Ricardo Salazar Stood Still for What Felt Like an Eternity.

Richard Salter stands motionless for a long moment.

The world he has convinced himself he can purchasepeople, conscience, a futurecrumbles in a handful of sentences spoken by a girl whose shoes are worn thin.

Who showed you that? he finally croaks.

Nobody, Mr. Salter, Blythe answers quietly. I just understand it. Sometimes the languages speak for themselves.

Evelyn Clark, her mother, stands off to the side, hands clenched, trying not to shake. She watches a flicker of uncertainty cross the face of the man everyone in the building has been too frightened to even look at.

Youre lying, he snaps, almost rude. This is a trick. A gimmick to impress me.

He rises, strides to his desk and presses a button. An image of an old manuscript appears on the screen.

Here. The professors at Oxford couldnt translate this. If you give me even one true sentenceIll give you a thousand pounds. If notyour mother loses her job.

Mr. Salter, dont do it! Evelyn shouts. Its a child!

Silence! he cuts her off.

Blythe does not flinch.

Fine, she says. But you wont like the answer.

She leans toward the screen, runs a finger down the lines.

This isnt just text. Its a warning.

Ha! And what warning is that? Richard laughs nervously.

For you.

For me?! irritation and a hint of doubt colour his voice.

Blythe whispers:

The one who rises above all will fall from his own pride. His name will be erased by the wind, and his house will burn in flames.

Silence falls.

Suddenly a flash of lightning splits the sky outside. The room dims, and Richards face lights up for an instantpale, tense, eyes wide.

A coincidence just a coincidence, he mutters.

Blythe turns to him.

You mock the people who clean your floor, but do you know who wrote the code your empire rests on?

What what do you mean? his voice trembles.

My father.

Evelyn bites her lip.

Blythe no, stop

Yes, Mum, he needs to hear it, Blythe says, never breaking eye contact with Richard. He was a programmer in the cybersecurity department. He worked on your system at night while you were holidaying by the sea. When he fell ill, you signed his dismissal order.

How what was his name? Richard, now paling, asks.

Andrew Clarke.

Richards eyes widen.

He was the one who wrote the protective code? The same one that brought millions from the German bank?

Yes, Blythe answers. And you stripped him of everything.

A hush settles. Only the rain tapping the windows can be heard.

We dont want revenge, Evelyn whispers. Just justice. And peace.

I didnt know Richard murmurs, his words hollow.

You knew, Blythe replies. You just didnt care.

He leans back in his chair. Everything he has built suddenly feels empty.

What do you want from me? Money? Education? A home? Ill give you everything.

Blythe watches him calmly.

We want nothing. But rememberGod sometimes speaks through the voices you cannot see.

She grabs her mothers hand.

Lets go, Mum.

Evelyn turns to him.

Ill finish the cleaning today. After that find yourself another woman.

The two women leave. The door closes slowly.

Richard remains alone.

He stands for a long stretch, unmoving. Then he opens a drawer and pulls out an old fileA. Clarke.

Inside is a request to extend a contract for health reasons. At the bottom, his signature reads: Denied.

Salter places the file on the desk, then slowly removes his watch and leaves it beside it.

Outside, rain pours down the panes like liquid shame.

The next day the headlines blare:

Businessman Richard Salter donates all his assets and company shares to a fund for the education of children from lowincome families.

A month later, the Crystal Tower is sold to Oxford University to become a freelearning centre.

And in a modest school on the outskirts of town, a girl named Blythe starts a language club for children without means.

When asked why she does it, she smiles:

Because knowledge is power. But true power is to forgive.

Epilogue

Evelyn and Blythe leave London. No one hears of them again.

And Richard Salter disappears from public life.

A few months later, on the top floor of the Crystal Tower, a plaque appears:

The real wealth is learning from those who speak with their hearts.