TRIPLICITAS

One day, an old woman came to the court of the Emperor Trajan. She told him that she was the Prophetess Shaballa, and had in her possession maps of the whole of existence. Of time and space, of the realm of the gods and the realms of beings he could not even conceive. She then said that she would sell him these ten maps for the sum of a hundred gold talents. Trajan was intrigued but, thinking to bargain, refused as the price was extremely high.

Shaballa then burnt three of the maps before his eyes, quickly pulling them from her bag and lighting them on fire in an instant. The Emperor was furious.

She now demanded a thousand gold talents the seven maps that were left. He, in his anger, immediately refused.

She then pulled out four of the maps, and suddenly lit them on fire again, despite the Emperor's screams not to do so.

Now, she demanded ten thousand gold talents for the remaining three map.

The Emperor ordered her executed right there and then, taking the maps into his possession, and ordering her body to be thrown in the Tiber River.

What he had failed to understand was that she had the sight to see not only the maps, but his own actions. She had painted ten maps of the eternal universe. They show the four beings of existence: The Lord, humans, gods and the others. She had pained the ten maps into four sets, one painting for the one true God, three paintings for men, three for the false gods, and three for the others.

She had cursed the Emperor, leaving behind only the maps that the others could understand. However, in their cold and dark wasteland far beyond our cosmic horizon, where black holes give light and power instead of stars, the others know as little of us as we know of them. Mayhaps they hold the maps meant for men?