Endgame - Chapter 103

   He was waiting, in the dense foliage. His partner was a short distance away. A strong, thin, dark colored cord had a small knotted loop on the end of it. It went around a tree on the opposite side of the tree they were waiting on. The free end of the cord simply went thru the small loop and came across. His partner was holding the free end. When the partner yanked the cord, it would come up to effectively clothesline the hapless victim when they arrived. They had done this before. It was cheap, easy and effective.

   Neither himself nor the partner would dare make a sound while waiting. While hunting. There was noise now, coming up the trail towards them. They had heard some sporadic small arms fire down in the valley, then after a short wait the ruckus was moving up the hillside. Fast footfalls came and a small figure dressed in dark clothing positively zipped by them, unscathed.

   The man following and chasing the man they left go by, however, was not nearly so fortunate. The partner pulled back on the rope, and passed it around a tree on his own side of the trail he was hiding on, though not all the way. Just enough of a wind around the trunk to make it easy to hold, not so much that it was hard to drop and let fall again.

   The chasing party caught it in the neck, and was ripped off his feet so unexpectedly, that he crashed down with his neck and shoulder hitting the trail first, feet still in the air. The shock and the surprise of the sudden and invisible attack were bad enough. The sudden pain to the damaged throat summed with the shoulder and neck sprains to render him for all intents and purposes, incapacitated temporarily.

   He watched for not even a full second, just long enough to observe that in his reverie, attempting vainly to get up and get moving, that the prey was instinctively using his right hand to try. He rolled quickly across the trail, behind the flailing victim, so he could approach him from behind, and make damned sure he got control of that right hand. He wrapped himself around his prey from behind, before he had a chance to react in any substantial fashion, and got the right hand snaked across the target's own front body, and back so his left hand could securely clamp the wrist.

   With his own dominant right hand, he calmly drove a long, straight dagger down through the hollow of the shoulder, next to the right side of the man's neck. Between controlling the right wrist wrapped around the neck, and now using the dagger as a handhold, he had easy control of the already stunned victim, who would now definitely die.

   The rifle had already been dropped when his feet were ripped up and out from under him, and the weak and imprecise left hand had almost no chance to get the holster open and try to get the handgun on his right hip. He rolled over twice taking the victim with him, to get back off the trail in case anyone else came up the thin thoroughfare. He bore down with all his weight and control, to bury the hapless prey item's human face into the soft mud. There were lots of thin passages snaking all over this hillside, and some movement and noise could be heard about, though not close enough to worry about. Not a problem as long as this stayed silent.

   The combination of surprise, being stunned, then being properly controlled and attacked immediately worked perfectly well. He got the face buried in the mud before any recovery and cry came. A very slight bubbling noise came quickly, and it was what he had been waiting for. A major artery and then some had been opened up, and the hollow at the top of the shoulder was directly above the right lung. The right lung quickly filled up, and the brachial tube's connection to the other lung allowed the left air sack to fill up as well.

   His partner that had yanked the cord for him, had silently came once they knew there had been no outcry to give their position away. He helped by putting a shin across the back of the neck to further drive the mouth and nose into the mud, and shoved his own knife down through the top of the shoulder in a mirror image on the left lung. There was nothing now except some spasms and twitching. The partner that had helped him, was taller; the man that had run past and set up the ambush was shorter. He had come back around just off the trail to join them, and they began to crawl through the underbrush slowly, crossing over the thin game trails to keep their way, while staying off of them to avoid discovery.

   They moved far enough away, that they could do it all over again. The man that had initiated the knife attack, was being annoyed by some large bug, that was digging into the hollow of his own neck, in ironically the same spot his first dagger attack had pierced. He flicked and dug to remove the pest, but he was either failing to remove it, or it was repeatedly attacking him in the same spot.

   Things got weird, instantly. He couldn't move, and in the dark, his two friends turned into swirling, dark inky blobs. His only thoughts were first and foremost to stay quiet no matter what, he couldn't give their position away. Had he been attacked by something small, dangerous, and poisonous? Or, had he fallen to an almost identical attack. Why couldn't he move, and why had his night vision of his two companions went to shit so quickly?

   He jerked, and instantly bolted awake. The paralysis from sleep dissipated within seconds, and the inky blobs that had been his companions, eventually became his room. He could finally breathe, and a big lungful of air came in. He ran his fingertips over his chest. Thick sweat, slightly gooey. The poisonous "bug" was a small cat toy that fell off of his shoulder, and a small cat glanced up at him. There was another cat there as well, and while they weren't fighting, one did swat the other. He put his hands behind his hips and felt his breathing slow down. He felt the weird sensation of being hot and sweaty, yet somehow cold at the same time.

   He extricated himself from the bed and bedclothes as stealthily as he could, trying not to wake up the woman sleeping near him in bed. The other cat stayed near to her sleeping form; the one that had the small toy mouse with short and soft rounded spikes on it moved lightly to stay in his presence.

   The dream hadn't been fun, but neither was it particularly terrifying. He knew from periodic experience that it could have been far, far worse. Yet it hadn't been. He stood up quietly and waited for the slight prickly feeling to crawl over him in patches, then fade. Not quite pins and needles. Then the little shiver, and another that trailed and faded off. A towel laying nearby got used to clear the bulk of the thick sweat off. As warm as it was in here, the sweat didn't run off of him, as if exercising in the summer. This stuff clung to the skin like thin petroleum jelly, and beaded up. Instead of running down by drops and rivulets, it spread around in an oily sheen.

   He was in the overly warm trailer, and the slight intermittent ticking of the electric heater was audible in the still of the night. He actually preferred the non insulated wooden cabin somewhat. The colder air to sleep in, seemed to make this a much more rare occurrence. He eased himself into a small upholstered seat, and stretched a little. He padded softly to the kitchenette out the door, and found some cold coffee still in the little pot from earlier that night, and gave himself a few ounces of it. He sipped it with a cigarette, while touching the cat that seemed mildly interested in his situation.

   He didn't want to stay up all night, he only got a couple hours. Judging by the part of the last dream he had remembered, it might well have not been quality sleep. He flipped the towel in half and laid it across his lap. He patted it once, and the cat following him around jumped up. The towel formed a sort of leg, skin, and testicle proof barrier to sharp little cat feet. He scratched and petted around briefly, while the cat got comfortable. He had gently closed the bedroom door on the way out, but still whispered to the cat.

   "So. Daddy dreamed, that a big bug was attacking him. Were you that big bug? Mister Fuzzynuts."

   He bent down as if he were listening to an answer.

   "No? Okay. I believe you."

   The cat stood up, and stretched up to sniff the coffee cup.

   "Kitty's don't like coffee, but, go ahead and check. If you want to."

   He heard Merry stirring now. She snuck over to the tiny bathroom, and looked at the kitchenette scene.

   "I thought cats were nocturnal. Doesn't mean they need coffee."

   "Hmm. Just goes to show, you don't know shit about cats. It's not about exactly what you have. It's about you offering some to the cat."

   Merry pantomimed a weak "claw" in the air, and cocked her head at him.

   "Going to offer me some?"

   "You speak English."

   He shoved the mug over for her to inspect. She sipped it.

   "Cold. No sugar. No creamer. Half a cup, unless you already had a chugging contest with… mister activity, there."

   "He didn't need bribed to sit up with me. He didn't even want any. He, decided to spend time with daddy. Didn't you, little boy. And, you're powers of observation are beginning to fail you, in your advancing age."

   "And how's that."

   "It feels like it's 100 degrees in here, for the love of god. To get cold coffee, it would have to be in the fridge. Everything's lukewarm."

   Soft little footfalls came from the bedroom door, and made a slow but direct line to Merry at her seat at the kitchenette table. Bitty Kitty looked up at what was going on, and bounced up to her lap.

   "Hmm. Now both the kids are up."

   "Actually, I think the kids were already up, to tell the truth."

   "Did you get bit and scratched, I guess."

   "No. I had a… dream. I'm taking a little break, before I try to get another couple hours. It's winter. I have extra time before first light."

   "Do you think col---, I mean, lukewarm coffee… is the best way to get back to sleep? Interesting observation on your part."

   "Like half a cup will kill me."

   "I already know you had a dream."

   "Well. Everyone dreams, Merry. I'll have a dream, every night of my life, until one fine day I'm finally dead. It's a matter of whether or not we remember our dreams."

   "I know you had a dream, and you know what I mean."

   "Well. Aren't you the detective this morning."

   "Yes. You got out of bed, and didn't come back. You were tossing and turning. Then? I can see your towel. You got coffee at 4:30 in the morning, too. If I need further evidence? You're talking to the cat."

   "Mister Fuzzy, is a very accomplished therapist. He has quite a distinguished career, I'll have you know. He's highly educated."

   "Oh. I didn't know. Where are his… little kitty degrees at."

   "We lost them in the move."

   "Oh. What were his… kitty degrees in, then."

   "He started out with the basic certification in Human Living. Like any common cat that's gonna have to live with human beings."

   "Oh. Did he get further schooling?"

   "Yes."

   "Kitty college?"

   "Of course. He's very intelligent."

   "Well. I didn't know your cat, has a college degree. What's the sheepskin in."

   Merry sipped her bland, barely warm coffee. Made a face.

   "It's not a sheepskin. They get mouse-skins, you know."

   "Hmm. What's his degree in, then."

   "Associates in together time. That's why he's good at sitting with humans."

   "Only an associates? How… common."

   "Pffft. He went on to finish his Bachelors of science. In together time. Minor in Hunting."

   "No postgraduate work? Typical."

   "Ha. Masters of science in snuggling."

   "No PhD?"

   "He finished, with a Doctorate of science. In… Snuggle-ology."

   "Oh my. Your cat, is better educated than you are."

   "Quite."

   "I wouldn't mind reading his thesis."

   "Which one?"

   "His Doctoral thesis, naturally."

   "His Master's Thesis is rather required reading, before you tackle the beefier stuff. You have to walk, before you pounce, you know."

   "What's his Master's thesis on?"

   "Decoding human behaviors; Understanding the Human animal, from a cat's point of view. He's published, naturally."

   "Great. Your cat's published, and I'm not."

   "See? Right there. You, like most humans. You naturally assume, that humans are smarter than cats. If you read his masters, you'd understand that it's the other way around."

   "Oh. And the Doctoral thesis."

   "How to communicate with, and educate your pet human. Surprised you haven't heard of it, it's the seminal work in the field."

   "I'm sure it is. So. Your cat, is smarter than my cat, is that it?"

   "I didn't say that, but…"

   Merry laughed.

   "But what?"

   "Your cat, eats out of the garbage can. My cat? Sits on top of the counter-top, waiting for fresh food."

   "That, is because your cat, is spoiled."

   "He's not spoiled. What you are describing, is a cat of some education and refinement. Enjoying his just rewards for knowing how to both choose, and educate, his human."

   "So, the cat trained you."

   "Mm hmm."

   "If your cat is so smart, why did he wake you up."

   He bent down, as if listening to the cat talking to him.

   "He said, he didn't. He was just staying near me, guarding over me while sleeping. When another bad cat, was playing with kitty toys on the bed, and raising kitty hell half the night."

   "Yeah, right. You know, I noticed. There was no kitty hell being raised, as you phrased it. Until a certain someone, came to live here. Not saying any names. Not accusing, just saying. Now then. What was your dream about. See if you can keep the lights on."

   "I was just hunting. Nothing major."

   "What part woke you up."

   "Do you need a description of the hunting procedure?"

   "I'm getting amazingly used to hearing about it. If it's not too bad, go ahead."

   He described the basic hunting that was going on. Then, how his shoulder had something on it, and that woke him up.

   "The… dangerous, poisonous insect. Turned out to be a small mammal, didn't it?"

   "No. It was the toy mousie. The one with the little rubber spikes on it."

   "Ah."

   "Now then. Does not, your cat, have the mousie toy, with the rubber spikes on it? Hmm? So… who woke me up then."

   "Well. Maybe we could put all the cat toys away. Again. And see if you can get back to sleep."

   "After I've conferred, with my Doctor."

   "Oh. By all means. See if the cat allows you to go back to bed or not."

   He made a show, of pretending to whisper in the cat's ear, and then listening to the cat's answers, and going back and forth. Merry, as usual, found this entertaining. Perhaps a tad more entertaining in the daytime or early evening, perhaps a hair less so at 4:20 in the morning.

   "He does have a point. I might concur."

   "Going to share?"

   "He says, he's concerned with the Somnambulistic Thermodynamics in the artificial environment."

   "You were sleepwalking again?"

   "I woke up, sitting up. Moving my legs. I wasn't sleepwalking."

   "You walked a couple times in my motel apartment. You've done it a few times here, in the trailer. Come to think about it, I don't think you did it at all, in the cabin. Is the fuzzy little doctor there, suggesting that the cabin is a… real environment, and the trailer here, is an artificial environment?"

   "You have no training in Thermodynamics, and how it relates to living… and sleeping. If you published across several fields, like the good doctor here, you might know that."

   "Well. Until I've had a chance to come up to speed on his work? Perhaps you could give me a quick overview."

   "I walked and talked in my sleep as a kid."

   "I know. You told me. You also told me, you don't do it nearly as much, as an adult."

   "Not that it's scientific, but, I've noticed that I do it more, when the room is heated. Or air conditioned."

   "I've stayed at your house before. You don't have any air conditioning. But, you sure as hell have a heater. Your coal burner? Poaches human beings alive."

   "It's great while you're awake, to make it hot in the winter. But… I fall asleep to a roaring fire, then the temperature drops slowly. I wake up in the winter, to a slightly chilly house."

   "So. We could try turning the heat down a little."

   "You like it hot. And it's your trailer, anyways."

   "Okay. Maybe I do, but… it's not my trailer. It's both of ours. Why would you characterize it as mine, or yours? You never do that."

   "Your Uncle bought you the trailer, so you'd be comfortable. He came out and saw you were sleeping in a Unabomber cabin with me. Pretty sure he felt sorry for you."

   "Uncle Mike, was trying to make both of us comfortable. And the Bureau was… I think embarrassed is the right word. Yes, embarrassed. That one of their agents, tried to murder a civilian consultant, in his sleep. Not to mention? Uncle Mike was… trying whatever he could think of, to…"

   "To bribe me."

   "Bribe you, is such a strong word. When you want someone to do something for you? You…"

   "You bribe them."

   "I'll turn the heat down. Perhaps I can bribe you that way, to going back to sleep. Or does the little doctor have a problem with that plan."

   "We could go sleep in the cabin. You could stay here and be warm."

   "Honey. There's snow on the ground."

   "It's not snowing in here, and it's not snowing in the cabin, either. Once me and him get under the covers for a few minutes? We'll be fine. We do this all the time at home in the winter, you know."

   "Am I allowed to sleep in the cabin, too?"

   "You're allowed. I thought you'd be more comfortable in here. Being poached."

   "Do you mind if I make an observation about this? Then you could run it past the doctor there."

   "Sure."

   "For one thing. You sleepwalked as a child and young adult. You had a traumatic childhood, too. Do you wanna know what sleepwalking is associated with?"

   "Sure."

   "OCD, depression, anxiety, and alcoholism."

   "None of which I have. According to my somewhat competent therapist."

   "No. You don't have anything diagnose-able. Some of your… thoroughness? Could be construed as a slight tendency to have a slightly obsessive and compulsive way about you. As a child, you certainly had a reason to feel depressed or anxious. While you're no alcoholic? You act like an alcoholic. Which means, you watch carefully how much you drink. You told me you black out easy."

   "Anything else?"

   "Yeah. Insomnia. Sleepwalking can be completely hereditary. But, it's also linked with things, like PTSD and trauma. Both of which cause insomnia. Trouble falling asleep. Trouble staying asleep. Then for the lack of quality, of what sleep you do get. Trauma in childhood? It's common to see sleepwalking, bed-wetting, insomnia. Nightmares and night terrors. All of which? You described to me as common features of your childhood."

   "That was another person, a long time ago. What's that got to do with the here and the now."

   "Hmm. Interesting choice of words. The child? Was another person. With a different name, too. You don't have a fragmented personality, and splitting? But, you sure do love to refer to that child, as another person entirely. Why don't you ask your doctor there, about that?"

   "I will."

   He went through the ritual of talking and listening, then pronouncing the cat's answer.

   "He says, I'm a perfectly well adjusted adult."

   "Actually? I concur. Christ, listen to me. You have me agreeing and disagreeing, with a cat's imaginary diagnosis. I might need my head examined… the hell is the temperature in here anyways. I'm sweating too…"

   She went and checked the temperature.

   "Jesus Christ, almighty. It's just over 95 in here. The little doctor's… theory… about temperature? Has some merit, I think."

   "Imagine what it's like for them? They have little fur coats on. Look. You obviously have no trouble sleeping in a pressure cooker. Me and the little doctor, are gonna go to the cabin. You and your little boy, can stay here. Problem solved."

   Merry sat back down, and was quiet.

   "Honey? I don't think sleeping in separate rooms, let alone separate houses, is what I want. Maybe… when the heat's cranked up like this… your body gets… reminded… of the equator too much."

   "Look little boy. She agrees, with your little fuzzy diagnosis."

   "I'm going to just gloss right over, the anthropomorphication, of animals, at this particular time."

   "Dr. Fuzzy? Speaks about the under-animal-ification… of humans."

   "Until I'm more familiar with his work, what does that mean, exactly?"

   "Humans are animals, dear. We're mammals. We're supposed to be hot in the summer, and cold in the winter. In the winter? We're supposed to wear clothes, and get under bedding. Sleeping in the winter, is supposed to be a mild hibernation. Same thing in the summer, just in reverse. It's not normal to have an air conditioner blaring on high all day and night. The human mammal body should be used to regulating it's own temperature, not having an artificial one, all year round. In the summer? We set the air conditioners on 60, if we can afford it. Cold enough we'd turn the heat on if it was winter. Now? It's the middle of damned winter, and there's several inches of snow outside, and it's below freezing. You got the heat on, hot enough I might add, that most people would turn the air conditioner on, if it was summer. It's silly."

   "I said, I'll turn the heater down."

   "Do me, and both cats a favor?"

   "Yeah…"

   "Turn the heater off, dear. Just try it."

   "We'll freeze to death!"

   "Will we? Or… will we just get under blankets. Maybe wear something besides underwear to bed. In the middle of winter. Think of it as an experiment. What are you afraid of. Verifying the fuzzy little doctor's analysis? That's not science."

   "Hmm. Like pretending cats have university degrees, and published work, is. It's below freezing, Panic. We'll wake up frozen to death."

   "No we won't. We'll wake up under covers. Warm as toast. Put sweatpants and a sweatshirt on. You don't have to turn the heat all the way off, just turn it down. As far as it goes."

   She did it.

   "All right. Let's get to bed. We can always turn the heat up, if we have to. Let's just try it."

   They both put on sweatpants, and a T shirt and sweatshirt. They laid down, and waited to see how fast the cold came. The temperature slowly dropped, and they slowly got to see what it was like. First they wanted their feet, then their legs, under the covers. Then the blanket pulled up. Finally, another blanket as well. Within the hour, the temperature had dropped enough, they could see their breath. Falling asleep under the covers, Merry admitted that this was, so far… okay.

   "Hmm. Notice anything else?"

   "We're snuggling again?"

   "That too, but. The cats."

   "What about them?"

   "Look. They're both laying down, on the bed. They're not dancing around like Mexican jumping beans. Good night, dear."

   "More like good morning. It's almost 5:00."

   "Okay. Good morning. Sleep tight."

   In the morning, they slept in. With one blanket beneath them, and two or three over top, they were quite warm. Panic knew he would wake up warm and snug, and Merry marveled at it. It wasn't quite 50 on the thermometer, and they quickly had morning restroom trips, before running back to dive under the blankets. Instead of coffee, they had a two liter of cola by the bed. Bitty Kitty had laid on his hammock between them, and the hammock had gone down and practically sealed him in. Mr. Fuzzy had bulldozed under the covers sometime in the early morning on Panic's side. Both cats reclaimed their spots again, once mom and dad were back in the bed.

   Merry curled up against him under the covers, and she got warm all over again.

   "So. How was it."

   "Everything came out all right."

   "Not your morning pee. How did you sleep?"

   "Oh. Fine. And you? Any more bad dreams?"

   "If I did, I didn't wake up and I don't remember them now, so. Did I keep you up?"

   She shook her head no.

   "Well then. There you go. We can do this again, then."

   She nodded her head yes.

   "So. Maybe now, you believe in the teachings of Dr. Fuzzynuts."

   "I just did it, to make you happy. But now? Yeah. I like it. I don't wanna get out of bed, I wanna stay here all day. Hiding under the covers."

   "See? You're hibernating a little. Believe it or not, your body will burn off extra fat. To keep you warmer, in the cold air."

   "Hmm. Where can I read, Dr. Fuzzynuts. His thesis."

   "You can't read it, you fool. You watch the cat. You learn from him. It's that simple. When the weather gets cold? Cats seek shelter. To get out of the snow, and the wind. They crawl under blankets, and piles of clothing. They lay together like that, and share body heat."

   "Hmm. What else did you learn off of him."

   "Lots of things. If you like someone? You stay with them. You like to be close to them. Physically, and emotionally. It doesn't matter if everyone else likes them, it only matters if you like them. The zip code doesn't matter, once you're inside with them. When you have someone waiting for you at home, that you love? You can't wait to get home at night. If you love someone? You share everything you have. It's not possible to steal, because it belongs to both of you. You can't steal off of yourself. Anything you have? You offer it. Freely. Body heat. Water. Iced tea. Pieces of dead deer. Dead mousie. Toys. Furniture. Everything."

   "Go on. I'm listening."

   "What's important? The smell of their breath on your face, the scent they leave on you, when they lick your nose. A soft bite, is the same thing as a human kiss. When you love someone? You trust them. They can put their teeth and their claws right on your face and your neck, and you trust them, that they won't hurt you. If you don't believe me? I can show you. If I go outside, and curl up with a sleeping bag, under a tarp, in this snowstorm? You'll see it. Mr. Fuzzy won't stay in here. He'll follow me, and he won't rest until he gets under the tarp with me. Then, he'll purr and be happy. If I don't feed him? He doesn't get mad. He just goes out and kills something to eat. Then he'll kill something, and bring it and give it to me. If the person you love, hurts you? They probably didn't mean it. You forgive them instantly. If they really love you? They won't do it again. No amount of money can buy this. No amount of money can take it away."

   "Wow."

   "Yeah. All things I learned off of my cat. It's powerful stuff. If you tell people? They just laugh at you. They don't get it. They tell you there's something wrong with you; you just know there's something wrong with all of them. You realize, that sometimes? Being the last sane man on earth, makes you a crazy man."

   "There's so many dog people out there."

   "Sure I mentioned it before. Dogs are natural followers. You can yell at a dog, kick it. Next time you come home? It'll come up to you again. Trying to make sure it didn't do whatever it did, that time it got kicked. Most people are followers. I think, they get a kick out of having slaves, groveling at their feet. You try that shit with most cats. They'll leave you. If you try to stop them leaving, and insist on trying this shit, well. You know what a cat will do. You'll be lucky if you don't need stitches. If you don't want a slave, groveling at your feet? Then you want a real companion. Something that has it's own agency. Which is, of course, a cat."

   "The ancient Egyptians worshiped cats."

   "And they were an advanced civilization. At a time when Europe was still running around chucking spears at animals, hiding in caves. Do you know why the Egyptians worshiped cats? Why they thought they were gifts from the gods."

   "They had gods with cat heads. Gods that could turn into cats, so."

   "All early civilizations, start out in places that have big rivers. Rivers that flood every spring. This makes for easy farming. Before crop rotation, before fertilizer… this was the easiest way to get spectacular results. Now. You try to store up dried grass seeds. Along come the mice and the rats, and they will breed and eat you out of fucking house and home. The gods? Sent them cats. The cats were attracted to all the mice and rats. It was a buffet, for the cats. Yeah, the Pharoh and the priests? Had to teach the people. You need these cats. So? Make them gifts from the gods. Have a cat headed god. What does this giant warehouse, filled up with grains need. Only a couple people. They leave boxes of dry dirt around. Bowls of fresh water. What else would these people do, for these cats, do you think."

   "Oh. Be nice to the kitty."

   "That's all it takes. When you stop yelling at stray cats, and throwing things at them, and trying to kill them? Gee. You have some leftover food scraps? Let it lay out, in a bowl, with the water dishes. Milk won't keep without refrigeration. You either have not enough, or you have extra. Rainy season, winter. Gee. Give them boxes, with dried grass. They'll make baby kitties. The cats will breed an army, to fight the mice and the rats for you. Now? You're kicking ass in ancient times. The Egyptian slaves, weren't what we think of as slaves today. They were a working class, that did hard labor. These people needed extra calories every day. Extra bread. Extra beer. Extra grains. They can build things for you. And this was wealth. The extra you didn't know what to do with? You trade with other countries, and get other things you want. The cat, makes it all possible."

   "Little furry gods."

   "Now. Follow the logic. You now have a way to have a great harvest every year. You get to keep, all of it. You have enough extra, that people can get 6 to 8 thousand calories a day, to do work for you. You have a big trade surplus, so all kinds of other shit's coming in. You have a lot of people, living in a smaller area. What happens to the people?"

   "Uhm…"

   "You get more smart people. People with a high IQ? Are a small percentage of the population. You identify them, and these are your priests. Your engineers. Your leaders. The scribes. You already have extra food, and a skilled labor force. The relatively few smart people, can do amazing things for you now. You get engineering, and mathematics, and astronomy. Inventors. And when this class of people starts to breed with one another… bang. You can do things like advanced navigation and orienteering. By the stars. You get contact with other great civilizations, and you can bring great ideas back with you. Like the ancient Greeks. Mankind begins to really flourish, and really start to get somewhere. And where does it all start?"

   "With… cats."

   He nodded.

   "Now? Let's see what Europe was up to. By the time Europe finally was able to grow enough food, to live in cities, and start having civilization? What did these people do?"

   "I don't know."

   "They loved dogs. They're obedient. They sleep at night, like we do. Europe would wait a long time, to get big cities and true civilization, and surplus farming, and all the wealth and advancements, that it brings. Most of what we call the Renaissance? Wasn't nearly as much discovering advanced mathematics, as much as it was… simply rediscovering ancient texts, from the lost advanced mathematicians. Primarily… ancient Greeks, ancient Egyptians, and the ancient Babylonians. Europe, was thousands of years behind. Why."

   "Because they hated cats, I guess."

   "All those great, early civilizations? Happened around big rivers, that flood plains that make farmland productive. The Nile in Egypt. The fertile crescent, around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The Indus river valley. The Yangtze, in China. Europe, was based on hunting. They very slowly, developed crop rotation and fertilizer. And even then? They came from hunters, in northern climates. Dogs are great hunting companions, and good at guarding flocks. They liked dogs. Dogs sleep all night, like we do. Then, when they finally had big cities starting? They let the church tell them that cats were evil. Because cats were awake all night. They starved, and what grains they could store up some years? Rats and mice ate them out of house and home. After they started killing all the cats, you see the Bubonic plague ravishing Europe. Again and again."

   "And Europeans, are considered the high point of civilization."

   "Only in the modern day. In 5500 BC, ancient Babylonian astrologers? Were solving simultaneous systems of equations. On an abacus. You don't see that level of advanced mathematics again in Europe? Until the late middle ages."

   Merry nestled into him yet again.

   "I keep forgetting you had a minor in history. Times like right now? Is when I remember it."

   "Am I boring my captive audience?"

   Merry smiled.

   "I'm not exactly your captive. It's not like you have me handcuffed under the blankets, you know."

   "No. I have you in a… kind of thermal prison. The room? Cold. It's warm under the blankets. I could babble in Spanish, and you'd probably stay. I learned to do this with the cat."

   "Really?"

   "Yeah. In the summer, you don't get much under the cover snuggles from the cat."

   "Not very long snuggles, no."

   "Well. In early spring, it's not cold enough to make a fire. You've seen how hot a big fire is in my house."

   Merry laughed.

   "So. I don't make a fire until the temperature inside, gets below 50. Early spring, late fall. I get long under the cover kitty snuggles. I like it. When winter comes, and the big fire… once in a while I let the fire die down, or even go out. So I can get the snuggles."

   "Well, I'm putting off getting out. This is nice. Tell me about something else."

   "I'm not an encyclopedia. I only have a limited number of subjects I read about."

   "Hmm. I remember once, we were talking late. You were starting to talk about… the universe. Then, you got quiet, and said it wasn't a fun topic."

   "I remember that. You, were still weird from right after the shooting. I was avoiding depressing topics."

   "Well, do it now. We have time. I remember asking about black holes."

   "Well, black girls… have two black holes, and…"

   "Panic! You're rotten!"

   "Okay, sorry. Couldn't resist. Of course, you're a girl. You're only interested in black boys. They only have one black hole, and…"

   "You're gonna get tickled."

   "Well, what about black holes. I thought everyone knows about them."

   Merry quoted from memory.

   "A black hole? Is formed when a massive star, collapses under it's own gravity. There, that's what I know to say. Like anyone, I know a black hole eats up… anything. Not even light can escape."

   "See? You know what one is."

   "Hmm. It's just something I memorized, in a college science class. I've seen you. You got your headphones on, watching a dozen science documentaries, one after another. Go on, explain it. I'm awake. I'm warm. I don't wanna get up yet. Go ahead."

   "I have a lot more experience, with white holes, really…"

   His fingers were creeping along the small of her back.

   Merry giggled.

   "Science boy? Has a choice. If science boy puts his finger, into a… white hole? Mommy is going to get her warm morning snuggles… interrupted. Mommy is going to get agitated. Mommy will probably be so irritated at getting cold before she wanted to? Mommy will probably go and actually get the handcuffs out. Science girl? Will tickle the ever loving shit out of you, and probably go and do some… experiments. Involving a Popsicle, and you're little… white hole. Then? I bet… you'll tell me anything I wanna know. That? Is the hard way. Or, you can try it the easy way. Pick one."

   And she nestled in again, quite contented.

   "What's so confusing?"

   "How does something… collapse under it's own gravity."

   "This isn't one of those short, easy lectures, hun. It takes a while."

   "That's the idea. You can spend that time? The easy way… or the hard way. Pick one."

   "Okay. Gravity is mass. Mass is gravity. The bigger an object, the more gravity it has. Stars? Come in sizes. Some are small, some are big. Some, are even too big."

   "How can a star be… too big?"

   "A star is nothing but a big, ball of gas. After the big bang? There was nothing, but mostly hydrogen gas. Tiny bit of helium. Remember, mass is gravity. They did an experiment, on the space station once. The had a bag of grains of sand. In zero gravity? They were amazed. Instead of just floating around, grains of sand attracted the nearest grain of sand. Then… two grains of sand have more mass than one grain of sand. They attract more. If you let it go? The bag of sand goes from loose sand floating around, to little clumps of sand sticking together. A couple of grains caught equally between two clumps."

   "Okay…"

   He could hear the incredulity in her voice.

   "Hydrogen attracts hydrogen. You end up with a cloud of gas floating around. Hydrogen atoms, grains of sand. No difference. If you have a big enough ball of hydrogen gas? If enough of it comes together to make a certain size ball of hydrogen gas? It has a lot more gravity. It now attracts the rest of the gas in, and it gets dense."

   "I'm having trouble seeing hydrogen gas, be so heavy."

   "You're thinking on earth. You need to think on the cosmic scale. You're talking about trillions of tons of hydrogen gas. You know Jupiter, right? It's a gas giant. But, it has way more gravity than Earth does. It actually protects us, by sucking in meteors and comets with that high gravity. Jupiter, is our big brother, that protects us. Well… Jupiter? Is a star that was forming, that ran out of gas."

   "Okay. Trillions of tons of… hydrogen."

   "Right. Now, the more mass you have, the more mass you attract. The more mass? The more gravity. When you get a big enough ball of mass, you get enough gravity, that it creates pressure. It's why the inside of the earth is molten metal. All that weight on top of it, makes high pressure. Which makes heat. Make sense?"

   "I guess."

   "Okay. That ball of hydrogen gas? Once you get enough of it, it gets heat from pressure. Hydrogen is very flammable. The ball of dense gas ignites. A star is born. Heat and light. You following okay?"

   "Sure."

   "All right. Now, depending on the size of the gas cloud… the star could be a small one, a medium one, or… a giant one."

   "Sure."

   "It doesn't just ignite, like a flame. There's so much pressure, there's so much gravity… that you're trying to squeeze atoms of hydrogen together too close. Atoms are mostly empty space. When you squeeze the electrons orbiting the nucleus, too close to the nucleus. Where the protons and neutrons are? Kaboom. You don't just get ignition, you get thermonuclear fusion."

   "An atomic bomb."

   "No. World war two ended, with us dropping the A-bomb. An atomic bomb. If you remember, everyone went on to make thermonuclear bombs. The H-bomb. Hydrogen bombs. It's an order of magnitude bigger explosion. The star? Is a gigantic thermonuclear furnace."

   "If it's a big bomb, how does it stay together, though… you'd think---"

   "Lots of mass. Lots of gravity. The thermonuclear bomb, has enough energy produced, that it keeps it going. Now. You know the sun is big enough, that it has so much gravity, that it keeps the planets together, so we have a solar system, right?"

   "Sure."

   "Stars can still feed. If there's enough gas cloud around, they keep feeding. Which drives the gravity up more. Which makes it feed more. Stars have color sizes. Little stars? Are small, red dwarfs. Yellow stars? Are the medium ones. Our own sun, is a yellow medium. The really big ones? Are bright white."

   "The stars last forever…"

   "Not exactly forever. Stars, eventually start to run low on hydrogen. That's when they die."

   "How long do they last?"

   "Depends. The tiny ones, the little red ones? They go on the longest. But, the really giant stars? The big, white hot ones. They're the problem."

   "What happens?"

   "Well. When too big of a white hot star, uses up too much of the hydrogen fuel… they start to run out of thermonuclear explosion energy, which is what's been keeping them puffed up all that time. They go supernova. It's one of the biggest explosions, in the universe. But, if they were big enough, there's a problem now."

   "What's the problem…"

   "Too much mass, too much gravity. No more thermonuclear explosion to keep them puffed up, and less dense. All that matter? Squeezes down, and gets more dense. More gravity. They collapse, under their own gravity. That's a black hole. It's… gravity, run wild."

   "Okay. This is where you're starting to lose me. Big star, runs out of hydrogen fuel. It explodes… and all of a sudden, light can't escape? I feel like I missed something, or, you skipped something."

   "Oh. Light, not able to escape gravity. Yeah. It's going on all the time, you know."

   "Really?"

   "Yeah, Einstein predicted that light would bend, when gravity was high enough. Lotta people didn't believe him. A famous experiment was conducted. During a total solar eclipse, they took photographic plates of the eclipsed sun. Einstein predicted, that a star just behind the sun, right behind the edge? Should be visible. The light from that star, going past the high gravity of our own sun, should bend, and the invisible star, would now be visible. The light would bend."

   "It worked?"

   "Every time. Like clockwork. Einstein? Has an annoying habit of being right. So. We had proven, that light can bend under gravity. It should be obvious, that with enough gravity… it doesn't just bend, it gets sucked in. Once visible light can't escape the gravity? That's a black hole. It sucks in everything that gets too close. Even light."

   "But, they're real."

   "Definitely. Just because you can't see them? You can see the effect of their huge gravity. You can see stars orbiting them, the way our own planets, orbit our own star, the sun."

   "How big do they get?"

   "No limit. Nothing can stand up to them. They feed on stars. Planets. Whole solar systems."

   "That's scary…"

   "It's the ultimate monster in the universe. The center of every galaxy? Has a huge one. It keeps the galaxy together."

   "Does our galaxy have one?"

   "Yep."

   "Well… why doesn't it feed on the milky way? Swallow it up."

   "Distance. The same way our planets orbit the sun, but the sun doesn't suck the planets in, does it?"

   "No."

   "Right. The sun, keeps the solar system together. The gigantic black hole in the middle of a galaxy? Does the same thing."

   "Okay. Where's the… depressing part."

   "Remember the big bang?"

   "Sure. Birth of the universe."

   "Right. All the matter, in the entire universe? Was once squished together. To what they call the singularity. All the matter, of the entire universe… squeezed together, as small as an egg. Then? Kaboom. The big bang."

   "We're sure about the big bang."

   "Definitely. The galaxies are all expanding, moving away from each other. We can see it. Now, wind the clock back. They were closer. Wind the clock back more, they were closer. Go back enough? Everything was coming out of one place. One single point. The singularity. Now… does this sound familiar?"

   "Hmm. Sounds, like a giant black hole."

   "It does. When black holes collide? You just get a bigger black hole. Not bigger, in size. The core, the singularity? Is teeny tiny. But, the effect range? Gets bigger. The gravity grows. So… here's the depressing part."

   "The universe clearly started out, as a singularity. Kaboom, the whole universe explodes, and expands. It's still expanding today, billions of years later. Now, we know black holes exist. We know that black holes can eat each other, and make a bigger one. To me? It's perfectly clear what eventually happens. The energy of the big bang, runs out. Stars die, black holes eat black holes, until eventually…"

   "Another big bang…"

   "That's my idea. To me? It makes everything make sense. It makes a system."

   "Who doesn't agree?"

   "Most physicists."

   "What do they think?"

   "There's some problems in the universe. Things we don't understand yet."

   "Like…"

   "The expanding universe? It isn't slowing down. It actually, appears to be speeding up. It expands faster over time, not slower."

   "Really?"

   "So far. They predict… the universe ends in a big freeze."

   "What's that?"

   "Everything expands. Too far for black holes to attract one another. The stars burn out. Then? Just nothing. Cold matter, all spread out."

   "But not everybody."

   "No. What I describe? They call it… the big crunch. Leading to another big bang. There's several other possibilities, by the way. None of which, lead to another big bang. Which is my whole problem with anything that doesn't lead to another big bang."

   "You want it all to make sense. You want there to be a system."

   "I do. Now, follow my logic on this."

   "Okay."

   "We had a big bang. Right?"

   "Yeah…"

   "Clearly, some condition obviously fucking happened, that produced the big bang. I mean, that much, should be obvious to anyone thinking about it. Or, the big bang never happens. Now… we clearly have a universe, right?"

   "Sure seems to be one."

   "There you go. That's how I know I'm right. If the conditions for a big bang aren't possible? We don't have a universe, in the first fucking place. These people are too busy, proving that the universe doesn't exist in the first place. Which kind of defeats the purpose, in my book."

   "I guess, I see your point there. Why… wouldn't more people agree with your point of view."

   "Ever hear of dark matter?"

   "Heard the term. Is it real?"

   "Define real."

   "It exists, or it doesn't"

   "That's just it. Everyone's talking about dark matter. Making calculations. Calculating how much of the universe is real matter, and how much is dark matter."

   "So, they proved it exists."

   "No. Like I said, there are problems with the universe. For one thing, the universe appears to be expanding faster, instead of staying steady, or slowing down. Another? Galaxies and other galactic structures, are behaving as if there's more matter than there is. Someone, coined the term dark matter, and it stuck. It's an entirely theoretical construct, that only exists, in so much as is satisfies our mathematical understanding of the universe."

   "Well… if it satisfies the number crunchers, then…"

   "You are aware, that mathematics and physics, breaks down. When we go to calculate things, to explain the conditions just before, during, and right after the big bang? Physics doesn't work. Just after the big bang? Physics start to work, then work from then on out. We clearly don't have a complete mathematical view of the universe yet."

   "Now that? Really bugs you, doesn't it."

   "That doesn't bug me in and of itself. Observation. The universe is acting as if there's more matter than there is. Conclusion. Oh, we invent this magical fairy dust, and call it dark matter. Now? Let's calculate an entire set of equations, that satisfy it. Oh look… the universe goes cold and doesn't lead to another big bang. Hey, look-y here. Black holes just dissipate into Hawking radiation. They don't attract one another and make another big bang. To me? It gets silly at some point. If you don't end up, in the end, with another big bang? Then you don't have one to start with."

   "Some people do agree with you then."

   "They're in the minority. Everyone points at equations, and say where's your proof. My minority? Claims common sense. With no equations. Yet. No one has unified all these sets of equations yet. Sets of equations that were invented, to try to satisfy the conditions after the big bang? Led to particle physics. None of this math, all squares up with one another. Finally, a few people are starting to question dark matter. Trying to explain what's being observed, in a way other than just inventing magical fairy dust."

   "Sounds like no one knows."

   "Well, that's kinda my point. Observation. The big bang happened. Observation. The math doesn't work for that time. Conclusion. A view of the universe, that doesn't allow for the big bang conditions. It's not like science was never stuck before, and invented a whole set of equations, that led nowhere."

   "Really?"

   "Yeah. At one time, everyone thought that the earth was the center of the solar system. The planets? Look like stars, but they don't move like stars. Planet, means wanderer. They wander around, and make these little loops. So, along comes some guy. He comes up, with a view of the solar system… completely incorrect, by the way… and even came up with a gigantic, complicated set of equations, that perfectly explained the movements of the planets. Those arc lines, with little loops. We were stuck there, for quite some time, by the way. Completely correct equations, that worked… led us down a blind alley, that went nowhere."

   "How did we get unstuck?"

   "Someone came along, and really for no real reason… stuck the sun at the center of the solar system. That's called the heliocentric view of the solar system. Then, he calculated how the planets moved around the sun. It ended up being correct, by the way. So… we've been here before."

   "Stuck."

   "They don't agree on a lot of things. One time, you read that the universe is expanding. Been that way, if you wondered, since that Hubble guy proved that the galaxies are all moving away from each other. Then? The expansion is accelerating, and we don't know why. Then? Magical fairy dust gets sprinkled on it. Dark matter, dark energy. Now? I'm also reading that the expansion is slowing down. Everyone has books full of equations proving that they're right. I'm kind of waiting, for someone to come along, and put the sun at the center of the solar system again, so we can square up, then start moving forward again. We're moving now, but… in a bunch of different directions. It's not terribly useful."

   "Does time really slow down when you go fast enough? Or is it more… dark fairy dust."

   "That's another case, where as I said before. Einstein? Has a very annoying habit, of being right. Remember, this is the guy that said light could bend under gravity… and he could prove it. He was right. This, is another one of those annoying Einstein situations."

   "Well?"

   "Okay. Here goes. Einstein first did special relativity. It left a lot unanswered. He then later on, did general relativity. It brought it all together, or, as much as it was going to be brought together. It's the single best explanation yet. You know how you hear about the fourth dimension?"

   "Yeah…"

   "A timeline, is one dimension. Time. It's just how you look at something."

   "Okay."

   "Imagine a fly on the ceiling, and we make a game out of a way to explain where the fly is. We pick a point, that's zero. X, is left and right. Y? That's up and down. I can specify where the fly is on the ceiling, by giving you coordinates of X and Y. Makes sense, right?"

   "Okay."

   "That's 2 dimensions. But, now we want to explain where the fly is, even when he's flying below the ceiling. That's Z. We have X, left and right. Y, up and down. Now we add Z. That's how far away he is from the ceiling. On the ceiling, is zero Z. Maybe we say the attic? Is negative Z. Whatever. We now have three dimensions, to locate things. We live, in a three dimensional world, by the way. X,Y and Z… explain where any one point is."

   "I follow you."

   "Ooh, the fourth dimension. It's not some magical place. Add time to the X,Y and Z. It's just another measurement. It's another dimension. At time 12, the fly is at this x,y and z… but at time 13? He's somewhere different. Time, is the magical fourth dimension. It's… not an alternate reality or something. That's just science fiction authors creating a plot. Following me?"

   "For the first time, pun not intended? Yeah. I understand the fourth dimension. For now, anyways. Go on."

   "Einstein, was the first person to take a geometrical view, mathematically speaking, of physics and the universe. No one had ever done it before. In Einstein's own words? The definition of insanity, is trying the same things over and over again, and expecting different results. Newtonian physics, didn't explain things. He took a geometrical view of the universe. He added time, as another dimension. He then worked out all the equations he came up with, to solve them."

   "I'm with you so far, I guess."

   "When you look at his equations, there are some special cases. One of which, is that as you approach the speed of light, time appears to slow down. Mathematically."

   "Sounds…"

   "I know. Fairy dust."

   "Yeah."

   "Well. When GPS was first rolled out, it was accurate, but only down to about a couple hundred feet. It had an error, that couldn't be resolved."

   "I remember that, my parents telling me about early computer maps. GPS was great for getting to the city, and useless driving around in the city."

   "Yes. Well, that error? Was finally resolved. At first, the military kept the solution for themselves. Then, they had to share it. Wanna know what the solution to the problem was?"

   "All ears."

   "The satellites, were moving in geosynchronous orbits. Meaning, that they had to move at a speed that keeps them in the same place. They weren't moving at anything even remotely close to the speed of light? But… still just fast enough, that a slight error was being introduced. The satellite is moving fast enough, there was a tiny time error. Once someone realized this, and worked it out? There was the solution. Once again, Einstein proved right. The person traveling closer to the speed of light, experiences time slower. The observer, standing still? Experiences time normally."

   "So… time really does change. At fast speeds."

   "In those particular equations? The elapsed time, was squared. Which significantly magnified the slight time error. Einstein also predicted, black holes. It was… another special case in his equations. They turned out to be real."

   "So, Einstein was always right. Gotcha."

   "He wasn't perfect. For instance, we now know black holes exist. Einstein? Didn't believe in them. He thought it was silly."

   "But… he predicted them?"

   "I misspoke. Einstein's equations allow for black holes. He thought it was just a silly case to be ignored."

   "Where's the depressing point, in all of this."

   "You don't find it somewhat depressing? That there's no point to the universe. Maybe it will continue to accelerate, because of all the dark fairy dust, and expand into nothing. The stars burn out, and everything's too far apart. Or… it runs out of the big bang's energy, and just sits there. And the stars burn out. Or? My personal favorite, the big crunch. The big bang energy runs out, gravity takes over, and black holes hit black holes, until it's all one big black hole… then bang, another big bang and it starts all over again."

   "Where do you allow for god in all this?"

   "Ah. I'm agnostic, remember? I can't prove he exists. I can't prove he doesn't exist. He might exist. He might not. And if he is there, I can't possibly know him."

   "You don't find that depressing?"

   "If the whole point of the universe, was to make human beings, then test them? The universe sure took it's sweet old time getting around to the whole point of it all then. Also, the universe keeps existing, long after life on earth is Kaputski."

   "What do you mean?"

   "A big asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs. Another one will come along, eventually. It's inevitable. Or, another snowball earth. Or runaway greenhouse effect. Or… Yellowstone just explodes again."

   "What's Yellowstone exploding?"

   "Super-volcano. It sits right under all of Yellowstone national park. It's so damned big, we didn't realize it's there. When you look at continental drift, and you look down from a satellite… there it is, clear as day. A gigantic volcano, a super-volcano. Goes off every several hundred thousand years. You can see the giant depressions in the earth's crust, like holes from a sewing machine. We're overdue, by the way. Sleep good knowing that one. But don't worry, we might get a hyper-cane."

   "What's… a hyper-cane."

   "You know what a hurricane is, right?"

   "Yeah."

   "Well. Graduate students, were playing with the computer simulation software. Having fun. Pushing variables to extreme values, and seeing what happened on the simulation. They hit upon, a hyper-cane. Imagine a hurricane, so big and so powerful, that it's beyond ridiculous. Bigger than the United States, winds up to 1200 miles an hour. Goes around the whole planet a bunch of times, before it wears out."

   "Well, there's no way to make that. It's just a simulation."

   "Is it? A big enough meteor hitting the ocean, creates the needed conditions."

   "Ouch."

   "Even if none of that ever happens? The Earth is doomed anyways. The sun's going to run out of energy, in time."

   "Will it go supernova?"

   "Nope. Not big enough to do that. What it will do, though… is collapse and expand, and turn into a red giant, before it burns completely out. The sun's outer edge, will either be close to the earth, or even over the earth. We'll be cooked."

   "How long for that to happen?"

   "5 billion years. We'll get hit by a meteor, or a super-volcano before then, I figure. Like I said, there's no point. To anything. Not in the end. If there even is a god, and a heaven? Where is it. It's not on earth. Earth is scheduled for demolition."

   "Were you worried about depressing me? Or… worried about you getting depressed."

   "This stuff doesn't bug you?"

   "Me and you? Our bones will be dust, long before it happens. I worry about the here and now more."

   "Really?"

   "Yeah. Long before you go worrying about… hyper-canes? You should be a lot more worried, about Hurricane Holly. She, can go off on you… anytime."

   "Really."

   "Oh yeah. Like a meteor hitting? No warning. It just… happens. Now then. I learned all about black holes. Tell me about white holes."

   "They don't exist, or…"

   "Or, what."

   "The big bang? Was a white hole."

   Merry started running her hands over him, and kissing his neck.

   "So. White holes don't exist huh? I heard, that there's actually two white holes. Quite nearby, actually."

   "It's practically impossible for white holes to even exist, and even then, simply as the big bang. Two white holes, even near each other? Just not poss---"

   Merry clamped her hand over his mouth. She bit his neck, between talking into his neck and then his ear. With her hand clamped tight, her free hand tickled him intermittently, and she talked in between her little attacks.

   "Shut up. Like I said, there's two white holes… very close to you. Right now. It's very, very possible. Trust me. You pick one of those white holes, right now. I expect some… experiments to be conducted. Seeing how the white hole reacts to various… conditions. And I guarantee you… I expect some sort of a… big bang to happen. Understand me?"

   She moved his head with her hand clamped over his mouth for him, to nod yes.

   "Uh huh. I thought so. You can… experience, the first white hole? Under the covers. Then, the second white hole? I'm going to take all the covers off. Then that second white hole is going to get… investigated, and experimented on. Until another big bang happens. Now. Are you going to give me any problems?"

   She shook his head no for him.

   "I didn't think so. And after the first big bang? Well… once the covers come off, it's pretty cold in here. I expect we'll see about moving at the speed of light. To keep things warm."