The Euphoria book

Introduction

I have been inspired to write this masterpiece because I graduated a high school and I've got some time off. I dedicate this book to all wise people, interested in science-fiction world. It's also a great opportunity to improve my English.

Chapter I - The Euphoria

"The greatest place in the world, should never be reachable for human" Date: 15th century, Europe. Somewhere on North Atlantic Ocean, there is a strange island, invisible and unreachable place for creatures out of the border. The existing time of this island, was pure and bloody. Until the people arrived, whole place was peaceful and friendly. All the creatures were living according to their natural rights. The island had a soft terrain, any high mountains and valleys. The most unpredictable thing there, was a weather. The best way to understand the weather structure, is creating a three visual parts of this place. The west side is warm, the raining days here almost never happen. That is the reason why the flora is very dense here. The middle and north side of the island is drafty. The winds are strong here and snow happens sometimes. Entire flora on this terrain has the lowest density on island. There are forests mostly and gray trees. Many places here are dangerous for non-experienced people. Dark forests are full of wild animals and monsters. Finally the last part of the island, placed south-east. The weather here is incredible wet. It's raining almost every day. Mud and swamps, that's the frequent view of this terrain. Ground here is covered by many mushrooms, includes the toxic ones. Generally the environment on the island is friendly for everyone, but the truth is this place has been never discovered at all and travelers should be prepared for unexpected surprises.

Everything has changed when people appeared at this place. That's the greatest secret of the island, how did they get there? Maybe this phenomena will be explained soon. Citizens were confused at the first moment, it's possible they didn't even know why they were here and how this happened. Anyway, the people started to discover whole island and built few villages, the smaller and bigger ones. Travelers painted the maps, very important documents which everyone citizen should have in the pocket. At least 5 large cities has been built. One on the west coast, with a port and boats, that's the city of Ankor. The building there are simply built and everything works fine to protect citizens from sun's rays and ensure solid water source. The second town is nearby the center of the island. The weather here is mixed, warm winds and forests make this place quite uncomfortable for travelers, that's the town of Wranglers. The third small village, is placed north. Not many people want to live here, it's cold place, covered mostly with a snow and no possibilities for any agriculture activity. This village is dependent on the rest cities. The reason of existing the village right there is a biological aspect. Many ill citizens on the island are transporting to the north, because the cool air decreases possibility to gain new infection. Terrain where this village is placed on, is more bumpy and rugged. Anyway the highest mountain top is only about 900 feet high. The village is called Kappa. The fourth and largest city on the island, Cronxwill, is placed on very east side on the island but doesn't touch the east coast. A ground here is conducive to agriculture and almost all the plants are growing fast. That's the greatest source of food which supplies all the cities around. Lots of farmers are living around the city and everyone tries to earn by selling goods. This city is the best protected from beasts living just outside the walls. The last big, awful town is Sornok. Placed at south coast of the island. Terrain here has a great opportunity for growing eatable mushrooms. More than half of these are exporting to Ankor by boats. This city is the second and last owner of ocean port.

All the cities have to cooperate if they want to stay alive. Food is the most important stuff. Merchants travel along the paths, an average trip between two cities lasts 10 hours when walking, rich citizens are using horses to travel, then it takes about 40 minutes to get to the next city. Sometimes travelers build a camps near the footpaths, to have a place for a quick rest and take a nap. They use a chests to keep food and water in emergency but increasingly the thieves are stealing these goods so many travelers avoid keeping the stuff along the paths.

Every town is manage by a count and has own defense line. The soldiers are recruiting everywhere and prepare to fight with various animals and other threats. Meanwhile the people start thinking about the life outside this island and any possibilities to get out of here to reach new, maybe better place to life. Anyway, the life is running and citizens called this island - Euphoria.

Chapter II - Eric

I'm Eric and I'm 13. I'm living in Cronxwill on the island Euphoria. I can't tell you how I get here, I just was born and my parents won't tell me how they appeared on Euphoria. There is many questions I wish to ask but nobody will explain me those. I have stopped asking few years ago with a hope I'll get know everything what I want soon. I life with my parents and younger sister in a wooden house. My mum works on farm, placed half mile outside the walls. It's one of the farthest farm, sometimes workers are escorting with the soldiers, because few accidents happened, but no one get hurt. More difficult is to tell about my dad's job. He claims that he's working for healthcare center in Cronxwill and producing medicines sending to Kappa city. He collects and stores many ingredients, flowers, vegetables, meat. I also got a job, temporary but useful. I help workers in warehouse. Here are two main warehouses in the city, the primary one is located in the center of city and secondary in an emergency one, outside the city but close to main exit. I work in the second one. More products arrives than we're spending but that's the reason why this exist. We gather food and drinkable ingredients mostly. I spend there average six hours daily. About a quarter of all goods importing to the city, are transporting to secondary warehouse. Three people are working there and me additionally. You're asking me, what are the benefits? I never feel hungry. The workers have permission to eat as many as they want but we can't take something out. Anyway sometimes I hide an apple or small piece of meat into my pockets and carry it outside to my house. We all do it because it happens sometimes that the food supplies are very low in all city and it doesn't matter if someone got money. Vegetables are growing inequality and total amount of harvests are different every month. Fortunately my dad knows the owner of the warehouse where I work in, and that makes our life more safety and better. I see my neighbors hungry very often but I can't share my food supplies for free, everybody trust and know each other in whole city but we've got the law on Euphoria and it's prohibited to share something for free. Only trade is allowed, it's possible to sell some good against do some work, the trade rules have to be done.

My house is located near the large entrance gate. The Cronxwill city got four large gates in total. The west gate is in use all the time and most of the goods are transporting right through it. A little strange is that all the roads from all the cities around are connecting to one right in front of the west gate. It impossible to reach the road to Kappa city near the north gate or you won't get to Sornok if you use a south exit. Another 3 gates are using for transporting the goods from the farms and hunters also use them. I have to say the hunters are very brave people, they meet many dangerous creatures on their ways and have to kill some of them to collect some food. They use bows mostly to hunt an animal, hunters work for the city, but the benefits they have are very special. The hunters have to give back as many food as they can to the city warehouses but it's not specialized what amount exactly. The farmers for example have to give back all of the produces goods. Additionally the hunters can buy a food directly from warehouses because they work every time, in days and nights because the animals are different, some of them are active in day and another are active in night time. All the hunters are well trained and prepared for fight and survive outside the city. My neighbor living just next to us, is a hunter, he lives alone in the house because his wife was a merchant and died while traveling, probably by wild animals, the body has been found 200 feet far of the road. She was traveling in night and that was her last mistake. Night time is the best chance for wild animals to hunt another animals or try to kill the people. That's the reason why merchants travel only while days. Everyone is armed with a primitive dagger to defense itself from the thieves and small creatures but it's not prevent from attack a wolf or bear. Generally everyone has permission to carry a weapon but only outside the city. The city guards observe everyone, they have many tasks. Guards help travelers to find the location they look for, they are also looking for any threats and check does everyone keep the law. The Cronxwill is the only city on the island where a prison is located. Hopefully there is no many prisoners and mostly thieves. The guards rarely catch a murderer or this kind of criminal. Euphoria is not the place where killing people bring any benefits, murders often happen inside thieves business. Generally thieves are the most unlike community in whole island. If someone talk about them, then all citizens in the city are rumoring about it. There is nothing worse than undetected thief in the city.

Beside my work, I like to spend my free time on my hobby, learning. I like reading any kind of books and use this knowledge in my life. I know how to run the farm, manage it, I know a lot about trading, prices of any kind of goods and local needs of all the cities. That's the reason why the owner of warehouse wants me to trade with hunters and shops. The local merchants buy a stuff from primary warehouse, but sometimes happen food deficiency and then count of the city often allows to trade with our secondary warehouse but anyway we've got some limits, we can sell only half of our supplies and prices here are higher. We use the money, only coins are available, for example five apples costs a coin, watermelon - a coin, bread - two coins. Average weekly salary for workers is about 30 coins. The salary amount depends from the owners of business, for example farm's owner pays farmers, local army manager pays guards and soldiers in the city, etc. Local rates are setting by count and city council. This second one consists five people and their job is the most important and influential for whole island. They set the local law, the prices, city's architecture, they judge suspects and help citizens with any kind of the problems. The people say they earn 250 coins weekly. I think that's fair because they work really hard and try to keep entire city in best order. They live in a city hall and don't have own houses. Everyone can visit main rooms of the city hall, but count and council members quarters are open only for them and their guards. I have never had to go there but my dad visits the city hall almost every day.

My house consists from 3 main rooms, large dining room, salon and bedroom. We've got basement also, but I have never been there. Generally I don't need to get down there but it's awkward why my dad don't let me get inside. He tell me there is very dirty and dark so it's not a place for me. If I look through the main window in dining room, I see a part of the east gate and wide road, where the citizens are walking on. I don't see many of strangers, all of merchants pass through the main gate from the west side. At backyard we've got a city wall, but there is still place to crop some plants and run a small garden. From the left and right side I see our neighbors' houses. Our house is the second one from the beginning of this part of the city. I see and hear when the entrance gate is opening and closing. As I told above, one of our neighbor is living alone, he's a hunter. Another neighbors at opposite side have got very poor life. Parents and their four kids are crumbled in a house similar to mine. He is rude and drunk very often. He spend every day at local inn and wasting money. His wife works with my mum on the farm and earns about 25 coins per week. Sometimes we invite their kids and let them eat some bread. The citizens have to pay monthly taxes. 5 coins per one person living in house. If someone don't pay right in time, then has to leave the house or give back some of equipment hold inside to deposit. It can be restored later but it costs some coins then. Sometimes my poor neighbors have to give back chairs or tables, just to can live in their house. In other case, they'll have to leave the house and live on the street as beggars. Then the unused house is for sale. Simple law, pay for your house or get out to street. Paying for house is not only a duty but it gives many benefits also. If something wrong happens and house get damage, then the owner has a right to buy a wood planks or anything he wants for free. First has to go to the city hall and tell everything, then the count can give a permission to buy a wood from local shops and the city pays then their owners for selling the goods. In case of total damaged house, the city has to build the new one. So the taxes are some kind of insurance. Everything can be set and discuss with a count. Our present count is Martin Hold. He lost parents many years ago and his brother is a council member in the city of Kappa. Martin is an older man, he's sixty nine but he's very polite and athletic. He was a guard of city hall in Kappa and saves the count's life when he fell down the stairs and broken few bones. So he's a brave and we're proud of it. He manage the city very well and fair. He's sad when a citizen died or too many beggars are on the street. But he just represents the city council and can't do everything on his own.

I know a lot about the law and many aspects of life, because I read lots of the books and documents. If I don't understand something, I can ask about that the nearest city guard. They have to know all about the law and help citizens as much as they can. Two guards are always standing near the entrance gate and checking everyone passing through. They're very watchful and have to prevent from any kind of threats. Everyone can be a citizen of only one city. The guards of another city couldn't let someone inside if doesn't have a permission from the home city's count. Merchants and messengers got a constant permission, signed by all counts of all the cities. They can travel between every city with no restrictions. Anyway the guards can stop the traveler if something is wrong and then the count can give the permission to pass through. Sometimes the city's workers forget to take the documents while leaving the city and have the problem with getting back inside, but mostly the guards know the local citizens and let them pass through the gate anyway. The most unsafe merchants are those carrying the heavy stuff from the mines, like a steel or metal. The mines are located in north side of an island. Most of the goods are sending directly to the city of Kappa and transport to other cities later. Travelers between mines and cities, have to be well trained to avoid any threats and don't get lost in terrain. But it happens sometimes anyway, fortunately most of the lost are finding. The miners work for 5 days underground, they're sleeping and eating there. They come back to the homes at 3 another days and rest as they want. 5 days in work, 3 days in home. Ingredients from mines are melt and the workers make a weapon and other stuff from them. Forges are located in only two cities, Ankor and here in Cronxwill. This stuff is one of the most expensive. One simple dagger costs about 120 coins. Average citizen has to work all three or four months to buy the one. The price depends on total amount of those ingredients. About 95% of produced stuff is made for an army and government.

The Euphoria is a great place, if you've got a job and want to help another people, this world is for you. I thought the same but something change my life and I will never get back here. I tell you why.

Chapter III - A day

A sun is coming up, I slept pretty well, the night was incredible warm. I'll stay in bed for a while. I want to think about coming day, my duties and activities. I hear the noises from the road, conversations between guards and entering people. Nothing special, typical morning. After 10 minutes I see my mum getting up, she sleeps next to me. It's 5:30 am. Dad was working at night and he's supposed to sleep to midday. I'm wearing my casual clothes and going to dining room, mum has just prepared a breakfast. Fried meat from yesterday and piece of bread. After all, it's time to go work. I leave house a little bit later after mum. I'm taking my key to the house's door and start walking through the city. Secondary warehouse is located south and I have to walk about 10 minutes, pass many buildings, houses, stores, inns, wells. I can exit through the east gate, almost next to my house and walk around the city's walls and reach the warehouse but the distance is almost the same. I don't know most of the citizens here in the city but I remember their faces. I'm leaving my house, I see my poor neighbors, their house is in really bad condition. Opposite side of the road is free of building. There are few trees and flowers. The roads close to main gates are narrow, I'm still walking, I'm passing near clothes store, we don't buy a stuff here because it's expensive shop. Anyway the merchant - Halior, is very polite man, he's living with brother. Now I see many houses, I live in a typically living district, there is no many stores. Now I hit the road cross. I turn left and walk along the road, pass many houses by my way and many people going to work. I also saw few guards, they're patrolling whole city every time. This day will be very warm, I haven't seen that weather many months ago. Normally the sky is clouded and sun is only sometimes visible. Finally I get to the south gate, I'm passing near the guards, I don't have to show any documents if I'm leaving the city. Warehouse is 60 feet far from the gate, I see the door is open and few workers are standing by. There's no many shipment coming from farms in the morning, but the hunters visit us from time to time.

I say hello to other workers, if there's no shipment we have to check the stuff and manage it. This day is one of the last when farmers can harvest latest vegetables and fruits. The harvesting time is ending and we have to wait another month or longer for the next crops. The weather don't change here very often and all the farms around the city are set to collect the food all the time, but sometimes the plants are growing a little bit slower and crops are delayed. That's happens right now, we have to stay prepared for many transactions in next coming month. The primary warehouse's resources shall last for 15 or 20 days. Those situations happen once or twice per year.

Time to work. One worker repairs the building, another one is calculating the stuff. I am checking everything and remove bad smells food. The building has two floors. At the first one we hold vegetables and fruits, the stuff with short expire date. In case when expire date for some of them is almost done, we send those stuff to main warehouse to sell them as fast as it's possible. We don't junk anything but it happens sometimes. We had a basement the other day and held there a flour mostly and seeds. Unfortunately the rats were getting down there and ate everything so the owner has closed the basement totally. The second floor is the place where we hold flour, seeds, wine, grapes, a stuff with medium expire time. 11 am. The first shipment has arrived today. The workers go the primary warehouse first, then with quarter of their supplies come back to us. This farmer brings some potatoes and carrots. That's the last shipment from us this year probably - the worker said.

Midday, black clouds are coming toward us. From the city of Wranglers. We have to prepare for heavy rain. I've spotted a hunter, hanging a large piece of meat. He's coming back from the main warehouse. We don't accept any meat so that's the mess for him and his family. 2 pm, the weather is horrible, it's raining so hard, there's almost no one on the roads, I see only standing guards near the gate, I'm sitting in front of the warehouse and watching the raindrops. Then I saw someone running toward us, it's a merchant from local food store, when he getting here, just toke a deep breath and said: - Do you have any pears? One customer wants to buy five but I don't have any of it. Normally the count of the city has to permit for selling goods in the second warehouse, but in case when the primary is out of one kind of stuff and we got it, it's possible but first we have to ask the owner. The worker who was calculating the stuff today, knows everything about the amount of goods we've got. He looks into his note and says: - Ok, we got over two hundred peas, Eric will ask the owner, wait a second, sir. I have to go upstairs, there's an office where the owner is working. I open the office's door and say: - Excuse me, but a merchant would like to buy five pears, do you agree, sir? Then he looks into some piece of paper, mutters something quietly, looks at me again and says: - Three coins per one. In this case the owner of warehouse sets the prices, I don't care about that but three coins for one pear? A little to high, the main warehouse sells ten pears for five coins. But it's not my business. I'm getting down, grabbing 5 pears by the way and approaching to merchant. High prices are something casual here and I saw many peoples' reactions for that news. I said: - Ok, here you got five pears but I need fifteen coins, any discount. He opens his eyes widely and take a deep breath again, he bought it finally. One the worker here earns some money of this kind of trade. It depends who's asking the owner for the price, if that's him, he says the higher price than he supposed to say. In this case he could say "five pears for seventeen coins" and earns two coins. That's the business and people, I think it's worth to be honest.