Tales of Apollinaria
In the quaint seaside town of Beacon, where Apollinaria resided, and the waves gently rolled in the rhythm of eternity, a young man named David arrived. He came aboard a yacht, bringing with him the bustle of Wall Street and the scent of the open sea. His yacht, as white as the foam left by waves, resembled a spaceship that had landed in this small world, bringing tales of stocks, markets, and startups.
"First, you have a startup idea," David would say, "then you find an investor seeking profit, and he plays the role of a life-giving mother, so to speak. He evaluates your startup, every value in it, and describes it for issuing shares—to introduce people to a new beneficial initiative. People play the role of the father, listening to the investor's reports and buying shares to add their voice to the success of your young company. And through collective efforts, you receive support for development. It's important not to lose the trust of your benefactors and not to lose their support, otherwise, the shares will cheapen on the stock market, manifesting as shareholder disappointment towards you. And maybe in the end, you'll be alone again, but with large debts to investors, which they dislike, so they'll want to sell you at the slightest suspicion or replace your CEO. You're required to have the wisdom of a snake and the patience of a saint, the diplomacy of a king, and the charisma of a leader. If you play enough games that allow you to practice these skills, you can survive on Wall Street."
"Why do I need this?" asked Apollinaria. "What will this give me in the modern world - all those actions? It seems so unreliable, depending on people's opinions. And it's impossible to satisfy everyone's opinion, that's known. Why do people even approach investors and issue shares? Do you have examples that match my intuitive intelligence?"
Apollinaria, a girl whose intellect vibrated on the frequencies of intuitive understanding of the world, listened to David with a mix of curiosity and skepticism. Her thoughts drifted far from numbers and charts, caught in the wind carrying stories of ancient civilizations and the whisper of stars. Yet, David's talk of investors, startups, and stock markets sparked in her the question: Why?
"David, why are you telling me this?" Apollinaria directly asked as they sat on the shore, watching the sun slowly dip into the sea. "What does all this mean in a world already caught in transience? Isn't this just a numbers game, a game devoid of heart or soul?"
David smiled, knowing that Apollinaria's question demanded not an answer but an understanding. "Apollinaria, the world of startups and the stock market is like sailing uncharted seas. Yes, they aim for profit, but behind every investment, behind every number, is an idea, a vision of something new that could change the world. It's an adventure that requires courage, but also wisdom that recognizes true values."
"But how do you know you won't lose everything?" asked Apollinaria as the waves gently caressed their feet.
"Because, like you, I believe in intuition," David replied. "In the world of finance, as in life, there are moments when you need to listen to your inner voice, follow your heart. Yes, we may lose, but we can also create something that leaves a mark."
The night slowly enveloped the town of Beacon, and one by one, stars appeared in the sky, as if listening to their conversation. Apollinaria understood that the world David lived in was not so different from her own. They were both searching for the same thing - sensible meaning, change, and a light leading through the darkness.
"Perhaps there are bridges between our worlds," Apollinaria said, smiling. "Perhaps the real mystery lies in connecting our inner feelings with reality, no matter how incredible that reality might seem."
And as the stars reflected in their eyes, David and Apollinaria realized that in this vast, expansive world, stories about stocks and share exchanges, about ancient civilizations and stars, were just different languages of the same aspiration - to touch the bright sky, to feel it. And, as impossible as it might seem, to create a world better than they found it.
