Prokhor Ozornin - On the Wings of Hope - Prose

During approximately thirty seconds a series of claps, clicks, and even some sort of unclear gurgling along with creaking and screaming can be overheard in the ether. At last the image on the cameras clears up and a face of televiewer appears before all those bear-den-dwellers.

- … Hello, Voldemar! And I have you know that despite all disorders going here, I am still alive - and nobody ever dared to hang me up by anything on anything!

- Vladimir, Vladimir, wait a sec, when was that time when I have become Voldemar? As far as I know I didn’t have any Jews in my family tree, thanks God!

- Well, Vladimir, I take it that our televiewers should have some means to distinguish us somehow? And that VVP has already become a sort of abbreviation in their minds … that’s exactly why I’ve decided to place, so to say, points over the “e”. Therefore you are now Voldemar for me, Vladimir …

- Ah … in this sense. Heck … well … how cute … never mind! Pray tell us as fast as possible what exactly is going on there! That’s just a sensation - never before have the scale of battle for content freedom been as such!

- Indeed, Voldemar, something really unimaginable is taking place here! Central departments of RIAA and MPAA are being assaulted and attacked from all flanks! Attackers are dressed mainly in black T-shirts with a picture of some sort of ship - and they battle for each and every window, against each hated fucked-copyrighter, for each inch of ground! Yes, they are armed only with eggs, rotten tomatoes and even some leaflets, but look with what unshakable persistence do they fight! That’s the greatest heroism imaginable! Voldemar, do you see it?

Camera change a foreshortening of a review and a truly epic picture opens before the eyes: men in black and white T-shirts and vests shower windows of a many-leveled building with eggs and bananas. A victoriously sailing ship is painted on black T-shirts, a proud “CC” flaunts on white ones. Some glasses in windows have been already broken, and sort of capitulation flags are hanging down from them. Somewhere from a top window a physiognomy of official is visible, which has been dirtied by a splashed egg - his expression contains all possible emotions, starting from fear, confusion and finishing with a rage, and to make the picture even shiner he is unsuccessfully trying to shout something to attackers, yet a mucous liquid, flowing down his face, is definitely preventing him from doing this well.

It’s clearly visible how a group of company’s representatives, still hiding behind a small metal facade, is desperately and with heart-rending cries tries to bash entrance door, but desperately rushing officials, who have previously managed to enter the building, prevent other of their kind from entering. Those losers, who haven’t been able to get inside, are being shelled from incoming army with double force - some of them have already simply tumbled down on the earth, have put a paper package on their heads and started actively clattering the ground with free feet.

By all means it’s obvious that both a strategic and tactical advantage has been on a side of copyright-marasmus opponents for a long time already.

- Indeed, Vladimir, we as well as our spectators are now enjoying this really epic battle of copy-writers with copy-lefters, creators versus parasites, supporters of freedom of intellectual property against anal-creative-slavery! Such a scale, such a heat! I truly wonder whether this finally happened and God himself has heard our prayers … what do you think, Vladimir? Vladimir, wait a moment, what are you doing ?

Camera change foreshortening once again, and it becomes obvious how Vladimir from Brussels pushes hands in his bag, and with a malicious grin on his face takes out a recently purchased package, filled with eggs, swings his arm with all possible strength and throws one egg in an aperture of one of windows, where during this very instant of time one of immoderately scared representatives of intellectual parasitism is running. Whether due to the good luck of Vladimir-of-Brussels or due to bad luck of unknown copyright-idiot, thrown egg falls just under the feet of running representative, and he with eyes full of horror and mouth desperately screaming plops down a floor, still continuing his crazy movement in a pose “hugging a floor, physiognomy downwards”. Televiewers have a unique chance to overhear the rest of his exclamation: “… And our eggs are iron!” and this very moment a joyful-boyish shout of Vladimir-the-correspondent blocks all the noise: “Y-y-y-y-e-e-e-s-s-s! Top ten!” Televiewers are able to notice, how happily he raises his hands upwards and gives a salute - and then camera change foreshortening once more and we can behold his face in a full size - and this time he looks like a rural cat, who have just secretly consumed entire grandmother’s tub with sour cream.

- Have you seen that? Take it, beasts! For Internet, for creativity, for democracy, damn it! - the face of correspondent continues to shout.

- Vladimir, how much I do envy you now! - the face of TV presenter responds in turn. - You have practically implemented my dreamboat of a childhood! Or maybe a dreamcar, doesn’t matter! How do you guess, can we name it as …

- A Copyright-Armageddon! - correspondent Vladimir-Voldemar interrupts him before he can finish. - It has finally come!

- Indeed, Vladimir, but when will we at last … wait! Wait, we’ve just got a bunch of additional news - similar battles have already begun in Washington, Amsterdam and even London! Our ether is being literally broken off by reports from other correspondents! I cannot believe … wait a bit! Main headquarters of RAO in Moscow are being bombarded with eggs, bananas, broken CD-disks along with packs of used condoms! It’s truly impossible to deny an ingenuity of our people! Oh, my warriors, oh, heroes! They weren’t afraid of the Jews and vegetables from culture, have finally dared to give a timely response! Just look at how wonderfully like boomerangs these CD-disks with shitty content are flying!

Correspondent from Brussels, throwing a second egg

- Incredible!

- That’s not the word!

- But enough is enough, I am compelled to urgently say goodbye to you, Vladimir, for tens of reports from other cities of the world are waiting for us! And to cut a long story short I wish our correspondent from Brussels both firmness and accuracy, courage and endurance in this unequal struggle, and …

Vladimir and Vladimir amicably turn to face the camera and their faces blur in a blissful smile …

- And let the copy-left reign!

12.04.2011

I will return to you again, and it shall be very soon. Much sooner than many would like it to happen.

I will come to you as unexpectedly as unexpectedly came and has come again He, who is so much greater than I am. For He has truly come again.

If you haven’t heard even Him – what gives me hope that you will hear all of us, taken and united together, now ? And yet I still hope …

And yet I am again with you – for the hope does not leave me, that having passed through all hearth of deprivations and sufferings, you will one day smile to the former difficulties of your life and sing a praise to the Light.

Ask you, I shall – why have you deformed words of mine with fabrications of your own ? Why have you prevented them to flow to the most undercover corners of human’s soul ?

Ask you, I shall, if you have really experienced every obstacle, given to me by the life of my own. And if not – who gave you the right to judge on behalf of mine ?

Our tasks are difficult, but on the aspiration and belief of everyone we are given. Yet someone is a creature, shivering, and others have been given the right to change this world.