by RP Halliway
“Yes,” Evie nodded. “We had a dream with the artifact in it.”
“A dream!? With a cylinder?” Roger composed himself and shared a glance with his assistants.
“We don’t understand the dream part either,” Silas said.
“I don’t have any answers about dreams,” Roger said, “but you have made me very curious to hear your story.”
“How do you fit with Professor Andrews?” Silas asked.
“My focus at the university dealt with theoretical physics,” Roger answered. “Or at least that’s what I used to do there.”
“And you quit?” Evie asked.
“Yes and no,” Roger laughed, his bright face not showing anger or regret, just what Silas decided was happiness. “I no longer teach or research physics at the university, but I have not given up research. So in that sense I haven’t quit.”
“What do you do now?” Silas asked. “Is this your lab?”
“It is,” Roger said. “I’ve set up some lab space downstairs and in the garage, but I don’t need much equipment to do my research now.”
“Food’s done!” came the shout from the grill tender, and shortly the plate of food appeared on the table. The meat dripped with juices and sauce.
“Looks amazing,” Evie said, feeling the hunger from not having eaten since lunch.
“Yes it does,” Silas echoed, amazed at how hungry he suddenly found himself.
“Dig in, there is a lot of time for work talk,” Roger said, motioning to the spread on the table in front of them.
The group started eating, and Silas and Evie learned a lot about the research group. Maggie was the oldest, at 29, working on a PhD with Roger, although she realized that the university might not recognize her work. The other two, David, and grill tender, George, both 24, were starting as master’s students trying to create a coherent text of their theory.
“I followed Roger, right after he left the university,” Maggie told Silas and Evie. “I was working on my masters at the time, and was able to complete that with a mix of work here and at the university. But the PhD is based entirely here.”
“David and I joined just a year ago,” George said. “We graduated after Roger left, so that was the first year of our program.”
“You work here?” Silas asked all three assistants.
“Yep,” Maggie answered, giving Silas and Evie a comfortable smile.
“The garage is a makeshift lecture hall for large groups, and the basement houses the computers and offices for us, along with a smaller lecture area for group discussions,” Roger added, pointing randomly in directions Silas imagined were the garage and basement entrances.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Evie said, looking at Roger. “Why did you leave?”
Roger finished the rib in his hand, and made a point to lick clean each finger, one at a time. The process seemed to be excruciatingly slow, as Silas and Evie waited for Roger to begin answering the question. Roger wiped his hands and face for effect, keeping Silas and Evie in suspense for even longer.
“Let me tell you,” Roger began, and leaned back in the chair, allowing the meal to settle. “I was at the university, teaching theoretical physics, how things move, connect, behave, and I was studying the grand motions of the universe—how to launch things and land on things, including different propulsion methods, until that day,” he paused to do some counting. “Three years and four months ago, when I walked into Andrews lab. Probably the worst thing I ever did.”
“What happened?” Evie asked. She leaned forward in her chair, wanting the answer to reach her that extra 1/100th of a second faster.
“I saw the same thing you did,” Roger said, disappointing Evie, as she deflated audibly. “I saw the inexplicable. A child! Knowing things that are impossible to know. My mind could not fathom how that child could talk with such confidence of people and events half a continent away and a century ago. One of Andrews’ lab rats showed me a newspaper article. Fact for fact, that little child identified the story, as if he had just lived it yesterday.
“I could not fathom how it is possible, yet there it was, on the page in front of me, matching the child’s words,” Roger continued. “The scientific rigor, of course, is not there—it’s a child’s playroom, you see—but that didn’t change what I saw.”
“I was pretty blown away by the lab,” Silas said.
“Exactly!” Roger nodded. “My mind was dashing, side to side, trying to figure out how this little child, he was not yet four years old, could know things from a century ago.”
“Hoaxes are not impossible,” Maggie said.
“Professor Andrews explained to us how hoaxes could happen,” Evie added with a nod.
Roger nodded. “Yes, but it should seem so easy to expose a hoax, yet this particular child seemed adamant about every fact, never once wavering or changing the story in the slightest. In fact, with each pressing question, he got even more adamant in his answers, offering supporting facts one after another—almost in a desperate attempt to make us believe him.”
“I was in the lab for the questioning, and what really hit me, what destroyed me, was his face. I have never seen a face like that on a three year old. Andrews was in stride—the child fell into a particularly talkative mood—and his questioning kept getting more and more direct and challenging. I felt like jumping up and shouting ‘this is not police headquarters, Andrews!’ but restrained myself.
“I’m glad I kept my restraint, but that moment shattered my understand of everything. Every question Andrews asked was answered with a confidence I myself could not express in what I had for breakfast a week ago! Yet here was this child, a mere child!, answering questions over and over, adding facts faster than the little lab rats could write them down, and his face . . .” Roger trailed off again, losing his happy energy, going to a dark place.
“The face of a man trapped in another body, is the only way I can describe it,” Roger finally said. “Imagine you are trying to explain to an unbelieving judge that you are innocent, after being sentenced for a crime you did not commit. That face of sheer abandonment. How!? How does a child know how to make a face that shows the abandonment of an eighty year old man?” By now Roger was shouting. He slammed his palm onto the wooden table, causing all the silverware to rattle.
“Oh, forgive me,” Roger said, returning to the moment with all the noise. “I am not trying to scare anyone.”
Maggie and David and George laughed it off and Evie smiled, but Silas noted the expression on Roger’s face, and how it was not very inviting.
“I just get so caught up in that look, I can’t help it,” Roger said.
“And what happened after that?” Evie asked, enthralled in the story.
“I went back to my lab, looked around, found the board of my latest endeavor, erased it all, and just wrote the word ‘HOW?’ Then I walked out,” Roger said. “The university said that was my ‘breakdown’ and took my lab. They set me up in a ‘watching ward’ in case something was to happen.”
“Did that upset you?” Silas asked, feeling tension creep back into his shoulders.
“Quite the opposite, actually,” Roger admitted, a small smile growing on his face. “I had three days of no distractions and lots of time to think. I was able to refuse any medications and prove to them that I had no symptoms of a psychotic break, so I was free to wander about and do as I please. Using those three days, I was able to ponder the universe and beyond, and come up with my theory.”
“Theory?” Evie asked.
“The Theory of Everything,” Roger said with a sly smile, leaning in to Evie’s personal space, almost right up to her face.
“Everything?” Evie dared to breathe the words.
“Yes, everything!” Roger finally leaned back. “Everything that matters anyway. The macro-cosmos if you want to call it that.”
Evie had never heard of the macro-cosmos, and by the look on Silas’ face, he hadn’t either.
Roger noticed their confusion. “Everything in this macro-cosmos is dependent on change.”
“You mean time?” Silas asked.
“My boy! I would have said the exact same thing three years and four months ago. But not now,” Roger said. “Time doesn’t exist. Time can’t exist.”
“What do you mean, time can’t exist?” Evie asked. Looking around, she saw that Maggie, David and George seemed to be following along perfectly as they finished the meal.
“Time fails many of the tests to be an independent entity,” Roger started. “Therefore it can’t exist.”
“But we all get older over time,” Silas said, offering an easy counter-example.
“True,” Roger began. “Very true. But that is not time. That is change. Change is different than time.”
“How are they different?” Evie asked.
“I’ll give an example most people can relate to. Most people have traveled at some point. By car or by plane.”
“I flew yesterday,” Evie answered. “And Silas and I drove today.”
“And you sat next to a person or two on the flight?” Roger asked.
“Yes, two people.”
“Did any of you three sleep? Or try to sleep?” Roger asked.
“I did, for a couple hours,” Evie said. It hadn’t been the best sleep, but it had helped her feel rested.
“Good. Now imagine someone staying awake the entire flight,” Roger said. “The person asleep, such as you, experienced a much faster flight, didn’t you?”
“I guess,” Evie said. “It seemed faster since I was asleep.”
“All three of you experienced the same time difference, but to you, it felt two hours quicker, because you slept for part of it,” Roger said. “The clock difference was the same, but the ‘felt’ time was different. That’s one reason time can’t exist.”
“That kinda makes sense,” Evie said.
“No it doesn’t,” Silas said. “That’s just sleeping. That happens every night.”
“True,” Roger said. “We are still researching exactly what happens during sleep, so your point is valid. I just used the flight to give an example. But let me challenge you, then.” Roger looked at Silas, as if to read his mind. “How do these children of Andrews’ know the past?”
“I don’t know,” Silas said. “But I am not a scientist, so my not understanding isn’t a huge shock to anyone.” Silas lightened the mood with a slight smile.
“I am not challenging your intellect. I am challenging your beliefs,” Roger said, matching the smile. “I know you are smart, because there is no other possible way you could be at this table,” Roger said, his smile growing. “Why do you believe Time exists?”
Time still seemed so obvious to Silas. “Because things happen,” he said.
“What happens?” Roger pressed.
“The Sun rises and sets,” Evie answered.
“Good,” Roger said. “Is that change? Or time?”
“Both?” Evie said, but it came out like a question.
“If you had to pick just one?” Roger pressed.
“I guess if there was only one, it would have to be change,” Silas said. “If it was just time, then the position wouldn’t move?”
“Quite correct,” Roger said. “That’s how I would see it as well. In fact, the ancients created the time of day by the change of the position of the Sun into a day.”
“Ancients?” Evie and Silas both said at the same time, exchanging looks. Chills ran down Evie’s back.
“Yes. Older civilizations, Egyptians and Greeks and a few others created strong clocks and calendar systems. In fact, the Egyptian base 60 system is what we use today.” Roger looked off at the lowering sun. “Speaking of change, it’s getting dark. We can take the discussion inside, or down to the basement. Or continue on another day.” Roger sat back and patted his full belly.
Silas rose and stretched after the meal. “Stay? Or come back?” he asked Evie.
Evie looked at the group and saw the eager faces before her. But the totality of the day’s events hit her. “I’m so sorry, but I’m wiped out. I’ve been traveling since last night, and aside from the sleep on the plane and a few hours in the car, I’ve been up for a long time.”
“Oh, that’s quite alright,” Roger said. “No apology needed. Having been exposed to all of this new information isn’t easy either, which tired your minds out as much as your bodies. And having fundamental beliefs challenged can drain all of your energies. Come by tomorrow?”
Tomorrow sounded perfect. “Count on it,” she said.
Chapter 8
“What do you think?” Evie asked Silas as they settled in the car.
“About the food?”
“About the time theory!”
“Honestly, that went way over my head,” he said. “The only thing that I understood was the ‘ancients’ and that freaks me out.”
“That definitely surprised me too. Even Roger saw us jump up at that.”
Silas set the phone GPS to the hotel and pulled out onto the road. “Did you understand everything?”
“Some of it. It makes sense in a way. Like change always happens, and time is kinda like feeling how it happens, maybe?”
“Yeah, I don’t know how I feel about that. But that kid knowing all that stuff confuses the hell out of me, and it would be nice to know what’s going on there. Especially after watching Timmy being grilled by Andrews. Like how does that work?”
“Professor Andrews’ answer seems best to me—something supernatural,” she said. “Or religious. Because I don’t see how science could explain it.”
Evie paused for a moment, then shrugged. “Unless it is all a very highly orchestrated hoax.”
“Everything we’ve seen today baffles science I think,” Silas said, pulling into the hotel.
They sat for a while in the hotel parking lot, digesting the food and information. “I sure can’t explain anything I’ve seen today,” she said. “But there are many things that can’t be explained by science that aren’t supernatural, such as Dark Matter.”
“If you say so. This is where I am not very smart.”
“There is a difference between educated and smart,” she said, smiling to put him at ease. “I haven’t seen anything that leads me to believe you aren’t smart.”
Silas returned Evie’s smile. “I’ll get the bags and we can get settled in for the night,” he said as they got out of the car.
The hotel clerk looked up the reservation and checked them in. Silas looked at Evie for a second when the clerk asked for a credit card, and then offered his. They collected the keys and walked up toward the rooms.
“Goodnight, Silas,” Evie said arriving at her room first.
“Goodnight, Evie,” Silas said. “It was a very fun and interesting first day.”
***
The next morning Evie found Silas in the lobby breakfast buffet at a table. “How is the breakfast?”
“Make your own waffle bar. How much better can you get?” he answered, showing a plate of waffles he wasted no time attacking.
She laughed at him. “I’ll just have some of the oatmeal and juice.”
“Suit yourself,” he said, between bites of waffles.
She selected her breakfast and returned to the table, finding the plate of waffles almost finished. She sat silently for a moment then began to eat her meal.
“Did you do any more thinking last night?” he asked.
“A bit. But to be honest, I don’t think I got better at understanding anything.”
“Me neither,” he said, working diligently on the waffles. “Still goes over my head. Change. Time. Kids living in the past. It’s all weird.”
“Maybe
it will make more sense today,” she said, though that seemed doubtful. “Or tomorrow.”
“When do you want to head back over? Anything else you want to see today?”
“I don’t really have an agenda, other than to talk a bit more with Roger.”
Silas pushed the empty plate away. “No reason to return to the university?”
“Not that I can think of. If we need to learn more after talking with Roger, we might have to go back, but so far I don’t see any reason.”
He leaned back in his chair and watched her eat. “Fair enough. When do you want to drive back to catch your flight?”
“That is still a big unknown to me. There is just so much that might need to be learned?”
“Your return flight is tomorrow night. We’ll have to leave tomorrow by noon to make it.”
“I might change it,” she said.
“Why?” Silas asked. He tried to hide his excitement at the thought of being able to see her for longer.
“Because we might not be ready by then?”
“Are you sure? Isn’t there a penalty for changing the flight?”
“Yeah, but we haven’t even discovered what the dreams mean. I am more concerned about discovering the meaning than the penalty. We only just found Timmy and Robert, and those are freaky enough, and now Roger is interested in the ancients and the cylinder, and then we might manage to get to the meaning of dreams part. It’s all too much to imagine doing in a single day without doing our heads in.”
“Doing our heads in?” he asked, giving her a confused look.
She laughed at the look on his face. “Oh. That’s what Red says when something is confusing.”
He glanced over at the waffle bar but decided not to eat more. A big day lay ahead of them.
***
Evie and Silas arrived at Roger’s home lab a little after ten AM. Just like the afternoon before, he eagerly greeted them before they reached the steps to the door.
“Welcome one and all! Did you eat yet?” he asked, gesturing for them to enter.