Nirvana Effect

10



Once Edward finally slept, it was difficult for him to pull out of it. He would return to consciousness for only moments at a time. Tomy putting a cup to his mouth. A woman feeding him stew.

The Onge “god” was waiting at his side when Edward finally came to.

Edward tried to pull himself up. Mahanta held a steady hand to his chest and didn’t let him. “Relax,” said Mahanta. “There’s no need to rush.”

Edward took the advice. He felt like he had a bad hangover. “I feel a lot better,” he said.

“That’s good,” said Mahanta.

“We need to talk,” said Edward.

Mahanta smiled. “You’ve been out cold for three days, and you want to talk.”

Edward looked startled. “Your English…”

Mahanta smiled more widely. “I’ve been practicing.”

The drug…of course…

Mahanta explained unnecessarily, “I’ve read your books a few times and practiced while you were out. I thought I’d learn something from your medical texts that I could use to help you recover.”

“Yeah? Did it help?”

Mahanta shrugged. “It helped my English, at least…” Now it was Edward’s turn to smile. “Is the pain gone?” asked Mahanta.

“Pretty much. I’ve got a headache, but I’ve had worse hangovers.” Mahanta cocked an eyebrow. “I wasn’t always a priest, you know.”

Mahanta nodded. “And I wasn’t always a god…” The humor was lost on Edward - the incident a few days ago was too fresh and too abhorrent.

“Am I safe now?” asked Edward.

“As safe as I am,” answered Mahanta. “Our ruse worked wonders on the attitude of the tribe towards the white man.”

“So what is this substance that you gave me?” asked Edward.

“Well, in terms like your medical books, it tears down some sort of subconscious barrier. It lets you use your entire mind, your brain, your nervous system, all of it.”

“And in your terms?” asked Edward.

“In my terms, it allows for the attainment of infinite mind, oneness of mind, body, and soul.”

“What does it come from? How did you find it?”

“My tribe has been using a particular hallucinogenic plant sap for centuries. I learned a bit of chemistry from your white predecessor here. I distilled the sap. Blind luck.”

“It’s the discovery of the millenium,” said Edward. Mahanta was silent. “What? What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. You have many questions and I don’t wish to over-excite you. But yes, it could change our world. That’s why I need your help.”

That’s why you let me live, thought Edward. But why?

Edward sat up. He was surprised how relatively easy it was to do so. “My help? Why my help?” he asked.

“You are a Jesuit, aren’t you?” asked Mahanta.

“Yes. Why, do you think the Catholic Church can help you?”

“No, but you can. You are a Jesuit, so you are well-educated. And you are well-read besides. I need a fellow scientist. I cannot research alone.”

Edward could not help but laugh in disbelief. “Alone? We need a team of scientists. We need to bring this discovery to the scientific community. This needs to get researched…it will change the face of science…”

“No, Edward,” said Mahanta.

“What do you mean, ‘no’?” Edward asked, looking up at Mahanta’s stern face.

Mahanta shouted an order to man near the entrance of the temple. He left. Edward and Mahanta were alone in the hut.

“Edward Styles, I did not want to discuss this with you yet until you were fully awake with a meal in your stomach, but I guess now is as good a time as any.”

Edward just watched him. He didn’t know what was going to happen. He glanced at the doorway. It was a long way off to make a dash for it.

“I am sure you have mulled over the scientific ramifications of this drug. Probably you realize them far more than I do, since you’ve been in a university and I only have books. But have you given any attention to the social and political effects this will have on society?”

“Sure,” said Edward. “It will revolutionize everything.”

“Edward, think.” Mahanta started at him intently, as though he were again fighting a panther.

“I thought. What do you mean?”

Mahanta sighed. “Perhaps you might have a better mind for science, but I apparently have a better knack for survival patterns. All we do here, every day, is survive. Survival of the fittest.”

That got Edward thinking. “You think…” he started.

“Once someone knows about this drug, that knowledge will get to someone else. That will leak to someone else. Eventually someone who recognizes its value will expend the necessary effort to obtain it. And that will mean everybody who knew about it is dead. It’s a simple equation, Edward, one that I’m surprised you haven’t already arrived at.”

Edward was tongue-tied. He wanted to deny the truth of what Mahanta said. Deep down, however, he knew. This discovery was like a billion dollars in a suitcase. Who could you trust with it?

Only this is worth trillions.

“Well, what do you propose, then?” asked Edward.

“It is not a matter of my proposal, right now. I wish to have you on my team, to help me research this drug. I will trust you with it, within reason. And you must trust me, within reason. But first, before all of this, you must come to decide that this is what you want. You have some hard decisions to make, Edward. You must make them tonight.”

“Like what?”

“You’ve sworn an oath of allegiance to your Jesuit General. Not even your pope can supersede that. But this project must. You’ve sworn yourself to a regimen of prayer and meditation. For that we have no time. You’ve sworn to abide by a Bible and commandments that may have no place in my jungle world and in our scientific method. If you agree to start this project with me, not even God himself will be able to get you out of it until it’s done.”

“Until what is done?” asked Edward.

“That’s the question you should ask yourself. You must sort out what you want done, and whether it’s worth it. It’s your choice. Good night, Edward.” Mahanta walked out of the hut.

Edward lay back down on his pallet to think.