– We need to get the story straight first.

– With the rebellion?

– And with a sequel.

– And what was it? – The Rabbi asked with genuine interest.

To which Rutra had a legitimate question: Why is the rabbi so interested in this particular thing? After all, he is a participant himself. Although each of us would not be interested in what it would be like in life if we acted differently in this or that situation than we once did – how would our lives be different? Rutra decided to play his part, to develop the situation.

– Having quelled the revolt in Jerusalem, Antiochus Epiphanes further intensified his punitive measures against the Jews. He wanted to unite the Jews, or rather the Judeans, with the Greeks, or rather the Hellenes, in every possible way. That's the kind of thing. And, following the plan, he was not a stranger to any cruelty, which was characteristic of the ancient world, but for the modern world too. Antiochus issues a decree that all Jews must necessarily honor the Greek gods and must not perform the rites of their religion. Everywhere in Judea statues of pagan gods were erected on which pigs were sacrificed. The scrolls of the Holy Scriptures were covered with images of pagan gods. A large statue of Zeus was placed on the sacred altar of the Jerusalem temple, and worship was held before it. By the way, many became Hellenists and voluntarily obeyed Greek orders. Such apostates received honorable positions and generous rewards. But many still refused to betray their religion, hid in the mountains and in caves, and from there raided their own and strangers, in towns and villages. Does this ring a bell?

– Do you still get that?

– Don't you have one?

– We are all enlightened to the bone, literally and figuratively. The system of analysis, long before you are born, knows what you will be like, and even recommends parents to conceive in this or that period. To be more precise, conception is completely artificial.

– I see," Ruthra replied with a kind of doom and shared the situation in his world, "we have it, but it's very individual.

Said was yet another reason for the silence surrounding the understanding of worlds.

They walked on, looking at each other alternately, looking around and turning around. When they had walked fifteen paces in silence, the Bedouin pointed to a tree a little farther away from them. They had almost reached some sort of settlement, near which two donkeys were tethered. "Strange that no one has followed us," thought Ruthra.

– We are afraid of development, afraid of the consequences," Rutra expressed his vision of such a method of birth and continuation of the human race.

His companion looked at him questioningly again. It was very hot. Ruthra wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. The rabbi took out of his leather bag something that looked like a gourd. It was a kalebasa, a vessel made from the dried fruit of the bottle gourd. This or similar vessels for storing food, especially for drinks, had been used in the ancient world, and in some places even now, in different parts of the world, on different continents, so Rutra was not surprised at the Rabbi's suggestion to use a kalebat. He felt gratitude and some surprise – why Joseph, that is, he, did not have such a vessel. The Rabbi, having offered water, brought Rutra out of his reverie and continued his story about his worlds.

– You should be worried," he said, looking around while Joseph drank water. – At first we had it like you, too, and even blocked the pituitary gland through a chip so that it wouldn't ovulate, but then it all came to a bad end. Ladies began to use the reproductive system for their own purposes. To be more precise, the world was divided into male and female parts. Not all of it, of course, but the groups were huge, down to the countries. The battle began. That's actually why I'm here.