4 ami

CHAPTER 4

THE POLICE!

We came to the first street with street lights. It must have been about eleven at night.

For me just walking around town so late at night was an adventure, but I felt protected by Ami.

While we were strolling around, he paused to look at the moon through the leaves on the trees. At times he

told me that we should listen to the croaking of the frogs, the chirping of the night crickets, the distant murmur of

the waves. He stopped to breathe in the aroma of the pines, the tree bark, the soil. Often he halted in his

tracks to admire a house that looked pretty to him, or a street or a street corner.

“Look how pretty those street lights are... Pretty enough to paint... Check out how the light falls on that vine...

And those roofs outlined against the stars... Life is there for you to enjoy fully, Jim. Try to pay attention to all

that life offers you... The marvels are there to be found every moment... Try to feel, perceive, instead of

thinking. The most profound sense of life is found beyond thinking... You know what, Jim? Life is a fairy tale

come true... It’s a beautiful gift that God has given you...because He loves you.”15

His words made me see everything from a new point of view. It seemed incredible to me that this was the

normal, everyday world that I’d never paid much attention to... Without even having noticed it before, I realized

now that I lived in a place that looked like paradise...

We arrived at the town square.

Some teenagers were standing at the door of a disco; others were talking in the middle of the square. The

place was very peaceful, especially now that the summer season was coming to an end. No one paid any

attention to us, despite the strange outfit Ami was wearing. Maybe they just assumed that it was only a kid’s

costume...

I imagined what would happen if people knew what kind of kid was passing through town. They’d surround

us; newspaper reporters and the people from the TV news would show up...

“No, thanks!” said Ami, reading my mind. “I don’t want to become a martyr...”

I didn’t understand what he meant.

“First off, they’d take me prisoner for having entered the country ‘illegally.’ Then they’d think that I’m a spy

and they’d torture me to obtain information... After having squeezed me like a lemon, with methods that aren’t

very loving...the doctors would want to take a look inside my little body... No, thanks!” Ami was laughing as he

mentioned all these horrible possibilities.

We sat down together on a park bench away from all the people. I thought that the extraterrestrials should

show themselves little by little so that everyone would become accustomed to them and then, one day, come

out in the open.

“We’re doing something like that, but showing ourselves openly... I already gave you three reasons why that’s

not advisable. Now I’m going to give you one more reason, the principal one: the laws forbid it.”

“What laws?”

“The universal laws. In your world there are laws, right? In the evolved worlds there are also general norms

that everyone must respect. One of these tells us not to interfere in the evolutionary development of the non

evolved worlds.”

“Non-evolved?”

“We call worlds ‘non-evolved’ when they don’t live in accord with the Fundamental Law of the Universe.”

“What does all that mean?”

“All the worlds whose inhabitants live in accord with that Law no longer are divided by frontiers, have a single

government and share everything they have in brotherhood, peace and harmony. That’s what it means to live in

accord with the Fundamental Law of the Universe. That’s what an evolved world is like.”

“I don’t understand very well. What is this foundation law... Of what?”

“You see? You’ve never heard of it,” he was making fun of me. “You’re not evolved.”

“But I’m just a kid... I think that the adults must have heard of it, the scientists, the presidents of countries...”

Ami laughed loudly. “Adults? Scientists? Presidents? Not likely!”

“They’re the leaders of countries and they’ve never heard of this important law?”

“Well, that’s how it goes in your world. That’s why there’s so little happiness in it.”

“But what’s this law?”

“I’ll tell you about it later.”

“Really?” I was all enthused, thinking that I would know something that almost no one else did.

“If you behave yourself,” he joked.

I started thinking hard about this prohibition against intervening in non-evolved planets.

“Then you’re violating this rule!” I exclaimed with surprise.

“Bravo! You didn’t miss that detail.”

“Of course not. First you said that intervening is forbidden. And yet here you are talking to me... This is

intervening... Or isn’t it?”16

“What I’m doing is not intervening in the evolutionary development of the Earth. Showing ourselves openly,

communicating in a massive form, that would be intervening. And do you know why it’s forbidden to intervene?”

“You already gave me three or four reasons, Ami.”

“But I still haven’t told you the most important one: if we did it, apart from the disasters I already told you

about, the most frightening catastrophes in the history of this world would take place...”

He was scaring me. “What catastrophes, Ami?”

“If they heard about the economic, scientific, social and religious systems that we use, the people of Earth

would want to imitate us. Everyone would see us as an example to follow and they would all lose respect for

their leaders and for the organizational systems they use. Then all the powers in this world would crumble,

endangering your civilization’s stability. Some people would turn aggressive when they saw that they were

losing their privileges... It would be complete chaos. We, ourselves, would finally have to take over to try to put

everything back in order.”

Hearing this made me enthusiastic. “That would be great! You guys would fix up everything in our world.”

“Which would be a trap, like one student taking another student’s exams for him. Would you like for another

student to turn in your exams for you?”

“No, because I’d miss the satisfaction of succeeding on my own.”

“And if we’d arrange everything here, then the entire population of Earth would miss the legitimate satisfaction

of having overcome its problems by its own methods. Don’t you think so?”

“Hmmmm... You’re right. I hadn’t thought about that.”

“That’s why we can’t intervene any further than what’s permitted. My contact with you here is part of an ‘aid

plan.’”

“Please explain that better.”

“This ‘aid plan’ is a sort of ‘medicine’ that we have to administer in small doses, slowly, subtly...very subtly...”

“But what’s the medicine?”

“Information.”

“Information? What information?”

“Well, our spaceships have been flying around here for eons, but it was only after the first atomic bomb that

we allowed you to see us. This was done so that you would have evidence that you’re not the only intelligent

beings in the Universe and so that you would suspect that we were observing your warlike discoveries.”

“And why do you do that?”

“Because we want you people to understand that atomic energy is something very delicate, something that

could even affect other nearby worlds. All that is information, Jim. Then we increased the frequency of the

sightings; this is more information. Later we’re going to permit ourselves to be filmed. At the same time we’re

establishing little contacts with some people, like my contact with you. And we also send ‘messages’ by

telepathy. These ‘messages’ are in the air, like radio waves. They’re sent to everybody; but some people have

‘antennas’ able to pick them up; others don’t. All this is information. It helps.”

“And later you guys are going to appear in front of everybody?”

“When people live as God commanded; if they pass the ‘exam.’ It can’t be before then.”

“How terrible that you can’t intervene to prevent the destruction,” I said, feeling a little sad.

Ami smiled and looked toward the stars. “Our respect for the liberty of others is based upon love. This is why

we must allow people to attain the destiny that they deserve. Evolution is a very delicate matter and we can’t

intervene in it. We can only ‘suggest’ things very subtly through ‘special’ persons like you...”

“Like me? What’s special about me?”

“Maybe I’ll tell you later. For the moment you only need to know that you have a certain ‘condition’ which is

not necessarily a ‘quality’... I have to go soon, Jim. Would you like to see me again?”

“Of course. I’ve really come to admire you in this short time.”

“I’ve come to admire you, too. But if you want me to return, you have to write a book about everything that

you’ve experienced with me. That’s why I’ve come here. It’s also part of the ‘aid plan’...”

“Me? Write a book? But I don’t know how to write books!”17

“Write it as if it were a story, a fantasy. If you don’t, everyone will think you’re crazy or a liar. Besides, you

have to write it for the ‘kids.’”

That was when he explained the idea that I wrote about at the beginning of this book, the idea that there are

“grown-ups” who are fifteen years old and “kids” who are one hundred.

Writing a literary work by myself sounded like an impossible task, but he was aware of this. “Ask for help

from that cousin of yours who likes to write, the one who works at the bank. You can tell the story and he can

write it down.”

Ami seemed to know more about me than I did myself.

“This book will also be information. More than this we’re not permitted to do. And now I’ll give you another

reason why. Aren’t you glad that there is not the slightest possibility that an advanced, but evil, civilization could

invade the Earth?”

“Yes, of course.”

“You see? This is because we never have helped any evil civilizations... And just imagine what would

happen if you folks on Earth didn’t overcome your violence and egotism and yet we still helped you to survive.

Right away you would use your new scientific knowledge to try to dominate, exploit and conquer other

civilizations in space...and the evolved Universe is a place of peace and love, of fellowship, of cooperation.

Besides, there’s another type of very powerful energy. Compared with this energy, atomic energy is like a

match compared with the Sun... We can’t run the risk that a violent world might come into possession of this

energy and endanger the peace of our evolved worlds, let alone produce a cosmic catastrophe...”

“I’m real anxious, Ami.”

“Because of the danger of cosmic catastrophes, Jim?”

“No, because I think it’s too late...”

“Too late to save humanity?”

“No, too late for me to still be awake.”

Ami was laughing his head off. “Chill, Jim. We’re going to see your grandma.”

He took the small television from his belt hoop and my grandma appeared on the screen sleeping with her

mouth open. “She’s really enjoying herself,” he joked.

“I’m tired. I want to go to sleep, too.”

“Fine, let’s go.”

We were walking back to my house when a police car drove by. When they saw two children alone at that

time of night, the policemen stopped the car, got out and came over to us. I was really afraid.

“What are you two doing around here so late?”

“Walking...enjoying life,” Ami answered very calmly. “What about you guys? Are you working? Hunting down

criminals?” And, as usual, he laughed.

When I saw how Ami was acting in front of the police, I was even more afraid than I’d been before. But they

thought my friend was funny and laughed along with him. I tried to laugh, too, but I was so nervous I couldn’t.

“Where’d you find that outfit?”

“On my planet,” he replied nonchalantly.

“Oh, then you must be a Martian.”

“Not a Martian, but I am an extraterrestrial.”

Ami had answered happily, as if he didn’t have a worry in the world. I, on the other hand, was even more

uncomfortable.

“So where’s your UFO?” asked one of them, watching Ami with a certain paternal expression on his face. The

policemen thought they were just playing a kids’ game. But Ami was simply telling the truth.

“I parked it at the beach, under the water. Didn’t I, Jim?”

And now he was getting me mixed up in this mess! I didn’t know what to do. I tried to smile and could only

make a stupid face. I didn’t dare tell the truth.18

“Don’t you have a ray gun?” The men in uniform were enjoying the conversation. So was Ami, but I was

feeling more and more confused and worried.

“I don’t need one. We don’t attack anyone. We’re good.”

“What if a bad guy came at you with a gun like this?” The policeman showed him the gun, while pretending to

be threatening.

“If someone tried to attack me, I’d paralyze him with my mental force.”

“Let’s see it! Paralyze us.”

“I’d love to. You asked for it. The effect on you will last for ten minutes.”

The three of them laughed hard. Suddenly Ami got very quiet and looked at them intently. In a strange, loud,

deep, authoritarian voice he ordered, “You will remain immobile for ten minutes. You cannot, you cannot

move... Starting NOW!”

And they stayed frozen there, with smiles on their faces, right where they’d been standing.

“See, Jim? In worlds that aren’t very evolved all you need to do is tell the truth as if it were a game or a

fantasy,” he explained to me as he touched the nose of one policemen and then gently pulled the mustache of

the other. Both of them stood there petrified. The smiles on their faces were beginning to look tragic to me.

Everything that Ami was doing made me even more afraid.

“Let’s run away! Let’s get away from here! They might wake up,” I told him, trying not to talk too loud.

“Don’t worry. We still have a lot of time before the ten minutes are up,” he said, and, just to have a little fun,

he switched their caps, turning the bill to the back...

I only wanted to be far away.

“Let’s go! Let’s get out of here, Ami!”

“You’re worrying again, instead of enjoying the moment... Fine, let’s go,” he said,

resigned. He approached the smiling policemen and, with the same voice he had used before, he ordered,

“When you wake up, you will have forever forgotten these two boys.”

When we reached the first corner, we turned toward the beach and left the policemen far behind.

I felt much better. “How did you do that?”

“Hypnosis. Anyone can do it.”

“I’ve heard that not everyone can be hypnotized. That could have happened with one of them.”

“Everybody can be hypnotized,” said Ami. “And what’s more, almost everybody is hypnotized...”

“What do you mean? I’m not hypnotized! I’m awake!”

Ami laughed a lot at this. “Do you remember when we were coming down the path?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Everything there looked different to you. Everything looked beautiful, right?”

“Oh, yes... It seems like I was hypnotized there... Maybe you hypnotized me!”

“You were awake! Now you’re asleep, believing that everything is ugly and dangerous. You’re hypnotized.

You’re not listening to the ocean; you’re not paying attention to the aromas of the night; you’re not conscious of

your ability to walk or to see; you’re not enjoying your breathing. You’re hypnotized, and, even worse, you’re

hypnotized negatively.”

“Negatively?”

“There are ugly ideas that don’t have a basis in reality. They’re dreams, fantasies, unjustified fears. They’re

deliriums, craziness, and because they aren’t good ideas, they’re not even craziness that’s fun. They’re

nightmares.”

“Like what ideas, Ami?”

He stopped in his tracks, looked toward the ocean and said, “Like the ideas of the people who believe in war,

who believe that killing other human beings can be ‘glorious.’ That’s hypnosis and it’s hypnosis of the nightmare

variety...”19

“Now that I think about it...I think you’re right, Ami.”

“They assume that anyone who doesn’t share their hypnosis is their enemy. Others think that what they wear

makes them worth more. And some people live frightened by life, fearing that they’re going to lose their health,

their job, their mate; they think that both the world and outer space are populated by enemies and they go

through life armed, with deadbolts and chains on their doors, guard dogs and insurance policies. All that is

‘nightmare-type hypnosis.’ All of them are hypnotized, asleep.”

“And can’t they ever wake up?”

“Every time someone breaks out of his mental nightmares and begins to feel that life is beautiful or that any

moment whatsoever can be marvelous, ‘just because it is,’ then he’s

beginning to wake up. A person who’s awake knows that life is a paradise, an extraordinary opportunity to be

enjoyed, even though there may be difficult moments.”

Then I remembered something really sad: when I found myself all alone in the world... Luckily my grandma

took charge of me and gave me all her affection; but I would have preferred to be a child with a normal family.

Ami continued explaining, “A person who’s awake also values the problems and adversities in his life because

he knows that the difficulties are tests to make him grow as a person, and he doesn’t forget that the bitter

moments are very few, compared with the beautiful moments. This is why he enjoys his life from moment to

moment.”

“I’ve never seen many people like that, Ami...”

“It’s just that in a world that’s not very evolved there aren’t many people who are so awake. The majority are

sleeping, snoring, dreaming.... To think that some people kill themselves... Do you see how awful that is?

They kill themselves, Jim!”

“Seen like that, the way you’re describing it, you’re right...”

I was still frightened when I thought about our encounter with the police moments before. “Why didn’t your

jokes bother those policemen?”

“Because they appealed to their good side, to their childlike side.”

“But they’re police!”

He looked at me as if I had just said something really dumb. “Everyone has a childlike side, Jim. Almost no

one is so foolish that he can’t leave aside his worries for a second,” he said laughing. “If you want, let’s go to a

jail and look for the worse criminal...”

“No! Thanks a lot!”

“The majority of the people on this planet are asleep, that’s for sure. But in spite of this more people are good

than bad.”

“Really?...”

“Of course. People have more love than hate in their hearts.”

“They don’t really seem to...”

“That’s because everybody believes they’re correct when they think what they think or do what they do. Some

are mistaken, but this isn’t evil. It’s errors, dreams, hypnosis. It’s true that when they’re dreaming they become

serious and even dangerous at times, but if you see their good side, in general they will repay good with good.

If you see only their bad side, they’ll repay evil with evil.”

“Then, if people are not so bad, why is there more unhappiness in this world than happiness?”

“Because you have very ancient ways of seeing life, ways that arose when there was too much division and

distrust among you, when everyone lived terrified of each other. But now that’s changed. Humanity has

evolved over time. Different peoples know each other better now. People have more elevated aspirations,

objectives and hopes. Nevertheless, the same old ideas, distrust, fear and prejudices are in place.

I didn’t understand his explanations very well until much later.