ON, LET'S START WITH THE TIP TOP UP

ON, LET’S START WITH THE   TIP TOP UP

The  conference was held in a hotel which stood isolated on a hill near a wood, and which had the appearance of a castle, even though it had only been built a few years earlier. It was a castle built with ultra-modern materials, a castle with walls glittering like mirrors.  And in those (its) walls  which all  shone like mirrors, there were really mirrors, but you could realize where they were, surrounded, almost embedded, one could say, as they were between the surfaces which seemed but were not mirrors, if not when, passing in front of them, you saw yourself( in them). They were like surprise mirrors  which revealed themselves as such only  when they showed )your image to you, all at sudden and unexpectedly.

The hotel , which looked like a 2000’s castle, was surrounded by a vast park , in which the  

Participants of the conference could test themselves in  THE TIP TOP UP, a brand new fun , or pastime , for most of them which they had never even heard of it, until a few days before, when

It was ( had been) launched in a big way, with videos broadcast on tv, with megaphones shouted  slogans, , with maxi photos or billboards at every corner of the city.

Despite everything, that is, after all the fact of being in the society of images, perhaps what attracted so many people to the presentation conference of the___TIP TOP UP____were the words with which it was launched, and…..also the disbelief that those words had aroused.

“ You are sure that you cannot fly, but you’re wrong! With the TIP TOP UP you can fly! What are you waiting? Come! You too will fly with the TIP TOP UP! “

Now, not that people believed possible, really achievable what this game , or pastime, or…promised_____FLYING! TO BE ABLE TO FLY! ____however most of them, but we could say each of them hoped in his heart, maybe in a very small, indeed bit place holed up in his heart, that …..it was really possible TO FLY ! Perhaps with movements of the arms, of the body, to be learned through meditation, or yoga, or some similar discipline. And there were those who  had thought that with the ___TIP TOP UP____they would learn to built wings……preferably not of wax, which would have allowed them to fly.

In the park, with tree-lined avenues and fountains, and tennis court, and golf course, there were vast lawns with short green grass which were ideal…TO TAKE THE FIRST STEPS of the TIP TOP UP, which would have allowed all the participants in the presentation of the new hobby_____if it could be called that____to fly! But sure that once they had taken the first steps, they would have been amazed at how incredibly easy it was to fly! This was assured during the conference by the organizers of the meeting , which was also attended by eminent personalities from the medical, academic, sports world, and there were present even two great scientists: one was a theoretical physicist of the  future physics , and the other was a world renowned expert of…the physiology of bacteria, who, during the enthusiastic speech in which he lavished about the wonder of the fabulous new hobby___THE TIP TOP UP____had been careful not to say a single word about what physiology of bacteria had to do with…..the Tip Top Up.

It was the middle of the afternoon of a summer day when the acolytes, all those who had rushed anxiously and eagerly to the presentation conference_____if ever they had really learned to fly….yes, it seemed impossible, but , since you can never know, why not try?______( they) set out in groups of thirty, lined up in a row for two, on three very green meadows, escorted by the companions, who were also their trainers , they are walking all in order like a small army to take the firsts steps of practical learning, the first steps to become capable to fly.

On the contrary to what they had thought, or imagined, that the TIP TOP UP  would have required above all arms movements, or a gymnastics of the arms, this pastime was based instead ON THE FEET, which had to be in close contact with the ground. Who would have expected it? To become capable to fly you had to start from the feet, from your feet. And how many times had they____the organizers of the conference, the famous celebrities of the medical, academic and sports world , and even those two amazing scientists_____repeated them : to learn to fly , to be able to fly you have to start from the feet. The feet are essential to be able to fly.

The hopefuls  who had come to the meeting had been walking barefoot for more than two hours , on the green and tender grass of the meadows and, following the instructions of their trainers to the letter, they kept on pressing the soles of their feet on the ground, alternately pressing the tip and the heel of their feet, since these were the movements with which to insist , to repeat tirelessly until the right push would start , from their feet, to get them to fly. But time passed and none of them had taken off yet. Everyone was unhappy and discouraged and began to complain. Some of them had even started to inveigh against the organizers of the convection, .who had taken them for a ride. While the discontent and even the protest of the participants in this…game increased, their trainers and also the organizers repeated to them that they should not stop believing that with the Tip Top Up they  would be able to fly, soon or later. “ But when?” the acolytes asked, in exasperation. Oh, if it hadn’t happened that day, they didn’t have to despair, but they had to keep on doing regularly, every day, the exercises they had learned, and, sooner or later, they would have been able to fly.

It was only towards evening, when in the fading sky a pale moon had already appeared , that one of those barefoot walkers on the fresh grass suddenly took off and he, taking off, screamed, perhaps with joy, perhaps with fear.  All the others raised their head and stood , their eyes up, looking at him as he ascended, describing a large parable, and then suddenly fell to the ground.

The trainers and the organizers said that , ah, unfortunately accidents happen, and this was just an accident.