ellyssian | In Quest of Knowledge (Reply)

In Quest of Knowledge
by Everett A Warren

An excerpt

Let it be said that he was not a bad man. Let it be known that he was neither Evil nor the Devil Incarnate. I say this in advance of the narrative, so the point I am making will not be misdirected, as it has far too many times previously.

Those of you unfamiliar with the story I am about to present are doubtless wondering of whom I am speaking, and those of you who have heard the story before have already, just as doubtlessly, lit fire to this manuscript in the typical single-mindedness that the uneducated or unthinking will establish in such cases.

I cannot impress upon those still with me of the goodness, and even saintly qualities possessed by Georgiy Kyriakin, as too much has been said by altogether too many of those who never truly knew or understood him; indeed it is for the purpose of clearing up the myths and outright lies associated with Mr. Kyriakin that I set pen to paper at this time.

That a tragedy did befall Georgiy Kyriakin is unmistakeable – a great, terrible tragedy that folk will speak of for many years to come – yet the cause of the Great Evil put upon the head of Mr. Kyriakin was due to no fault of his own, as I have previously stated, but cannot spend nearly enough words to convince certain people of this, just as it was due to no fault of – or in connexion with – the angel of fallen grace so spoken of by certain religions. The tragedy was due to the pursuit of knowledge.

The cause of such grim portent as befell Mr. Kyriakin has visited its fears upon many, many others, and they, like poor Mr. Kyriakin, equally had no chance to survive the incidents. It is known to a few scholars of myths that the forces that propelled the innocent antiquarian into such a violent situation have been at work for far longer than certain histories of the world say the world even existed.

This is not to deny so great a text that speaks of those times, despite all that is said within its binding is not fact, for the words do speak true of mortals who were in existence, and of miracles that took place in those hoary times, but it places the cause and servitor of the events on one wholly non-existent being.

I'm sure, upon reading that last bit, a good many more of you have ripped my work asunder, cursing my very name to the pits of nether, yet these facts are ones claimed true by those much more learned than I, and facts that were authenticated to myself only after first-hand witnessing of the events that utterly destroyed my old friend, Georgiy Kyriakin.

I know well the distrust of mankind, especially when a bastion of their life is completely and irrevocably torn to shreds before them, as this I have seen with my very eyes, and, were he in existence to support my tale, the good scholar has seen, although he is now either unseeing or all-knowing.

You can read the complete story in my collection, Cautionary Fables: Warts & All, available on Amazon.com or by order from your local bookseller.