E.C. EDWARDS - The Mighty Antimagic Spell -
Chapter 38 - Immanuel Kant.. The First Clue
Of course they were also met by a small stone elf.
“Good day. We want to enter the Wisdom Pavilion,” said the boy.
“Of course. Not very often are students interested in this Wisdom Pavilion. So I’m glad to see that you want to talk to the old wise men in the world.”
And the door opened.
The children entered a huge room where there were various framed paintings, representations of all the personalities who ever lived, famous researchers and scientists.
"Let's see what we know about the diary," Johnny told the girl, with a faraway gaze as if he was a lost three-year-old child, with no parents, in one of the London train stations.
“’What was written with ice ... will only be seen through ice’, the diary told me.”
“What does that mean?” Johnny asked.
“Still don’t know...”
The boy thought a little, then took her again by hand and said:
“Let's talk to Aalbatrom.”
“Who’s Aalbatrom?”
“The guard of this Pavilion. The stone elf by whom we passed ...”
The children ran to the guard of the door of this Wisdom Pavilion.
“Mr. Aalbatrom, can you guide us?”
“Of course ...”, the stone elf replied with the same kindness.
“We’d like to know with whom we can talk about: What was ice ... it will be seen in the ice.”
“More exactly the text was: What was written with ice ... will only be seen through the ice,” Elizabeth corrected him.
“Umm ... let me think. It seems to be something that involves the someone’s experience who knows how to play with words. I don't know if he can answer the question, but I recommend you to talk to Immanuel Kant. The year 1784, I think it would be good. This philosopher may be able to explain a few things about it to you.”
“Thank you, Mr. Aalbatrom.”
“But ... 1784? He's dead for a long time,” the girl mumbled.
“Death is ... let's say relative. You’ll see when you enter again and you’ll meet him,” smiled Aalbatrom.
The children entered the Pavilion again, Johnny hurrying as usual, as for Elizabeth, more dragged as she got blocked because of Aalbatrom's words.
“Immanuel Kant, 1784 ... 1784,” said Johnny, letting know that he didn't know what he did or looked for.
From the pile of pictures that were there, Johnny and Elizabeth searched for a particular painting. When they finally found one with a gentleman's face and his name written at the bottom of the painting: Immanuel Kant, Johnny touched the painting and the children disappeared. They appeared in a beautifully arranged and tidy room.
At a desk, sat a gentleman wearing a white wig, tied in a ponytail with a red ribbon, dressed in a pair of trousers that were tight to the knees on the lower legs. His clothing was complemented by a white shirt and a blue vest.
Mr. Kant looked up.
“Womit kann ich Ihnen helfen?” spoke the gentleman in German.
The kids didn't understand anything. They looked at each other, then Miss Edwards spoke:
“I'm Elizabeth and he's Johnny. We’re from England and we’d like to ...”
“Oooh, England ...! I haven't had any English in my house for a long time. I can practice my English with you,” Mr. Kant told them in English, with a German accent.
Mr. Kant got up from the table and said to the two children:
“Sit down at the table, please.”
“We don't have much time, Mr. Kant. We just want you to help us with a diary where nothing is written, but one night a text appeared in it ‘What was written with ice ... will only be seen through the ice’. Maybe we shouldn’t insist so much… But it's one of the things my parents left to me.”
"Sure it's empty ... You just saw it, nothing was written in it," said Johnny, grumpy.
“An empty diary, you say? Which must somehow be open. Why would anyone try so hard to keep it locked up if there’s nothing written in it?”
Mr. Kant thought a little and then told the children:
“What can you tell me about this apple?” he asked.
"That apple is red," Johnny said quickly, smiling as if he knew the answer to the hardest question possible.
“Exactly ...,” Mr. Kant replied, smiling. “We all see that it’s red. It’s a correct statement because it’s visible. Because we rely on sensory perception. But…”
He thought a little and continued:
“Tell me if you know how much is eight plus three.”
"Eleven," Johnny said again, just as glad as he knew the answer to another philosopher's question.
“Do you agree with this result, my dear?” Mr. Kant asked Elizabeth.
The boy, for safety, calculated the result on his fingers. And ... to his surprise, he got the same result.
“Yes ...” she finally said, still thinking of her concerns.
“You see ... this statement isn’t based on sensory perception. But that doesn't mean it's not true. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It's an algebraic calculation that Mr. Johnny also checked.”
Immanuel Kant saw the little girl very far away. He smiled.
“I see you thinking, my dear. Did anything happen?”
The girl sighed.
“I thought ... Maybe it’s something written in that diary from my parents. Even though it’s empty ... it actually looks empty to the eyes normally, but maybe something is written in it.”
“Even if we don’t perceive it by senses it doesn’t mean it’s not real. There’s definitely something written there. And there’s certainly a way to make it visible. You’ll discover something hidden by your parents, for all the others. They probably provided you with some clues to let you know what’s written in it. All you need is that ice.”
The girl stood up smiling.
“Johnny!”
The boy winced as if something had exploded in that room.
“My parents left a message for me. They certainly want me to see what is written in that magic diary. I just have to see how ...”
This time she took the boy by the hand and forced him to get up from the table where they sat.
“Let's go,” she told the boy. “Thank you, Mr. Kant!”
“With pleasure, my dear. And don't forget ... dare to know.”
“Goodbye, Mr. Kant!”
“Goodbye ... come again soon for a chat.”
The children uttered the magic of exiting and appeared again at the entrance to the Wisdom Pavilion.
“Did you unravel the mystery?” Aalbatrom asked.
“Part of it ... we just need to know how we can see something invisible.”
"Maybe Da Vinci will help you with some ideas," said the little elf.
“We'll go to him then.”
"Let's go to the meeting first," Johnny told Elizabeth. “We’ll meet this Vinci later.”
And the two hurried to their rooms to prepare for the regular Saturday breakfast meeting with Mr. Knudlac and the other professors.
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