The Second Chosen One: A Long Journey Full Of Adventures

By Salvatore Cutugno

Elio is a country boy, he can barely pay his university fees. He has a quiet life, in a small village in Sicily,
a loving family. One morning, a messenger comes to him
sent by the gods. They chose him to spread love and never again
wars. She soon realizes that her task is beyond her imagination. Well protected inside the alien caravel, full of superpowers, he is alone against the demons of evil and war. He can't reveal his job to anyone, but he can't help but save a married journalist he sees in the desert of Iran, fleeing from kidnappers. Now he has to deal with his hypnotic eyes that surpass reason.

Hermes, by order of the Supreme, presents himself to Helium explaining what is happening to him and the incredulous boy, driven by curiosity, accepts the role of the chosen one. This is where his journey aboard the salvific Caravel begins and, between science fiction and sentiment, various critical issues that plague the Earth, including human nature, will be highlighted.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tektime
• Release date: Apr 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9788835451082

Book preview

The Second Chosen One

by

Salvatore Cutugno

Original title: The Second Chosen One

© 2021 Salvatore Cutugno

Published for the first time in Italy in 2021

Translated into Portuguese in 2023

© 2021 cover by Marzia Cutugno

© Translation by Alessandra Cervetti

Mankind invented the atomic bomb, but no mouse would ever construct a mousetrap - Einstein-

***

Helium, conceived on the beach after a slow dance, is unknowingly destined to save the Earth.

Genre

(Science Fiction)

***

Readers: young adventurers.

Type of reading: flowing, dynamic, simple and immediate.

Table of Contents

PROLOGUE

THE GATHERING OF THE IMMORTALS

THE LIFE OF HERMES

THE ENCOUNTER

HELIUM'S JOURNEY

HELIUM WANTS HIS WORLD

MEETING WITH ELISA

THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

THE TRIP TO ARMENIA

THE DINNER

THE RETURN TO IRAN

THE RETURN

PROLOGUE

We are in the 20th century. On the streets you see couples in Fiat 500s whizzing by, car radios blaring the songs of the Beatles, Mina, Gianni Morandi. Some cars stop in isolated places, the windows fog up, the cars move. The human is happy when he meets love and does everything to protect it.

An immortal observes this wonderful climate from his planet and reflects.

In those eighties, one summer evening, something very special happened: a young man wearing a pearl-buttoned silk shirt, which his grandfather had kept since his wedding day, made an impression at the last slow dance. He left the dance floor with her and together, accompanied by the last notes of that song, 'Mandy', they arrived at the seashore. They never imagined how special she would be, that person conceived under a fishing boat. We have not been abandoned. Humans will have a last chance to choose.

THE GATHERING OF THE IMMORTALS

My Supreme, said the First Councilor, "we are witnessing the destruction of planet Earth according to our cosmic calculations.

However, I do not understand their inhabitants, a people who have always lived in hatred and, to this day, find no peace. Yet, they have abundant water, clean air and their Earth allows them so many mineral resources. Why do they kill each other?"

"They do not live only in hatred, their minds develop a chemical process that you cannot understand, that unites them and makes them unique in their species. This is my only hope for them: that they will ignite that dormant strain of life that will lead them to love their Earth with the same intensity with which they unite to love each other.

My Supreme, you cannot introduce the eleventh commandment now!

That is true, but at that time plastic did not exist, the sea was clean and there was not all that they are creating.

Love your Earth as yourself. Remember? I suggested that.

Yes, my First Councillor, but it is not only plastic that worries me, but they are also transforming their magical celestial planet and not protecting it by not seeing the need. They believe that Terra is a bottomless pit.

Are we going to let them destroy the planet or wait for the human race to die out? asked the First Counselor.

Neither, I have asked God, I have already decided: we will still give them a chance, being my direct descendants by the righteous will of the immense Creator. In the wars they experienced, their weapons were in no condition to destroy the planet, and we did not intervene in their nature to kill themselves because, we considered this peculiarity of theirs, on a par with the natural balance of wildlife and its change. As you see the population of earthlings, despite the wars, is much more.

My Supreme, with all the traps they are inventing, you know better than I that they are close to extinction, but now the planet is also at stake, and it is yours.

True, but I see hope, replied the Supreme from his chair surrounded by majestic columns, but without being able to take his eyes off those portholes of the future from which he could see the ritual vaulting of all those planets preparing to enter the twentieth century. Their movement symbolised a merry dance, the Earth, unfortunately, was outlined by a single, almost flat line, its beat was like a thud, slow and heavy.

Do you remember, my Supreme, when they crucified the last bringer of peace? Repeated the First Councillor to distract him from that image on Earth he could not stop staring at.

Of course, his example lives on to this day, but there was a mistake, if you remember correctly.

Which one, my Supreme?

We left too much room for interpretation; this, even today, leads to bloody wars, in spite of the gradual evolutionary growth of Man on the planet. Now we must correct this error, for those who, in their development, were able to grasp the right message of peace within its written rules dictated by faith in God.

But my Supreme, do you not think it is already too late for this intervention? The First Councilor noticed some long-windedness in the Supreme and wanted to prevent him from touching keys

that could not be updated.

No! Only the minority of the population uses that message of peace to confuse their own kind. Others, despite human evolution, live on the fragile Earth, exploiting it in the present through wilful unconsciousness. Many, however, pray for it not to happen, but despite their prayers, they behave lightly.

If, their nature is such, let this balance continue, you know we cannot mould the hosts of your planet to our liking, suggested the First Advisor.

Unfortunately, there is an important piece missing in the commandments and I want to fix it.

My Supreme, you know you cannot do that! Replied the First Councillor as firmly as ever. He noticed his inclination towards the table of commandments and absolutely had to prevent it.

My First Councillor, I will not twist the way Earthlings have interpreted the Faith, what concerns me is the development on weapons of different species, even invisible ones. With them, they seriously threaten the celestial planet, even if it is a minority who use them.

My Supreme, allow me, and you call that evolution?

"Unfortunately, yes, but the basis of their nature has remained the same, it is the speed with which they wreak havoc on planet Earth that has changed. That is why I believe that action must be taken: for the deserving and for the very young who, already in their own small way, counteract the selfishness of adults. Alone, they will not succeed'.

Maybe they will become extinct before they destroy the planet, but it may be the other way around, how are you going to save both of us? My Supreme! The First Councilor asked.

As I have done in the past, I will assign Hermes the task of monitoring, for thirty-five years, ten candidates born at midnight 1985. If one with sound moral principles is found, he will be given the task of intervening and countering Evil according to his ideology.

I know the human nature, it's a bit bizarre! It will be a failure!

replied the Second Counselor.

We, by order of the Immense Creator, can do nothing but observe, but I have hope in human feeling! And as of today, none of us will have the power to predict the distant future.

My Supreme, no one dares challenge the cutting off of powers, we know that this is the price you pay when you decide to intervene, but human feeling is like water, it can take many paths, how can you believe that one human can take the path you desire for the good of the planet and all earthlings? Suggested the skeptical Second Adviser.

Call me Hermes! Only he will be endowed with special powers for his mission on Earth," retorted the Supreme, without showing that he was irritated by that intervention, but the Second Counselor understood that he wanted to help his direct descendants and any other remark would have been useless.

Hermes, at the behest of the Supreme, descended to Earth in 1976, at 00:30 hours on 19 September, long before the birth of the ten candidates due to a miscalculation on his part. So, he led his Supreme to believe.

On that occasion, many witnesses, in the sky over Tehran, saw a brilliant diamond-shaped light between red, yellow, and orange.

The Mehrebad airbase sent its fighter-bombers to shoot down the

strange phenomenon, but as the pilots activated the missile launch system, it did not work, so they had to return to base. The sighting was also the subject of debate in the United States. According to some scientists, the phenomenon appeared due to the planet Jupiter, which was very bright at the time; others, however, attributed the cause to a meteor, and instrument malfunction and pilot incompetence explained the rest.

THE LIFE OF HERMES

In the beginning, Hermes gained experience working alongside humans as an invisible and gradually, somewhat awkwardly, also as an earthling. When, if need be, he wanted to appear as an ordinary earthling, he wore elegant dark clothes and tennis shoes, lived inside a mutant spaceship, could choose a camper van, a car, a boat, had no limits in his mutation, not even to move at will from one continent to another at the speed of light. Intrigued by the ice-cream, pasta and hot dog, he decided to try them, but he had to buy them, and he equipped himself to do so: the coin appeared in his hand the moment he had to pay, he could not be seen by humans and he wanted to be sure he was handing over the banknote of that nation. In order not to make a mistake, he always asked the cashier but, despite himself, he was in Rome that day.

I have to pay for a hot dog, what is your currency called?

Give me ten sacks, replied the baker from behind the counter.

Sacks? I don't know sacks I can pay with other coins; I don't have the one you asked for.

A lout! Do you have these? repeated the big bald head who was one with his neck and his voice like a trombone, while with his hand, he waved a banknote.

"Those are ten euros! Of course, I