Thursday, June 08, 2006
My latest assignment, which is also quite late
This is "the last page of the book", or at least an attempt at one. Here goes...
***
Val turned to Joseph, fighting disbelief. "So... how do we know it really happened? Nothing feels any different. How do we know anything actually changed?"
"How do we..." Shaking his head in exasperation, Joseph grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the alley and onto the sidewalk. "Ok, come with me." They found a newsstand half a block down, the groggy shopkeeper just pulling up his awning for the day. Joseph yanked a paper out of the nearest bundle, leaving a five dollar bill to silence the man's protests, and flipped to the crossword section.
"See?" He held the page out for Val's inspection. Her doubtful expression gradually became one of amazement as she scanned the page. "But how did you know it would look like this?"
"I didn't. That's the point - that's what it means to reach a singularity. We've gone past a boundary. It's a point beyond which we can't predict what the world will be like. It's a shift. Our old rules no longer apply." He stopped to glance nervously up and down the street. It was surprisingly still in the semi-dawn, the night's mist still clearing.
"But if it's that much of a change, how can this be it?" Val asked, motioning with the paper in her hand. "I see it, but only because I know what to look for. Who else is even going to notice?"
"A few people will notice. Most won't be aware of it, but the change will still effect them on a deep level, the way a background noise can make a person irritable."
Val was nodding in understanding. "And that's how it will spread... The way one irritable person can make the next person feel the same. But I thought it was going to be something terrible - I thought it was the end of the world. This doesn't seem to be bad."
"Of course not. It doesn't seem to be anything - it isn't evil or good by nature. It just has an enormous potential, and anything with that much potential can be very dangerous. We need to see more. Let's go."
With one more glance up and down the street, Joseph turned and began jogging uptown. "You've got to be kidding", Val muttered under her breath, running to catch up. "Where are we going now?"
"My apartment. We need to get on the internet."
***
Val turned to Joseph, fighting disbelief. "So... how do we know it really happened? Nothing feels any different. How do we know anything actually changed?"
"How do we..." Shaking his head in exasperation, Joseph grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the alley and onto the sidewalk. "Ok, come with me." They found a newsstand half a block down, the groggy shopkeeper just pulling up his awning for the day. Joseph yanked a paper out of the nearest bundle, leaving a five dollar bill to silence the man's protests, and flipped to the crossword section.
"See?" He held the page out for Val's inspection. Her doubtful expression gradually became one of amazement as she scanned the page. "But how did you know it would look like this?"
"I didn't. That's the point - that's what it means to reach a singularity. We've gone past a boundary. It's a point beyond which we can't predict what the world will be like. It's a shift. Our old rules no longer apply." He stopped to glance nervously up and down the street. It was surprisingly still in the semi-dawn, the night's mist still clearing.
"But if it's that much of a change, how can this be it?" Val asked, motioning with the paper in her hand. "I see it, but only because I know what to look for. Who else is even going to notice?"
"A few people will notice. Most won't be aware of it, but the change will still effect them on a deep level, the way a background noise can make a person irritable."
Val was nodding in understanding. "And that's how it will spread... The way one irritable person can make the next person feel the same. But I thought it was going to be something terrible - I thought it was the end of the world. This doesn't seem to be bad."
"Of course not. It doesn't seem to be anything - it isn't evil or good by nature. It just has an enormous potential, and anything with that much potential can be very dangerous. We need to see more. Let's go."
With one more glance up and down the street, Joseph turned and began jogging uptown. "You've got to be kidding", Val muttered under her breath, running to catch up. "Where are we going now?"
"My apartment. We need to get on the internet."
# posted by Dara : 2:32 PM
