“A square is a plain figure with four equal straight sides and four right angles,” stated Iko and looked at Zou. “Questions?”
“How do you draw a square?” asked Zou.
Iko frowned and replied, “Draw a horizontal line, then a vertical line, then a horizontal line, and a vertical line.”
“What if I draw it differently?”
Iko immediately raised his eyebrows and sighed. “Horizontal, vertical, horizontal, vertical. Get it?”
“Yes, I do. But, can I draw it, let’s say, horizontal, horizontal, vertical, vertical?”
Iko turned red.““Horizontal, vertical, horizontal, vertical. That’s the right way—the only way.”
“Why?”
Iko didn’t answer.
“I can use four triangules, put them together, and form a square. That’s another way.”
Iko blurted, “Horizontal, vertical, horizontal, vertical. Period.”
Sepulchral silence followed. Iko stared at Zou. Was he upset? There are thousands of ways to draw a square. “Why?” asked Zou once again.
Ten eternal seconds of silence elapsed in which Iko seemed like a chameleon; he switched from red to purple. But he finally managed to answer, “’Cus the experts said so.”
Zou raised an eyebrow. “What experts?”
Iko seemed to be thinking and then shouted, “’Cus the books said so.”
“Can I draw a square a new way?”
Iko blurted, “No.”
“Why?”
“’Cus I said so. End of discussion.”
From then on Zou knew he couldn’t discuss this matter any longer. Was his relationship with master Iko permanently damaged? Maybe. Squares don’t change, they are always, horizontal, vertical, horizontal, vertical. Right?
