kabbos
The first to awaken was a short man, his wrinkled face and curly hair betraying his age. He stood calmly in the courtyard of the cave. Moments later, a second man awoke—muscular, with an angry glare. He approached the first, crouched silently, and said nothing.
An hour passed before the third man awoke—a man in his thirties, with a well-built physique. He looked around, startled.
“Is my sentence over? Can I return to my wife?”
No one answered. He looked at the two in frustration.
“You two! What are you doing here? Who are you?”
They remained silent.
Soon, a fourth man stirred. He appeared to be in his forties, mature and composed.
“My sentence must be over, right?”
Again, silence.
Then the fifth man awoke—a man in his late twenties, of average build. He pleaded aloud:
“I swear I’ll never commit a crime again. Just let me live in peace.”
They all gathered in the cave’s courtyard. The short man stepped forward.
“Comrades, look at the date etched above.”
“It’s the year 2200. That means we’ve been asleep for 120 years.”
The muscular man frowned. “And how do you know that?”
“Because our cryo-sleep capsules were sealed in the year 2080.”
The man in his thirties examined the capsule timestamps, his companions watching with astonishment.
“He’s telling the truth!”
“Watch your tongue,” snapped the short man. “I haven’t even reached seventy yet!”
The muscular man turned to him. “There’s no way we slept that long. The maximum sentence was eighty years, and I was sentenced to seventy.”
The younger man added, “I was sentenced to twenty years. I feel like I only slept a day or two. I remember everything before I entered that cursed capsule—my entire life.”
The muscular man responded sharply, “When a man sleeps, he disconnects from the world. Whether it’s for a day or a hundred years, his last memory is of the moment before sleep.”
The older man chimed in, “Whether it’s a day or a century, the real question is—where are the guards?”
“I’ll check outside,” said the muscular man.
“You’ll be shot on sight if any soldiers see you,” warned the short man.
“Only if any are still here!” he said with defiance.
He cautiously approached the gate, opened it slightly—no sound. Peeking through, he saw nothing. Turning to his companions:
“There’s no one here, comrades.”
He flung the door open. The older man urged caution, but the muscular man strode forward. The guard hall was deserted. He burst into laughter.
“No one’s here. We’re alone in this prison. This is freedom!”
“We need to be sure we’re truly alone,” said the older man. “And more importantly, we need to figure out what era we’re in.”
“I’ll look for food, water—anything that can hint at the current time,” said the fifth man.
He searched but found nothing.
“I’m starving,” said the younger man. “There’s nothing edible here… except us!”
“We need to open the main gate and see what lies outside,” the short man declared.
“I remember this place,” said the muscular man. “This prison is in a cave in the desert.”
He led them to the main gate and forced it open. Before them: mountains and dry hills beneath a scorching sun and harsh winds.
“You were right,” said the short man. “It’s midday.”
“The city isn’t far,” said the muscular man. “The paved road is just ten kilometers away.”
“So, what now?” asked the younger man.
“We must leave,” said the older one. “If we stay, we’ll die of hunger and thirst.”
“But the heat will drain us,” protested the fifth man.
“Don’t worry. We’ll go once night falls. For now, let’s rest inside.”
They returned to the cave.
“I’m sure we only slept for a day or two. Nothing’s changed,” said the younger man.
“Then where are the guards?” the older one asked.
“There’s nothing to show the time except that dead clock.”
“If we’re still in our time,” the younger man pondered, “then maybe I can still return to my wife?”
“If she’s still alive,” the muscular man replied. “They told me she’d be forty-five when I woke up.”
“But you don’t know how long we were actually in the cave,” added the short man.
Then he asked, “What did you do to get seventy years?”
“Caused the death of seven men,” the muscular man said flatly.
“You’re a monster!” said the older man.
He glared but then broke into laughter, and the others joined him.
The sun dipped, and the refreshing night breeze arrived. They left the cave, led by the muscular man. He listened, scanned the landscape, but there was only silence and stars.
“Let’s go. Everything’s fine.”
“Where are we headed?” asked the younger man.
“I know this area. The road’s this way.”
They jogged until the short man asked to slow down. After three hours, they heard the sound of cars. Excited, they embraced.
“We’ve made it. We’ll survive!” the muscular man declared.
“What do we do now?”
“We hitch a ride to the city. Once there, we’ll figure things out. Agreed?”
All nodded in unison.
They waved at passing cars, but none stopped—until a taxi finally did. They climbed in.
“What’s wrong with you guys?” the driver asked.
“Sorry,” said the muscular man. “We’ve been waiting for hours.”
“Where to?”
“The city.”
“Ten pounds each.”
They were stunned.
“Fine. We agree,” said the muscular man confidently.
“Then pay up.”
“You’ll get it once we arrive.”
The driver eyed them suspiciously but started driving.
He stole glances at the muscular man, who was staring silently out the window.
“What day is it?” the man asked.
The driver didn’t respond.
“Didn’t you hear me?”
“You don’t know?”
“No.”
“Where are you from?”
“The cave.”
“What cave?”
“A mountain cave in the desert.”
“What were you doing there?”
“Enough questions.”
“Why?”
“Because some questions can get you killed.”
The driver slammed on the brakes.
“You’re suspicious. Get out.”
“You’ll take us to the city, then we’ll leave your pile of junk.”
“Who are you people?”
“Want to know the truth?”
He nodded.
“We’re prisoners who were sentenced to decades of cryo-sleep. We just woke up today.”
“My God!”
“What year is it?”
He didn’t answer. The muscular man repeated the question, louder.
“T-Two thousand two hundred,” the driver stammered.
They were all stunned.
“My God—we’ve slept for more than a hundred years,” the short man whispered.
“My wife must be dead,” the younger man said.
“My entire family too,” the older man added.
“I have nothing to live for now,” said the fifth man.
“What did they do to us?!” the younger man cried.
“Quiet!” barked the muscular man. “You all committed crimes. You served your time.”
They looked at each other, then burst into laughter.
“But we’ve been punished beyond our sentence,” said the older man.
“To me, it’s the same,” said the short man. “I’ll live the rest of my life like Christ when he returned from the heavens.”
They all agreed.
“Even those Christ resurrected eventually died again. We’re better off—we get a second chance. Isn’t that right, comrades?”
“Yes! You’re right!”
Then the muscular man turned to the terrified driver.
“Now that you know our secret… what should we do with you?”
The driver couldn’t speak. The man grabbed his throat and strangled him. His lifeless head hit the steering wheel. He dragged the body out and tossed it behind some rocks, as the others watched in shock.
He returned to the driver’s seat.
“You killed him?! You could’ve just knocked him out,” said the younger man.
“He’d have reported us. They’d hang us, not freeze us again.”
“Maybe you’re right,” said the short man. “The more civilized humans become, the more savage they grow.”
“They would kill us,” said the older man. “They’re criminals too—but they have the law.”
“One death to save five,” said the fifth man. “That’s justice.”
They reached the city.
“This is a completely different era,” said the short man. “Everything has changed.”
“Everyone we knew—friends, enemies—must be dead,” the older man said.
“If you live long enough, you’ll make new friends and enemies,” the short man replied.
“Enough talk,” interrupted the muscular man. “Let’s reach the city center.”
He parked near a busy street and searched the driver’s belongings, finding a wallet full of strange money.
“This confirms it. We’re 120 years into the future. I’ve never seen this currency before.”
“Perfect timing,” said the older man.
He handed the younger man some cash.
“Go buy food and drinks. Be discreet.”
“Me?!”
“Yes. Be cautious. Report anything strange.”
The man returned with food and drinks. They devoured everything. Then sleepiness overcame them.
“Stay alert,” the muscular man warned. “We have a lot of work ahead.”
“I’ll obey if you ask,” the older man mumbled sleepily.
Annoyed, the leader left to explore. He wrapped his face in cloth and mingled among the crowd. Then, a luxury car stopped outside a glass building. A man stepped out…
“My God… He looks just like me!”
He followed the man into the building, stunned. He discovered the truth and returned to the others, now reenergized.
They asked what he saw, but he remained silent… until he finally spoke:
“I found a solution.”
“What is it, chief?!”
“We must kill.”
They were stunned.
“A second killing? This is a cursed era,” said the short man.
“If they catch us, we’ll be executed,” the older man added.
“I’ll kill myself!” the leader declared.
They stared in disbelief.
“You’re mad.”
“I saw a man who looks just like me. A few years younger—my grandson.”
“You’ll kill your own grandson?”
“If I do, I’ll take his place. Then I’ll find you shelter, a new life.”
“And the short one?” asked the younger man mockingly.
“Why not me, you fool? I’m only sixty-five!”
They laughed, then the short man said seriously:
“Do you realize what you’re planning?”
“What’s the problem? One life for five. I’ll shine in his place.”
They agreed:
“He’s right.”
“One must die for five to live.”
“Let the heavens bless us.”
“We were buried like seeds,” the muscular man declared, “and now we’ve risen—like wild trees or rebellious worms demanding life and freedom.”
They watched the grandson, learned his schedule, and broke into his home at midnight.
The muscular man approached the sleeping young man—his grandson. He looked at him with admiration.
“You truly look like me. But you must die so I can live.”
As he began to strangle him, the boy woke up.
“Who are you?!”
“I’m you. And you’re me.”
“Impossible!”
“Let us unite as one.”
“You’re a demon!”
“You must die to live again.”
He resisted. Then said:
“Wait. I have something important to tell you.”
“What?”
“Five years ago, a man warned me: one day, someone who looks like you might try to kill you. If he does, we will come to help you.”
Suddenly, police burst in. They arrested the muscular man and his companions.
“We’ve been searching for him for over fifty years,” said the police chief.
“You’re all dead!” the man shouted.
They were imprisoned again—to serve an eternal sentence… after awakening for just a few days, over a hundred years later.
