Prologue:
The lifecycle of a leaf is a beautiful thing. She starts as a bud, opening up in the waking sunlight as a vivid green. She is a willing, loving thing. She dutifully soaks in the glimmering sunlight, protecting her molecules of sweet sugars: sustainers of life. The leaf protects our atmosphere for her entire lifetime, conquering gasses that may otherwise poison our air. She shines with dew in the morning sun as she works to provide energy for her tree. Tirelessly she toils, until after six months she grows weary and begins to glow with a tired satisfaction, yellowing in penitence to a life fulfilled. In a final leap of faith, she sprouts golden wings and takes flight into the vast open sky, so that she may find meaning in death as she did in life. Her body lays prone in the soil, so that her body may nourish the world to come.
I gazed out my office window where I stood in a trance. The first golden leaves of autumn were twirling like ballerinas in the sunlight, the colour of their glimmering bodies supplementing the colour of saffron streets below. As a child I would play amongst the leaves, grinning wide in their soft embrace as I tossed them into the air and caught them again, spinning, dancing, laughing. The leaves are old friends of mine. I would collect them together and jump amongst them, and they would always break my fall. I would rake them up in the yard and compost them, to help them complete their journey. A joyous reaper of death. A solemn sower of life.
I have always been this way: calm, but energetic; a quiet passion for life. Perhaps this is what inspired me to become an engineer. A machine is but a set of systems, cooperating with the forces that define nature. If she breaks down and fails her task, she is a waste of precious life; of resources that could be put to a better use. If she is successful in her task, she is life. Nature working in her so that lives may be enriched. I see the beauty of life in the product of my work. I see the beauty of my work in the product of the company I choose to work for. I see the beauty in my company in the society it enriches.
I work closely with the president of the company and the board of directors at Silph Co. They are all kind men, like golden leaves. Each one was hand-picked from the soil by the president himself, to serve a crucial purpose in society. As the lead engineer of the company, I try not to give orders or bark commands. Instead, I try to lead by example, and I teach as best as I can.
Our company provides many things. I like to tell people that our company's main goal is to grant meaningful life to our customers. We provide medical systems in hospitals to provide loving care for those who are ill. We provide transportation systems to help loved ones reunite over vast distances. We provide tools, so that man and creature can live in harmony, with less stress in their lives, and more time to better enjoy the fruits of nature. We silently oil the gears of society, shine the spokes of her wheels, and every so often, we toot her horn at our loving neighbours in Saffron City.
Our company is indeed one of the most trusted in the nation. I say trusted, because it is more important to the president and I than is wealth. Trust implies that our services are valued and provide our customers with a positive experience. Silph Co. has never sought wealth. My small office reflects these values. It is rich in colour, but not expensive, to promote creativity and a sense of well being. I have two comfortable chairs in front of my desk and a small coffee table, so that I can speak with staff on a personal level. Although my office has a door, I have never felt compelled to close it.
The president walks into my office just before noon to find me standing beside my window, deep in thought. He has on dress shoes, a colourful, unbuttoned sport coat, and a forced smile upon his face.
"She's beautiful out there, isn't she Carl." He told me quietly.
Although not a question, I had to agree. The president has never been a man to be disrespectful, but he has trust that his employees will follow a value system. So I swallowed my curiosity and remained optimistic despite what his face was telling me. Over the past few seasons I have grown quite close to the man, perhaps enough to call him my most trusted friend. I haven't always agreed with the man's ideas on company projects and direction, but I find it difficult to be angry in his presence. He shows too much value in his colleagues for that.
I could tell though, that something was seriously bothering him. For a man who embraced each challenge as an opportunity, he rarely looked unsure of himself, as he did now. The president tried to smile again.
"Listen, Carl, your project is a success to the company, and you have trained your team well. I think you've earned a bit of a break. Take the afternoon off."
"Please." He added, with a little bit of force.
Although these were not the words I was expecting, I had no reason to go home early. What would most people do? I haven't lived with family for several years, nor was I a trainer. I simply had no desire to take time off work.
"And what would you have me do with myself?"
"Take some time off, enjoy what we have before the autumn leaves wither away and winter treats us to her own beauty."
I heaved a sigh and sat beside the coffee table. His face relaxing as I did so. I guess I'm too easy to read. Although a strange request, I knew he wouldn't take no for an answer so I prepared to give in.
"Alright, I can do that, but first tell me why."
A faint spark of panic flickered in his face. He made purposefully for the door and stopped beside the coat rack and in front. He placed one hand on it as if to steady himself and said nothing for a short while.
With his back still turned, I made out his words, barely audible. He had a strange note in his voice that put my hair on edge, "Tell me, Carl, with what credentials does a man rule a country; by what right does he condemn a nation?"
As with barely a sound, the president disappeared out the door.