The Unifier by Richard Shekari (best book club books for discussion TXT) 📕

The war torn world could not withstand the economic upheaval that had befallen it. Another religious faction or thought would surely bring everything to a final end. The world leaders needed to find a solution. A world summit was called and every ruler from president to king was urged to attend.
Arguments arose but each man knew that the only solution was a one world government.
A new world order was formed, and one of its critical task was the abolishment of worship of all entities that cannot be comprehended by the five senses of man. All gods, deities, masters and idols adored by man that could not be seen, heard, smelled, tasted and or felt, the knowledge of their existence must be totally wiped out from the minds and hearts of all men. For it was established and proven with facts, according to the understanding of men that these entities and gods or God which no man had had a sensible evident contact with, were the causes of all man’s uncontrolled passion for a world beyond this world. Which many believed, was the root of all the lost humanity had suffered through the crisis, battles and wars that almost ruined mankind and the world at large.
Therefore, all books, scrolls, text, audio and video records, and materials that promoted or propagated the old religions were not only banned but confiscated and destroyed. The men and women who refused to turn away from the old ways were either imprisoned or killed.
 It took many years to achieve, but it was accomplished anyway. It was the only absolute solution the government of the day could possible think of. And it worked; peace had come to the world, and all the nations prospered and none a poor person was found among all the inhabitants of the earth, at least those whose beliefs were rooted in the new way of things.
The government of the day, known as The Unifier, headed by the wealthiest of all men; a man whose riches no king or kingdom had ever seen nor acquired, this man, known by all as, The Master, has achieved what no man thought was possible. This great man’s dreams and ideas changed the world.
In order to satisfy the inner desires of man that craved for something greater than he to look up to, a one-eyed giant and magnificent golden statue of The Master that stood 6, 660 feet high was erected in the new capital of the world. Its eye, made from the rarest precious stones excavated from another planet, gazed at the rising sun. With its left foot on land and right foot immersed in the sea, this statue smiled with open arms facing the sea.
Sculptures, posters, and paintings of this great man, The Master, were mass-produced and distributed worldwide to be used in worship places and temples in all the earth.
In order to debar the dangers posed by the secret practitioners of the former religions which was known as the old ways, that brought disunity among men and all the nations at large; the government of the day through REL-POL, an agency created and given all the authority to deal with or bring to justice any individual, group, state or nation that refused to practice the new way, most find one man whom they believed was an imminent threat to the future of the world.
On the third annual festival, in a year not far from the present day, the leader of all the peoples; His majesty, Ethnocal Jessy Thuck, also known as The Master, gave a speech to all the nations. It was streamed live and broadcasted in all the radio and TV stations. “Fellow citizens of the world, we have come a long way. In love and great respect for one another. I honour you all as I usher you yet into another year of a new dawn. A new dawn of peace, love and joy. A new dawn of prosperity, progress and unity. I know, many a life we have lost in order to come to this greatness, but I assure you, none of the efforts of these precious souls shall go in vain. Together, we have created not only a new world, but a better and peaceful tomorrow for our children, and our children’s children. This temple shall stand as a reminder to us all, of the great men and women who have put in their best to make this day possible, and also to the beautiful souls lost in the battles fought to arrive at where we are today. We shall continue to celebrate the lives of these great men and women who have worked hard for this, and also those who are willing to help us maintain and improve our current standards. We shall consecrate this place and also a part of our heart to our founders and all those whose lives laid as the foundation of this great temple. As you all know, I, Ethnocal J. Thuck, your ever loving and concerned leader…”
The people began to cheer, some released doves and balloons into the air.
“Thank you! Thank you…Thank you very much.” He said, “As you all know, I, Ethnocal J. Thuck, your ever loving and concerned leader, has one and only one thing in mind; bestowment of peace and prosperity in our time throughout the world. All nations under me shall surely flourish, it's no brag but you've all seen it. Can I get a witness, please?"
The people cheered one more time.
"All nations under my umbrella shall surely enjoy and rejoice in a better tomorrow than the best of today." He added, "So I urge each and every one of you to join me and let's diligently and desperately thirst for peace.”
He turned and looked at his beautiful wife, who was standing behind him. He heaved a heavy sigh of relief and smiled, she smiled back at him.
“For those who believed that the streets in heaven are made of gold,” he added as he turned to the microphone. “I wish they’d see what we have accomplished right here, right now! We don’t need a heaven painted in the clouds by men who thought the earth was flat. We have created our own paradise down here on earth and now; peace knows us by name! All that belongs to me I give to you all, all which is within my reach in this word and our galaxy I share with you all. But this woman, Mariah, you must leave for me!”
The entire people cheered and whistled.
“For she stood by me from the start, and so must be acknowledged and appreciated.” He said, “Thank you for trusting me with this great task. Thank you for your encouragement. Put your trust in the new and only way! Peace in our time!” He threw a peace sign into the air.
“Peace in our time!” The people said in unison as they continued to cheer.
Mariah walked to him and hugged him. Two men approached the couple and led them to the inner part of the temple which was between the feet of the golden statue. The temple was blanketed by the shadow cast upon it by the mighty statue, made from The Master’s image.
A lamb was brought forth and laid on a golden altar, The Master picked a golden knife and slayed the little lamb. A sacrifice was made, its blood ran down and touched the ground.
The Master was offered the blood of the lamb in a golden cup, after drinking it he gave a sign for the six day of feast to begun and to be observed. The footage broadcasted around the world in all the channels brought cheer and joy in the hearts of all the people.  
During the festival, people who had come to witness the ceremony came from all nations; scattered in the sea on boats, ships and canoes, and also on land. There was celebration both on land and on the sea.
A large portion of the land was carved for the temple, ornamented for the festival with exotic trees, plants and flowers. A tremendous wonder of the world, the garden stood and blossomed. The surroundings gleamed in awe and beauty. The walls that surrounded the temple reflected the wealth of the new world; coated in gold, with a large piece of gem placed on top of each pillar that held the seven gates. These golden gates were placed to denote the seven continents of the world and its walkways were made of gold. After the sacrifice was made, The Master and his wife made their way out of the temple.
Representatives from all the nations and bodyguards walked alongside The Master and his wife. Before getting into his white limousine, he turned to one of the men and said, “Have they found him?”
“Not yet, your majesty.” The man replied, “I was on the phone with the chief of Rel-Pol, just minutes before you gave your beautiful speech and he said, ‘In three weeks,’ and that if he does …”
“Three weeks?” The Master yelled, “Is this some kind of a joke? If I had waited for three weeks when asked to choose between how we live in lavish today and how things were and could’ve been, do you think any of you would relish and basked in the glory I’ve provided?” He stared at them with his right eye. “When those fools came for my life years back, I might have lost an organ of sight but don’t take me for a jester,” he paused. “Know that I see all!”
Some of the representative cringed.
“I don’t want his resignation on my table if he fails, I want his head on a platter!” He yelled, “Get the message across to the chief. With all the modern technology in our possession, how long does it take to locate one man? One man!”
“Your majesty,” said Jeremy, “The chief has been...”
“You said my speech was beautiful?” The Master interjected in a calm voice, “Do you mean that?”
“Yes, your majesty!” Jeremy replied, a bit puzzled, “Your popularity has gone up more than double, according to the PWG!”
“The People’s Word Gazette?” He asked as he smiled, “Let me see.”
Jeremy pulled out a device, browsed to a page and showed it to him.
“Mmm!” He responded, “I want more. I want more. Maybe next time I’ll write the speech myself, she did a good job though. I’ve got to give her that, but next time, I’ll write it myself. You understand? These things have to come from the heart.” He tapped his chest with his right hand.
“But your majesty, she took note of what you’ve wanted to convey.” Jeremy added, “And I think she did a great job, and with the way you presented it to the people it was magnificent, some people were in tears, your majesty. Unless if we’d hire another speechwriter and fire her, like that young professor from the institute of…”
“Are you saying I cannot write a greater speech than the one I recited today?” He said.
The representatives and all the bodyguards went mute.
“I may not have gone to the best schools.” He added, “But look at what I’ve accomplished; not only did I bring prosperity to the entire world, I brought peace! Peace!” He paused, “Do you know the price of peace, Jeremy? Does any of you thickoes have any idea what it cost to usher this world into this epoch?”
They all remained silent.
“I thought so!” He remarked.
“Honey, why don’t you get in the vehicle?” Mariah said, “You’ll need to have a little rest before the investiture!”
“If I want,” he said, “I can decide to withdraw all that belongs to me at this point in time, and there’s nothing you can do about it! And none of you will have