angel zuniga martinez Excerpt from A Creative’s Insights into Sales, Marketing, and PR
By Angel Zuniga Martinez
Once upon a Texas time, there were two best friends, Maria and Myrna, who loved to build perfect things. They were like Bob the Builder—but way better. They didn’t have to ask silly questions or sing goofy songs like “Can We Fix It?”
“I know I can fix it,” Maria would say whenever she found a challenge. “How about you, Myrna?”
“Pues, better than you, Maria!” Myrna would brag. They were both proud and ambitious, but Myrna was especially so. One day, that ambition led them to discover A.I. — and use it to build self-driving scooters.
The next day, their ambition led them straight to the Pearly Gates for a visit with St. Peter.
“Howdy! Welcome to Heaven!” he exclaimed with a warm smile.
“Great, like we’re gonna find anything to fix here,” Myrna muttered with an eye roll.
“Actually,” said St. Peter, “y’all are in a special part of Heaven with workshops, tools, and adventures to build to your heart’s content.” The faint scent of sawdust, wood glue, and bluebonnets caught Myrna’s attention.
“Even A.I.?” Maria asked shyly with a giggle.
“We do have A.I. — but it’s not artificial. Here, you have access to The A.I.—The Almighty Intelligence,” St. Peter declared, as lightning flashed and thunder rumbled for dramatic effect.
“I guess I know who makes the rules in this coworking space,” Myrna snarked. She crouched down, shaking her hands to fake a trembling fear. Maria gave her a deadpan stare.
St. Peter paused. “You do have freedom here… but there is one rule you must follow: Don’t step on any ducks.”
Maria thanked him, grabbed Myrna by the hand, and headed toward their cloud-based coworking space.
“Quack!” echoed loudly from a nearby corner.
“Gotta go,” said St. Peter. “Must attend to some ugly business.”
Maria and Myrna exchanged glances. So apparently, there are ducks in Heaven.
They began to build, and with access to The A.I., it didn’t take long before their creations surpassed anything they had imagined on Earth.
Then one day, Maria was in a rush. She stepped left instead of right—zigged when she should have zagged.
“Quack!” came the sound beneath her foot.
Instantly, St. Peter appeared. “Did you step on a duck?” he asked.
“Yes… I did,” Maria admitted.
St. Peter motioned for her to follow as Myrna kept working.
“See that man over yonder?” he asked, pointing to a figure walking toward them.
“The ugly man?” Maria whispered.
St. Peter continued, “Maria, you may keep building. But from now on, you must do so with this man, for all of eternity.”
Maria nodded, and the two walked away together.
Meanwhile, back on the coworking cloud, Myrna was hard at work. She met others just as ambitious — including a young, attractive redhead named Megan. Praise poured in from their new friends, until—
“Quack!” Megan shrieked, looking down at the duck beneath her foot.
St. Peter appeared again. “Did you step on a duck, Megan?”
“Well, you know she did!” Myrna blurted out in her defense.
St. Peter pointed to a man walking toward them. “See that man over yonder?”
“The ugly man?” Myrna laughed.
“Megan, you can continue to build,” St. Peter said, “but from now on, you must do so with this man, for all of eternity.”
Megan nodded and walked away with her new companion.
Myrna sighed loudly and turned back to her tools—until she noticed another figure approaching. A man. A very handsome man.
“Who is that chiseled perfection walking toward us?” she asked.
“His name is Juan,” St. Peter replied. “Would you like to meet him?”
“Yes, please,” Myrna said eagerly.
St. Peter introduced them. Juan and Myrna began chatting, and before long, St. Peter cleared his throat.
“If you don’t mind, Myrna, Juan will stay with you while you build.”
Myrna practically jumped with excitement. She composed herself, nodded politely, and the two walked off together. Myrna talked so much, Juan’s ear was in danger of falling off.
Eventually, she paused. “Well, enough about me. What’s your story?” she asked.
Juan smiled awkwardly. “Everything was going great here… until I—”
He stopped. Looked at her.
“No…” Myrna gasped.
“I stepped on a duck,” Juan finished.
There are many lessons tucked inside this silly story. Even when we chase perfection, mistakes happen. Our choices carry consequences we don’t always expect. Even with access to The A.I.… sometimes you step on a duck. Then you must deal with some ugly business—and you might not realize which side of the ugly business you’re standing on.
