Zero and one in an amusing tangent

            Once upon a time, there was a police that suddenly got a call from the Numberville apartment security officer. He told to the police that there was a number who was later known as zero will commit suicide by leaping from the upstairs apartment. The police still looked so curious and then asked to the security officer of what the reason behind that motivated zero took action like that. Shortly after that, the security officer told to the police that the reason is because zero has some problems in mathematics. The police looked so curious yet, but he didn’t want to spend any longer time by investigating the security officer only. In the meanwhile, he asked to his friend to send the wise number one out to the location where the incident took place because he thought that number one is expert enough to handle such things happen.

            10 minutes later, the wise number one arrived in the location where zero will commit suicide. Zero get shocked after knowing the number one behind him all of sudden. But, on the other hand the number one didn’t respond anything and just considered it as nothing happen. Shortly after that, the number one came closer to zero and asked about what problems happen to him actually. Without thinking twice, zero shared his problem to the number one in detail with no hesitation. He told that he got a lot of pain in mathematics. He blamed on his fate being number zero and felt like he is nothing because nobody wants to be with him. He said to the number one “you know right, whenever I tried to add myself in any group, they just stand up leaving me behind. Whenever I tried to get close with someone, I found that they just finally disappear. I’m really desperate having this kind of life and I think that I have no reason to live anymore. So, what? I’m definitely true with not existing and now I’m just going to kill myself.

            Suddenly, the number one shouted very loudly to zero to stop doing the silly thing at the moment. Zero stood directly paused and at the same time the number one seemed to be compassionately against zero’s story for just a moment. Later, he tried to break down some zero’s argument that consider himself as nobody that adequate to be proud of and definitely true with not existing. He convinced zero that he’s just the absence and there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Furthermore, the number one added some statements to the zero “you should be proud of being zero”. As known that some numbers are likely confused with their positions. Sometimes they turned to be negative and on the other time turned to be rational and then turned down right at. Don’t you think that you meant something? Without you there will no decimal point. You are special and persistently you have a crucial role to act as a place holder in a number line. You have to be confident. Everybody needs you, zero”.

            On the other hand, zero still cannot 100 % believe in what the number one said to him. He still eager resisted against the number one’s opinion and said “where do you know it is true, Mr. popular? Do you lie to me? Don’t you remember that you are the number one? You are loved by anyone, you are better than I am and I think you could never understand about my pain”. Suddenly, the number one looked so sad. He explained to zero that he could understand his pain very well because he also has the similar problem with zero. The number one talked to zero “Do you ever know how to be the lowliest and loneliest number? You may argue that I’m perfect number than anyone wants to get the number one. But, you don’t know that being number one is the saddest experience you will ever know. One is the lowliest and loneliest number you will ever do and it is always much worse than two, three, four and etc. So, can you also understand how much pain that I felt?”

            At the moment, zero immediately embraced the number one. But, what happen after that? The number one just disappear all of sudden. Zero forgot that he has not to do that. Zero felt remorseful and finally end its life by leaping from the upstairs apartment. 

Himmatul 'Aliyah
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