike arms, bases economic of the world-wide powers; now this branch totally was paralyzed, to anybody it was possible to be killed and it caused drastic changes in the financial movements of the entire world. It was the recession more serious than the humanity had suffered.


With this panorama of political destabilization as as much economic, immortality was a new threat for social La Paz. In each region people suffered the effects of the crisis: unemployment was become serious terribly, the standard of life lowered in sensible form, the fight of classes was polarized more than ever.

When the manifestations of euphoria finished by immortality, the daily thing was more distressing. The ambition by the material power and things grew, the competition in all the spheres of the life was more evident. All wanted to live but to live well, to have the best position, the best opportunities, the best future… and the reality were another one: the great majority could live, but mediocrely.


The disputes by envy, egoism and fear were provoked until in the smallest Earth corner, between partners, friendly, spouses, parents and children.


- Andrea, you cannot leave to me, you swore to love all the life to me.

- But Felipe, it do not give account you that now is no death that separates to us?


The nuptial commitments entered disuse, the inheritances no longer worked and the beneficiary assumptions had to rascar themselves with their own nails. The lawyers took the hair to solve if era of justice to apply more pains of “life imprisonment”.

While the rate of natality grew, the one of mortality no longer it existed. The world filled quickly, was broken any prognosis that of in case he was alarming.


In paradoxical form, even without radioactive pumps and neutrons, the Earth it lacked peace. It was difficult to think about a single being who could be calm, cheers. The uncertainty reigned, everybody began to worry itself by the form to live its immortality, to remove advantage to the others. The chaos was frightful. Tension was breathed.


In spite of being guaranteed the physical health of the humans, little by little they began to register mental imbalances as a result of the intense anguish that prevailed between people. The psychiatrists who already dedicated themselves to other tasks returned to be asked for by anxious clients to find La Paz. With the psychoanalysts, the patients wished to find an answer when what doing with their immortality in a deranged and conflicting world.


The anguish of the people did not remain in the doctor's offices but, before the panic of the others, the manicomios returned to fill. The nerves attacked insensitively. This scared more to people, as what it served to live eternally in a neurosis state?


The inhabitants were disappointed, confused, catched of by life in an amazing planet.

Suddenly, after whom he knows how many to days or months, in a city in which a building was constructed, a worker, after falling from a floor twelve, did not rise of the sidewalk. Timidly people approached and surrounded to the man. Stupefied, incredulous, paralyzed, all nailed their glance in the immovable man; it wanted it to nobody to touch. Finally a brave one knelt, it took the pulse to the worker and overwhelmed it went to the group and it said:


-He is dead!


In different sites they followed one another, one after another one, similar cases. This way infartado, over there running over, incinerating, drowning. Bodies to which the soul followed to them before the sense of expectancy of the multitude.

From emergencia hospitals returned abrir themselves, rooms of burial and pantheons. A rare loaded peace of mysticism and resignation surrounded the atmosphere. The headed ones of newspapers alluded of new account to the warlike conflicts, the political speeches and the rises of prices.


Without manifestations of joy, but either of desperation and weeping, the beings of all the borders did not welcome the return in normality and, more than that, in the naturalness.

The life in all orders was begun to reorganize. They returned old conflicts, but now people counted on a special will to surpass them within her own limits, the limits that mortality imposes.






D.R. © Teófilo Huerta, 1986