The Ultimate Truth

It was a bright sunny morning. Clutching his copy of "The Spring Lies Eternal", Robin murdered his parents then shot himself after. On the book was an underlined phrase "Since the life we have here feels like hell, everyone would go to Heaven." Luis was quite a normal boy. He had friends. His family came from a long line of well-respected teachers. He had everything anyone could think of to have a comfortable life. He had good looks. He has a car of his own and his allowance is double compared to other kids his age.

At school, he was brilliant. He was also part of the soccer varsity team. On the day Luis was found hanging on his room, he had a copy of Melvin's book lying on his bed. It was open on a certain page that said, "I am fifty, but I've never been twenty. The sad thing is, my mind has already been burned up before I had the freedom to use it."

And so it was decided.

Melvin's book, at first, was banned from being sold to minors. Later, certain religious groups accuse him of blasphemy and urged the government to totally ban the book. It was a violation of the basic right of freedom of expression so politicians who were quick to ride on the issue said that, "Freedom entails responsibility. It is our responsibility to filter what's wrong or right for our children. Though we cannot hold the author responsible for the consequences of what he has written, at least we can do something to prevent another tragedy."

With the controversy spinning on Melvin's work, Mark agreed to meet him inside a church one Wednesday. Mark asked Melvin why he chose the church to meet him. He replied that his apartment was no longer safe for any form of conversation with so many people invading his privacy.

"So what is it that you're going to tell me," Mark inquired.

"I want a way out," said Melvin. "I never expected it to be this way. I was just minding my own business."

"I know what you mean," Mark was sighing. "Do you have any plan?"

"Yes," was the reply. "Please help me."

The last word of Melvin came out like a plea from someone who has been burdened with something that he did not deserve. Mark agreed. He said he'd take care of it and use the connections he have. He also implied that some of the people he knew are big fans of him, and would be more than willing to help.

"Melvin," said Mark. "I know you more than you think I do. What is it that you're really afraid of?"

"Responsibility," was the soft answer. "All these years, I just wanted to try something different. But not this way."

"Was it the need to be heard?" his bestfriend asked.

"Frankly no," he was looking straight at his eyes. "It's not a deep longing to be heard, rather it's a deep longing to speak."

He continued, "When I wrote that book, all the time I was speaking with myself."

Mark was silent. Melvin still said, "I came to believe that when you want to do something passionately, you can do it. Then the world would not become a hindrance. It would help you rise up to the place where you ought to be. For me, that is the secret of life; to find your place in this world."

"I thought it was just work," Mike said.

"No," came the reply. "What I was doing was purely play. Why? Because I love my work."

A week later, a press conference was called on the sudden death of Melvin Santos, author of "The Spring Lies Eternal". Having no relatives, his body was cremated and was given to Mark Lopez. Authorities said that it was coronary heart diseases that lead to a stroke. He left a note for Mark to read.

In front of television crews and journalists, Mark told the world of Melvin's last words:

"What may be the ultimate truth for you could be the biggest lie for me."

In a few short years, there were allegations by some people that Melvin was seen running naked on a beach in the South. At the same date that the author of "The Spring Lies Eternal" was said to have been seen, someone was using the pages of his book as toilet paper.