The Journey of Calio

This book contains Persian short stories centered on madness and insanity, with titles such as “Madness of Ether,” “The Beloved Madman of My Childhood Years,” “The Giant of Updar Village and His Madness,” “The Madman and the Road,” “Madmen and Alleys,” “The Beautiful Madman of Down Village,” “Adolf Hitler and Albert Schweitzer Zoroastrian,” “The Colonel’s Crimes and His Short Life in Madness,” and more. The story “Madness of Ether” narrates the tale of a madman who believes he is a motorcycle branded Ether. Children call him “Mr. Beep,” and when Mr. Beep mimics a motorcycle, other children follow him, causing a lot of noise in the neighborhood. Due to these actions, Mr. Beep is confined at home for extended periods and suffers paternal oppression, maternal scoldings, sisterly tortures, and brotherly harms. Eventually, he is sent to an asylum, never to be seen again.