It All Started With a Lightning

Serkan woke up to another shitty day. Beer bottles and plates of dried noodle pieces stared at his face next to his bed. He hadn't been able to get out of this state since he graduated from university. He had been in this state for almost four months. His dirty and filthy life was never cleaned up. He didn't even have a girlfriend or a normal friend after his last girlfriend. The only person he could call a friend was Mehmet from elementary school. The reason was that they went to the same schools since elementary school. Mehmet finished high school first and Serkan finished high school second. That same year, they applied to the Materials Science and Engineering Department at Çukurova University and were accepted on the first try.

He brushed his messy hair with his hand and looked at the computer in front of him. He had forgotten about it last night. A video on YouTube was still playing. A bald guy was talking about survival tactics. He spent his days with such videos these days. He constantly imagined himself in such environments to kill time. In the past few months, he had learned everything from forging a sword to building a mud house, from making a bow to survival, in short, how to live without technology. Still, he couldn't keep the phone out of his hand or the computer out of his eyes. The "combine and strengthen" game he was constantly playing on the phone had become something like the cigarette he was addicted to. For some reason, he didn't feel like playing today and casually threw the phone on the couch.

He scratched his stomach and walked over to the computer. Connected VPN to the Netherlands from the Extensions tab at the top right. Then he typed in 'What did you want to search for' where it says 'WILD, PUBLIC, TEEN' in capital letters. Then, just as he was about to pull down his sweatpants and underwear and reach for his 'normal-sized stick', his phone rang.

Naked, he grabbed his latest model phone from the couch next to him. Even if there was no food to eat, he would still buy the latest model phone. Although he did not post photos on social media, he still wanted the best.

He picked up the phone and checked who the caller was. It was Mehmet. He answered the call with a swipe of his finger.

"Yo!"

"Hey!"

"What's up?"

"Fine, how are you?"

"Well, I just woke up, put my hand on my stick, and you called. What's up, is something wrong? Because I'm on a very important job." There was a moment of silence on the phone.

"Hahahahahah! I guess I caught you just in time! Hahaha!" Mehmet's laughter was real. His voice on the phone was like the voice of a man peeing underneath him while laughing.

"Make it short, dude." Serkan was a little embarrassed. Even though he made the joke himself.

"Okay, brother, you remember Selin, right? My girlfriend?" Mehmet came straight to the point.

"Yeah, and?" Serkan was surprised that he started with such a sentence. He raised an eyebrow.

"Brother, we are going on vacation to Urfa with her."

"Well, whatever, it's nice for you two," Serkan said expressionlessly while picking his nose with the little finger of his right hand.

"Wait, listen. Look, Selin also has a friend named Merve. Did you know her? From the computer department." Mehmet started to get angry at Serkan's blank expression.

"Yes, I know her, but I don't know, wasn't she the only girl in the biiiiig computer department?" After struggling to remember, a few rumors came to his mind and he finally managed to remember.

"Yes, brother, the pearl of the computer department," Mehmet said very clearly. It's like talking about a celebrity he admires.

"Hehe, what a pearl." There were still unfounded rumors in Serkan's mind. Therefore, he didn't take it too seriously.

"Anyway, brother, let's say we have a double date, let's get you and Merve together. What do you say?" Finally, Mehmet dropped the question he wanted to ask like a bomb.

"Bro, I haven't seen her face, but this girl is a computer guy, she doesn't have a mustache, right?" Serkan, on the other hand, still spoke in a sarcastic tone, mocking the subject.

"Are you crazy? I'll send you a picture." Sometimes Mehmet didn't understand that Serkan could have such a different personality even though they grew up on the same street and almost in the same house. He got a little angry and decided to play the last card he had.

"Let's see."

He swiped down the call and clicked on the message from Mehmet on the back. He was stunned by the photo that appeared in front of him. This girl was too beautiful. For a moment, he didn't even feel worthy of her.

"Damn, this girl is so beautiful. This girl doesn't give a fu** about me." Serkan said such a sentence because he was shocked by what he saw.

"Don't worry about that. Selin will take care of everything. You just clean the house and go to the barber. Get a haircut like we talked about last time. Take a bath. Look a little like a man!"

Selin was a dealmaker and a matchmaker. He could trust her.

"Okay, okay. Are you guys coming tomorrow?" He didn't want to prolong the matter. He already understood the essence of the matter.

"Exactly, I will take the car from my father tomorrow. We will come in the evening. You and Merve will mingle. We will leave in the morning. Prepare two hundred dollars for gas money. I am not an association."

"Okay. You make this girl for me, I'll even send you on vacation." Serkan was so impressed by Merve's beauty that he could even get a loan from the bank for her.

"Okay then, see you later. Don't forget to clean the house!" Mehmet had often seen Serkan's messy state when they lived together during his university years.

"Alright! Bye."

After hanging up, he immediately looked at the video playing on the computer. There was no enthusiasm left in him. He turned off the computer and immediately lowered the monitor.

"Come on Serkan! You can do it! You're the man who passed linear algebra in one. Can't you do it!" He gassed himself. Then he started to clean the house. He washed the dishes, even the bathroom and toilet, scrubbing them with a toothbrush. When he looked back two hours later, he had a smile on his face.

He was happy with his work. Then he took a bath, rubbing the sponge until his skin was scraped off. After the bath, he took his key and left the house. First, he went to the ATM. He looked at the last money his father had sent him. He had exactly five hundred dollars left. This was the last money he would get from his father. A week later, he would start working for a private company. Although he would start with a low salary like every engineer, he wasn't too worried about his low salary since he lived in Adana. He could bear it until he became an experienced engineer.

He drew all five hundred. He went to the cleanest-looking barber in the neighborhood. His hair came down to his chin. The hairstyle he talked about with Mehmet was a short military cut. This haircut suited him, but he had no social life and was so untidy. That's why he never cared about it until today.

He looked like a completely different person than when he came out of the barbershop. He was a little thin, but very handsome with his long stature and military cut hair. Just for Merve, this time he endured the pain and even had himself waxed, including his nostrils.

He returned home with a happy and red face.

The next evening it finally happened. He was at the market. He asked the man in front of him for three hundred grams of sausage. Then he bought cheddar cheese and sandwich bread. And some cold cans of drinks. He bought it because he thought they might get hungry on the road. Of course, there was another reason. There had to be a reason why he was wearing the clothes he was. He had thought long and hard about the clothes. He didn't want to go out in front of Merve in a sweatshirt. He wore the new season T-shirt and jeans he had bought a month ago. There was no other reason for him to explain the thick metal watch on his left arm, the tungsten ring he had bought for thirty dollars on the ring finger of his right hand, and the silver necklace he wore around his neck. That's why he wanted to lie. He looked at the watch on his wrist and said, "They'll be here soon."

When he took his eyes off the watch, the phone in his pocket rang. It was Mehmet.

"Brother, where are you?" Mehmet asked in a fast and curious voice. They had been preparing for today with Selin for a long time and even the slightest mishap was enough to upset his morale.

"Brother, I had to do something outside. I'll be right back. The key is in the usual place. You guys go first."

"Oh! Alright." When Mehmet learned that everything was all right, he took a deep breath and relaxed.

"Bye."

Serkan hung up and locked the screen of his phone. He paid the money and went home. Ten minutes later he arrived home. He stopped at the door and took one last look at his handsome face through the front camera of his phone.

He said, "My lion[1]. Here I come!" He put the phone in his pocket and knocked on the door.

It was Selin who opened the door in front of him. He knew Selin. She was a social media model with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a beautiful body. She was going to get more than his salary next week, although she wasn't always lucky enough to find sponsors. She had studied Turkish language and literature. But she couldn't get the necessary points to graduate because she wasn't smart enough. That's why she started modeling in her final year.

"Selin, what's up?" said Serkan, taking off his shoes and entering.

"Fine, and you?" said Selin.

"Everything is the same," he said and went to the kitchen. In the kitchen, Mehmet was preparing something. They had bought some beer and snacks. He put the snacks on the plates.

"What's up, buddy?" he came into the kitchen. He put his hands on the table.

Mehmet let go of what he had and looked at his haircut and said, "Oh my boy, you're like a razor."

"Thanks, man." They hugged. They hadn't seen each other for several months.

Serkan: "So what have you been doing?" He sat down on the chair in the kitchen.

"The same. We thought we'd take a last-minute vacation. It's your last week off, right? Are you starting work?" Selin joined the conversation before Mehmet could answer.

"Exactly. The company where I did my internship is called. It has a decent salary. I will work to gain experience."

Serkan looked around. His eyes searched for Merve.

Selin looked into his eyes and smiled. "In the toilet."

" Ookayy." Serkan grinned broadly to hide his nervousness.

"By the way, Mashallah, pour honey and lick it[2]. How clean you are," Mehmet said, grinning like a fox.

"What did you think? Haha!" he said, and then there was the sound of the bathroom door slamming. He turned his eyes to the corridor and was speechless at what he saw. Merve was a thousand times more beautiful than the photo Mehmet had sent. He didn't know if it was because he hadn't had a girlfriend for a long time, but even the most beautiful materials he encountered in the books he read looked like rusty iron next to her.

Her long black hair was kept from falling on her forehead by a red and white bandana. The moon and star design on her earrings made her head look like the sun in the sky. She had a noble and maternal appearance. Her slightly upturned nose radiated a slight arrogance. The over-the-knee, red-and-white feathered dress she wore, which was not tight enough but showed her curves, reminded him of the moon goddess from the last book he had read.

As Merve walked towards the kitchen, she noticed Serkan looking back at her.

'It's as good as they say,' she thought. She thought Serkan was a bit handsome. In her eyes, Serkan was somewhere between 'better than nothing and Chris Evans'. 'I think it's closer to better than nothing,' she thought.

She entered the kitchen and took the first step. She held out her hand, "Hi, I'm Merve," she said.

Serkan suddenly woke up from his dreams and stood like a stick. He looked down at her outstretched hand and held it gently. "He-hello, I'm Serkan. Welcome to my poor house," he said. Then he pointed to the seat and waited for her to sit down. When she did, he sat down next to her.

Mehmet and Selin watched the couple. They thought the first impression was good. They put beer and snacks on the table and started talking.

Alcohol was indeed the supertonic of all conversations. Two beers had destroyed all the walls between them and turned them into a happy picture.

After a while, Mehmet looked at the time on his phone and said, "Oh, it's midnight. Let's go to bed. We'll get up early in the morning." They all said okay and cleared the table.

Mehmet opened the two sofa beds in the living room for two girls and made up their beds. Serkan started making sandwiches with the cheddar and salami he bought at the market. He was making the last sandwich when Mehmet arrived.

"What are you doing?" he said to Serkan.

"Brother, we don't bother with breakfast in the morning. I do it so we can have a snack on the way."

"Wow, is our Serkan so thoughtful?" Mehmet said with a smile on his face.

"Fuck you," Serkan said back with a soft laugh.

Mehmet looked behind him. He saw that nobody was there. He lowered his voice and said, "Brother, do something tomorrow. Look, I got the keys to the house from my brother-in-law. So three plus one is a solid house with soundproof walls. Whatever you do tomorrow, finish the job."

"Okay, brother. Don't worry about it. I'll use all the tactics I've accumulated over the years." Serkan had a confident look on his face.

"Let me see you, my lion," Mehmet said and went into Serkan's room. He lay down on the sofa next to Serkan's bed and started snoring after a minute or two.

Serkan finished the last sandwich and put it in the refrigerator. Finally, he went inside and went to his bed. He slept like an angel today.

...

Serkan woke up at five in the morning to Mehmet's voice. He was not fully awake yet, but because he was conscious of getting up early and leaving, he quickly got up, washed his face, and brushed his teeth. When everyone was done, they took their bags, sandwiches, and cans of drinks, locked the house, and got into the car downstairs.

The car was the latest model from a German company. Mehmet's father's business was really good. There was really money in the textile business.

They drove off. With their sleepy faces, no one was in the mood to talk. There was silence for an hour. All the time they were busy with their mobile phones. When Serkan lifted his head from the phone and looked at the road, he realized that the day had completely brightened. Summer days began early. He thought that everyone might be hungry now, and he handed out the drinks from the bag at his feet. And then the sandwiches.

After everyone had had their fill, Mehmet looked at Serkan in the rear-view mirror and called out to Serkan, "Brother, can you look for places to visit in Urfa?"

"Alright." He said and took his laptop out of his bag. He put it on his knee and changed the angle so that Merve could see it too. While he opened it by holding the top cover, he remembered that he had just closed the computer with the website the other day. So the last video he had left was probably still open. But now it was too late. The screen was already half open.

Then the screen flashed, "AAAAAAAHHHH!" a voice was heard in the silent car.

"Fu**." He closed it back. But it's too late now. He bowed his head. His face was as red as a tomato.

After a long silence, a "Pfft" came next to Serkan. The sound of laughter.

But everyone started to laugh. Serkan laughed easily and pressed the power button on the side of the computer for a long time. After making sure it was closed, he opened it slightly. This time a blank page greeted him. With a slight smile, he typed 'Places to visit in Urfa' into the search field.

The first thing that came up was Göbekli Tepe. As if the porn voice just didn't come from him, he said with a smug smile, "Brother, Göbekli Tepe is the best place. It is the oldest structure in the world."

"Oh! Well said then." Merve said. "I've always wanted to go there."

"Really? We'll go to the end of the world if you want!" said Serkan. He started his bullshit tactics. Even though it started a bit fast, Merve liked it.

After four hours of driving and chatting, they finally arrived in Göbekli Tepe. They got out of the car and stretched their muscles. Mehmet and Selin walked ahead holding hands.

Serkan and Merve followed. Both were envious. Both were waiting for the other to take the first step. But no one took the first step.

When they reached the entrance, a guide greeted them.

"Welcome, sir! Is this your first time here?"

"Yes, the first time," said Mehmet.

"Would you like me to guide you?" the guide asked.

Mehmet looked at Selin and Serkan and said "Okay".

"Then this way, sir," he led the way and began to explain.

"Our Göbekli Tepe is the oldest known ritual structure in the world. You can even find different animal symbols and motifs on the pillars..."

The guide was telling something, but only Mehmet and Selin were listening.

Serkan and Merve were still arguing about who should take the first step. Serkan could not stand it anymore and gathered all his courage in his right arm. But this courage was only enough to move his little finger. Strangely enough, it was enough. Merve finally took the first step and touched his little finger. What happened next was spontaneous. In the end, the two of them literally "grasped" each other's hands. They looked at each other and saw a slightly flushed face and a beaming smile.

Mehmet must have sensed something too because he turned around and looked at them. He couldn't help but grin when he saw them in this state. He whispered to Selin and she looked at them too. Smiling, Mehmet said to himself, 'Well done' and turned to the guide.

Meanwhile, the sky was getting dark, and in the middle of this dry summer, rain clouds were beginning to gather.

After fifteen minutes of walking, they came to the last and most beautiful part of Göbekli Tepe, in the middle, surrounded by a protective structure. From the small bridge, the animal motifs on the pillars in the middle could be seen, though not completely.

Serkan looked at the pillars and said, "Isn't it beautiful?"

"It's beautiful, but I didn't bring my glasses. I can't see that far."

Serkan got the ultimatum. "Wait here," he said and ran after him to catch up with the guide who had finished speaking. Meanwhile, he took a hundred dollars out of his wallet and put it in the palm of his hand.

He called to the tour guide and shook his hand, "Brother, my girlfriend forgot her glasses, she can't see from this far, can we please take a 'closer look' for a minute or two?"

The tour guide looked into the palm of his hand and saw the green hundred dollars. He thought it was a good addition to the minimum wage. But he still hesitated. The guide continued to look at Serkan like an idiot with his smiling face.

Serkan decided to make one last excuse after his stupid look. Because he had no more money to pay.

"You see, brother, there is no one but us. Two minutes," he said.

The guide looked around and agreed, saying "Whatever".

Serkan immediately ran and took Merve to the stairs next to the guide.

"Come on, since you forgot your glasses, let's take a closer look," he said.

Merve realized what had happened and followed Serkan to the stairs. They went down the stairs with the guide and started to look at the columns. Meanwhile, the sky was not idle and began to roar.

Merve said, "It's beautiful. She looked at the pillars. She turned around and saw Serkan looking at her innocently.

Serkan said, "They are not as much as you." At that moment both of them closed their eyes and the scene that will be the subject of the movies took place. In the middle of the ancient pillars of Göbekli Tepe, they began to kiss passionately. After a few seconds, they separated and looked at each other innocently. Serkan scratched his head and stepped back, and they continued to shyly examine the pillars.

The guide frowned after a while, "Time is up, we have to go up" When he said this, Serkan must have been so nervous that his foot stumbled on a fist-sized stone. As he stumbled forward, he hit his head on a small round ledge on the opposite pillar. What he didn't realize was that the ledge had collapsed inward like a button.

He raised his head and looked up. Rubbing the painful spot, he said "ovovov",

"BOOOOOOOMMM". His eyes met a bolt of lightning as thick as a pillar in front of him.

"Fu**," he said, and the lightning struck him right in the middle of his forehead. This bolt was so powerful that it shattered him. Serkan's blood and exploding body parts were shared between the guide, Merve, and the pillars.

At the scene, Merve started screaming in disbelief. Even the guide was screaming like a girl with his deep voice. Mehmet and Selin, who were watching from a distance, also went crazy. This misfortune had become a dark memory that they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

Note: I'm so sorry about the first and second chapters. These two chapters contain various terms and 'old saws' since they take place in the 'present day'. But don't worry, everything is fine after the second chapter.

[1]: My Lion: A word against someone who should be strong.

[2]: Pour Honey And Lick: Old Saw, Means a place is very clean.