The infinity in banal

In the afternoon of a coastal city, which was surrounded almost all the time by the brightness of the sun, there was a heavy rainfall, which was accompanied by icy winds in clouds that highlighted the gray of the buildings.

In a building in that city, a gray rag hindered one of the emergency exits of an important government building, an institution that valued integration, culture and knowledge. That facility followed all standards to be considered ecologically correct, as it respected the environment and sustainable development standards.

Within that location, specialists from different areas discussed what reforms were necessary to maintain the building and consequently improve it. In a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, different points of view arose as to how such an objective could be fulfilled, safeguarding nature and human existence, without giving up the “necessary” comfort.

From a transcendental perspective, that rag under an awning seemed to move as if there were something or someone there. However, it was so common to see these gray rags in several places that the population of the city no longer felt any astonishment. The truth is that it was not known how, when and why those rags were there.

That object was located behind an emergency exit, and could easily cause an accident for people who tried to seek help by leaving that building. Ironically, every entrance is an exit, but not every exit is an entrance.

There was a myth about that rag. According to him, every morning, when the sunlight dawned, they disappeared and only returned at a specific moment, when no one knew where and when they would return. However, they always appeared in the same spots in the city. The question was, why was that at that moment, right there?

Perhaps, the cloudy climate had altered the nature of that environment and caused a rag to appear in an unexpected place. Therefore, it was to be expected that people would be surprised about this, while for others, it was again unnoticed.

There is another myth about these objects. That was when some people could see them, while for others, there were no such rags, and that was just the folly of individuals who used this legend. Also, there are those who advocate the removal of traps on the streets, because for some reason they compare to what was already so ordinary that many did not even see it anymore.

However, within this heterogeneous population there were those who advocated the extinction of rags by methods considered. Some of them even committed these atrocities, but as they were just cloths, it was not possible to convict the executors for any crime. These individuals argued that their families were not obliged to see such ugly and inelegant objects on the streets.

These rags lived in such a wild environment, in a hostile environment, designed by realistic humans, followers of an insensitive principle, and who preached the premise of Darwinian natural selection. Strangely, this ideal was applied to some, while others enjoyed the solemnity of not having to fight every day.

To think that there is yet another part of the myth that few knew. The legend that every human being could become a rag if he lost hope and the will to live, as not only the lack of money could cause a person to become a rag.

To those who understand the myth, never forget that it is easier to become a rag than to reach the heavens. Furthermore, at least keep it in your heart, never to spend your life turning green into gray, nor blue into black, nor the infinite into banal.

Tale based on real facts

2° place in the Tale category in the competition for young apprentices. Award granted in partnership with the Library of the City of Rio de Janeiro

Author: Matheus B. S. Brandão

Reviewer: Gabriel A. Correia