HISTORY OF THE END OF THE WORLD

JIAN, THE CRAZY MONK

At the bar of the Shop Laura tried to concentrate on her new role as a stranger. She looked around. In the corner, at a table, an elderly man was writing in a diary. He was surrounded by books, newspapers and an ashtray, containing an unlit joint.

Jian was his name, nicknamed “the crazy monk” and he worked as a SiTU-master, a kind of guru, at the local Academy.

He looked at Laura and said: “Laura means sunshine and happiness. It refers to springleaves on trees (de heilzame “laurier”).

Laura laughed and realised that a miracle had happened.

What she saw around her had completely changed. Some people and some other things had aquired an extra dimension. They sparkled like stars in the sky.