Zagorette Maximilian Yportne
Zagorette Maximilian Yportne, in short Zagor, in shorter Z.
The younger brother of Argo. A vibrant little fellow he is, well known for his strict behavior and rigorous outbursts. His haute figure periodically grouped in 14 rows and 19 columns, easily measurable, efficiently constructed.
Petina, Ann, Gregory and Fensterlin were some of the numerous windows inhabiting Z. The way they communicate was peculiar. A language that consisted of rhythmically opening and closing their shutters, also known as “Shuttering”.
Z did not allow any other type of interaction between its windows. Until,until one special night.
One special night
Ann asked Z, with a whispering tone: Can I play with Petina?
NO! If I let any of you play, my structure will crumble into pieces. Round windows don’t mix with squared windows, you know that don’t you? Chaos, is that what you want?
Z was so angry that some of his blocks turned red, and a few even baked black. Z bursted: See what you are causing Ann! This is all your fault.
Ann shuttered with an even lower tone: But we will be quiet, and we won’t move around so much. I promise…
Z was furious.
Z: You can forget it! You stay in your block just like all the other windows, and be quiet, don’t ask me any more stupid questions.
Upset Ann. A big bright circular window abruptly started shuttering at an amazing speed, and all the sudden she crumbled into a handful of small squares.
Z was surprised, but eventually shrugged indifferently. ‘You deserve it.’
Gregory, who just lives around the corner of Ann, witnessed what happened firsthand. He heard stories from his friend Fensterlin about window-changing in Argo, but never really believed in these fairytales.
He wondered: Why can Ann change her shape?
That evening Gregory whispered to Fensterlin: Did you see what happened to Ann?
Fensterlin answered: Yes! I told you it was possible!
Gregory: Ssst. keep it low, else Z will hear us.
Fensterlin lowered his tone, almost mumbling…: I want to be tllaer. What? Gregory answered.
Fensterlin: Taller, I want to be TALLER. If it is possible for Ann to change, maybe it is also possible for me to be taller.
Gregory shuttered: I have an idea. Tonight when Z is sleeping, we will arrange a secret meeting with all the windows. When we are all together, we start shuttering. We shutter at the same phase, at the same moment, all together. This will create a tremendous noise, something must happen!
Fensterlin sniggered: This will be such a surprise for Z. I will ask all the windows to join us tonight. Tonight, will be Shutterlight! ahum…, Shutternight!
Z: What is that noise? Close your shutters!
0.99 ZST [One moment before Midnight]
[ZST= Zagorstandartime, a day in Zagor runs from 0 to 1 and back again. [37 ZST =1 ZU (Zagor Ulom) Ed.]
Fensterlin and Gregory asked their fellow windows to join. All of them were in favor, except one: Dutch, the oldest inhabitant of Zagorette. He inhabited Z at a time that it consisted of just one block.
Dutch was the only non-window in the city. A particular element, a circle with four blades. He communicated by turning his blades with a certain direction and speed, they called it “Milling”. Only a few could still understand this ancient language.
Dutch has a twin-sister Moulin, that lived in Argo, but unfortunately, they lost touch a long time ago. Zagor and his brother Argo were at war for a period of over 9000 ZU. They won’t allow contact among their windows ever since.
He spoke to the older sister of Fensterlin, madame Faucet [Together with Z she was the only one that could still understand Dutch Ed.].
These young windows; what they are planning to do is very dangerous, the consequences cannot be overseen.
Faucet tried to bring the message across. Hopelessly…
Fensterlin didn’t want to listen to the old madame Faucet. He went further with his plans.
1.00 ZST [Midnight ]
A terrible noise combined with an insane strobo-prismatic light was produced by the windows.
Z immediately woke up and screamed: WATH IS GNOING ON, I CNNAOT BVEILVEE TIHS! Everything boggled, linear cracks appeared all over the surface.
Z shouted again: TIHS CNNOAT BE PBSSOBILE! But not one window understood what he was shuttering. Gregory got so fired up that he jumped to a neighboring block, and he was not the only one, hundreds followed him. Dutch couldn’t witness the scene anymore and completely dissolved into darkness.
Suddenly Ann started to Shutter as loud as she could: Stop, stop it, this is wrong!!!
Gregory saw what Ann was doing, and forced the others to stop, but it had no effect at all. The boggling and cracking continued.
Z sighed: I am destroyed, look at this mess.
Don’t be sad, Z, Ann shuttered. I have an idea.
What if we could create a rhythm? A Boogie, a Midnight Boogie-woogie. We could control this fluid mess, and maybe we could eventually create something out of it. Come on! I will show you.
She started shuttering: Badum badum tss, Badum badum tss, Badum badum tss…
Petina, [known for the sneezing elephant sound she makes Ed.] shouted: Look, we are moving! I want to join, I want to!
Badum badum tss {sneezing elephant sound}, Badum badum tss {sneezing elephant sound} …One by one the other windows joined in.
Z was looking from a distance, but secretly enjoyed it.
Everybody got so into the boogie, that it took a while to notice that Zagor was changing shape completely.
.
Z: Ssst, lower your shutters a bit, I hear something!
Dutch, still hidden in darkness, milled from far away: I heard this amazing Boogie-woogie and couldn’t resist any longer. Look at all these new elements.
He added: Doors! Doors and roofs they are called, I remember Moulin talking about it in Argo. Maybe if I add a puff of air to the rhythm, we could diversify our structure, add an extra grain. Dutch started milling as fast as he could.
Z abruptly rippled into a multitude of smaller warm-colored elements.
0.63 ZST
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0.63 @ Z
The windows were getting so tired of non-stop Shuttering, that it was hard to keep up the Boogie. The sound gradually moved into an ambient noise, and slowly the windows fell asleep. And even Z, for the first time in his life, calmly fainted away.
0.00 ZST [Early morning]
Fensterlin irritated by the sneezing sound Petina makes when she sleeps, opened his window: Look Petina! Look at us! We have walls, roofs, stairs, and even green spaces! I thought these were legends, but it is real, I cannot believe it!
Petina, now shaped as three big elliptical windows in a purple wall, couldn’t believe her windows.
Petina: “This is magical!”
Zagor, already awake, started speaking.
Z: I have to tell you something.
Petina: What is it? Are you not happy?
Z: Yes of course I’m happy, but you know my brother Argo.
Fensterlin: What about him?
Z: It is maybe difficult to understand for you, but Argo, he mumbled slowly…he is not my brother.
Petina: What? Who is he?
Fensterlin added: Yes, who is he, surely he is your enemy, right?
Z answered calmly: It’s not like that Fensterlin.
Argo…Actually… I am Argo.
Petina and Fensterlin both looked puzzled through their glasses.
Z: Yes, Z=A. We are one.
Z: Before I became Zagor, I was known as Argo, but greater forces, the (TTS) Terra-Tectonic-Society in particular, called upon a meeting and asked us to optimize our processes. They had set strict rules; one ought to be logical and cost efficient, numerical instead of characterical.
First, I thought it was a good idea. I went along, but slowly in the process I started to forget the old me. I graduated in nothing more than a systematic arrangement, and lost my dreams along with it…Only Dutch still knows about this. Afraid of the consequences we decided to not tell you anything.
Luckily, you young and brave windows came along. You woke me up and gave me my forgotten dreams back.
Meanwhile the other windows and even old Dutch woke up. Excited to hear Zagorette Maximilian Yportne.
They started, started to Boogie, to Boogie-woogie all day long.
Zagorette Maximilian Yportne © M. Production, Story and Illustrations 6.2017 [published 9.2019] Triple-A Society