The Ultimate Truth

The funny thing is the publisher and his lawyer seems to be more excited than he is. He took everything in stride. For Melvin, the real pleasure lies in writing. So after two months, the book hit the market with a surprisingly warm welcome. On this event of his life, he never expected it but things would really take a huge turn.

With whatever phenomenon there was on the story he wrote, the public accepted the story with an enthusiasm unprecedented on its time. Phrases coming from the book like "What is the secret of life? You'll know it when you're dead," was very popular among students and academicians. For them, here is an author who could speak in plain language the secrets of one's existence.

Other popular lines from the book were, "If the world would stop needing love, would love cease to exist?" For many booklovers, it was also a love story set on a passion to feel, to test one's limit, and to define the thin line between illusion and reality.

There were even radio discussions on what he means on phrases like "Life is an illusion because it is only our mind that makes out what our environment is showing", "If freedoms means letting go, then we are free to feel pain. The consequence is not the end but a beginning. The start of a wonderful new feeling reminding us that we exist", and of course "The true search for God is a search for who we really are."

So was the popularity of his book that several web page were set-up on the Internet so people could freely discuss what he said. He was invited on different television programs but he declined them all. Matter of fact, he hated the attention he was getting. News around the country and some part of the globe said that there were even people who are forming a sort of a cult to answer the questions written on the novel. As one avid follower would say, "It is the sheer honesty of his work that makes us feel human." Nonetheless, he refused every move to make him more popular. His book did all that.

Melvin never questioned the wisdom Mark had. He was his friend and he knew his genuine concern for him. They were friends since their school days and the trust they have for one another is like that of brothers. On a Friday that they met, Mark gave Melvin a warm hug congratulating him on the success of his book. He said it was sure to be controversial because it was different. In fact, it contained to many people, "The Ultimate Truth". The truth that people have been searching for too long: the truth that everybody wants to hear.

He even stated that, "It's a litany of questions dying to be asked." He was just worried though. Mark was afraid to what extent the book can influence people. Melvin just at shrugged the thought. It seems he was not affected by the popularity he was getting. Until one day, with the events that happened, he himself began to feel afraid on the influence he had weaved out.

Robin was a teen-ager, a loner and someone you'd see sitting on a corner reading a book or sometimes talking to himself. He was weird. The police reports indicated that he had family problems and couldn't seem to handle the pressure. He had no real friends and his home is not the kind of place one would want to stay in. He came from a broken family.

The news spread like wildfire causing many people to think about the book Melvin wrote. The issue now revolves on whether the authorities must ban the book or prevent adolescent kids from reading it.