Code of Disjointed Letters: ( Doomsday Will Arise From the Past (3 page)

“It’s finally done!” I yelled. Using all the strength left in my weakened body, I hugged her and tried to spin her around, and, in my clumsiness, we fell and rolled on the ground laughing together, while my screams of joy echoed off the walls of the house. No one would have believed me, but I had done it—I had finished my book.

That night, we hugged and had a sweet talk about us, the future, and what the book and the potential fame would bring into our lives. We talked and talked. When the candles went out, we were still holding each other and sharing the magnificent sea view outside our window.

…

The next day, I talked to Elif about my inexperience in these matters. I didn’t have an academic background, and I hadn’t had a book published as she had. I asked Elif to be my manager, to find an editor, get in touch with a publisher, and nurture the book toward publication. In truth, I was exhausted. The discovery process and the ordeal of writing had worn me out, and I needed to get some rest and put my mind back together.

I spent the following days browsing publications on the internet and waiting for an answer from the editor. Elif explained to me that the editor would examine all the writing in the book and correct even the slightest mistake. He would analyze the narrative itself to see whether it was possible to reach the intended audience—in other words, to determine whether the reader could understand the things I wrote. If necessary, he would even send the book back for revision. She explained that this would be the beginning of an exciting new process. However, I feared that the editor would tell me that the book was a waste and that readers wouldn’t understand any of it.

At first I was patient, but the waiting process began to annoy me as it grew longer. I asked Elif if it was normal and began to put some pressure on her. Finally, I reached the end of my rope.

“Is there something I don’t know?” I asked her. I began to confess my fears. What if the publisher stole my book, along with the code that I had found, and published the book under his own name? After we quarreled, Elif set me straight and told me she would solve the problem.

Two days later, Elif showed up with the editor, and we hosted him at the house for a while. I was very relieved when he told me his thoughts on the book—how he was impressed by the code I had found. In his exact words, “Everything was magnificent. I read the text from the beginning to the end without touching even a letter. I expect the book to be a great success.” As he explained it, his reading had taken longer than expected because the book was very comprehensive and contained a great amount of mathematical data. So that was it! Thank God!

Now the house was in a state of complete celebration. Elif and I again had pleasant conversations at home and sat watching the moonlight and listening to music while we ate together. Elif gave a final version of the book to the publisher and handled all the necessary agreements and legal procedures.

Only someone who has had a book published could understand the anticipation I felt. Time stood still. Not only days, but also hours lay heavily in my hands. I tried to pass the time, desperately awaiting the day when I would hold the first copy in my hands. That thought stayed with me as I went to bed and was with me when I woke up. I dealt with my excitement by talking to Elif. She kept telling me to calm down; I kept telling her that I was trying but I couldn’t.

When Elif, bored with my moodiness and impatience, came home with not one but three copies of the book in her hands, I was on top of the world. In childlike happiness, I grabbed one copy from her hand, kissed her on her cheek and ran to my room. I examined the cover and the pages of the book as if they were magical objects. I held my book with the grace of a mother holding her newborn baby. I swear that I had never before slept as peacefully as I slept that night with the book in my arms.

The next morning, I woke up before Elif left for work and signed the other two copies—one for each of my brothers. The signatures “Your Oktay” were only two of the thousands to come.

TV Talk Show

After Elif left home with the two books in her hands, I was alone. The book was published, and I indulged fame-related dreams of newspaper interviews and conferences at universities. I imagined giving directives to my secretary to finalize my lecture schedule. These incredible thoughts filled my head with noise.

I believed, as everyone read my book, they would perceive the world and its events from a different viewpoint and feel an urge to evaluate their surroundings from this new perspective. They would discuss whether there might be other secrets and ask whether I had other advice. World leaders and public officials would discuss my findings and request statements from me. Headlines like, “The Magnificent Discovery of the Doctor Is a Gift to all Mankind” would hit the newsstands. Declarations of support for Muslims from Christians and all other religions would resound with messages such as, “We always felt it: all the religions are equal and unique.” There would even be declarations from governments that borders were unnecessary, that all human beings were brothers and sisters, and that it was now mandatory to distribute all resources equally. When people realized that wars were unnecessary, armed conflict of any kind would come to an end. Resourced spent on weapons would be reallocated for the welfare and happiness of mankind. I would be all over the internet, on the covers of magazines, on TV, and on everyone’s lips.

With all of these seductive thoughts storming in my head, I continued to fulfill my responsibilities. To avoid wasting all my effort and knowledge, I told myself it was mandatory that I tell people about my discoveries. The prospect of returning to my old job weighed heavily on my shoulders. I returned to browsing the internet.

As I searched for information on others who had dealt with the Qur’an’s disjointed letters, I became consumed with the desire to provide a long explanation of my work and looked for TV discussion programs where I could explain the details of my work step-by-step. I searched for an interesting long-term program with charismatic guests and broad participation—a program that everyone would watch. On such a program, I could promote my book and explain it in detail.

I typed “TV Discussion: The Codes and the Holy Book” into my search engine. I did not expect to find much on the first try.

The first article listed in the search results seemed to have been written for me. It was a link to the main page of Channel 19 where it said the following:

A great discussion program at 8:00 Tonight. Don’t miss it! During this apocryphal time of rumors and signs of
the end
, a magnificent discussion will answer many of your questions. Is the end of the world near? What do the holy books say about it? Is there an encrypted message in the Qur’an?

Experienced writer and journalist Hasan Tahsin will host the following guests:

•
Feryal Özel: A thirty-year-old astrophysicist, professor, and lecturer at the University of Arizona, Dr. Ozel successfully represents Turkey abroad as one of the world’s top twenty thinkers and a scientist whose intelligence rivals Einstein’s. She will be answering our questions live.

•
Hıdır Zaman: The internationally respected cleric will be with us to talk about his books and the theological implications of our discussion.

•
Astrologer Gizem: An authority in the field of esoteric sciences and communication with the world beyond, as well as in the field of divination and fortune-telling. Gizem believes our destiny is written in the stars.

•
The Spiritualist Fatin: Fatin has proven to the world many times that he can deliver news from the spiritual world. Everything he has said about the future has come true. We eagerly await his predictions tonight.

•
Child Prodigy, Ender: Also known as “The indigo boy,” Ender is a media phenomenon who, since the day he was born, has been surprising us all by answering all your questions with the sheer power of his intelligence.

It was exactly what I wanted! I called the contact number immediately. After a few attempts, I was able to reach the station manager. I told him I was a doctor and that I had published a book. The show’s producers were in a rush due to the excitement of the night’s program, so I summarized the situation over the phone and told them about the discoveries in my book. Realizing the value of such a sensational discovery being declared for the first time on their show, the director told me they would be happy to invite me to the program that night. He told me to bring the book along with me.

…

I immediately dressed, gathered my notes, and of course, grabbed my book. On the way to the show, I struggled with my anxiety about what to say.

Sweaty and in wrinkled clothes, I arrived late at the TV station and was rushed to the studio. Only then did I realize that numerous calls had been made to my phone. With a touch of anger and reproach, the program assistant led me to the sound stage, all the while bombarding me with information about the guests, the program format, and more. As they applied makeup, I decided what I would say and how I would answer the questions. The program had started and was playing on the monitor in the room, but I wasn’t following it. Finally, I took my place in the studio amidst curious looks from the audience and an angry glare from the moderator.

It was a heated discussion with Mr. Tahsin leading the flow like a virtuoso, intervening only when necessary.

Feryal Özel, the young and beautiful scientist—more attractive than her picture on the internet—responded to his questions with clear, authoritative answers.

“Dr. Özel, how can the indigo boy, Ender, interpret events so clearly, and always give such perfect, articulate answers?” Mr. Tahsin asked, staring at Feryal while also paying attention to the camera angle.

“As you know,” she replied, “the human brain uses only five percent of the information it receives. It can be argued that what the brain does is a requirement of the evolutionary process. This is because the body, by collecting information from our external environment at the lowest level, is needed to provide energy and time consumption in order to achieve the most effective results. For example, if we are looking at a rough sea over a cliff, it is our brain that tells us that it is deep and cold. There is no need to dive in to test its depth.”

The answer was becoming a lecture, so Mr. Tahsin interrupted to arouse the curiosity of the audience with more attractive topics. “Of course, but our viewers will wonder how you will connect all this with the indigo boy.”

“Simply put,” she continued, “our extracts information from fragments. So, when our brain sees a small part of a picture, it fills in the rest with its sense of right or wrong. This is required for life in general, but it stymies us during problem solving—or, rather, it prevents us from making right decisions by misleading our perceptions.”

“However,” she continued “in the case of Ender, he represents the next stage of evolution for the human brain. His brain processes eighty percent or more of the things he perceives. Today, the rest of us have seen a lot of cars, plates, buildings, and red lights, but we haven’t paid attention. This boy, on the other hand, has seen and imprinted his brain with them all. Hence, next week, he may predict the duration of the red light, what cars will be on the road, and the chance of an accident, even in another city. This is something akin to forecasting the weather…or seeing the future.”

“Wow—even though I was prepared and did my research, I haven’t looked at the matter from that perspective,” Mr. Tahsin said before turning to Ender. “So, young man, you have some prophecies—”

“Foresights!” Dr. Özel immediately corrected him with the protective instinct of a mother.

“Yes, yes, not prophecies, but foresights that have generally come true. So to start our topic today, I’d like to ask you, Ender, do you think the end of the world will come on December 21, 2012?” Tahsin asked.

Ender stared at the moderator with blue eyes that held a rare depth and maturity one wouldn’t expect from someone his age. “You should explain the phrase ‘the end’ because it is used in a very broad sense,” he stated.

“The end of mankind, the existing world…the end of time,” Tahsin added.

The boy laughed before saying with apparent sincerity, “To know that is like trying to decide whether the road ends on a cliff five kilometers ahead by looking in the rearview mirror of a car. Until now, it has been impossible for me to accurately interpret an event that hasn’t yet happened by comparing it with events that happened in the past. I can only make predictions and say that the history of mankind is about to evolve. We are so close to this change and nothing will be the same, but I can’t say just how close we are or how soon this change will occur.”

At this, the astrologer, Gizem, jumped in. “With the support of all the esoteric data and the astrology chart, all I can say is that in the middle of the Milky Way, there is a condition of regional, intensive energy that does not affect us now and is not seen from our current perspective. As the Mayans declared with the support of all astrological data, the twenty-first of December will be the longest night in the history of mankind, and the day after will be the beginning of a new era.”