The Maltese Manuscript (LSD, #6)

7. Enter Sandman

Enter Sandman

«At night, the Sandman comes. When he throws a handful of sand into your eyes, you'll fall asleep and forget all your sorrows. Mafia boss Toni Peroni is wide awake when his worst enemies enter Sandman, his nightclub: the health regulators of the Food and Beverages Inspection want to close the club immediately.»

Katie is not only a highly productive writer and an amazing cover artist, but she's also tireless in bringing her (free to read) novels to the attention of possible readers. In the lobby of restaurant Manoel, where we're waiting for our table on the roof terrace, hangs a publicity board on the wall, full of flyers and folders, but only one image draws the attention: a huge monster, made of sand, destroys the neon lights on top of a building.

On the top of this building, on the roof terrace of restaurant Manoel, we see no Sandman, and no neon lights either, just stars in a cloudless night. It makes us feel tiny, like grains of sand in a universe the size of billions of light-years.

"Big Question #3: Does God exist?", I whisper.

"Universally, how can there be any other answer than «yes»? Who made all this?", Malik whispers back.

"Nietzsche said: «God is dead». He couldn't find proof God exists."

"Mortally, Nietzsche is dead; he should have found his proof by now. We can discuss His name, Allah or Zeus or Cristiano Ronaldo, we can discuss His works or His methods or His goal, we can discuss if God is male or female, black or white or coloured, and everything is fine because He will forgive us when we're wrong. But we can't deny the insignificance of humanity, compared with the greatness of what we see around us."

"Imagine a world without God. If you can, it proves the existence of God. If you can't, it proves you're an insignificant human. Question answered, forever.", I say.

"Which brings us to an insignificant question: how are we going to enter Sandman tonight?"

I'd like to read the Toni Peroni series; they tickle my fantasy: "Katie gave us a fresh idea: we disguise ourselves as health regulators of the FBI, the Food & Beverages Inspection. With an official-looking badge and expensive suits, we can trick everyone."

The badges, I can arrange easily. In the shop where I bought Barbie and Ken, they also sold a collection of badges. While Malik orders our drinks, I run up and down the stairs and solve the problem. The expensive suits aren't difficult either: I can break into Malik's house and steal his smoking jacket, and my luggage contains a suit for me.

For the rest of this wonderful Friday night, we enjoy the view, the delicious food, and the interesting conversation between educated friends about books and writers.

"Why are you so negative about a writer like Katie, who offers her stories for free? I haven't read her work yet, but according to the quality of her covers, I want to book a summer weekend on the beach with one of her novels.", I say.

Malik swipes my stupidity away with a determined reply: "Literally, if it's free, it's worth nothing."

"This view is free."

My remark kills the conversation. Perhaps it's better this way. I'm not a diplomat spy like #3, The Diplomat. I'm #5, The Runner, an action figure, trained for «Show, Don't Tell» missions, not for boring dialogues. Action and violence seem a Maltese speciality. In four days, I've seen old ladies and schoolgirls with guns, youngsters with stilettos, and respected businessmen who beat up their clients. It's not what I expected to find on this beautiful island. Perhaps I'm too weak-hearted. Romance is fantasy. Newspapers don't lie. Humans are predators.

Two giant steaks with pepper sauce arrive. Hungry, I attack the red meat and make it disappear. In nature, you fight or get killed. The choice is simple. «When you're in a hopeless position, you'll fight like you have nothing to lose», Sun Tzu said. Fight with a vengeance if you want to survive, or the horrible Sandman will eat you alive. And, of course, there was also Nietzsche, who said: «Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster». Nietzsche is dead. I prefer to survive this war.