Archive for November, 2023

SIDE EFFECTS

                                               This story was published by Dream Fantasy International in December 2005.

                                             SIDE AFFECTS

The female picked up her baby and held it close, suckling it for the last time.  She did not have a name; language was thousands of years in the future.   As she gazed at her infant, only days old, tears rolled down her cheeks.  She caressed the small hairy body and kissed the prominent brow, the two characteristics that spelled the infant’s doom.  She stood, and slowly walked into the forest.  Moments later the forest echoed with a child’s scream, cut suddenly short.  The female emerged from the forest alone.

She thought of another member of the loosely formed tribe with a similar baby, who did not have the strength to destroy it.  The female raised the child, its aggressiveness and appearance different from the other children living in the clearing in the African forest.  The child grew strong and hateful.  One day a member of the tribe found the mother dead, partially devoured.  The child was never seen again.  It entered the jungle, more animal than human, to live as its ancestors did thousands of years before.

                                                     ***

Modern science could have discovered the explanation for these mysterious births.  The cause was a unique receptor, a protein on the surface of the cell.  Many receptors discovered today are seven transmembrane receptors; they course the cell wall seven times weaving in and out like a tiny thread.  These aggressive individuals had receptors that were fourteen transmembrane receptors, monstrous in size and in action, bringing together hormones in rare mixes, resulting in a savage monster.  These receptors disappeared with the extinction of the savage individuals, but the genetic machinery that manufactured these monstrous receptors did not.

Thousands of years ago, as these monsters were born and eliminated, there was another type of individual created.  It was rare, rarer than its savage counterparts.  These individuals possessed the genetic machinery to produce the aberrant receptors, but this could only occur when there was a change in serotonin levels.  These changes don’t normally occur in nature now, and the birth of these individuals continued with their genetic potential unrealized.  Unrealized, that is, until the advent of the new antidepressants.

                                                     ***

Jeff Skovich was a quiet guy, the kind of guy you never noticed, primarily because he didn’t want to be noticed.  Only Jeff and his wife Linda knew the torment of his life.  Lately he was blowing up at the slightest provocation.  He was angry all the time and had more and more difficulty dealing with daily routines.  Then, one day, Jeff had a particularly violent argument with Linda.  After Jeff had nearly struck her she shouted, “You need help! I refuse to go on living like this,” and stormed out of the house.  Confused and hurt, she drove aimlessly for hours and when she returned, Jeff was gone.

Days later, a sullen Jeff returned home, and would not tell Linda where he had been.  They spent a week passing each other in the house, avoiding any contact, sleeping in different rooms.  The love Jeff felt for Linda ran so deep, he could not bear the thought of life without her but could not confront her.  Finally, Linda broke the ice. “I love you”, she told him, but insisted, “You need help for your mood swings, and we really can’t go on like this.”

At first Jeff said nothing, and then his feelings poured out, “I feel hopeless all the time.  I can hardly function because nothing seems to have any importance.  I use all the energy I have just to get through the day.  By the time I come home I’m spent, angry and confused.  I just can’t deal with things the way I once did.”  As Jeff talked, the tears started to flow from Linda’s eyes and from Jeff’s.  Linda knew the man Jeff once was and wanted him back.

Jeff finally agreed to see Dr. Roberts, their family doctor, and after a short discussion Roberts said, “I’m going to put you on one of the new serotonin reuptake inhibitors.  I think that this medication will help you.  We’ll give it a try and see if it makes a difference.”

Jeff filled the prescription and started the therapy he hoped would return his life to him.  After a week he noticed a difference in his approach to problems; instead of flying into a rage, he stopped and thought through the conflict he felt.  He was no longer angry all the time, had more patience and was more focused on his work.  Linda noticed the change too.  She no longer dreaded coming home from her job, trying to gauge Jeff’s mood for the evening.  Jeff and Linda began enjoying life and their marriage to the fullest.  Jeff’s job as an electrical engineer took off.  The work he accomplished won recognition and promotions.  Linda also grew comfortable in her life.  Her job teaching at the local middle school gave her great satisfaction.  Linda adored children but was not able to have her own, so this proximity to children fulfilled a need.

Jeff had now been on the antidepressant for years.  His life with Linda could not be better; he found himself feeling guilty at times for the happiness that was his.  He was now in charge of a major project for the company.  The outlook of every facet of his life was positive.

“You know Linda,” Jeff said one morning, “I think it’s a waste of money for me to continue to take the antidepressant.  I feel fine, we get along great, and things couldn’t be better at work.  I’m going to have a talk with Dr. Roberts and see what he says.”

Jeff made the appointment and Linda went with him to testify to the changes Jeff had undergone.  Dr. Roberts agreed and slowly began to wean Jeff off the medicine.  When Jeff began taking the drug, he started at a low dose and gradually increased the dosage until he underwent the full benefits of the drug.  Now he reversed the process and began taking less and less, paying attention to any changes in his mood or behavior, until he was taking the lowest dose used.  He still was doing fine so he stopped taking the drug altogether. 

Weeks, then months went by, and Jeff was even tempered and happy as he had been when he was on the medication, but deep within his genetic makeup subtle changes were taking place.  Removing the drug from his system set his cellular machinery into gear, in a manner that had not taken place in man for thousands of years.  Proteins were being manufactured that were awesome in length and complexity.  They weaved through the walls of his cells fourteen times, like vipers ready to do their damage.  The process was slow, gradually creating a monster.  The night he began the crossover, Jeff had a dream.

Jeff dreamt he walked an African savanna, hunting for what he knew he needed to continue his existence – food.  He stalked his prey, made a kill and feasted on his quarry’s raw flesh.  Jeff awoke bathed in sweat, unable to understand his apparition’s meaning.  The final image remained imprinted in his mind.  In his dream the quarry had been human.  This deeply disturbed him for days.  He tried to dismiss the dream but couldn’t, for it reoccurred.  And as the side effects began to alter his body, his dreams became more and more vivid as his mind was also altered.

Six months went by before Jeff noticed a change in his behavior.  He was out shopping one day and was about to pull into a parking space when another car beat him to the spot.  Normally, he would have uttered some epithet to himself and gone on his way, but this time was different.  He pulled his car behind the intruder to prevent him from leaving, then jumped out of his car and attacked.  Jeff hammered his fist on the closed window, confronting an elderly couple.  The face of the old man behind the wheel revealed shock and disbelief.  Both he and his wife cowered as Jeff continued to yell and pound the window.  In desperation, the old man began to blow his horn continuously, hoping to attract attention.  The noise and forming crowd brought Jeff to his senses.   He jumped into his car and left.

As he drove away, Jeff was shaking with fear and rage.  Years ago, when he was depressed, he felt rage, a rage born of desperation.  The rage he felt now was different; it was animal.  For a moment, he wanted to kill the old couple, not considering the consequences.

He did not mention this incident to his wife.  He was both scared and ashamed and wanted to forget all about what had happened.  Jeff wondered if maybe he should return to his antidepressant but couldn’t realize that there was no turning back.  His genetic machinery was in overdrive and could not be reversed.

Jeff had always had a heavy beard.  With his thick black hair, his five o’clock shadow would sometimes appear at three, but now by eleven o’clock he looked like he hadn’t shaved at all that morning, and his normally densely haired torso and arms seemed to be growing additional hair.  Another change took place that he did not understand, seeming impossible.  His face seemed to be altered ever so slightly.  His brow seemed to be thickened.  It was almost impossible to notice without close inspection.  The way Jeff first became aware of this change was that his glasses felt uncomfortable to wear.  But this was not a problem for his eyesight seemed to be improving to the extent that he didn’t need his glasses.

The change that distressed Jeff the most was the change in his temper.  These days he avoided Linda for fear of a blowup.  Small things that she had always done, her little habits, would now grate his nerves generating a mad rage that he fought to keep under control.  He had more fits of anger while in public.  One day, an elderly woman entered a checkout line at the same time as Jeff, and he pushed her, knocked her to the ground yelling obscenities.  A crowd gathered as he ran from the store.  In the distance he could hear the wail of a police siren.  He walked for hours until darkness fell, and then returned to the store’s parking lot to retrieve his car.

Day by day, his appearance was changing.  His brow was becoming more prominent and there was no controlling his beard growth, and his body was covered with what appeared to be fur.  Jeff was at a loss as to what to do, whom to turn to for he found it impossible to communicate his rage.

Then one day, Linda was gone from his life too.  She knew he was angry again, but not like before.  The rage was constant, and she couldn’t help but notice the change in his appearance.  She couldn’t take the anger any longer and asked, “What’s happening Jeff?”

Jeff’s reply was both verbal and physical, “Shut up bitch,” he shouted and slapped Linda as hard as he could.  He had never struck her before.  Linda fell to the floor and Jeff began to kick and stomp her until his energy was spent.  Linda’s face was no longer recognizable.  He left and entered a primal world from which he would never return.

                                           THE END

November 29, 2023 at 11:05 pm Leave a comment

THE INHERITANCE

 This story was accepted for publication by Black Petals in July 2006. Don’t you just love happy endings?                                     

                                        THE INHERITANCE                                                   

May lay deathly still, listening, as her two daughters, Joan and Heidi, searched through her belongings looking for treasure.  Joan was the first to speak, “I hope the old bat dies before the end of the month.  That would save us a month’s rent.’

Heidi answered, “Quiet Joan, she’ll hear you.”

Joan replied, “Are you kidding?  She’s toast.  Even her doctor can’t explain what keeps her going.”

May Connors, age 62, lay dying in her bed in the small bedroom of her apartment in the assisted living wing of The Towers Nursing Home.  She appeared as a corpse ready for burial, her face ashen and her jaw slack.  Only the rare rise and fall of her chest brought home the fact that her withered body still harbored life.  Cancer had ravaged her physically just as cruel circumstances had ravaged her existence.  At one time her life was full of promise.  Now she had nothing, nothing but the cruel words of her daughters that seared into her brain.

                                                 * * *

May’s mind wandered back to when her daughters were young.  Five-year old Joan would day, “I love you mom, you’re the bestest mother in the whole world.”

Three-year-old Heidi would add, “I love mom.”

Those moments made the sacrifices she made for her daughters worthwhile.  Now her daughters’ cruel words blotted out the love she once held so close.

May clung to life with the hope that her two daughters, distant for so long, would show a measure of love for her before she died.  With her daughters’ words she knew that would not be.  The love she had sheltered in her heart became a cold hate.  A desire for revenge replaced her will to live.  Locked in the prison of her body, May’s mind and soul were tormented with the desire to somehow confront the shallowness, the evil her daughters exhibited.

As May’s determination for revenge grew, she heard Joan say, “I always liked this knife set from Switzerland.  It would look nice in my kitchen.”

Heidi snickered, “As if you’d ever use them to cook.”

Joan moaned, “I didn’t say I’d use them.  I said they would look nice.”

Heidi said, “You can have the knives if I can have the antique mirror.  I’ve always admired the frame and it would look good in my bedroom.”

Before she could help herself, Joan commented, “On the ceiling of course!”  Both women laughed hysterically while May’s brain did a slow burn.

Joan said, “Since that’s settled, let’s go through the rest of this junk and see what we want.  What’s left can go straight to the dumpster out back.”

Then Heidi said, “Especially the crap she’s made over the years.  What about her clothes?

Joan replied, “Try to find a dress without food stains that she can be buried in and bag the rest for Goodwill.”

As her daughters mocked all that she held dear, May remembered a life of disappointment and tragedy.

                                                * * *

May recalled five months ago when she visited Dr. Stevens.

“I came for a checkup doctor.  I’ve felt rundown lately and have been losing weight.”

Dr. Stevens said, “We’ll run some tests and give you a physical.  That should tell us what’s going on.”

Two weeks later May sat in Dr. Stevens’ office.  The look on his face told May that the news was not good. 

“May, we have discovered your problem.  You have pancreatic cancer.  It has spread to your liver and stomach.  I’m so sorry.”

May was in shock.  The rest of Dr. Stevens’ words tumbled into a blur.  He went on to talk about options and a realistic assessment of the time May had left, but the words seemed unreal.

The deadly cells had been spreading their evil throughout her body even as she planned her future.  May had thoughts of growing old and seeing her daughter’s lives blossom.  Now these alien cells did more than plan; they determined her future.

Life had dealt her many blows in the past, but May had always persevered.  It seemed distant now, but her life was once a dream, a dream that slowly crumbled.  May married late in life yet still managed to have two healthy daughters.  She quit her job as an interior decorator and devoted her life to raising her children.  Her husband Charlie’s salary as vice president at a local bank provided more than enough to enable the family to live comfortably.  Then the life she planned began to fall apart.

One day, as he did every day, Charlie kissed May and said, “I love you, see you tonight.”  She never took that kiss for granted because she knew how much he loved her.  But she never saw her Charlie again that night, or any other night.

Later that day, the phone rang, and May answered.  She recognized the hysterical voice on the line.  It was Charlie’s secretary.  “Charlie had a heart attack.  They’re taking him to Glen Grove Hospital.  I can’t believe it, oh May.”

May rushed to the hospital.  Dr. Perkins greeted her.  He slowly approached her, and then said, “I’m the doctor that first saw Mr. Connors.  I’m sorry Mrs. Connors. We did everything we could.  Your husband passed away.”  Her Charlie, at the age of fifty and fit, died of a massive heart attack.

When her daughters graduated from high school, they also exited May’s life.  Joan and Heidi, two years apart in age, went off to college and never returned.  They both chose careers in business, and both rose rapidly on their respective corporate ladders.  Joan became a manager at a major pharmaceutical company.  Heidi worked her way up to chief buyer for a major department store.  Neither woman had any thoughts of marriage and would not even think of sharing their lives with children.  They wanted their lives to be their own.  They lived well and traveled extensively.  There was no room in their existence for anyone else.  May’s hopes for grandchildren and family gatherings were dashed. 

May’s lifestyle went downhill rapidly.  In the ten years that followed, May found menial work and seldom saw her daughters.  When her children did visit, they would suggest she start selling some of the possessions she and Charlie had accumulated over the years.  They never offered to help their mom.

Shortly after a course of chemotherapy, May suffered a stroke leaving the left side of her body paralyzed and her unable to communicate.  Her daughters arranged for a placement in assisted living rather than oversee caregivers at home. May’s home and possessions were mostly sold.  The rest were kept to furnish her small room.

  Now May was dying while her daughters scurried through her tiny apartment like vultures waiting for the end so they could pick May’s life clean.  Their mistake was that their greed would not allow them to wait until their mother was gone.

Two days later May died.  Her daughters got their wish and split the money they would have paid on another month’s rent.  But May also left them much more than money, she left revenge.

                                              * * *

It had been months since May’s death.  Joan and her sister had picked over their mother’s possessions and wound up disposing of almost everything the old women owned.   Joan found counter space for her mother’s knife set in her immaculate kitchen, a kitchen seldom used.

One day Joan’s friend Phyllis dropped by with the makings of a salad and a bottle of wine.  Phyllis drew one of the fine Swiss knives from its wooden holder and noticed a flaw.  It was a large knife and there appeared to be a cloudy area on one side of the blade.  Phyllis asked her friend, “What is this mark?”  Joan took the knife to the sink and tried to clean it without success.

“I’ve never noticed that mark before,” Joan said.

Phyllis asked, “Have you ever used the knife before?”  She then replaced the knife in its holder, chose another and prepared the salad.

The next day Joan dragged herself into the kitchen to clean up Phyllis’ salad mess when she noticed the flawed knife on the counter.  “Now how did that get there?” she said to herself.  As Joan studied the flaw it changed, became more defined.  Minutes passed as Joan began to recognize something taking shape.  She suddenly screamed, as the imperfection on the knife blade slowly became the smiling face of her mother.  The image sharpened and the blade began to move.  Joan backed away.  The blade followed.  Finally, she was cornered in the kitchen.  She closed her eyes.  On the front of her slacks she could feel a pressure followed closely by a searing pain in her abdomen.  Something warm and wet fell onto her feet.  She looked down to see the purple-tinged ropes of her intestines on the floor.  She looked up to see the knife back away, then come rapidly toward the middle of her chest.

                                                  * * *

Heidi had hung her mother’s mirror in the bedroom where she often enjoyed admiring her trim figure in its reflection.  It hung on the wall near the bathroom, and she would smile as she glanced at her naked body fresh from the shower.

One day, while applying her makeup, Heidi noticed a cloudy area in the mirror.  She tried to clean it but it only became larger.  She hoped she wouldn’t need to have the glass replaced. 

Heidi awoke early a few days later to catch a flight to France.  She was now the chief buyer at the store and had been looking forward to this trip for some time.  After her shower, she entered the darkened bedroom.  As the mirror caught the image of her naked body, the cloudiness in the mirror began to glow.  She stepped closer to examine it.  An image began to take shape.  Looking at her was the smiling face of her mother.  Heidi screamed as the glass exploded.  Shards penetrated her eyes.  She could feel the vitreous humor and thicker blood flow down her face.  With gentle pressure the twin shards were pushed further into her brain.

                                                    * * *

Six feet beneath her blanket of earth, in the dank blackness of her coffin, a visage of peace crept across May Connor’s decaying face.  One might even say the ravaged face smiled.

                                                 THE END

November 27, 2023 at 2:06 am Leave a comment

REUNION

This is my first published story. Published by Enigma in 2003, a Philadelphia small publisher no longer is existence.                                                     

                                                REUNION

The June morning was brilliant and clear with just enough of a breeze to keep you cool despite the predicted eighty-degree day.  At the age of eighty-two, for Christopher Johnson, getting up in the morning was not an easy chore and had lately not seemed worth the effort.  He turned his head and looked at the pillow beside him.  “I miss you so much honey,” he said quietly.  His wife Peggy had died less than a year ago.  One night they went to bed as usual.  The last words he had said to her were the words he always said to her before falling asleep, “I love you.”  When Chris awoke, Peggy was dead of a heart attack.  A few days later he was looking into her grave knowing a large part of his life was now buried in the cold earth.  After almost sixty years of marriage, the pain of her loss was intense, almost as intense as the love they had shared all those years. 

With Peggy still on his mind, he sat up and began to stretch his arthritic limbs knowing the pain that would follow.  Next, he stood up and took a few steps; those first steps, they were the worst of the day.  He winced with every movement, but soon his joints and muscles settled down to the constant pain that accompanied him these days. 

He had gotten up earlier than usual, for today, unlike most of his days, he had an appointment, something to do.  He opened his closet door and, in the back, he found what he was looking for: his U.S. Army ranger dress uniform, the one he had worn on his return home after being wounded during World War II.  With persistent pain, he maneuvered his body into the uniform that, after sixty years still fit his slender frame.  He looked in the mirror, and the toll of those sixty years stared back at him.  The hair on his head and his mustache had gone gray years ago.  His eyes, once admired by his fellow soldiers for their ability to spot enemy aircraft or fortifications before anyone else, now watered behind heavy bifocals.  He inspected his image, looking over the uniform for signs of moth damage.  The area of his uniform he examined first was his chest; there hung the Purple Heart and the Congressional Medal of Honor.  He was proud to have served his country, proud of his awards but knew, that in combat, a split second could mean the difference between a dead soldier and a hero.  Satisfied that his uniform had survived another year, he returned it to the closet and dressed in his usual summer shirt and khakis.

While Chris hung up his uniform, his mind still held the Medal of Honor and the events that led to its award.

The day was D Day, early in the morning of June 6th.  Chris was among a group of Army Rangers that would be the first to hit the beach.  Their objective was to climb and secure the cliffs overlooking the landing sites.  These cliffs held guns that could hazard the ships and soldiers, and the hazard needed to be removed.  German soldiers were stationed on the cliffs, ready to rain death on unprotected soldiers landing on the beach below.  Chris and his three buddies Frank Grimes, Larry Schwartz and Duck Dupont were together in the landing craft, along with twenty other rangers heading toward the beach.

Chris had begun basic training knowing no one.  Soon he gravitated to three other guys who seemed to be as lost and alone as he was.   The four of them gradually became friends and survived the ordeal together.  Of the three, he was closest to Duck Dupont.  Duck’s real name was Willard; he gained his nickname Duck during a basic training class.  The class was walking past the artillery area when a practice round went off.  Most of the class flinched, but Duck was on the ground with his head covered by his hands.  From then on he was known as Duck.

His thoughts returned to June 6th.

It was still dark and they landed unopposed.  The men quickly and quietly disembarked and headed for the base of the two hundred foot cliff – it would be quite a climb.  When everyone was in position, they fired ropes up the side of the cliff.  This brought the response they expected, Germans began firing down the cliff and rangers began to collapse on the beach.  Chris and his friends were to stay together and climb along with most of the rangers while the rest provided cover fire.  Soon the German fire lessened then ceased as the rangers continued their climb.

The four friends were the first to reach the top of the cliff.  What they saw sent a shiver through them all.  Before them, set back about fifty yards from the edge of the cliff, stood a series of three bunkers. The first light of dawn streamed through the trees beyond the enemy, and all seemed quiet and peaceful except for the machine guns projecting from behind sandbags.  They knew they had to act fast, for if they didn’t, the rangers coming up the cliff would be cut down as soon as they reached the top.  They split up into two groups; Chris and Duck went to the left – Frank and Larry to the right.  The two flanking bunkers had to be eliminated before the middle position could be attacked.  Each group approached the nearest bunker and tossed a grenade inside.  The simultaneous explosions sent German soldiers into action.  The rangers had missed one.  Along with fire from the third remaining bunker, a fourth bunker opened up along with mortar fire from behind the bunker.  The fourth bunker surprised the rangers and had a clear shot at them.  Duck was literally cut in half by machine gun fire.  Larry was attacking the third of the bunkers they had seen, having just pulled the pin from a grenade when he was shot.  They never did find Frank.  Chris entered the first bunker they had taken out, pushed aside the mangled German bodies and manned the machine gun.  He quickly took out the bunker they had overlooked before, creeping up to the last remaining bunker; he destroyed it with grenades.  The actions of the four men had saved the lives of the rangers now reaching the summit of the cliff and helped secure the landing site for the invasion.

           In the early morning silence, after the heat of battle, Chris collapsed on the ground part from fatigue, part from pain, but mostly from grief – his friends were gone.  Chris had shrapnel wounds in his left arm and hip.  At some point his helmet had taken a hit and deflected the bullet but the impact gave him a nasty scalp wound.  Blood now streamed down the side of his face and soaked his collar.                                                                                                                                                             

These are the memories that flooded into Chris’s mind as he put away his uniform and prepared to spend a weekend at the Mid Atlantic Air Museum as a guest of honor, something he had done for the last five years.  This would be his first year going without Peggy at his side.  He knew it would not be the same without her, but he still looked forward to the event.  

          The museum had organized a weekend devoted to the history of World War II for the last ten years.  It was a living history lesson with vintage aircraft flown in from all over the country, and encampments set up with hundreds of reenactors dressed in the World War II uniforms of the United States, England, France and Germany.  The museum also invited veterans from the war who would give first hand accounts of combat.  But none of them told what the war was really like for their memories were selective, cleansed by time, and they all carried within them that area of memory they would never enter again. 

World War II weekend started Friday morning and, although he wasn’t scheduled to give his presentation until Saturday, Chris always went Friday to wander the hanger and apron crammed with vintage World War II fighters, bombers, trainers and transports.  He could remember when the skies were filled with their kind.  Now there remained only a few of each.  On those warm Friday afternoons, he enjoyed walking through the encampments.  At one point he saw three men in ranger combat uniforms.  He smiled to himself, glad to see his branch of the army represented.  Chris loved strolling through the tents.  In his mind, there was nothing like the smell of a real canvas tent; the open flaps were your windows and the grass was your floor.  He had seen the tents his grandchildren used when they camped, it was like camping in a nylon bag, no smell, no character. In one of those old canvass tents, he could stand, close his eyes, and the memories of his days in the army would flood into his brain.

  Another reason he enjoyed the Fridays was the veterans whose attendance was heavy.  The old men and women enjoyed the smaller crowds and slower pace that Fridays afforded.  He enjoyed conversations with his contemporaries, reliving the past and recalling the days they were once young and involved in the great adventure they shared. 

Saturday morning arrived, the sky again clear and blue.  He went through his morning routine, slowly struggled into his uniform and waited for his nine o’clock ride to the museum.  Chris looked forward to the day.  Although he had never made a big deal about his award, one day bathed in the admiration of people who appreciated the sacrifices made during World War II did not hurt him, not at all. 

With his first lecture scheduled for 10:30, he was anxious to get to the museum.  He found the tent for his lecture.  There were about fifty folding chairs set up.  He took a moment and stood there alone, letting his mind recall memories that he usually avoided, memories that he would touch slightly, just slightly today.

As he waited at the speaker’s platform, the tent began to fill up. At the back of the tent, he spied the three young men in ranger uniforms he had seen the day before, standing together apart from the crowd.  Maybe today they would learn something about the uniforms they wore.

The chairs were full and people were standing in the back as Chris went into his presentation.  He shared with them the events of that early morning on the French coast, sanitized, but with enough action to keep the crowds attention.  After thirty minutes he was done and ready for questions.  Half way through the questions one of the men dressed as a ranger raised his hand and said, “Sir, I just want you to know we appreciate what you did for your country.”

  That brought a smile to Chris’ face, “I appreciate that son,” he answered.

The presentation over, the tent was cleared, and it was time for a little lunch and a chance to watch the vintage aircraft flying.  This was the part he most enjoyed.  The drone of the B-17 accompanied the whine of the Merlin powered P-51s.  He knew the planes were the big draw, not old men wearing old uniforms, but he was happy to be part of the show.

First to fly were the trainers, SNJs and T-28s.  Then the observation aircraft would fly, the L-19s, followed by the transports, the C-47s and a C-54.  Before the fighters and bombers took off, the reenactors took the field in front of the crowd.  To the left were the men in German uniforms, to the right the U.S. Army.

The uniformed men fired blanks and mock mortars at each other.  There were also smoke grenades thrown by both sides.  All this action took place in a grassy area between the runway and aircraft taxiway.  As usual, the fire department stood ready for the grass fires the smoke grenades always started, and this year was no exception.  The grass fires were more of a nuisance than a danger, and they were always rapidly dealt with.  In fact, the dense plumes were greater than any of the regular attendees of the show could remember, and the fire company quickly prepared to hose down the grass.  Chris stood there with the rest of the crowd as the shroud of smoke drifted over them.

Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder.  It was one of the rangers, “Sir, we need your help.”

 “Sure son, what can I do for you?” came Chris’ reply.

  “Could you join us sir?” the ranger questioned.  The ranger started walking towards the smoke set off by the mock battle, flanked by the two other rangers Chris had noticed before, and bewildered, Chris followed.

Soon smoke enveloped the four men.  The crowd, watching the firemen putting out the grass fire saw the three reenactors on the field but could not imagine why an old man in uniform was traipsing in after them.  They saw the four enter the clouds of smoke and lost sight of them.

Chris walked, not knowing where the three young men were taking him.  His arthritis bothered him as he entered the smoke, but a few steps into the haze his pain was reduced, and then gone.  He noticed something else; he no longer wore his dress uniform but wore the ranger combat uniform, same as the reenactors.  All at once he was puzzled and amazed and had no idea what their destination could be.

The three reenators slowed down and Chris easily caught up with them.  “How in the hell are you, Chris?” asked Duck.  Frank and Larry were slapping his back and pounding his shoulders, his young shoulders. 

“We’re on a mission and need your help,” said Frank.  “We need the squad together,” he continued. 

“I’m your man,” said Chris taking off his helmet and running his hand through his thick dark hair.  His mind still could not wrap itself around what was happening.

Some of the crowd there to watch the flying saw four figures begin to emerge from the smoke, the figures of four young men.  The men entered another cloud of smoke before them and were gone.

Chris and his three buddies came out of the haze.  They were on a dirt road surrounded by a forest.  They were all holding rifles, but Chris could sense no danger.  They were on patrol and Chris felt better than he had ever felt in his life.  He was with his best friends, men he had missed all these years and men he loved.  The sky was so blue it almost hurt his eyes. The trees and grass were the greenest green he had ever seen.  He set out with his three friends, easily matching their stride.

Suddenly, Chris’ eyes filled with tears.  He did not know how, did not understand what was happening, but somehow, he knew his young and pretty Peggy was waiting.                                                                                      

November 23, 2023 at 8:00 pm Leave a comment

ELMO’S INVENTION XI

THE FUTURE OF ELMO’S TIME MACHINE

Kingsley walked home with tomorrow’s paper.  He was deep in thought and anxious to organize them.  As soon as he got home he retrieved a pad and pencil, opened the paper, and while reading took copious notes.  His expression grew grave as he worked and highlighted the articles and sections he thought were important.  Once this was accomplished he prepared for bed knowing he would get little sleep.  The next morning he awoke from the restless night he anticipated.  After a meager breakfast he placed a call to Elmo.

Elmo answered to phone and Kingsley could hear the anticipation in his voice.  This did not do much for Kingsley’s spirits.  “Elmo, this is Kingsley.  I thought we might get together and have a discussion about your machine.  Would six tonight be okay?”

“Sure,” Elmo responded.  “I can’t wait to talk to you about it.  It’s all I can think about.”

Mildred was listening and instantly knew the subject of the conversation.  She tried to hide her growing apprehension thinking about the last time her husband’s invention was made public.

Kingsley arrived at precisely 6:00PM to Mildred waiting with a steaming mug of coffee.  She said, “Elmo is so excited to talk to you.”  She looked at Kingsley’s expression and could detect and uneasiness.  She said no more and Kingsley walked down the stairs to the cellar.

“Kingsley, my friend, I’m so glad you came.  I can’t wait to talk to you about the prospects of patenting my machine.”

Kingsley was known for his directness, and Elmo expected that now, but to say he was less than enthusiastic with what he heard would be a stretch.

Holding the paper obtained during his time travel, Kingsley referred to his pad of notes although he knew exactly what he needed to say.  “Elmo, I’ve highlighted some sections and articles in this paper.  Areas where your time machine would have an impact.”

Elmo and noticed that the entire sports section was marked.  He looked up at his friend.

“Your machine could spell the end of sports betting both legal and illegal.  The horse racing industry would collapse.  If just one person knew the future and outcome of any sporting event and sold that information, well you can see what would happen.”

As Elmo continued to study the paper Kingsley went on.  “Keep in mind that one person selling information scenario.  What would happen if the future of the stock market was known?  I have no idea how it would effect the economy, but I don’t think it would be for the best.

“Then there are political races.  Knowledge of the winner would be devastating.  It would result in a self fulfilling prophecy.  Why vote if the winner is known?

“These are just a few of the instances where your machine could determine the present by knowing the future.

“Then there is the bigger picture.  In science fiction, whenever someone travels into the past they make sure not to change a single thing.  Step on a beetle and you could come back to a different world.  But you see, even when you are traveling into the future you are trespassing on someone’s past.

“I’ve been thinking about H.G. Wells book The Time Machine.  Of course it was fiction, but the future looked dismal for mankind.  When the time traveler traveled into the distant future the planet was inhabited by giant crabs.  I know this is only fiction but do we really want to know what the future holds?

“Elmo, I’m just afraid from the public may not be as immediate as it was when your machine was a prison, but eventually the response could be more devastating and disruptive to you and Mildred.”

Kingsley’s opinions carried a great deal of work with Elmo.  He sat in silence and then said, “All that work for nothing.  I’m a failure.”

“No you’re not.  It’s just that your efforts produced knowledge that our society is unable to handle.  I know it isn’t much, but I’m proud of what you accomplished.  Perhaps there will come a time when your time machine will serve a useful purpose, but I’m afraid that time is not now.

“The final choice is yours, Elmo.  I can only give you my advice and opinion.”

Kingsley then stood up, put his had on Elmo’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze, and walked upstairs.  He saw Mildred in the kitchen.  “I think Elmo needs to be alone for a while, but he also needs you.”  Kingsley left and Mildred knew the discussion did not go well.

She waited and then walked down the cellar stairs.  Elmo was wheeling his time machine to the corner of the cellar where his transport chambers stood.  The machine that had cost Mildred her tea cups.  She walked up to her husband and gave him a hug and a lingering kiss. 

He said, “Well, Doll, we won’t make our fortune off my time machine.”

Mildred responded, “I don’t need a fortune.  All I need is you.  It’s getting late.  Let’s go to bed.”

They walked up the stairs and put out the cellar lights.  In the darkened corner stood the time machine which someday might serve a purpose, but not now.  Of one thing we can be certain, this will not be Elmo’s last invention.

This concludes my novella, Elmo’s Invention. I hope you enjoyed it.

Next will come my published short stories followed by my published novella, Elmo’s Sojourn, which is a sequel to Elmo’s invention.

November 19, 2023 at 11:18 pm Leave a comment

ELMO’S INVENTION X

THE TINKERER GOES INTO THE FUTURE

Kingsley talked to Elmo on the phone and agreed to come over and view the time machine the next day.  The following night at 6:00PM sharp Kingsley showed up at the kitchen door, punctual as usual.  Mildred had a steaming mug of coffee ready for him.

“Hello, Kingsley.  Elmo is so excited to talk to you about his time machine.  I’ll be honest with you Kingsley; I think it really does work but what kind of disruption it will cause in our lives I can only imagine.  I just want a nice quiet life here in New Mexico.”

Kinsley said, “I’ll do my best to keep the existence of the machine quiet until Elmo and I have thought through the ramifications it might pose.”

Elmo appeared at the top of the cellar stairs and said, “Kingsley come quick.  I want to demonstrate my time machine.”

“All right, Elmo, I’m coming.”  Kingsley looked back at Mildred and she just stood there shaking her head.

Elmo led Kingsley down to the iron lung.  “Kingsley, I found a loose wire and after consulting my wiring diagrams, I reattached it.  And what do you know; it now works as a time machine.”

“How can you be sure, Elmo?”

“Why, I tested it and journeyed into the future.  Now I’d like you to see the future.”

This caught Kingsley by surprise.  “I don’t know, Elmo.  What happens if it’s only a one-way trip?”

“That won’t happen.  And even if it did, I’m only sending you to tomorrow morning.  Trust me, Kingsley.”

He respected Elmo’s enthusiasm and love for science.  After thinking to prospect of traveling into the future, Kingsley said, “Okay, Elmo, send me to tomorrow morning, but make sure you bring me back.”

Elmo smiled and said, “Don’t worry.  It’s foolproof.”

Kingsley stared at Elmo.

Elmo opened the lid to the iron lung and had Kingsley climb in.  Before he closed the lid he said, “First the chamber will fill with a dense mist.  That’s normal.  When the mist clears, I’d like you to go upstairs, open the kitchen door and pick up the paper.  Bring the paper along with you when you get back into the chamber.  You’ll be gone for a total of fifteen minutes.”  Elmo closed the chamber and initiated the process.  Soon Kingsley was lost in a cloud of mist.

Within the chamber Kingsley could see only the dense white fog which soon dissipated.  He climbed out of the chamber and found that Elmo was no longer there.  The light coming through the high cellar windows appeared to be different.  It was a morning light. He went up the stairs and entered the kitchen.  There stood Mildred in her bathrobe making breakfast.  She had her back to him and when she turned she dropped her spatula and gave a little shriek and said, “Kingsley where did you come from and what are you doing here?”

Elmo sat at the kitchen table waiting for breakfast with a wide grin on his face.

Kingsley sheepishly replied, “Getting the paper.”  This made no sense at all to Mildred.  He looked at Elmo who had gone from grinning madly to laughing hysterically.  Picking up the paper, he headed down stairs leaving a mystified Mildred and an hysterical Elmo.

The thing he wanted to check when he returned to the time machine was the paper’s date.  Sure enough it was tomorrow’s date.  This presented Kingsley with an eerie feeling of possessing knowledge he should not have.  Rather, it was today’s date and today was tomorrow.  Opening the lid of the chamber, he climbed in and settled down ready to go back to today or rather yesterday.

The chamber began to fill with a thick mist which soon cleared and there stood Elmo.  He helped Kinsley out of the machine and the paper opening it up with great anticipation.  There it was, tomorrow’s date.  He slapped Kingsley on the back and said, “It works.  It really works.”

Kingsley was lost in wonder at what Kingsley had accomplished. He built a machine that, until now, only existed in the realms of science fiction. He said, “Elmo, I’d like to keep this paper.  There’s some thinking I must do about your startling device.

“Sure, keep it.”

Kingsley suggested, “Let’s get together in a day or two and discuss the potential impact your machine may have on everyday life.  I’m sure you and Mildred do not want any more protests.”

“Sure Kingsley, sure.  I’ll see you in a couple days.”

The next morning Elmo absently minded went out the kitchen door to get the paper as Mildred said, “Elmo, you won’t believe it but Kingsley already picked up our paper and went into the cellar.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” said Elmo and smiled broadly.

November 17, 2023 at 9:16 pm Leave a comment

ELMO’S INVENTION IX

ELMO’S TIME MACHINE

Not long after his last visit, he stopped by Brooker’s farm after work. 

“How you doing, Elmo?”  He shouted as he exited one of his coops. 

“Not bad,” Elmo responded.  “Not bad.”

Brooker said, “I guess you come for more chicks.  Got to tell you, son, this deal is saving me money on feed and such.  Hope we can keep it going for a long time.”

Elmo thought about all the effort he put into constructing his machine, and all the grief he endured to find its purpose, and it all came down to raising chickens.  He tried to mask his feelings and said, “It’s a pretty good deal, Brooker.  A pretty good deal.”

Elmo accepted six chicks and made his way home, his heart full of failure wondering what went wrong.  He arrived home, still in a funk, and Mildred met him at the door.  She was all smiles.  “Elmo, it looks like we’ll be getting a free chicken soon.”

Elmo gave his wife a wistful smile and went downstairs to his cellar lab.  He loaded the chicks into his machine, set the length of time of aging to one year and the duration for one minute, and then pushed the button that would start the process.  He stepped back, expecting the chamber to fill with mist and eventually see mature chickens, but nothing happened.

“Now what?” Elmo shouted in disbelief.

Not only had his time machine been reduced to raising chickens, now it wouldn’t work.  He removed the chicks and went to get his wiring diagrams.  Unscrewing a steel plate to gain access to the workings of the machine, he carefully began to probe searching for a fault.

After a short period of time he muttered, “Aha.”  He had found a disconnected wire and immediately knew that must be the problem.

Elmo referred to his wiring diagram, and then back to the wire.  He saw where the connection should be made, but to his surprise, that connection had never been completed.  The wire had been soldered to a place it should not have been.  His mind raced.  Could this be why the invention did not fulfill its purpose?  Elmo made the repair, reattached the panel and retrieved the chicks.

Elmo’s thoughts went wild as he placed the chicks in the chamber; reset the length of time to one year and the duration to one minute.

He pushed the start button.

The chamber filled with mist, and the quickly dissipated.  The chicks were gone.  A short time later they reappeared with no apparent change in age.

Elmo jumped for joy, shouting, “It works!  It works!”

He next shouted, “Mildred, come quick!” 

Mildred heard his initial exclamation.  After Elmo beckoned her, she started for the cellar with great apprehension.  Sometimes things went terribly wrong down there.  She flashed back to her mother’s tea cups, wondering where they were now and if they still existed.  She never knew what to expect at all when she was summoned down to Elmo’s lab.  But she love Elmo and wanted to give him all the support she could – within reason.

When entering the cellar, Mildred found Elmo peering into his iron lung device.  He turned and said to her, “Doll, it works, I think.  It finally, really works.”

It was the ‘I think, that bothered Mildred.

“Watch”, he said to Mildred and repeated the experiment.  Once again the chicks disappeared in a cloud and then reappeared in another white haze.

Milder muttered, “At least the chicks returned, unlike my tea cups.”

Elmo then related to his wife about the loose wire, his reference to the wiring diagram and his mistake in constructing his machine.

Mildred asked, “Is that the end of our free chickens”

The question caused Elmo to chuckle realizing his wife’s priorities, so much different from his own.

“I’m afraid so, my dear.  But this is more important than chickens.

“Your teacups were part of a different experiment.  The reason I called you down is to see if my experiment worked, to see if the chicks actually traveled in time.”

“Well, Elmo, how are you going to do that?”

After removing the chicks from the chamber, Elmo pushed a small stepstool in front of the iron lung.

Mildred said, “You’re not going to do what I think you’re going to do.”

“There is only one way, Doll, that I can think of to know if it really works.  A person must be transported into the future and return and report on the experience.’

“I need your help.  All the parameters are set.  All you need to do is push this button to initiate the process.’

Mildred knew there would be no living with Elmo if she didn’t help, and if she didn’t help he would just get someone else.  She mumbled, “All right, Elmo, but it’s the return part I’m worried about.”  She added, “Remember the tea cups.  What happens if you don’t come back?”

Before he closed the lid to the chamber, Elmo said, “That was a totally different type of experiment.  But remember that every experiment has an element of uncertainty.  That’s why they are called experiments.

“I have to know if my machine works, and I’m almost positive that it does.  I need to do this to confirm that it does.”

With that Elmo closed the lid and indicated to Mildred to push the button.  The chamber filled with a heavy white mist, and when it cleared Elmo was gone.  After five minutes it once again filled with the blanketing mist.  Once the chambered cleared, and much to Mildred’s delight, there laid Elmo with a huge grin on his face. He pushed open the lid and shouted, “It works!  It works!”  After all the hard work, disappointment and failure, his time machine finally worked.

“Mildred, I was talking to you fifteen minutes into the future down here in the cellar.”

“How can you know it was in the future, Elmo?”

“Well, for one thing, you don’t remember me talking to you since I entered the chamber.”

“You’re talking to me now, Elmo.”

“Well yes, but something happened while we were talking that will confirm my knowledge of the future.”  Elmo waited another few moments and said, “Your roast is burning.”

Seconds later the first odors of burning roast filtered down to the cellar.

“Elmo, why didn’t you tell me earlier?  I could have saved the roast.”

“And I would have changed the future.”

Mildred hurried up stairs in a huff.  Seconds later there came a crash from the kitchen.

He said quietly, “And you’re going to burn your fingers and drop the roast.  I forgot to mention that part.”

Elmo was anxious to share the fact that his time machine finally worked with someone in the scientific community.  He immediately thought of notifying the Tinkerers Club, but that idea did not last long.  The last time he consulted the club it ended in disaster when someone leaked the events of the meeting.  The only tinkerer he trusted was Kingsley Dasher, and that’s who he would contact. 

November 13, 2023 at 8:52 pm Leave a comment

ELMO’S INVENTION VIII

ELMO FINDS A USE FOR HIS MACHINE

The day after Kingsley’s visit Mildred called.  Elmo answered the phone expecting more trouble, “Hello.”

“Hello.  It’s me.  I miss you so much but I just couldn’t take the conflict and uproar.  I’m coming home.  Is everything over?”

“It’s all over, Doll.  My invention is history.  I’m not even going to patent it, it’s done.”

Mildred could hear the disappointment, the depression in his voice.  She loved him so much and wanted to comfort him in his loss.  She said, “Elmo, I’ll be home as soon as I can.  I love you.”

He responded, “I love you too, Doll.  And I realize more than ever how much I need you.”

After hanging up the phone, Elmo immediately felt better, but at the same time, he felt disappointment that all his efforts had resulted in nothing, more than nothing.  Would the folks that protested ever forgive him?  Would they ever understand that he was trying to help them not harm them?  Would his community forgive him for the disruption he caused?  Would everything ever be back to normal?  All these thoughts were on his mind as he waited for his love to come home.

Mildred arrived the next day to the open arms of her husband.

The city cleared most of the trash, but there was no way that things would be back to normal for a long time.  Mounds of debris still littered the front yard and the curb.  Neighbors passed by and shook their heads. Cars passed by and slowed down to take in the event that marred their community.

Mildred said, “I can’t wait until this is over and begin our lives again.”

Elmo loved Mildred so much, yet at the same time, he wanted the efforts he put into his invention to have some success.  But he also realized that to pursue that purpose would mean more misery for him and his wife.  Society just wasn’t ready for the radical change his invention offered.  Elmo now knew that changes that affected the income of sections of the economy, no matter how much they may improve society, would take a long time to be accepted.  Money was more important than progress.

* * *

Elmo’s machine still worked fine, and he wanted to continue to use it in some capacity. 

One day he said to Mildred, “Maybe I’ll contact Nat Brooker.  I matured chickens for him in the past; maybe I can do that again and earn a little profit.”

The next day Elmo drove out to Brooker’s Farm.  Nate was repairing some fencing, saw Elmo, and waved a gloved hand.  The two men walked to meet.

Elmo said, “Nate, could I set up a deal with you to mature some of your chickens in my invention?  Ten for one.  I mature ten chickens and you give me one cleaned and ready to cook.”

Nate said, “I know all about the protests out at your place.  You sure did stir up a hornets nest.  You’re a good man, Elmo, and this sounds like a deal that could help us both.  I’d be glad to give you chicks or eggs, but how will I know the chickens will be normal?”

Elmo scratched his head, and then said, “Do you have to submit chickens for inspection?”

Nate responded, “Why yes I do, on occasion.”

“Then submit one of the chickens I age and see what the results are.  I can almost guarantee you that there will be no problems.”

“I trust you, Elmo.  And what could go wrong?  You’re just aging the damn things.”

Nate’s expression suddenly became pensive, and then he asked Elmo, “I’ve been thinking about aging.  Have you thought about what else you could age, say cheese or wine?”

Elmo’s eyes brightened as he considered the prospect of finally making some money from his machine.  But then he thought some more and the happiness was replaced by dread, how much conflict occurred when he thought he was doing society a favor.  Before his mind’s eye were protests from those whose livelihoods depending on aging cheese and wine.  There would be picket lines set up by construction workers who built the facilities for the aging.  Elmo realized that, with the exception of his chicken farmer friend, he could not use his machine in a way that would endanger someone else’s livelihood.  Anyway, he wanted to build a time machine, not an aging process.  He mused to himself and smiled, at least I’ll be able to provide the occasional chicken for the dinner table, but he wished for so much more for his efforts.

November 12, 2023 at 9:53 pm Leave a comment

Elmo’s Invention Chapter VII

ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE

It was the morning of the sixth day after The New York Times people left town.  The article about Elmo and his invention was published in The Los Alamos Herald and was the impetus for the visit from the Times. Much to Mildred’s joy and astonishment there were no immediate repercussions from the article in The New York Times.  The residents of Los Alamos had already had their feathers ruffled by the topic and there were no further reactions.  Elmo and Mildred began to relax, confident that all the problems involved with the invention were behind them.  That morning Mildred asked Elmo, “Could you run out and get the paper?  I’ll make you a nice breakfast before you go to work.”  Mildred had mellowed and Elmo’s life was back to normal, but that was about to change in seconds.

Elmo opened the front door, took a few steps and then slowly backed up and closed the door.    Their usually quiet street was overflowing with cars, buses and a great mass of people milling around appearing to anticipate something.  Elmo had no idea what was going on but had a very bad feeling.  Mildred was not going to like this.  He peered through the window and it was then he caught sight of a placard where his name appeared being carried towards his house.

Elmo had little choice.  He had to let Mildred know that something was going on.  If he didn’t, it would be like trying to hide a herd of elephants taking up residence on their front yard.  He gently called, “Oh Mil, there’s something I think you should see.  I’m sure it won’t amount to much.”

She entered the front room and asked, “What won’t amount to much?”

As she approached the front window Elmo pushed back the curtains.  Mildred stood as if paralyzed, and then shouted, “I knew it!  I told you talking to The Times was a big mistake.  But no, you were going to save the world.”  She stormed out of the room leaving Elmo alone with his thoughts of how this would all work out.

Soon more placards appeared identifying the various organizations present.  There was The Friends and Relatives of Prisoners.  They were joined by The Society of Prison Guards and another group representing ex-cons.  A large group of construction workers were present, their group wearing hard hats, were involved in the building of prisons.  Along with their signs, they paraded a scarecrow suspended from a pole with of picture of Elmo’s face attached to the head.  

Keeping to themselves, Elmo spied another small group which stood out like a sore thumb.  Outfitted in expensive suits and equally expensive shoes, they held professionally manufactured signs proclaiming them as The Society of Defense Lawyers.  Their main beef was the possible elimination of endless appeals which kept them supplied with their expensive attire.

Elmo found it strange, but not disappointing, that this great milling crowd of protesters was not protesting.  He also noticed that a buffer zone was carefully observed between the house and the crowd.  The answer to his observation of inactivity soon became clear when the news trucks began to arrive.  What was the purpose of a protest if there was no one there to record it?  Elmo thought it was something like that tree falling in the forest and no one heard it.  He noticed something else most disturbing.  There was a secondary crowd forming in the distance away from main body of protesters.  He could not recognize individual faces but he knew who they were.  They were the residents of Los Alamos come to witness the spectacle.  This would anger Mildred even more.  

Once the cameras were in place and the reporters had their makeup on and were holding microphones, the crowd began to come alive holding up signs and voicing their respective opinions.  

But all was not quite finished.  The icing on the protest cake was the arrival, with as many lights flashing as possible and sirens wailing, of the Los Alamos police.  Four police cars came to a skidding halt on Elmo’s front yard creating deep tire tracks.  The chief of the Los Alamos police, John McFurdy first went over to the press and diligently spelled his name for them.  Then he went to Elmo’s front door and knocked.  Elmo asked the chief in and offered him a cup of coffee.  Sitting at the kitchen table, McFurdy said, “All the groups out there obtained permits to protest.  There is nothing we can do but insure that no damage happens to your property.”

Elmo recalled the deep groves he had observed in his front yard.

Chief McFurdy continued, “State police have formed a perimeter around you house to ensure that no one without a permit enters the protest zone.”

Elmo knew that the perimeter was not that great.  His neighbors had already broken it. The term ‘protest zone’ made the hairs on the back of Elmo’s neck stand on end.

After McFurdy left, Elmo noticed that six officers had stationed themselves between Elmo’s house and the press.  There was a hushed silence.  The first camera lights came on and it was as if someone threw a switch: All hell broke loose.

The once silent crowd instantly created a roar.  Each group shouted their rehearsed chants.  Soon after the beginning of the protest, Elmo’s effigy burst into flames.  The various groups began to hurl eggs and tomatoes at Elmo’s house and the police. The lawyer’s contingent hurled non-libelous insults and carefully recorded what they said.  A few rocks were thrown, later determined to come from the area populated by the ex-cons, but no real damage was done to the house or bystanders including the police.

The protest went on for two days while the press conducted interviews.  One woman came forward and held up a copy of The New York Times pointing to the before and after pictures of Elmo’s demonstration shouting, “My son is in prison.  I don’t want him turned to ash.”  Behind her stood a grizzled ex-con, his shaved head glistening in the sun.  “Nobody is putting me in no fucking death chamber,” indicating his life of crime was not yet over.  

After the media had their film and interviews they began to pack-up and leave.  With the media gone the protesters lost their enthusiasm and quietly slipped away leaving a mess of litter and protest signs.  There were some portable toilets available, but not nearly enough to handle the large crowd, so the area around Elmo’s home was not only a mess but also a health hazard.

* * *

Once the protesters had left, Kingsley Dasher slowly made his way to Elmo’s residence not knowing what he would find.  He climbed the front steps and knocked on the door.  The Elmo that greeted him was one he didn’t know.  The man appeared beaten, the image of a lost soul.  Before he could stop himself, Kingsley asked, “How are you doing, Elmo?”

Elmo stood with slumped shoulders, and dark-rimmed eyes answered with a raspy voice, “I’ve been better.”

“May I come in?”

“Of course.  I wouldn’t mind a little company right now.”  Elmo led his friend into the living room and offered him a seat.

Kingsley said, “You had to endure quite a ruckus, Elmo.  I feel guilty that I was the one who pointed out the obvious use of your invention.  I suspected something might happen once the existence of your invention was made known, but I never imagined the level of hostility.  The reality is our society is a fickle society.  It professes one set of values, but it is mere lip service.  The values that are actually in practice are completely different from those voiced.  

“Money is the value our society holds dearest.

“Your invention would have saved millions of dollars, perhaps billions in doing away with the prison system and at the same time providing swift justice for the guilty.  But at the same time it would have deprived hundreds maybe thousands of people of their livelihood.  Construction workers and prison guards would suffer, and let us not forget the lawyers with their endless appeals.  Society has problems with such sudden changes no matter how beneficial they are.”

Kingsley then took a moment to look around and wondered where Mildred was.  “How is Mildred handling all this?”

“Not very well.  The day the protests began she left for her sister’s home in Santa Fe.  I call but she refuses to talk to me.”

“I’m sure she’ll come around once all this is over.  It will just take some time.  This whole experience was quite a blow for both of you.  To say it was a life-disrupting event would be putting it mildly.”

The two men sat in silence for a while and then the phone rang.  Elmo jumped up hoping it was Mildred but he was to be extremely disappointed and further upset.

“Hello,” he said.

Kingsley watched Elmo’s face and immediately knew the news was not good.  Elmo had little to say during the short call.  After hanging up, he told Kingsley, “That was a representative of the American Civil Liberties Union calling to notify me that they are issuing a class-action lawsuit on behalf of prisoners, families of prisoners and ex-convicts.  Apparently there are organizations of defense lawyers also preparing lawsuits.  This whole thing is just getting worse and worse.

I was hoping to patent the device and make some money.  Now it appears it may cost me everything I have.  This is definitely not going to bring Mildred home.”

Kingsley knew that Elmo needed to be alone.  He rose and said, “I would suggest you issue a statement saying that upon further consideration, you’ve decided to discontinue any further attempts in patenting or selling your machine.

“Your science was sound, Elmo.  Society just wasn’t prepared for such a sudden advance.”

Kingsley left Elmo sitting on the couch, a man in love with science and defied by society.

ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE

It was the morning of the sixth day after The New York Times people left town.  The article about Elmo and his invention was published in The Los Alamos Herald and was the impetus for the visit from the Times. Much to Mildred’s joy and astonishment there were no immediate repercussions from the article in The New York Times.  The residents of Los Alamos had already had their feathers ruffled by the topic and there were no further reactions.  Elmo and Mildred began to relax, confident that all the problems involved with the invention were behind them.  That morning Mildred asked Elmo, “Could you run out and get the paper?  I’ll make you a nice breakfast before you go to work.”  Mildred had mellowed and Elmo’s life was back to normal, but that was about to change in seconds.

Elmo opened the front door, took a few steps and then slowly backed up and closed the door.    Their usually quiet street was overflowing with cars, buses and a great mass of people milling around appearing to anticipate something.  Elmo had no idea what was going on but had a very bad feeling.  Mildred was not going to like this.  He peered through the window and it was then he caught sight of a placard where his name appeared being carried towards his house.

Elmo had little choice.  He had to let Mildred know that something was going on.  If he didn’t, it would be like trying to hide a herd of elephants taking up residence on their front yard.  He gently called, “Oh Mil, there’s something I think you should see.  I’m sure it won’t amount to much.”

She entered the front room and asked, “What won’t amount to much?”

As she approached the front window Elmo pushed back the curtains.  Mildred stood as if paralyzed, and then shouted, “I knew it!  I told you talking to The Times was a big mistake.  But no, you were going to save the world.”  She stormed out of the room leaving Elmo alone with his thoughts of how this would all work out.

Soon more placards appeared identifying the various organizations present.  There was The Friends and Relatives of Prisoners.  They were joined by The Society of Prison Guards and another group representing ex-cons.  A large group of construction workers were present, their group wearing hard hats, were involved in the building of prisons.  Along with their signs, they paraded a scarecrow suspended from a pole with of picture of Elmo’s face attached to the head.  

Keeping to themselves, Elmo spied another small group which stood out like a sore thumb.  Outfitted in expensive suits and equally expensive shoes, they held professionally manufactured signs proclaiming them as The Society of Defense Lawyers.  Their main beef was the possible elimination of endless appeals which kept them supplied with their expensive attire.

Elmo found it strange, but not disappointing, that this great milling crowd of protesters was not protesting.  He also noticed that a buffer zone was carefully observed between the house and the crowd.  The answer to his observation of inactivity soon became clear when the news trucks began to arrive.  What was the purpose of a protest if there was no one there to record it?  Elmo thought it was something like that tree falling in the forest and no one heard it.  He noticed something else most disturbing.  There was a secondary crowd forming in the distance away from main body of protesters.  He could not recognize individual faces but he knew who they were.  They were the residents of Los Alamos come to witness the spectacle.  This would anger Mildred even more.  

Once the cameras were in place and the reporters had their makeup on and were holding microphones, the crowd began to come alive holding up signs and voicing their respective opinions.  

But all was not quite finished.  The icing on the protest cake was the arrival, with as many lights flashing as possible and sirens wailing, of the Los Alamos police.  Four police cars came to a skidding halt on Elmo’s front yard creating deep tire tracks.  The chief of the Los Alamos police, John McFurdy first went over to the press and diligently spelled his name for them.  Then he went to Elmo’s front door and knocked.  Elmo asked the chief in and offered him a cup of coffee.  Sitting at the kitchen table, McFurdy said, “All the groups out there obtained permits to protest.  There is nothing we can do but insure that no damage happens to your property.”

Elmo recalled the deep groves he had observed in his front yard.

Chief McFurdy continued, “State police have formed a perimeter around you house to ensure that no one without a permit enters the protest zone.”

Elmo knew that the perimeter was not that great.  His neighbors had already broken it. The term ‘protest zone’ made the hairs on the back of Elmo’s neck stand on end.

After McFurdy left, Elmo noticed that six officers had stationed themselves between Elmo’s house and the press.  There was a hushed silence.  The first camera lights came on and it was as if someone threw a switch: All hell broke loose.

The once silent crowd instantly created a roar.  Each group shouted their rehearsed chants.  Soon after the beginning of the protest, Elmo’s effigy burst into flames.  The various groups began to hurl eggs and tomatoes at Elmo’s house and the police. The lawyer’s contingent hurled non-libelous insults and carefully recorded what they said.  A few rocks were thrown, later determined to come from the area populated by the ex-cons, but no real damage was done to the house or bystanders including the police.

The protest went on for two days while the press conducted interviews.  One woman came forward and held up a copy of The New York Times pointing to the before and after pictures of Elmo’s demonstration shouting, “My son is in prison.  I don’t want him turned to ash.”  Behind her stood a grizzled ex-con, his shaved head glistening in the sun.  “Nobody is putting me in no fucking death chamber,” indicating his life of crime was not yet over.  

After the media had their film and interviews they began to pack-up and leave.  With the media gone the protesters lost their enthusiasm and quietly slipped away leaving a mess of litter and protest signs.  There were some portable toilets available, but not nearly enough to handle the large crowd, so the area around Elmo’s home was not only a mess but also a health hazard.

* * *

Once the protesters had left, Kingsley Dasher slowly made his way to Elmo’s residence not knowing what he would find.  He climbed the front steps and knocked on the door.  The Elmo that greeted him was one he didn’t know.  The man appeared beaten, the image of a lost soul.  Before he could stop himself, Kingsley asked, “How are you doing, Elmo?”

Elmo stood with slumped shoulders, and dark-rimmed eyes answered with a raspy voice, “I’ve been better.”

“May I come in?”

“Of course.  I wouldn’t mind a little company right now.”  Elmo led his friend into the living room and offered him a seat.

Kingsley said, “You had to endure quite a ruckus, Elmo.  I feel guilty that I was the one who pointed out the obvious use of your invention.  I suspected something might happen once the existence of your invention was made known, but I never imagined the level of hostility.  The reality is our society is a fickle society.  It professes one set of values, but it is mere lip service.  The values that are actually in practice are completely different from those voiced.  

“Money is the value our society holds dearest.

“Your invention would have saved millions of dollars, perhaps billions in doing away with the prison system and at the same time providing swift justice for the guilty.  But at the same time it would have deprived hundreds maybe thousands of people of their livelihood.  Construction workers and prison guards would suffer, and let us not forget the lawyers with their endless appeals.  Society has problems with such sudden changes no matter how beneficial they are.”

Kingsley then took a moment to look around and wondered where Mildred was.  “How is Mildred handling all this?”

“Not very well.  The day the protests began she left for her sister’s home in Santa Fe.  I call but she refuses to talk to me.”

“I’m sure she’ll come around once all this is over.  It will just take some time.  This whole experience was quite a blow for both of you.  To say it was a life-disrupting event would be putting it mildly.”

The two men sat in silence for a while and then the phone rang.  Elmo jumped up hoping it was Mildred but he was to be extremely disappointed and further upset.

“Hello,” he said.

Kingsley watched Elmo’s face and immediately knew the news was not good.  Elmo had little to say during the short call.  After hanging up, he told Kingsley, “That was a representative of the American Civil Liberties Union calling to notify me that they are issuing a class-action lawsuit on behalf of prisoners, families of prisoners and ex-convicts.  Apparently there are organizations of defense lawyers also preparing lawsuits.  This whole thing is just getting worse and worse.

I was hoping to patent the device and make some money.  Now it appears it may cost me everything I have.  This is definitely not going to bring Mildred home.”

Kingsley knew that Elmo needed to be alone.  He rose and said, “I would suggest you issue a statement saying that upon further consideration, you’ve decided to discontinue any further attempts in patenting or selling your machine.

“Your science was sound, Elmo.  Society just wasn’t prepared for such a sudden advance.”

Kingsley left Elmo sitting on the couch, a man in love with science and defied by society.

November 9, 2023 at 4:28 am Leave a comment

Elmo’s Invention Chapter VI

CONFLICT

Mildred watched as the members of the Tinkerer’s Club ascended the stairs from the cellar and prepared to depart.  Harold Kinter, William Dupree and James Forsyth bid her goodbye.  Much to her surprise, Kingsley Dasher took her hand and said, “Elmo has a marvelous intellect and his invention could someday garner you a great deal of money.  Only time will tell.”  With that he walked out the door and was gone.  

Elmo was the last to depart the cellar and Mildred could immediately tell that things had not gone as well as he had anticipated.  She was puzzled by Elmo’s downtrodden appearance and Kingsley’s departing comment.  Wanting to question her husband, she asked, “Elmo, why don’t I pour us some coffee and we have some dessert?”

Elmo, distracted by his thoughts, after a moment, replied, “That’s fine with me, my dear.  I have a great deal on my mind, and perhaps talking would help.  Things did not go as I had hoped during the meeting and I need to gather my thoughts.  I am confused about the future of my invention.  Nothing is going as I had planned.”

Mildred set the kitchen table with two steaming mugs and plates of Elmo’s favorite dessert, spice cake.  She watched Elmo sip his coffee, and then push the dessert away.  Now she knew something was definitely wrong.  Elmo never refused spice cake.  “What happened in the cellar?” Mildred asked.

Elmo hesitated, and then began, “I demonstrated my time machine using the kitten and the results were as I expected.  To everyone’s surprise, Kingsley made a comment after the experiment.  As he began to speak, I expected him to give insight into why the machine was not working, but to my surprise he said that it was working.  Only it was working in a manner not that I appreciated.  He said that I had invented the perfect prison and that my machine had the potential to change society.”

Mildred sat deep in thought remembering what Kingsley had said before departing.  Suddenly her face lit up, “He’s right.  I never would have made the connection.  The man’s a genius.  I’m so proud of you, Elmo.  Your invention will change our society.”

This did not serve to heal Elmo’s fragile ego, instead, Mildred’s comment only served to increase its fragility.

Elmo had invested a great deal of effort in planning and then building his machine.  Now, not only did it not work, but someone else had discovered its use.

Mildred could see that her husband was deeply upset.  She extended her hand across the table and said, “Come to bed, my dear.  Perhaps there is something I can do to improve your mood.”  Mildred was successful, but it wasn’t long before matters took a drastic turn.  Once again it was something that Kingsley had hinted might happen, but even he could not predict the extent of the turmoil Elmo’s machine would cause.

* * *

To this day Elmo doesn’t know how it happened or who was the one to break the secrecy surrounding the meeting of the Tinkerer’s Club. For a moment he thought maybe Mildred, but no, she would never break his confidence.  He was sure it wasn’t Kingsley.  Kingsley had trouble communicating with the members of the club.  Elmo could not picture him going to the press, or even breaking the club’s confidence with a friend.  Elmo doubted he had few friends outside the club.  That left James Forsyth, William Dupree and Harold Kinter as the culprit.  He questioned them all and every one denied that they talked about the machine.  Elmo knew one of them was lying.  His money was on either James Forsyth or William Dupree.

James was a people person and loved being the center of attention.  He also enjoyed talking about his work and Elmo could just picture him letting slip the nature of the Tinkerer’s meeting.  James’ tongue was often ahead of his brain when he really got going in a conversation.

William was also suspect.  Being short, and as most short people, he feared being ignored, feared being lost in a crowd – literally.  So how better to avoid being lost then becoming its center.  Elmo could picture him trying to impress people.  Telling them of a great new device that would do away with prisons and save society billions of dollars.  And after explaining all this, whispering, “Now promise that you won’t tell a soul.”

The more he thought about who the culprit might be, the more Elmo became sure that William was the guilty party, but William, as well as the rest of the members present that night, emphatically denied speaking about the machine to anyone.

The manner in which Elmo discovered that the secrecy of the Tinkerer’s Club meeting had been broken was a phone call he received from a local newspaper.  Published only once a week, The Los Alamos Herald was primarily concerned with community events, births, weddings and funerals.  Most of what was news in the town of Los Alamos was Top Secret so there really wasn’t much to report.  When word of Elmo’s invention began to spread through the tight-knit community, the paper was all over it.

One evening, while Elmo and Mildred were enjoying their supper, the phone rang.  “I’ll get it,” said Elmo as he rose to answer.  This was long before the age of telemarketers, and for that matter, answering machines.  When the phone rang you knew it was something important.  Elmo answered, “Hello.”

A voice on the other end said, “Hello, this is Nate Bush calling from The Los Alamos Herald.  I’d like to speak to Dr. Elmo Baker.”

Mildred watched Elmo and saw his expression range between puzzlement and fear.  

Elmo said, “Elmo here.  What can I do for you?”

“I’ve been told you’ve invented a rather unique machine, a machine that may do away with prisons.  Could you comment on this device?”

Elmo did not know how he should answer.  He thought the events of the meeting would remain confidential.  He now felt anger and frustration and did not know where to direct it.  He had to respond. He couldn’t lie because he would soon be filing a patent for his machine.  “I have built a device that can age the occupant to a predetermined age.”

“How long does this process take?”

Elmo responded, “Oh, just a matter of minutes.”

“How exactly does it work?”

Elmo was not about to admit that he really didn’t know, that it was intended to be a time machine and that something went wrong, so he answered, “I’d rather wait until I patent the device before I divulge its workings.  Also, I’d appreciate it if you would postpone writing any article until I receive the patent.”

Nate was disappointed at this request but felt he had to respect Elmo’s wishes.  He responded, “I’ll write-up the article and wait until I hear that your patent has been granted.”

Elmo, somewhat relieved, said, “I would appreciate that a great deal.  I’ll give you a call when the patent is approved.”

After hanging up the phone, Elmo said to Mildred, “Someone broke their word.  That was The Los Alamos Herald and they wanted to know about my invention.  I can’t believe all this is happening about something I truly do not understand.”

* * *

Later that day George Holkum walked over to Nate’s desk.  The paper was losing money and George, the managing editor, needed to turn that around.  

He asked Nate, “How did that prison thing interview go?  Are we dealing with a nutcase or what?”

Nate began to perspire.  He knew that the paper was in trouble and needed sales.  He also knew he had a fantastic story, but he had given his word.  Nate said, “I think it’s the real thing.  The man is a scientist and he wants to keep things quiet until he gets a patent.”

George said, “Publish the story.  Maybe it will increase our circulation.  We’re not in a position to not publish something important.  We have a responsibility to the stockholders.”

Nate responded, “But boss, I gave my word.”

“Your word won’t sell papers.  Publish your story!”

* * *

The following Wednesday Elmo went to work and immediately became aware that something was not quite right.  Everyone stared at him as if he had two heads.  His usually friendly coworkers were avoiding making eye-contact with him, were uncomfortable to be in the same room with him. Someone finally handed Elmo the latest edition of the Los Alamos Herald, published that morning.

Elmo was shocked at the headline, shouting in huge bold print, Scientist, Elmo Baker Has Invented a Prison that will Change Humanity.  He couldn’t believe it.  He kept muttering to himself, “They promised not to publish.”  He read on and found to his dismay all the details he shared with Nate Bush.  How would this change his life?  He was sure it would not be for the better; trouble was surely down the road and he had a feeling the road would not be a long one.

After sitting in his cubicle, he immediately phoned Nate.  “You promised not to publish anything about my invention.  I trusted you.”

Elmo could hear the guilt in Nate’s voice as he answered, “I wanted to honor my promise but the managing editor insisted I publish the article.  Circulation is down and he wanted something that would catch the readership’s interest.  All we ever get to report is the local news, and with the gossip in this town, most people know what we publish before we publish it.  This story is big.

“But I trusted you.  People at work look at me as if I’m some kind of freak.  What are the rest of the people in Los Alamos going to think?”

“Take it easy, Elmo.  I’m sure this will blow over in no time at all and everything will return to normal.”

The next day Elmo’s life would change in a big way.

* * * 

The Los Alamos rag was read by the locals for local news. Because interest in the paper’s stories appealed to former Los Alamos residents, stories were posted with a wire service.  That’s how Elmo’s problems reached a new level.

The Friday morning after the story appeared in The Los Alamos Herald, Elmo and Mildred were sitting at the kitchen table enjoying a breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast.  Mildred asked, “Things calmed down at work, Elmo?”

“Things are better now.  I explained, to anyone interested, that I discovered the ‘prison’ by mistake, that I’m not really sure that it has any practical purpose and that’s the truth.  I can’t picture the thing being used, and Kingsley Dasher hinted that there may be problems down the road even though he was the one who first envisioned the device as a prison.  I sure didn’t tell anyone that it was a time machine that I really wanted to invent.  I can just imagine the response I would get from that bit of information.”

Elmo was about to continue when the ringing phone interrupted him.

Mildred said, “I’ll get that.  Hold your thought.”

Elmo watched as she answered the phone.  At first she had a puzzled look on her face, and then her eyebrows knit and her forehead wrinkled with shock and confusion.  She said to the caller, “Yes, Mr. Slattery, this is the residence of Elmo Baker.  He’s right here.”

Elmo was puzzled.  He didn’t know a Mr. Slatterly.

Mildred held her hand over the mouthpiece and whispered, “He’s a reporter from The New York Times.”

A film of sweat broke out on Elmo’s forehead.  He knew this was going to be trouble.  He slowly took the phone from Mildred.  “Hello, this is Elmo Baker.  How can I help you?”

“Dr. Baker, this is Joe Slatterly from The New York Times, the paper is extremely interested in the wire story published by The Los Alamos Herald.  I’d like to come to New Mexico and interview you and take some pictures of your machine.  It could change the penal system as we know it.  We feel that the public needs to know about your invention.”

Elmo thought about the reaction that the locals had when they read about his invention.  He could not imagine what it would be like if the entire country, no wait, the entire world knew about his invention.

Elmo said, “I don’t think I’d be comfortable letting the world know about my invention.  The reaction locally was not the best.  I’d rather forget about the whole thing.”

“But Elmo.  Can I call you Elmo?”

“Sure, Elmo’s fine.”

“You could change society for the better.  The convicted could fulfill their debt to society and not experience the degradation and dangers of prison life.  There would be less recidivism.  Prisoners could get on with their lives without the scars of prison life.” 

Elmo began to weaken.  “I suppose my machine could serve a benefit to society.”

“I’m sure it would.  Have you thought much about patenting and selling it?”

“I do plan to patent it, but after that, I don’t know.  I’m just now getting over the shock of how the news was taken around here.”

Slatterly talked fast.  He didn’t want to lose Elmo.  “Well, an article in The New York Times would certainly provide a great deal of publicity.  It might cause some rough spots for you, but it would definitely make the public aware of your device, especially potential customers.  And you know what they say.  ‘There’s no such thing as bad publicity.’”

Mildred listened to Elmo’s end of the conversation and could tell he was wavering and began to think he would do what the reporter wanted him to do.  The gleam in his eyes was beginning to frighten her.  See had seen that look too many times before.

After a few more minutes Elmo finished his conversation by saying, “That would be fine, Mr. Slatterly.  I’m looking forward to seeing you the day after tomorrow.”

After Elmo hung up Mildred immediately asked, “Elmo, what are you doing?  Are you going to talk to that reporter even after how our neighbors and friends reacted after they found out about your machine?  How could you?”

Doubt passed over Elmo’s face, but he quickly recovered.  “Mil, I could help society, free-up money for uses more important than prisons, like education and medical research.”

“Oh I see, Elmo.  You are going to save the world while we become lepers in our own community.”

“That’s a little harsh, Mil.”

“We’ll see,” Mildred said as she stormed out of the room.

* * *

Two days later The New York Times reporter, along with his photographer, appeared at Elmo’s front door.  They called ahead from the airport before they left New York to let Elmo know when he should be expecting them.  When the doorbell rang Elmo wanted to get to the front door before Mildred, who had been moody ever since the reporter’s call.  

Elmo opened the door and extended his hand to the young smartly-dressed man before him.  “You must be Joe Slatterly from The New York Times.”

“That’s right, sir.  And this is my photographer, Larry Hitchcock.  I’ve been looking forward to this interview and seeing your machine.”

Elmo began, “First, call me Elmo.  Let’s go down to the cellar.  I’ve been planning a demonstration for you.”  Elmo led the way to the cellar door and found Mildred standing close to it.  She was civil to the two men from The New York Times, Elmo knew she would be.  What he feared was how she would react and what she would say after they left.

As the group descended the stairs to Elmo’s laboratory, Elmo said, over his shoulder, “I’ve arranged a little demonstration to show you how my device works.” 

Once in the cellar, Larry said, “Look, Joe, an old iron lung.  I haven’t seen one of those in years.  Elmo, do you collect old medical equipment too?”

Slatterly was in a hurry.  He wanted to see the demonstration, talk to Elmo and get out of Hicksville as soon as possible.  “So,” Slatterly asked, “where is your machine?”

Elmo pointed to the iron lung, “That’s it, gentlemen.  I needed a chamber that would fit a human.  Although it may not look like much, what makes this iron lung unique is the electronics I’ve incorporated.  Let me show you how it works.”

Walking to a cage at a far wall, Elmo extracted a rat he had recently obtained, and returned to the iron lung.  He put the rat in the chamber and motioned for Larry to approach.  “Larry, you might want to take a ‘before’ photo of the rat.”

“Sure, Elmo.”

Once the photo was taken Elmo said, “I will conduct this experiment in two stages.  This rat is about four months old.  The lifespan of a rat is about three years.  I will first set the time dial to two years and the length of the experiment to one minute.”  Elmo pushed the initiate button and said to the men, “Please observe.”

They stepped closer to the chamber and saw that a white mist had enveloped the rat, and then quickly disappeared.  The rodent appeared to be slightly bigger than before.

Elmo said, “As you can see, the rat has increased in size.  Now I shall set the time dial to twenty years.”

Once again Elmo initiated the sequence and once again the chamber filled with a white mist.  As the mist began to clear, Nate and Larry could see the rat shrivel.  It became no more than a husk and then collapsed into a mound of dust and bones.  Elmo told Larry, “You can take the ‘after’ picture now.”

Joe and Larry were speechless.  Both expected this claim, for a device which could serve as a prison, to be the fantasy of some demented scientist, but here was the proof before their eyes.  They were truly amazed at what they had witnessed.  Larry took the picture but still couldn’t believe what he had seen.

Joe, still mystified at what he had witnessed, asked, “How did you do that, Elmo?”

“Well,” Elmo began, “the science is rather complicated.  Let’s just say that the theory and principles behind this device are based, for the most part, on Einstein’s work.”  Elmo could not reveal, in reality, that he did not truly understand how it worked and that it was meant to be a time machine.

Joe asked, “So this thing will kill the occupant?”

Elmo was shocked and quickly answered, “Oh no, no.  As you witnessed, the first run only aged the rat.  I wanted the rat to expire in order to demonstrate that time, in the chamber, had truly advanced.  I wasn’t sure if you would believe, with the first experiment, that the rat had aged.

“If a human had been in the chamber he would have aged twenty years in a matter of minutes.  His debt to society, paid.”

After a few more questions for Elmo, Joe said, “I guess we’re finished, Elmo.  This will make a great story and the pictures should really open the eyes of the public.”

Elmo felt apprehension with the last comment.

Joe asked, “Elmo, could we get a photo of you standing in front of your machine?”

Elmo hesitated, but finally said, “I guess it would be all right.”

Larry took the picture and the trio then walked up the stairs out of the cellar.  Joe and Larry said their good-byes and drove away.

As Elmo closed the door he could hear Mildred walk into the room behind him.  This was the moment he dreaded.

“Well, Elmo, were those fellas impressed by your machine?  Did they get the story they wanted?”

“Yes, dear, I think things went rather well.  I demonstrated the device and they were most impressed.”  

Mildred turned and, as she left the room, said with coldness in her voice, “We’ll see what happens when the story comes out.  I hope I’m wrong about bad things to come and soon the entire matter just fades away.” 

Elmo began to think that this was going better than he had hoped, but that thought was short lived.

November 6, 2023 at 7:24 pm Leave a comment

The Universe In Balance

God does not play dice with the universe.

                                         —- Albert Einstein

God not only plays dice, he also sometimes throws the dice where they cannot be seen.

                                         —- Stephen Hawking

THE UNIVERSE IN BALANCE

Prof. Maxwell Lowman sat in his MIT office deep in thought. It was mid-afternoon, the blinds were lowered and closed creating the setting he desired. The sole illumination a reading lamp on his desk, a desk littered with books, research papers and correspondence. His office, lined with bookshelves contained works reflecting his eclectic interests running from poetry to the latest volumes in astrophysics.

With his salt and pepper eyebrows and mane of unruly gray hair he looked every part of the college professor. Lowman was an expert on the ‘Big Bang’, as if anyone could claim that title, he often thought. An expert. Might as well be an expert on heaven. Another doctrine born of conjecture. He often mused, “Why did the ‘Big Bang’ take place? How did it give birth to the universe? Questions yet to be solved. And to some, the answers relying on faith. The same as the existence of heaven. But unlike heaven, there was proof, in theory, that the ‘Big Bang’ did take place but for what reason did the universe exist? The question of why the universe came into existence is unanswerable. How is a matter of conjecture.

Lowman’s mind continued on a journey he had come to enjoy. Where some unknown force, some would call God, held hands with science. How could the universe come into existence from nothing? He tried to imagine space before the ‘Big Bang’. Nothing existed. Time did not exist. Light did not exist. Before the ‘Big Bang’ did space exist. Some thought, before the ‘Big Bang’ space did not exist but then unfolded. Did anything come before the existence of nothing. He spent hours musing over these questions thinking, that perhaps, science could not and should not answer everything. Some mystery should remain.

                                                       * * *

Lowman was conducting his first graduate class of the semester covering the ‘Big Bang’. His lecture would be full of theory, but in reality, no answers. During the course of his lectures he encouraged questions. And these questions would determine the structure of his future lectures. And this year, with the important upcoming experiment, he wanted to introduce the Higgs boson. 

During his lecture, one of his favorite pupils from the past year, Joe Hess, raised his hand and asked, “The ‘Big Bang’ is a mystery to me.”

Lowman said, “Well, you are not alone.”

Hess continued, “We know it happened, or else we wouldn’t be here. But where did all the matter in the universe come from?”

Lowman anticipated this question for it was asked every year. He began pacing along the front of the lecture hall to organize his thoughts for opinions were constantly changing. He began, “Stephen Hawking has a relatively new theory that all matter in the universe was created by the ‘God Particle’. In 1964 Peter Higgs predicted the existence of the Higgs boson which, in a book written by Leon Lederman, was referred to as the ‘God Particle’. The boson is central to our understanding of the structure of all matter”. 

Lowman anticipated Joe’s next question, “But where did the ‘God Particle’ come from?”

“That, young man, is the question which remains unanswered. The theory is that the ‘God Particle’ populated the entire universe in the smallest fraction of a second at a speed far beyond the speed of light. Of course, it is accepted that nothing can exceed the speed of light, but we must remember, that when this occurred light did not exist. Time did not exist, so anything is possible. When the ‘Big Bang’ occurred, it is theorized that the universe consisted of equal parts of dark matter, which is now accepted to exist, and visible matter. For reasons unknown, the amount of visible matter surpassed the amount of dark matter. And that is the reason that the universe – stars, black holes and you and I – exist.

Lowman concluded his lecture by telling the class, “I am sure you are aware that tomorrow a unique experiment will be conducted. It will attempt to duplicate the material which existed immediately following the ‘Big Bang’.  And perhaps create the particle which existed at the moment of the ‘Big Bang’, the ‘God Particle’. He concluded the lecture, and as the class exited the lecture hall, erased the white board of his lecture notes. One fact he saved for his future lecture was that the universe was expanding not contracting as was originally thought. So rather contracting to the point of, perhaps, another ‘Big Bang’ it will expand into single atoms wandering in space. Nature destroyed along with all the balance which once existed. It made no sense.

                                                                                                * * *

Lowman made his way to his office, excitement in his step. His anticipation of tomorrow’s experiment filled his mind with the possibilities it may contribute to understanding the birth of the universe. He would be counting the hours, the minutes until the experiment was initiated. Wondering at the knowledge to be revealed. It was an experiment in which MIT was a participant, along with a host of other prestigious institutions from all over the world. Prompted by his excitement, he scheduled a meeting with Dr. Volachek, head of the Physics Department, to share his enthusiasm. With a few hours before the meeting was to take place, he returned to the solitude of his office to contemplate what tomorrow’s experiment might reveal. Now he raised the blinds to the dismal gray of the winter’s afternoon. 

While sitting at his desk, his eyes wandered over the bookcases lining the walls of his office. He had a love for books since he was a child. During his youth they were his entertainment, and as he grew older, his source of knowledge. He enjoyed being among the thoughts and ideas of the great minds contained in these volumes.  Now, with tomorrow’s experiment, he may be witness to a great advancement in the understanding of the universe. The answers to questions great minds had pondered.

With the Hubble telescope and a host of great technologies being developed, questions were being answered and knowledge being gained more rapidly than ever before. The discovery of dark energy and dark matter, once radical concepts, have changed the science of physics. The question is, why does this mysterious dark matter and energy exist? Lowman sat in his office with the only sound the ticking of the old clock sitting on his bookshelf.

As the time of his meeting with Dr. Volchek drew close he donned his overcoat, and through the crisp winter afternoon, made his way to the dean’s office. He had known Dr. Volchek for years. The dean was a good friend and knowledgeable colleague. He entered the office and Dr. Volchek rose and welcomed him with a handshake. “Good to see you, Max. Glad to have someone with whom to share the excitement of tomorrow’s experiment.”

Lowman answered, “I just hope nothing goes wrong. It is an extremely complicated endeavor. This is an international effort with billions of dollars invested. Failure would be heartbreaking.”

The dean replied, “With every experiment there is a risk. But even a failure can produce knowledge. Now relax. Just look forward to the progress we may make in understanding the mysteries of our universe. Tomorrow that device nicknamed, The Hand of God, with gold atoms racing into one another to achieve unbelievable temperatures, will hopefully cause protons and neutrons to break apart into quarks and the gluon particles which hold the quarks together. And then, we hope, the quark – gluon plasma will duplicate the densest material ever created. The material which existed at or immediately after the ‘Big Bang’. Perhaps a Higgs boson. What a mighty contribution to physics that would be. Creating the material unknown to the universe for 18 billion years.”

                                                          * * *

That night, at home, his mind was like a whirling dervish. At dinner Max’s wife, Martha, could feel the excitement her husband generated. She said, “Max, calm down. You’re going to make yourself sick. Indigestion will not help you appreciate tomorrow.”

You’re right, Martha. You’re right.”

They finished dinner and spent the remainder of the evening reading. Later, as Martha prepared for bed, Max lie there, his mind working furiously. Once Martha was in bed, she turned off the bedside lamp, kissed Max and said, “I love you.”  And he returned that thought. It was their bedtime ritual and meant a great deal to them both. In the darkened room Max turned onto his side. He knew it would take some time to fall asleep, feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve.

The next morning, having spend a fitful night of anticipation, Lowman prepared for work. Before leaving he kissed his wife on the cheek and softly said, “I love you. You make my life worth living.” Martha slightly stirred and smiled.

                                                         * * * 

The drive to campus seemed to take forever. Lowman had trouble maintaining the speed limit. His excitement transferred to his foot. He parked his car and entered one of the large lecture halls reserved to watch the experiment take place on closed – circuit television and hoped for some kind of immediate results. Dr. Volchek saw Lowman and motioned for him to come over and sit in the seat Volchek saved for him.” The scientists at the ‘Hand of God’ began the introduction of those present at the site and relate a brief history of the journey which led to the experiment.

When that was completed, the experiment was initiated.

Lowman began to consider what knowledge might be discovered but that thought was never completed. In an instant Lowman no longer existed. The universe no longer existed. The balance of nature was revealed. All Lowman’s questions were answered and the answers would remain forever unknown. 

Lowman had always been amazed how nature maintained balance. The balance also applied to the Higgs boson. And true to that balance, the experiment produced an anti – Higgs boson. In a thousandth of a trillionth of a second dark matter, using dark energy, compressed all the matter of the universe into the anti – Higgs boson. The entire mass of the universe was now compressed into a minute particle of unbelievable mass. This process had been repeated for an infinite number of times. For infinity. The anti – Higgs boson sat alone in the emptiness of space. And after billions upon billions of years would morph into a Higgs boson prepared to initiate another ‘Big Bang’.

                                         THE END

                               AND THE BEGINNING

God does not play dice with the universe.

                                         —- Albert Einstein

God not only plays dice, he also sometimes throws the dice where they cannot be seen.

                                         —- Stephen Hawking

THE UNIVERSE IN BALANCE

Prof. Maxwell Lowman sat in his MIT office deep in thought. It was mid-afternoon, the blinds were lowered and closed creating the setting he desired. The sole illumination a reading lamp on his desk, a desk littered with books, research papers and correspondence. His office, lined with bookshelves contained works reflecting his eclectic interests running from poetry to the latest volumes in astrophysics.

With his salt and pepper eyebrows and mane of unruly gray hair he looked every part of the college professor. Lowman was an expert on the ‘Big Bang’, as if anyone could claim that title, he often thought. An expert. Might as well be an expert on heaven. Another doctrine born of conjecture. He often mused, “Why did the ‘Big Bang’ take place? How did it give birth to the universe? Questions yet to be solved. And to some, the answers relying on faith. The same as the existence of heaven. But unlike heaven, there was proof, in theory, that the ‘Big Bang’ did take place but for what reason did the universe exist? The question of why the universe came into existence is unanswerable. How is a matter of conjecture.

Lowman’s mind continued on a journey he had come to enjoy. Where some unknown force, some would call God, held hands with science. How could the universe come into existence from nothing? He tried to imagine space before the ‘Big Bang’. Nothing existed. Time did not exist. Light did not exist. Before the ‘Big Bang’ did space exist. Some thought, before the ‘Big Bang’ space did not exist but then unfolded. Did anything come before the existence of nothing. He spent hours musing over these questions thinking, that perhaps, science could not and should not answer everything. Some mystery should remain.

                                                       * * *

Lowman was conducting his first graduate class of the semester covering the ‘Big Bang’. His lecture would be full of theory, but in reality, no answers. During the course of his lectures he encouraged questions. And these questions would determine the structure of his future lectures. And this year, with the important upcoming experiment, he wanted to introduce the Higgs boson. 

During his lecture, one of his favorite pupils from the past year, Joe Hess, raised his hand and asked, “The ‘Big Bang’ is a mystery to me.”

Lowman said, “Well, you are not alone.”

Hess continued, “We know it happened, or else we wouldn’t be here. But where did all the matter in the universe come from?”

Lowman anticipated this question for it was asked every year. He began pacing along the front of the lecture hall to organize his thoughts for opinions were constantly changing. He began, “Stephen Hawking has a relatively new theory that all matter in the universe was created by the ‘God Particle’. In 1964 Peter Higgs predicted the existence of the Higgs boson which, in a book written by Leon Lederman, was referred to as the ‘God Particle’. The boson is central to our understanding of the structure of all matter”. 

Lowman anticipated Joe’s next question, “But where did the ‘God Particle’ come from?”

“That, young man, is the question which remains unanswered. The theory is that the ‘God Particle’ populated the entire universe in the smallest fraction of a second at a speed far beyond the speed of light. Of course, it is accepted that nothing can exceed the speed of light, but we must remember, that when this occurred light did not exist. Time did not exist, so anything is possible. When the ‘Big Bang’ occurred, it is theorized that the universe consisted of equal parts of dark matter, which is now accepted to exist, and visible matter. For reasons unknown, the amount of visible matter surpassed the amount of dark matter. And that is the reason that the universe – stars, black holes and you and I – exist.

Lowman concluded his lecture by telling the class, “I am sure you are aware that tomorrow a unique experiment will be conducted. It will attempt to duplicate the material which existed immediately following the ‘Big Bang’.  And perhaps create the particle which existed at the moment of the ‘Big Bang’, the ‘God Particle’. He concluded the lecture, and as the class exited the lecture hall, erased the white board of his lecture notes. One fact he saved for his future lecture was that the universe was expanding not contracting as was originally thought. So rather contracting to the point of, perhaps, another ‘Big Bang’ it will expand into single atoms wandering in space. Nature destroyed along with all the balance which once existed. It made no sense.

                                                                                                * * *

Lowman made his way to his office, excitement in his step. His anticipation of tomorrow’s experiment filled his mind with the possibilities it may contribute to understanding the birth of the universe. He would be counting the hours, the minutes until the experiment was initiated. Wondering at the knowledge to be revealed. It was an experiment in which MIT was a participant, along with a host of other prestigious institutions from all over the world. Prompted by his excitement, he scheduled a meeting with Dr. Volachek, head of the Physics Department, to share his enthusiasm. With a few hours before the meeting was to take place, he returned to the solitude of his office to contemplate what tomorrow’s experiment might reveal. Now he raised the blinds to the dismal gray of the winter’s afternoon. 

While sitting at his desk, his eyes wandered over the bookcases lining the walls of his office. He had a love for books since he was a child. During his youth they were his entertainment, and as he grew older, his source of knowledge. He enjoyed being among the thoughts and ideas of the great minds contained in these volumes.  Now, with tomorrow’s experiment, he may be witness to a great advancement in the understanding of the universe. The answers to questions great minds had pondered.

With the Hubble telescope and a host of great technologies being developed, questions were being answered and knowledge being gained more rapidly than ever before. The discovery of dark energy and dark matter, once radical concepts, have changed the science of physics. The question is, why does this mysterious dark matter and energy exist? Lowman sat in his office with the only sound the ticking of the old clock sitting on his bookshelf.

As the time of his meeting with Dr. Volchek drew close he donned his overcoat, and through the crisp winter afternoon, made his way to the dean’s office. He had known Dr. Volchek for years. The dean was a good friend and knowledgeable colleague. He entered the office and Dr. Volchek rose and welcomed him with a handshake. “Good to see you, Max. Glad to have someone with whom to share the excitement of tomorrow’s experiment.”

Lowman answered, “I just hope nothing goes wrong. It is an extremely complicated endeavor. This is an international effort with billions of dollars invested. Failure would be heartbreaking.”

The dean replied, “With every experiment there is a risk. But even a failure can produce knowledge. Now relax. Just look forward to the progress we may make in understanding the mysteries of our universe. Tomorrow that device nicknamed, The Hand of God, with gold atoms racing into one another to achieve unbelievable temperatures, will hopefully cause protons and neutrons to break apart into quarks and the gluon particles which hold the quarks together. And then, we hope, the quark – gluon plasma will duplicate the densest material ever created. The material which existed at or immediately after the ‘Big Bang’. Perhaps a Higgs boson. What a mighty contribution to physics that would be. Creating the material unknown to the universe for 18 billion years.”

                                                          * * *

That night, at home, his mind was like a whirling dervish. At dinner Max’s wife, Martha, could feel the excitement her husband generated. She said, “Max, calm down. You’re going to make yourself sick. Indigestion will not help you appreciate tomorrow.”

You’re right, Martha. You’re right.”

They finished dinner and spent the remainder of the evening reading. Later, as Martha prepared for bed, Max lie there, his mind working furiously. Once Martha was in bed, she turned off the bedside lamp, kissed Max and said, “I love you.”  And he returned that thought. It was their bedtime ritual and meant a great deal to them both. In the darkened room Max turned onto his side. He knew it would take some time to fall asleep, feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve.

The next morning, having spend a fitful night of anticipation, Lowman prepared for work. Before leaving he kissed his wife on the cheek and softly said, “I love you. You make my life worth living.” Martha slightly stirred and smiled.

                                                         * * * 

The drive to campus seemed to take forever. Lowman had trouble maintaining the speed limit. His excitement transferred to his foot. He parked his car and entered one of the large lecture halls reserved to watch the experiment take place on closed – circuit television and hoped for some kind of immediate results. Dr. Volchek saw Lowman and motioned for him to come over and sit in the seat Volchek saved for him.” The scientists at the ‘Hand of God’ began the introduction of those present at the site and relate a brief history of the journey which led to the experiment.

When that was completed, the experiment was initiated.

Lowman began to consider what knowledge might be discovered but that thought was never completed. In an instant Lowman no longer existed. The universe no longer existed. The balance of nature was revealed. All Lowman’s questions were answered and the answers would remain forever unknown. 

Lowman had always been amazed how nature maintained balance. The balance also applied to the Higgs boson. And true to that balance, the experiment produced an anti – Higgs boson. In a thousandth of a trillionth of a second dark matter, using dark energy, compressed all the matter of the universe into the anti – Higgs boson. The entire mass of the universe was now compressed into a minute particle of unbelievable mass. This process had been repeated for an infinite number of times. For infinity. The anti – Higgs boson sat alone in the emptiness of space. And after billions upon billions of years would morph into a Higgs boson prepared to initiate another ‘Big Bang’.

                                         THE END

                               AND THE BEGINNING

God does not play dice with the universe.

                                         —- Albert Einstein

God not only plays dice, he also sometimes throws the dice where they cannot be seen.

                                         —- Stephen Hawking

THE UNIVERSE IN BALANCE

Prof. Maxwell Lowman sat in his MIT office deep in thought. It was mid-afternoon, the blinds were lowered and closed creating the setting he desired. The sole illumination a reading lamp on his desk, a desk littered with books, research papers and correspondence. His office, lined with bookshelves contained works reflecting his eclectic interests running from poetry to the latest volumes in astrophysics.

With his salt and pepper eyebrows and mane of unruly gray hair he looked every part of the college professor. Lowman was an expert on the ‘Big Bang’, as if anyone could claim that title, he often thought. An expert. Might as well be an expert on heaven. Another doctrine born of conjecture. He often mused, “Why did the ‘Big Bang’ take place? How did it give birth to the universe? Questions yet to be solved. And to some, the answers relying on faith. The same as the existence of heaven. But unlike heaven, there was proof, in theory, that the ‘Big Bang’ did take place but for what reason did the universe exist? The question of why the universe came into existence is unanswerable. How is a matter of conjecture.

Lowman’s mind continued on a journey he had come to enjoy. Where some unknown force, some would call God, held hands with science. How could the universe come into existence from nothing? He tried to imagine space before the ‘Big Bang’. Nothing existed. Time did not exist. Light did not exist. Before the ‘Big Bang’ did space exist. Some thought, before the ‘Big Bang’ space did not exist but then unfolded. Did anything come before the existence of nothing. He spent hours musing over these questions thinking, that perhaps, science could not and should not answer everything. Some mystery should remain.

                                                       * * *

Lowman was conducting his first graduate class of the semester covering the ‘Big Bang’. His lecture would be full of theory, but in reality, no answers. During the course of his lectures he encouraged questions. And these questions would determine the structure of his future lectures. And this year, with the important upcoming experiment, he wanted to introduce the Higgs boson. 

During his lecture, one of his favorite pupils from the past year, Joe Hess, raised his hand and asked, “The ‘Big Bang’ is a mystery to me.”

Lowman said, “Well, you are not alone.”

Hess continued, “We know it happened, or else we wouldn’t be here. But where did all the matter in the universe come from?”

Lowman anticipated this question for it was asked every year. He began pacing along the front of the lecture hall to organize his thoughts for opinions were constantly changing. He began, “Stephen Hawking has a relatively new theory that all matter in the universe was created by the ‘God Particle’. In 1964 Peter Higgs predicted the existence of the Higgs boson which, in a book written by Leon Lederman, was referred to as the ‘God Particle’. The boson is central to our understanding of the structure of all matter”. 

Lowman anticipated Joe’s next question, “But where did the ‘God Particle’ come from?”

“That, young man, is the question which remains unanswered. The theory is that the ‘God Particle’ populated the entire universe in the smallest fraction of a second at a speed far beyond the speed of light. Of course, it is accepted that nothing can exceed the speed of light, but we must remember, that when this occurred light did not exist. Time did not exist, so anything is possible. When the ‘Big Bang’ occurred, it is theorized that the universe consisted of equal parts of dark matter, which is now accepted to exist, and visible matter. For reasons unknown, the amount of visible matter surpassed the amount of dark matter. And that is the reason that the universe – stars, black holes and you and I – exist.

Lowman concluded his lecture by telling the class, “I am sure you are aware that tomorrow a unique experiment will be conducted. It will attempt to duplicate the material which existed immediately following the ‘Big Bang’.  And perhaps create the particle which existed at the moment of the ‘Big Bang’, the ‘God Particle’. He concluded the lecture, and as the class exited the lecture hall, erased the white board of his lecture notes. One fact he saved for his future lecture was that the universe was expanding not contracting as was originally thought. So rather contracting to the point of, perhaps, another ‘Big Bang’ it will expand into single atoms wandering in space. Nature destroyed along with all the balance which once existed. It made no sense.

                                                                                                * * *

Lowman made his way to his office, excitement in his step. His anticipation of tomorrow’s experiment filled his mind with the possibilities it may contribute to understanding the birth of the universe. He would be counting the hours, the minutes until the experiment was initiated. Wondering at the knowledge to be revealed. It was an experiment in which MIT was a participant, along with a host of other prestigious institutions from all over the world. Prompted by his excitement, he scheduled a meeting with Dr. Volachek, head of the Physics Department, to share his enthusiasm. With a few hours before the meeting was to take place, he returned to the solitude of his office to contemplate what tomorrow’s experiment might reveal. Now he raised the blinds to the dismal gray of the winter’s afternoon. 

While sitting at his desk, his eyes wandered over the bookcases lining the walls of his office. He had a love for books since he was a child. During his youth they were his entertainment, and as he grew older, his source of knowledge. He enjoyed being among the thoughts and ideas of the great minds contained in these volumes.  Now, with tomorrow’s experiment, he may be witness to a great advancement in the understanding of the universe. The answers to questions great minds had pondered.

With the Hubble telescope and a host of great technologies being developed, questions were being answered and knowledge being gained more rapidly than ever before. The discovery of dark energy and dark matter, once radical concepts, have changed the science of physics. The question is, why does this mysterious dark matter and energy exist? Lowman sat in his office with the only sound the ticking of the old clock sitting on his bookshelf.

As the time of his meeting with Dr. Volchek drew close he donned his overcoat, and through the crisp winter afternoon, made his way to the dean’s office. He had known Dr. Volchek for years. The dean was a good friend and knowledgeable colleague. He entered the office and Dr. Volchek rose and welcomed him with a handshake. “Good to see you, Max. Glad to have someone with whom to share the excitement of tomorrow’s experiment.”

Lowman answered, “I just hope nothing goes wrong. It is an extremely complicated endeavor. This is an international effort with billions of dollars invested. Failure would be heartbreaking.”

The dean replied, “With every experiment there is a risk. But even a failure can produce knowledge. Now relax. Just look forward to the progress we may make in understanding the mysteries of our universe. Tomorrow that device nicknamed, The Hand of God, with gold atoms racing into one another to achieve unbelievable temperatures, will hopefully cause protons and neutrons to break apart into quarks and the gluon particles which hold the quarks together. And then, we hope, the quark – gluon plasma will duplicate the densest material ever created. The material which existed at or immediately after the ‘Big Bang’. Perhaps a Higgs boson. What a mighty contribution to physics that would be. Creating the material unknown to the universe for 18 billion years.”

                                                          * * *

That night, at home, his mind was like a whirling dervish. At dinner Max’s wife, Martha, could feel the excitement her husband generated. She said, “Max, calm down. You’re going to make yourself sick. Indigestion will not help you appreciate tomorrow.”

You’re right, Martha. You’re right.”

They finished dinner and spent the remainder of the evening reading. Later, as Martha prepared for bed, Max lie there, his mind working furiously. Once Martha was in bed, she turned off the bedside lamp, kissed Max and said, “I love you.”  And he returned that thought. It was their bedtime ritual and meant a great deal to them both. In the darkened room Max turned onto his side. He knew it would take some time to fall asleep, feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve.

The next morning, having spend a fitful night of anticipation, Lowman prepared for work. Before leaving he kissed his wife on the cheek and softly said, “I love you. You make my life worth living.” Martha slightly stirred and smiled.

                                                         * * * 

The drive to campus seemed to take forever. Lowman had trouble maintaining the speed limit. His excitement transferred to his foot. He parked his car and entered one of the large lecture halls reserved to watch the experiment take place on closed – circuit television and hoped for some kind of immediate results. Dr. Volchek saw Lowman and motioned for him to come over and sit in the seat Volchek saved for him.” The scientists at the ‘Hand of God’ began the introduction of those present at the site and relate a brief history of the journey which led to the experiment.

When that was completed, the experiment was initiated.

Lowman began to consider what knowledge might be discovered but that thought was never completed. In an instant Lowman no longer existed. The universe no longer existed. The balance of nature was revealed. All Lowman’s questions were answered and the answers would remain forever unknown. 

Lowman had always been amazed how nature maintained balance. The balance also applied to the Higgs boson. And true to that balance, the experiment produced an anti – Higgs boson. In a thousandth of a trillionth of a second dark matter, using dark energy, compressed all the matter of the universe into the anti – Higgs boson. The entire mass of the universe was now compressed into a minute particle of unbelievable mass. This process had been repeated for an infinite number of times. For infinity. The anti – Higgs boson sat alone in the emptiness of space. And after billions upon billions of years would morph into a Higgs boson prepared to initiate another ‘Big Bang’.

                                         THE END

                               AND THE BEGINNING

God does not play dice with the universe.

                                         —- Albert Einstein

God not only plays dice, he also sometimes throws the dice where they cannot be seen.

                                         —- Stephen Hawking

THE UNIVERSE IN BALANCE

Prof. Maxwell Lowman sat in his MIT office deep in thought. It was mid-afternoon, the blinds were lowered and closed creating the setting he desired. The sole illumination a reading lamp on his desk, a desk littered with books, research papers and correspondence. His office, lined with bookshelves contained works reflecting his eclectic interests running from poetry to the latest volumes in astrophysics.

With his salt and pepper eyebrows and mane of unruly gray hair he looked every part of the college professor. Lowman was an expert on the ‘Big Bang’, as if anyone could claim that title, he often thought. An expert. Might as well be an expert on heaven. Another doctrine born of conjecture. He often mused, “Why did the ‘Big Bang’ take place? How did it give birth to the universe? Questions yet to be solved. And to some, the answers relying on faith. The same as the existence of heaven. But unlike heaven, there was proof, in theory, that the ‘Big Bang’ did take place but for what reason did the universe exist? The question of why the universe came into existence is unanswerable. How is a matter of conjecture.

Lowman’s mind continued on a journey he had come to enjoy. Where some unknown force, some would call God, held hands with science. How could the universe come into existence from nothing? He tried to imagine space before the ‘Big Bang’. Nothing existed. Time did not exist. Light did not exist. Before the ‘Big Bang’ did space exist. Some thought, before the ‘Big Bang’ space did not exist but then unfolded. Did anything come before the existence of nothing. He spent hours musing over these questions thinking, that perhaps, science could not and should not answer everything. Some mystery should remain.

                                                       * * *

Lowman was conducting his first graduate class of the semester covering the ‘Big Bang’. His lecture would be full of theory, but in reality, no answers. During the course of his lectures he encouraged questions. And these questions would determine the structure of his future lectures. And this year, with the important upcoming experiment, he wanted to introduce the Higgs boson. 

During his lecture, one of his favorite pupils from the past year, Joe Hess, raised his hand and asked, “The ‘Big Bang’ is a mystery to me.”

Lowman said, “Well, you are not alone.”

Hess continued, “We know it happened, or else we wouldn’t be here. But where did all the matter in the universe come from?”

Lowman anticipated this question for it was asked every year. He began pacing along the front of the lecture hall to organize his thoughts for opinions were constantly changing. He began, “Stephen Hawking has a relatively new theory that all matter in the universe was created by the ‘God Particle’. In 1964 Peter Higgs predicted the existence of the Higgs boson which, in a book written by Leon Lederman, was referred to as the ‘God Particle’. The boson is central to our understanding of the structure of all matter”. 

Lowman anticipated Joe’s next question, “But where did the ‘God Particle’ come from?”

“That, young man, is the question which remains unanswered. The theory is that the ‘God Particle’ populated the entire universe in the smallest fraction of a second at a speed far beyond the speed of light. Of course, it is accepted that nothing can exceed the speed of light, but we must remember, that when this occurred light did not exist. Time did not exist, so anything is possible. When the ‘Big Bang’ occurred, it is theorized that the universe consisted of equal parts of dark matter, which is now accepted to exist, and visible matter. For reasons unknown, the amount of visible matter surpassed the amount of dark matter. And that is the reason that the universe – stars, black holes and you and I – exist.

Lowman concluded his lecture by telling the class, “I am sure you are aware that tomorrow a unique experiment will be conducted. It will attempt to duplicate the material which existed immediately following the ‘Big Bang’.  And perhaps create the particle which existed at the moment of the ‘Big Bang’, the ‘God Particle’. He concluded the lecture, and as the class exited the lecture hall, erased the white board of his lecture notes. One fact he saved for his future lecture was that the universe was expanding not contracting as was originally thought. So rather contracting to the point of, perhaps, another ‘Big Bang’ it will expand into single atoms wandering in space. Nature destroyed along with all the balance which once existed. It made no sense.

                                                                                                * * *

Lowman made his way to his office, excitement in his step. His anticipation of tomorrow’s experiment filled his mind with the possibilities it may contribute to understanding the birth of the universe. He would be counting the hours, the minutes until the experiment was initiated. Wondering at the knowledge to be revealed. It was an experiment in which MIT was a participant, along with a host of other prestigious institutions from all over the world. Prompted by his excitement, he scheduled a meeting with Dr. Volachek, head of the Physics Department, to share his enthusiasm. With a few hours before the meeting was to take place, he returned to the solitude of his office to contemplate what tomorrow’s experiment might reveal. Now he raised the blinds to the dismal gray of the winter’s afternoon. 

While sitting at his desk, his eyes wandered over the bookcases lining the walls of his office. He had a love for books since he was a child. During his youth they were his entertainment, and as he grew older, his source of knowledge. He enjoyed being among the thoughts and ideas of the great minds contained in these volumes.  Now, with tomorrow’s experiment, he may be witness to a great advancement in the understanding of the universe. The answers to questions great minds had pondered.

With the Hubble telescope and a host of great technologies being developed, questions were being answered and knowledge being gained more rapidly than ever before. The discovery of dark energy and dark matter, once radical concepts, have changed the science of physics. The question is, why does this mysterious dark matter and energy exist? Lowman sat in his office with the only sound the ticking of the old clock sitting on his bookshelf.

As the time of his meeting with Dr. Volchek drew close he donned his overcoat, and through the crisp winter afternoon, made his way to the dean’s office. He had known Dr. Volchek for years. The dean was a good friend and knowledgeable colleague. He entered the office and Dr. Volchek rose and welcomed him with a handshake. “Good to see you, Max. Glad to have someone with whom to share the excitement of tomorrow’s experiment.”

Lowman answered, “I just hope nothing goes wrong. It is an extremely complicated endeavor. This is an international effort with billions of dollars invested. Failure would be heartbreaking.”

The dean replied, “With every experiment there is a risk. But even a failure can produce knowledge. Now relax. Just look forward to the progress we may make in understanding the mysteries of our universe. Tomorrow that device nicknamed, The Hand of God, with gold atoms racing into one another to achieve unbelievable temperatures, will hopefully cause protons and neutrons to break apart into quarks and the gluon particles which hold the quarks together. And then, we hope, the quark – gluon plasma will duplicate the densest material ever created. The material which existed at or immediately after the ‘Big Bang’. Perhaps a Higgs boson. What a mighty contribution to physics that would be. Creating the material unknown to the universe for 18 billion years.”

                                                          * * *

That night, at home, his mind was like a whirling dervish. At dinner Max’s wife, Martha, could feel the excitement her husband generated. She said, “Max, calm down. You’re going to make yourself sick. Indigestion will not help you appreciate tomorrow.”

You’re right, Martha. You’re right.”

They finished dinner and spent the remainder of the evening reading. Later, as Martha prepared for bed, Max lie there, his mind working furiously. Once Martha was in bed, she turned off the bedside lamp, kissed Max and said, “I love you.”  And he returned that thought. It was their bedtime ritual and meant a great deal to them both. In the darkened room Max turned onto his side. He knew it would take some time to fall asleep, feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve.

The next morning, having spend a fitful night of anticipation, Lowman prepared for work. Before leaving he kissed his wife on the cheek and softly said, “I love you. You make my life worth living.” Martha slightly stirred and smiled.

                                                         * * * 

The drive to campus seemed to take forever. Lowman had trouble maintaining the speed limit. His excitement transferred to his foot. He parked his car and entered one of the large lecture halls reserved to watch the experiment take place on closed – circuit television and hoped for some kind of immediate results. Dr. Volchek saw Lowman and motioned for him to come over and sit in the seat Volchek saved for him.” The scientists at the ‘Hand of God’ began the introduction of those present at the site and relate a brief history of the journey which led to the experiment.

When that was completed, the experiment was initiated.

Lowman began to consider what knowledge might be discovered but that thought was never completed. In an instant Lowman no longer existed. The universe no longer existed. The balance of nature was revealed. All Lowman’s questions were answered and the answers would remain forever unknown. 

Lowman had always been amazed how nature maintained balance. The balance also applied to the Higgs boson. And true to that balance, the experiment produced an anti – Higgs boson. In a thousandth of a trillionth of a second dark matter, using dark energy, compressed all the matter of the universe into the anti – Higgs boson. The entire mass of the universe was now compressed into a minute particle of unbelievable mass. This process had been repeated for an infinite number of times. For infinity. The anti – Higgs boson sat alone in the emptiness of space. And after billions upon billions of years would morph into a Higgs boson prepared to initiate another ‘Big Bang’.

                                         THE END

                               AND THE BEGINNING

God does not play dice with the universe.

                                         —- Albert Einstein

God not only plays dice, he also sometimes throws the dice where they cannot be seen.

                                         —- Stephen Hawking

THE UNIVERSE IN BALANCE

Prof. Maxwell Lowman sat in his MIT office deep in thought. It was mid-afternoon, the blinds were lowered and closed creating the setting he desired. The sole illumination a reading lamp on his desk, a desk littered with books, research papers and correspondence. His office, lined with bookshelves contained works reflecting his eclectic interests running from poetry to the latest volumes in astrophysics.

With his salt and pepper eyebrows and mane of unruly gray hair he looked every part of the college professor. Lowman was an expert on the ‘Big Bang’, as if anyone could claim that title, he often thought. An expert. Might as well be an expert on heaven. Another doctrine born of conjecture. He often mused, “Why did the ‘Big Bang’ take place? How did it give birth to the universe? Questions yet to be solved. And to some, the answers relying on faith. The same as the existence of heaven. But unlike heaven, there was proof, in theory, that the ‘Big Bang’ did take place but for what reason did the universe exist? The question of why the universe came into existence is unanswerable. How is a matter of conjecture.

Lowman’s mind continued on a journey he had come to enjoy. Where some unknown force, some would call God, held hands with science. How could the universe come into existence from nothing? He tried to imagine space before the ‘Big Bang’. Nothing existed. Time did not exist. Light did not exist. Before the ‘Big Bang’ did space exist. Some thought, before the ‘Big Bang’ space did not exist but then unfolded. Did anything come before the existence of nothing. He spent hours musing over these questions thinking, that perhaps, science could not and should not answer everything. Some mystery should remain.

                                                       * * *

Lowman was conducting his first graduate class of the semester covering the ‘Big Bang’. His lecture would be full of theory, but in reality, no answers. During the course of his lectures he encouraged questions. And these questions would determine the structure of his future lectures. And this year, with the important upcoming experiment, he wanted to introduce the Higgs boson. 

During his lecture, one of his favorite pupils from the past year, Joe Hess, raised his hand and asked, “The ‘Big Bang’ is a mystery to me.”

Lowman said, “Well, you are not alone.”

Hess continued, “We know it happened, or else we wouldn’t be here. But where did all the matter in the universe come from?”

Lowman anticipated this question for it was asked every year. He began pacing along the front of the lecture hall to organize his thoughts for opinions were constantly changing. He began, “Stephen Hawking has a relatively new theory that all matter in the universe was created by the ‘God Particle’. In 1964 Peter Higgs predicted the existence of the Higgs boson which, in a book written by Leon Lederman, was referred to as the ‘God Particle’. The boson is central to our understanding of the structure of all matter”. 

Lowman anticipated Joe’s next question, “But where did the ‘God Particle’ come from?”

“That, young man, is the question which remains unanswered. The theory is that the ‘God Particle’ populated the entire universe in the smallest fraction of a second at a speed far beyond the speed of light. Of course, it is accepted that nothing can exceed the speed of light, but we must remember, that when this occurred light did not exist. Time did not exist, so anything is possible. When the ‘Big Bang’ occurred, it is theorized that the universe consisted of equal parts of dark matter, which is now accepted to exist, and visible matter. For reasons unknown, the amount of visible matter surpassed the amount of dark matter. And that is the reason that the universe – stars, black holes and you and I – exist.

Lowman concluded his lecture by telling the class, “I am sure you are aware that tomorrow a unique experiment will be conducted. It will attempt to duplicate the material which existed immediately following the ‘Big Bang’.  And perhaps create the particle which existed at the moment of the ‘Big Bang’, the ‘God Particle’. He concluded the lecture, and as the class exited the lecture hall, erased the white board of his lecture notes. One fact he saved for his future lecture was that the universe was expanding not contracting as was originally thought. So rather contracting to the point of, perhaps, another ‘Big Bang’ it will expand into single atoms wandering in space. Nature destroyed along with all the balance which once existed. It made no sense.

                                                                                                * * *

Lowman made his way to his office, excitement in his step. His anticipation of tomorrow’s experiment filled his mind with the possibilities it may contribute to understanding the birth of the universe. He would be counting the hours, the minutes until the experiment was initiated. Wondering at the knowledge to be revealed. It was an experiment in which MIT was a participant, along with a host of other prestigious institutions from all over the world. Prompted by his excitement, he scheduled a meeting with Dr. Volachek, head of the Physics Department, to share his enthusiasm. With a few hours before the meeting was to take place, he returned to the solitude of his office to contemplate what tomorrow’s experiment might reveal. Now he raised the blinds to the dismal gray of the winter’s afternoon. 

While sitting at his desk, his eyes wandered over the bookcases lining the walls of his office. He had a love for books since he was a child. During his youth they were his entertainment, and as he grew older, his source of knowledge. He enjoyed being among the thoughts and ideas of the great minds contained in these volumes.  Now, with tomorrow’s experiment, he may be witness to a great advancement in the understanding of the universe. The answers to questions great minds had pondered.

With the Hubble telescope and a host of great technologies being developed, questions were being answered and knowledge being gained more rapidly than ever before. The discovery of dark energy and dark matter, once radical concepts, have changed the science of physics. The question is, why does this mysterious dark matter and energy exist? Lowman sat in his office with the only sound the ticking of the old clock sitting on his bookshelf.

As the time of his meeting with Dr. Volchek drew close he donned his overcoat, and through the crisp winter afternoon, made his way to the dean’s office. He had known Dr. Volchek for years. The dean was a good friend and knowledgeable colleague. He entered the office and Dr. Volchek rose and welcomed him with a handshake. “Good to see you, Max. Glad to have someone with whom to share the excitement of tomorrow’s experiment.”

Lowman answered, “I just hope nothing goes wrong. It is an extremely complicated endeavor. This is an international effort with billions of dollars invested. Failure would be heartbreaking.”

The dean replied, “With every experiment there is a risk. But even a failure can produce knowledge. Now relax. Just look forward to the progress we may make in understanding the mysteries of our universe. Tomorrow that device nicknamed, The Hand of God, with gold atoms racing into one another to achieve unbelievable temperatures, will hopefully cause protons and neutrons to break apart into quarks and the gluon particles which hold the quarks together. And then, we hope, the quark – gluon plasma will duplicate the densest material ever created. The material which existed at or immediately after the ‘Big Bang’. Perhaps a Higgs boson. What a mighty contribution to physics that would be. Creating the material unknown to the universe for 18 billion years.”

                                                          * * *

That night, at home, his mind was like a whirling dervish. At dinner Max’s wife, Martha, could feel the excitement her husband generated. She said, “Max, calm down. You’re going to make yourself sick. Indigestion will not help you appreciate tomorrow.”

You’re right, Martha. You’re right.”

They finished dinner and spent the remainder of the evening reading. Later, as Martha prepared for bed, Max lie there, his mind working furiously. Once Martha was in bed, she turned off the bedside lamp, kissed Max and said, “I love you.”  And he returned that thought. It was their bedtime ritual and meant a great deal to them both. In the darkened room Max turned onto his side. He knew it would take some time to fall asleep, feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve.

The next morning, having spend a fitful night of anticipation, Lowman prepared for work. Before leaving he kissed his wife on the cheek and softly said, “I love you. You make my life worth living.” Martha slightly stirred and smiled.

                                                         * * * 

The drive to campus seemed to take forever. Lowman had trouble maintaining the speed limit. His excitement transferred to his foot. He parked his car and entered one of the large lecture halls reserved to watch the experiment take place on closed – circuit television and hoped for some kind of immediate results. Dr. Volchek saw Lowman and motioned for him to come over and sit in the seat Volchek saved for him.” The scientists at the ‘Hand of God’ began the introduction of those present at the site and relate a brief history of the journey which led to the experiment.

When that was completed, the experiment was initiated.

Lowman began to consider what knowledge might be discovered but that thought was never completed. In an instant Lowman no longer existed. The universe no longer existed. The balance of nature was revealed. All Lowman’s questions were answered and the answers would remain forever unknown. 

Lowman had always been amazed how nature maintained balance. The balance also applied to the Higgs boson. And true to that balance, the experiment produced an anti – Higgs boson. In a thousandth of a trillionth of a second dark matter, using dark energy, compressed all the matter of the universe into the anti – Higgs boson. The entire mass of the universe was now compressed into a minute particle of unbelievable mass. This process had been repeated for an infinite number of times. For infinity. The anti – Higgs boson sat alone in the emptiness of space. And after billions upon billions of years would morph into a Higgs boson prepared to initiate another ‘Big Bang’.

                                         THE END

                               AND THE BEGINNING

God does not play dice with the universe.

                                         —- Albert Einstein

God not only plays dice, he also sometimes throws the dice where they cannot be seen.

                                         —- Stephen Hawking

THE UNIVERSE IN BALANCE

Prof. Maxwell Lowman sat in his MIT office deep in thought. It was mid-afternoon, the blinds were lowered and closed creating the setting he desired. The sole illumination a reading lamp on his desk, a desk littered with books, research papers and correspondence. His office, lined with bookshelves contained works reflecting his eclectic interests running from poetry to the latest volumes in astrophysics.

With his salt and pepper eyebrows and mane of unruly gray hair he looked every part of the college professor. Lowman was an expert on the ‘Big Bang’, as if anyone could claim that title, he often thought. An expert. Might as well be an expert on heaven. Another doctrine born of conjecture. He often mused, “Why did the ‘Big Bang’ take place? How did it give birth to the universe? Questions yet to be solved. And to some, the answers relying on faith. The same as the existence of heaven. But unlike heaven, there was proof, in theory, that the ‘Big Bang’ did take place but for what reason did the universe exist? The question of why the universe came into existence is unanswerable. How is a matter of conjecture.

Lowman’s mind continued on a journey he had come to enjoy. Where some unknown force, some would call God, held hands with science. How could the universe come into existence from nothing? He tried to imagine space before the ‘Big Bang’. Nothing existed. Time did not exist. Light did not exist. Before the ‘Big Bang’ did space exist. Some thought, before the ‘Big Bang’ space did not exist but then unfolded. Did anything come before the existence of nothing. He spent hours musing over these questions thinking, that perhaps, science could not and should not answer everything. Some mystery should remain.

                                                       * * *

Lowman was conducting his first graduate class of the semester covering the ‘Big Bang’. His lecture would be full of theory, but in reality, no answers. During the course of his lectures he encouraged questions. And these questions would determine the structure of his future lectures. And this year, with the important upcoming experiment, he wanted to introduce the Higgs boson. 

During his lecture, one of his favorite pupils from the past year, Joe Hess, raised his hand and asked, “The ‘Big Bang’ is a mystery to me.”

Lowman said, “Well, you are not alone.”

Hess continued, “We know it happened, or else we wouldn’t be here. But where did all the matter in the universe come from?”

Lowman anticipated this question for it was asked every year. He began pacing along the front of the lecture hall to organize his thoughts for opinions were constantly changing. He began, “Stephen Hawking has a relatively new theory that all matter in the universe was created by the ‘God Particle’. In 1964 Peter Higgs predicted the existence of the Higgs boson which, in a book written by Leon Lederman, was referred to as the ‘God Particle’. The boson is central to our understanding of the structure of all matter”. 

Lowman anticipated Joe’s next question, “But where did the ‘God Particle’ come from?”

“That, young man, is the question which remains unanswered. The theory is that the ‘God Particle’ populated the entire universe in the smallest fraction of a second at a speed far beyond the speed of light. Of course, it is accepted that nothing can exceed the speed of light, but we must remember, that when this occurred light did not exist. Time did not exist, so anything is possible. When the ‘Big Bang’ occurred, it is theorized that the universe consisted of equal parts of dark matter, which is now accepted to exist, and visible matter. For reasons unknown, the amount of visible matter surpassed the amount of dark matter. And that is the reason that the universe – stars, black holes and you and I – exist.

Lowman concluded his lecture by telling the class, “I am sure you are aware that tomorrow a unique experiment will be conducted. It will attempt to duplicate the material which existed immediately following the ‘Big Bang’.  And perhaps create the particle which existed at the moment of the ‘Big Bang’, the ‘God Particle’. He concluded the lecture, and as the class exited the lecture hall, erased the white board of his lecture notes. One fact he saved for his future lecture was that the universe was expanding not contracting as was originally thought. So rather contracting to the point of, perhaps, another ‘Big Bang’ it will expand into single atoms wandering in space. Nature destroyed along with all the balance which once existed. It made no sense.

                                                                                                * * *

Lowman made his way to his office, excitement in his step. His anticipation of tomorrow’s experiment filled his mind with the possibilities it may contribute to understanding the birth of the universe. He would be counting the hours, the minutes until the experiment was initiated. Wondering at the knowledge to be revealed. It was an experiment in which MIT was a participant, along with a host of other prestigious institutions from all over the world. Prompted by his excitement, he scheduled a meeting with Dr. Volachek, head of the Physics Department, to share his enthusiasm. With a few hours before the meeting was to take place, he returned to the solitude of his office to contemplate what tomorrow’s experiment might reveal. Now he raised the blinds to the dismal gray of the winter’s afternoon. 

While sitting at his desk, his eyes wandered over the bookcases lining the walls of his office. He had a love for books since he was a child. During his youth they were his entertainment, and as he grew older, his source of knowledge. He enjoyed being among the thoughts and ideas of the great minds contained in these volumes.  Now, with tomorrow’s experiment, he may be witness to a great advancement in the understanding of the universe. The answers to questions great minds had pondered.

With the Hubble telescope and a host of great technologies being developed, questions were being answered and knowledge being gained more rapidly than ever before. The discovery of dark energy and dark matter, once radical concepts, have changed the science of physics. The question is, why does this mysterious dark matter and energy exist? Lowman sat in his office with the only sound the ticking of the old clock sitting on his bookshelf.

As the time of his meeting with Dr. Volchek drew close he donned his overcoat, and through the crisp winter afternoon, made his way to the dean’s office. He had known Dr. Volchek for years. The dean was a good friend and knowledgeable colleague. He entered the office and Dr. Volchek rose and welcomed him with a handshake. “Good to see you, Max. Glad to have someone with whom to share the excitement of tomorrow’s experiment.”

Lowman answered, “I just hope nothing goes wrong. It is an extremely complicated endeavor. This is an international effort with billions of dollars invested. Failure would be heartbreaking.”

The dean replied, “With every experiment there is a risk. But even a failure can produce knowledge. Now relax. Just look forward to the progress we may make in understanding the mysteries of our universe. Tomorrow that device nicknamed, The Hand of God, with gold atoms racing into one another to achieve unbelievable temperatures, will hopefully cause protons and neutrons to break apart into quarks and the gluon particles which hold the quarks together. And then, we hope, the quark – gluon plasma will duplicate the densest material ever created. The material which existed at or immediately after the ‘Big Bang’. Perhaps a Higgs boson. What a mighty contribution to physics that would be. Creating the material unknown to the universe for 18 billion years.”

                                                          * * *

That night, at home, his mind was like a whirling dervish. At dinner Max’s wife, Martha, could feel the excitement her husband generated. She said, “Max, calm down. You’re going to make yourself sick. Indigestion will not help you appreciate tomorrow.”

You’re right, Martha. You’re right.”

They finished dinner and spent the remainder of the evening reading. Later, as Martha prepared for bed, Max lie there, his mind working furiously. Once Martha was in bed, she turned off the bedside lamp, kissed Max and said, “I love you.”  And he returned that thought. It was their bedtime ritual and meant a great deal to them both. In the darkened room Max turned onto his side. He knew it would take some time to fall asleep, feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve.

The next morning, having spend a fitful night of anticipation, Lowman prepared for work. Before leaving he kissed his wife on the cheek and softly said, “I love you. You make my life worth living.” Martha slightly stirred and smiled.

                                                         * * * 

The drive to campus seemed to take forever. Lowman had trouble maintaining the speed limit. His excitement transferred to his foot. He parked his car and entered one of the large lecture halls reserved to watch the experiment take place on closed – circuit television and hoped for some kind of immediate results. Dr. Volchek saw Lowman and motioned for him to come over and sit in the seat Volchek saved for him.” The scientists at the ‘Hand of God’ began the introduction of those present at the site and relate a brief history of the journey which led to the experiment.

When that was completed, the experiment was initiated.

Lowman began to consider what knowledge might be discovered but that thought was never completed. In an instant Lowman no longer existed. The universe no longer existed. The balance of nature was revealed. All Lowman’s questions were answered and the answers would remain forever unknown. 

Lowman had always been amazed how nature maintained balance. The balance also applied to the Higgs boson. And true to that balance, the experiment produced an anti – Higgs boson. In a thousandth of a trillionth of a second dark matter, using dark energy, compressed all the matter of the universe into the anti – Higgs boson. The entire mass of the universe was now compressed into a minute particle of unbelievable mass. This process had been repeated for an infinite number of times. For infinity. The anti – Higgs boson sat alone in the emptiness of space. And after billions upon billions of years would morph into a Higgs boson prepared to initiate another ‘Big Bang’.

                                         THE END

                               AND THE BEGINNING

God does not play dice with the universe.

                                         —- Albert Einstein

God not only plays dice, he also sometimes throws the dice where they cannot be seen.

                                         —- Stephen Hawking

THE UNIVERSE IN BALANCE

Prof. Maxwell Lowman sat in his MIT office deep in thought. It was mid-afternoon, the blinds were lowered and closed creating the setting he desired. The sole illumination a reading lamp on his desk, a desk littered with books, research papers and correspondence. His office, lined with bookshelves contained works reflecting his eclectic interests running from poetry to the latest volumes in astrophysics.

With his salt and pepper eyebrows and mane of unruly gray hair he looked every part of the college professor. Lowman was an expert on the ‘Big Bang’, as if anyone could claim that title, he often thought. An expert. Might as well be an expert on heaven. Another doctrine born of conjecture. He often mused, “Why did the ‘Big Bang’ take place? How did it give birth to the universe? Questions yet to be solved. And to some, the answers relying on faith. The same as the existence of heaven. But unlike heaven, there was proof, in theory, that the ‘Big Bang’ did take place but for what reason did the universe exist? The question of why the universe came into existence is unanswerable. How is a matter of conjecture.

Lowman’s mind continued on a journey he had come to enjoy. Where some unknown force, some would call God, held hands with science. How could the universe come into existence from nothing? He tried to imagine space before the ‘Big Bang’. Nothing existed. Time did not exist. Light did not exist. Before the ‘Big Bang’ did space exist. Some thought, before the ‘Big Bang’ space did not exist but then unfolded. Did anything come before the existence of nothing. He spent hours musing over these questions thinking, that perhaps, science could not and should not answer everything. Some mystery should remain.

                                                       * * *

Lowman was conducting his first graduate class of the semester covering the ‘Big Bang’. His lecture would be full of theory, but in reality, no answers. During the course of his lectures he encouraged questions. And these questions would determine the structure of his future lectures. And this year, with the important upcoming experiment, he wanted to introduce the Higgs boson. 

During his lecture, one of his favorite pupils from the past year, Joe Hess, raised his hand and asked, “The ‘Big Bang’ is a mystery to me.”

Lowman said, “Well, you are not alone.”

Hess continued, “We know it happened, or else we wouldn’t be here. But where did all the matter in the universe come from?”

Lowman anticipated this question for it was asked every year. He began pacing along the front of the lecture hall to organize his thoughts for opinions were constantly changing. He began, “Stephen Hawking has a relatively new theory that all matter in the universe was created by the ‘God Particle’. In 1964 Peter Higgs predicted the existence of the Higgs boson which, in a book written by Leon Lederman, was referred to as the ‘God Particle’. The boson is central to our understanding of the structure of all matter”. 

Lowman anticipated Joe’s next question, “But where did the ‘God Particle’ come from?”

“That, young man, is the question which remains unanswered. The theory is that the ‘God Particle’ populated the entire universe in the smallest fraction of a second at a speed far beyond the speed of light. Of course, it is accepted that nothing can exceed the speed of light, but we must remember, that when this occurred light did not exist. Time did not exist, so anything is possible. When the ‘Big Bang’ occurred, it is theorized that the universe consisted of equal parts of dark matter, which is now accepted to exist, and visible matter. For reasons unknown, the amount of visible matter surpassed the amount of dark matter. And that is the reason that the universe – stars, black holes and you and I – exist.

Lowman concluded his lecture by telling the class, “I am sure you are aware that tomorrow a unique experiment will be conducted. It will attempt to duplicate the material which existed immediately following the ‘Big Bang’.  And perhaps create the particle which existed at the moment of the ‘Big Bang’, the ‘God Particle’. He concluded the lecture, and as the class exited the lecture hall, erased the white board of his lecture notes. One fact he saved for his future lecture was that the universe was expanding not contracting as was originally thought. So rather contracting to the point of, perhaps, another ‘Big Bang’ it will expand into single atoms wandering in space. Nature destroyed along with all the balance which once existed. It made no sense.

                                                                                                * * *

Lowman made his way to his office, excitement in his step. His anticipation of tomorrow’s experiment filled his mind with the possibilities it may contribute to understanding the birth of the universe. He would be counting the hours, the minutes until the experiment was initiated. Wondering at the knowledge to be revealed. It was an experiment in which MIT was a participant, along with a host of other prestigious institutions from all over the world. Prompted by his excitement, he scheduled a meeting with Dr. Volachek, head of the Physics Department, to share his enthusiasm. With a few hours before the meeting was to take place, he returned to the solitude of his office to contemplate what tomorrow’s experiment might reveal. Now he raised the blinds to the dismal gray of the winter’s afternoon. 

While sitting at his desk, his eyes wandered over the bookcases lining the walls of his office. He had a love for books since he was a child. During his youth they were his entertainment, and as he grew older, his source of knowledge. He enjoyed being among the thoughts and ideas of the great minds contained in these volumes.  Now, with tomorrow’s experiment, he may be witness to a great advancement in the understanding of the universe. The answers to questions great minds had pondered.

With the Hubble telescope and a host of great technologies being developed, questions were being answered and knowledge being gained more rapidly than ever before. The discovery of dark energy and dark matter, once radical concepts, have changed the science of physics. The question is, why does this mysterious dark matter and energy exist? Lowman sat in his office with the only sound the ticking of the old clock sitting on his bookshelf.

As the time of his meeting with Dr. Volchek drew close he donned his overcoat, and through the crisp winter afternoon, made his way to the dean’s office. He had known Dr. Volchek for years. The dean was a good friend and knowledgeable colleague. He entered the office and Dr. Volchek rose and welcomed him with a handshake. “Good to see you, Max. Glad to have someone with whom to share the excitement of tomorrow’s experiment.”

Lowman answered, “I just hope nothing goes wrong. It is an extremely complicated endeavor. This is an international effort with billions of dollars invested. Failure would be heartbreaking.”

The dean replied, “With every experiment there is a risk. But even a failure can produce knowledge. Now relax. Just look forward to the progress we may make in understanding the mysteries of our universe. Tomorrow that device nicknamed, The Hand of God, with gold atoms racing into one another to achieve unbelievable temperatures, will hopefully cause protons and neutrons to break apart into quarks and the gluon particles which hold the quarks together. And then, we hope, the quark – gluon plasma will duplicate the densest material ever created. The material which existed at or immediately after the ‘Big Bang’. Perhaps a Higgs boson. What a mighty contribution to physics that would be. Creating the material unknown to the universe for 18 billion years.”

                                                          * * *

That night, at home, his mind was like a whirling dervish. At dinner Max’s wife, Martha, could feel the excitement her husband generated. She said, “Max, calm down. You’re going to make yourself sick. Indigestion will not help you appreciate tomorrow.”

You’re right, Martha. You’re right.”

They finished dinner and spent the remainder of the evening reading. Later, as Martha prepared for bed, Max lie there, his mind working furiously. Once Martha was in bed, she turned off the bedside lamp, kissed Max and said, “I love you.”  And he returned that thought. It was their bedtime ritual and meant a great deal to them both. In the darkened room Max turned onto his side. He knew it would take some time to fall asleep, feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve.

The next morning, having spend a fitful night of anticipation, Lowman prepared for work. Before leaving he kissed his wife on the cheek and softly said, “I love you. You make my life worth living.” Martha slightly stirred and smiled.

                                                         * * * 

The drive to campus seemed to take forever. Lowman had trouble maintaining the speed limit. His excitement transferred to his foot. He parked his car and entered one of the large lecture halls reserved to watch the experiment take place on closed – circuit television and hoped for some kind of immediate results. Dr. Volchek saw Lowman and motioned for him to come over and sit in the seat Volchek saved for him.” The scientists at the ‘Hand of God’ began the introduction of those present at the site and relate a brief history of the journey which led to the experiment.

When that was completed, the experiment was initiated.

Lowman began to consider what knowledge might be discovered but that thought was never completed. In an instant Lowman no longer existed. The universe no longer existed. The balance of nature was revealed. All Lowman’s questions were answered and the answers would remain forever unknown. 

Lowman had always been amazed how nature maintained balance. The balance also applied to the Higgs boson. And true to that balance, the experiment produced an anti – Higgs boson. In a thousandth of a trillionth of a second dark matter, using dark energy, compressed all the matter of the universe into the anti – Higgs boson. The entire mass of the universe was now compressed into a minute particle of unbelievable mass. This process had been repeated for an infinite number of times. For infinity. The anti – Higgs boson sat alone in the emptiness of space. And after billions upon billions of years would morph into a Higgs boson prepared to initiate another ‘Big Bang’.

                                         THE END

                               AND THE BEGINNING

God does not play dice with the universe.

                                         —- Albert Einstein

God not only plays dice, he also sometimes throws the dice where they cannot be seen.

                                         —- Stephen Hawking

THE UNIVERSE IN BALANCE

Prof. Maxwell Lowman sat in his MIT office deep in thought. It was mid-afternoon, the blinds were lowered and closed creating the setting he desired. The sole illumination a reading lamp on his desk, a desk littered with books, research papers and correspondence. His office, lined with bookshelves contained works reflecting his eclectic interests running from poetry to the latest volumes in astrophysics.

With his salt and pepper eyebrows and mane of unruly gray hair he looked every part of the college professor. Lowman was an expert on the ‘Big Bang’, as if anyone could claim that title, he often thought. An expert. Might as well be an expert on heaven. Another doctrine born of conjecture. He often mused, “Why did the ‘Big Bang’ take place? How did it give birth to the universe? Questions yet to be solved. And to some, the answers relying on faith. The same as the existence of heaven. But unlike heaven, there was proof, in theory, that the ‘Big Bang’ did take place but for what reason did the universe exist? The question of why the universe came into existence is unanswerable. How is a matter of conjecture.

Lowman’s mind continued on a journey he had come to enjoy. Where some unknown force, some would call God, held hands with science. How could the universe come into existence from nothing? He tried to imagine space before the ‘Big Bang’. Nothing existed. Time did not exist. Light did not exist. Before the ‘Big Bang’ did space exist. Some thought, before the ‘Big Bang’ space did not exist but then unfolded. Did anything come before the existence of nothing. He spent hours musing over these questions thinking, that perhaps, science could not and should not answer everything. Some mystery should remain.

                                                       * * *

Lowman was conducting his first graduate class of the semester covering the ‘Big Bang’. His lecture would be full of theory, but in reality, no answers. During the course of his lectures he encouraged questions. And these questions would determine the structure of his future lectures. And this year, with the important upcoming experiment, he wanted to introduce the Higgs boson. 

During his lecture, one of his favorite pupils from the past year, Joe Hess, raised his hand and asked, “The ‘Big Bang’ is a mystery to me.”

Lowman said, “Well, you are not alone.”

Hess continued, “We know it happened, or else we wouldn’t be here. But where did all the matter in the universe come from?”

Lowman anticipated this question for it was asked every year. He began pacing along the front of the lecture hall to organize his thoughts for opinions were constantly changing. He began, “Stephen Hawking has a relatively new theory that all matter in the universe was created by the ‘God Particle’. In 1964 Peter Higgs predicted the existence of the Higgs boson which, in a book written by Leon Lederman, was referred to as the ‘God Particle’. The boson is central to our understanding of the structure of all matter”. 

Lowman anticipated Joe’s next question, “But where did the ‘God Particle’ come from?”

“That, young man, is the question which remains unanswered. The theory is that the ‘God Particle’ populated the entire universe in the smallest fraction of a second at a speed far beyond the speed of light. Of course, it is accepted that nothing can exceed the speed of light, but we must remember, that when this occurred light did not exist. Time did not exist, so anything is possible. When the ‘Big Bang’ occurred, it is theorized that the universe consisted of equal parts of dark matter, which is now accepted to exist, and visible matter. For reasons unknown, the amount of visible matter surpassed the amount of dark matter. And that is the reason that the universe – stars, black holes and you and I – exist.

Lowman concluded his lecture by telling the class, “I am sure you are aware that tomorrow a unique experiment will be conducted. It will attempt to duplicate the material which existed immediately following the ‘Big Bang’.  And perhaps create the particle which existed at the moment of the ‘Big Bang’, the ‘God Particle’. He concluded the lecture, and as the class exited the lecture hall, erased the white board of his lecture notes. One fact he saved for his future lecture was that the universe was expanding not contracting as was originally thought. So rather contracting to the point of, perhaps, another ‘Big Bang’ it will expand into single atoms wandering in space. Nature destroyed along with all the balance which once existed. It made no sense.

                                                                                                * * *

Lowman made his way to his office, excitement in his step. His anticipation of tomorrow’s experiment filled his mind with the possibilities it may contribute to understanding the birth of the universe. He would be counting the hours, the minutes until the experiment was initiated. Wondering at the knowledge to be revealed. It was an experiment in which MIT was a participant, along with a host of other prestigious institutions from all over the world. Prompted by his excitement, he scheduled a meeting with Dr. Volachek, head of the Physics Department, to share his enthusiasm. With a few hours before the meeting was to take place, he returned to the solitude of his office to contemplate what tomorrow’s experiment might reveal. Now he raised the blinds to the dismal gray of the winter’s afternoon. 

While sitting at his desk, his eyes wandered over the bookcases lining the walls of his office. He had a love for books since he was a child. During his youth they were his entertainment, and as he grew older, his source of knowledge. He enjoyed being among the thoughts and ideas of the great minds contained in these volumes.  Now, with tomorrow’s experiment, he may be witness to a great advancement in the understanding of the universe. The answers to questions great minds had pondered.

With the Hubble telescope and a host of great technologies being developed, questions were being answered and knowledge being gained more rapidly than ever before. The discovery of dark energy and dark matter, once radical concepts, have changed the science of physics. The question is, why does this mysterious dark matter and energy exist? Lowman sat in his office with the only sound the ticking of the old clock sitting on his bookshelf.

As the time of his meeting with Dr. Volchek drew close he donned his overcoat, and through the crisp winter afternoon, made his way to the dean’s office. He had known Dr. Volchek for years. The dean was a good friend and knowledgeable colleague. He entered the office and Dr. Volchek rose and welcomed him with a handshake. “Good to see you, Max. Glad to have someone with whom to share the excitement of tomorrow’s experiment.”

Lowman answered, “I just hope nothing goes wrong. It is an extremely complicated endeavor. This is an international effort with billions of dollars invested. Failure would be heartbreaking.”

The dean replied, “With every experiment there is a risk. But even a failure can produce knowledge. Now relax. Just look forward to the progress we may make in understanding the mysteries of our universe. Tomorrow that device nicknamed, The Hand of God, with gold atoms racing into one another to achieve unbelievable temperatures, will hopefully cause protons and neutrons to break apart into quarks and the gluon particles which hold the quarks together. And then, we hope, the quark – gluon plasma will duplicate the densest material ever created. The material which existed at or immediately after the ‘Big Bang’. Perhaps a Higgs boson. What a mighty contribution to physics that would be. Creating the material unknown to the universe for 18 billion years.”

                                                          * * *

That night, at home, his mind was like a whirling dervish. At dinner Max’s wife, Martha, could feel the excitement her husband generated. She said, “Max, calm down. You’re going to make yourself sick. Indigestion will not help you appreciate tomorrow.”

You’re right, Martha. You’re right.”

They finished dinner and spent the remainder of the evening reading. Later, as Martha prepared for bed, Max lie there, his mind working furiously. Once Martha was in bed, she turned off the bedside lamp, kissed Max and said, “I love you.”  And he returned that thought. It was their bedtime ritual and meant a great deal to them both. In the darkened room Max turned onto his side. He knew it would take some time to fall asleep, feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve.

The next morning, having spend a fitful night of anticipation, Lowman prepared for work. Before leaving he kissed his wife on the cheek and softly said, “I love you. You make my life worth living.” Martha slightly stirred and smiled.

                                                         * * * 

The drive to campus seemed to take forever. Lowman had trouble maintaining the speed limit. His excitement transferred to his foot. He parked his car and entered one of the large lecture halls reserved to watch the experiment take place on closed – circuit television and hoped for some kind of immediate results. Dr. Volchek saw Lowman and motioned for him to come over and sit in the seat Volchek saved for him.” The scientists at the ‘Hand of God’ began the introduction of those present at the site and relate a brief history of the journey which led to the experiment.

When that was completed, the experiment was initiated.

Lowman began to consider what knowledge might be discovered but that thought was never completed. In an instant Lowman no longer existed. The universe no longer existed. The balance of nature was revealed. All Lowman’s questions were answered and the answers would remain forever unknown. 

Lowman had always been amazed how nature maintained balance. The balance also applied to the Higgs boson. And true to that balance, the experiment produced an anti – Higgs boson. In a thousandth of a trillionth of a second dark matter, using dark energy, compressed all the matter of the universe into the anti – Higgs boson. The entire mass of the universe was now compressed into a minute particle of unbelievable mass. This process had been repeated for an infinite number of times. For infinity. The anti – Higgs boson sat alone in the emptiness of space. And after billions upon billions of years would morph into a Higgs boson prepared to initiate another ‘Big Bang’.

                                         THE END

                               AND THE BEGINNING

God does not play dice with the universe.

                                         —- Albert Einstein

God not only plays dice, he also sometimes throws the dice where they cannot be seen.

                                         —- Stephen Hawking

THE UNIVERSE IN BALANCE

Prof. Maxwell Lowman sat in his MIT office deep in thought. It was mid-afternoon, the blinds were lowered and closed creating the setting he desired. The sole illumination a reading lamp on his desk, a desk littered with books, research papers and correspondence. His office, lined with bookshelves contained works reflecting his eclectic interests running from poetry to the latest volumes in astrophysics.

With his salt and pepper eyebrows and mane of unruly gray hair he looked every part of the college professor. Lowman was an expert on the ‘Big Bang’, as if anyone could claim that title, he often thought. An expert. Might as well be an expert on heaven. Another doctrine born of conjecture. He often mused, “Why did the ‘Big Bang’ take place? How did it give birth to the universe? Questions yet to be solved. And to some, the answers relying on faith. The same as the existence of heaven. But unlike heaven, there was proof, in theory, that the ‘Big Bang’ did take place but for what reason did the universe exist? The question of why the universe came into existence is unanswerable. How is a matter of conjecture.

Lowman’s mind continued on a journey he had come to enjoy. Where some unknown force, some would call God, held hands with science. How could the universe come into existence from nothing? He tried to imagine space before the ‘Big Bang’. Nothing existed. Time did not exist. Light did not exist. Before the ‘Big Bang’ did space exist. Some thought, before the ‘Big Bang’ space did not exist but then unfolded. Did anything come before the existence of nothing. He spent hours musing over these questions thinking, that perhaps, science could not and should not answer everything. Some mystery should remain.

                                                       * * *

Lowman was conducting his first graduate class of the semester covering the ‘Big Bang’. His lecture would be full of theory, but in reality, no answers. During the course of his lectures he encouraged questions. And these questions would determine the structure of his future lectures. And this year, with the important upcoming experiment, he wanted to introduce the Higgs boson. 

During his lecture, one of his favorite pupils from the past year, Joe Hess, raised his hand and asked, “The ‘Big Bang’ is a mystery to me.”

Lowman said, “Well, you are not alone.”

Hess continued, “We know it happened, or else we wouldn’t be here. But where did all the matter in the universe come from?”

Lowman anticipated this question for it was asked every year. He began pacing along the front of the lecture hall to organize his thoughts for opinions were constantly changing. He began, “Stephen Hawking has a relatively new theory that all matter in the universe was created by the ‘God Particle’. In 1964 Peter Higgs predicted the existence of the Higgs boson which, in a book written by Leon Lederman, was referred to as the ‘God Particle’. The boson is central to our understanding of the structure of all matter”. 

Lowman anticipated Joe’s next question, “But where did the ‘God Particle’ come from?”

“That, young man, is the question which remains unanswered. The theory is that the ‘God Particle’ populated the entire universe in the smallest fraction of a second at a speed far beyond the speed of light. Of course, it is accepted that nothing can exceed the speed of light, but we must remember, that when this occurred light did not exist. Time did not exist, so anything is possible. When the ‘Big Bang’ occurred, it is theorized that the universe consisted of equal parts of dark matter, which is now accepted to exist, and visible matter. For reasons unknown, the amount of visible matter surpassed the amount of dark matter. And that is the reason that the universe – stars, black holes and you and I – exist.

Lowman concluded his lecture by telling the class, “I am sure you are aware that tomorrow a unique experiment will be conducted. It will attempt to duplicate the material which existed immediately following the ‘Big Bang’.  And perhaps create the particle which existed at the moment of the ‘Big Bang’, the ‘God Particle’. He concluded the lecture, and as the class exited the lecture hall, erased the white board of his lecture notes. One fact he saved for his future lecture was that the universe was expanding not contracting as was originally thought. So rather contracting to the point of, perhaps, another ‘Big Bang’ it will expand into single atoms wandering in space. Nature destroyed along with all the balance which once existed. It made no sense.

                                                                                                * * *

Lowman made his way to his office, excitement in his step. His anticipation of tomorrow’s experiment filled his mind with the possibilities it may contribute to understanding the birth of the universe. He would be counting the hours, the minutes until the experiment was initiated. Wondering at the knowledge to be revealed. It was an experiment in which MIT was a participant, along with a host of other prestigious institutions from all over the world. Prompted by his excitement, he scheduled a meeting with Dr. Volachek, head of the Physics Department, to share his enthusiasm. With a few hours before the meeting was to take place, he returned to the solitude of his office to contemplate what tomorrow’s experiment might reveal. Now he raised the blinds to the dismal gray of the winter’s afternoon. 

While sitting at his desk, his eyes wandered over the bookcases lining the walls of his office. He had a love for books since he was a child. During his youth they were his entertainment, and as he grew older, his source of knowledge. He enjoyed being among the thoughts and ideas of the great minds contained in these volumes.  Now, with tomorrow’s experiment, he may be witness to a great advancement in the understanding of the universe. The answers to questions great minds had pondered.

With the Hubble telescope and a host of great technologies being developed, questions were being answered and knowledge being gained more rapidly than ever before. The discovery of dark energy and dark matter, once radical concepts, have changed the science of physics. The question is, why does this mysterious dark matter and energy exist? Lowman sat in his office with the only sound the ticking of the old clock sitting on his bookshelf.

As the time of his meeting with Dr. Volchek drew close he donned his overcoat, and through the crisp winter afternoon, made his way to the dean’s office. He had known Dr. Volchek for years. The dean was a good friend and knowledgeable colleague. He entered the office and Dr. Volchek rose and welcomed him with a handshake. “Good to see you, Max. Glad to have someone with whom to share the excitement of tomorrow’s experiment.”

Lowman answered, “I just hope nothing goes wrong. It is an extremely complicated endeavor. This is an international effort with billions of dollars invested. Failure would be heartbreaking.”

The dean replied, “With every experiment there is a risk. But even a failure can produce knowledge. Now relax. Just look forward to the progress we may make in understanding the mysteries of our universe. Tomorrow that device nicknamed, The Hand of God, with gold atoms racing into one another to achieve unbelievable temperatures, will hopefully cause protons and neutrons to break apart into quarks and the gluon particles which hold the quarks together. And then, we hope, the quark – gluon plasma will duplicate the densest material ever created. The material which existed at or immediately after the ‘Big Bang’. Perhaps a Higgs boson. What a mighty contribution to physics that would be. Creating the material unknown to the universe for 18 billion years.”

                                                          * * *

That night, at home, his mind was like a whirling dervish. At dinner Max’s wife, Martha, could feel the excitement her husband generated. She said, “Max, calm down. You’re going to make yourself sick. Indigestion will not help you appreciate tomorrow.”

You’re right, Martha. You’re right.”

They finished dinner and spent the remainder of the evening reading. Later, as Martha prepared for bed, Max lie there, his mind working furiously. Once Martha was in bed, she turned off the bedside lamp, kissed Max and said, “I love you.”  And he returned that thought. It was their bedtime ritual and meant a great deal to them both. In the darkened room Max turned onto his side. He knew it would take some time to fall asleep, feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve.

The next morning, having spend a fitful night of anticipation, Lowman prepared for work. Before leaving he kissed his wife on the cheek and softly said, “I love you. You make my life worth living.” Martha slightly stirred and smiled.

                                                         * * * 

The drive to campus seemed to take forever. Lowman had trouble maintaining the speed limit. His excitement transferred to his foot. He parked his car and entered one of the large lecture halls reserved to watch the experiment take place on closed – circuit television and hoped for some kind of immediate results. Dr. Volchek saw Lowman and motioned for him to come over and sit in the seat Volchek saved for him.” The scientists at the ‘Hand of God’ began the introduction of those present at the site and relate a brief history of the journey which led to the experiment.

When that was completed, the experiment was initiated.

Lowman began to consider what knowledge might be discovered but that thought was never completed. In an instant Lowman no longer existed. The universe no longer existed. The balance of nature was revealed. All Lowman’s questions were answered and the answers would remain forever unknown. 

Lowman had always been amazed how nature maintained balance. The balance also applied to the Higgs boson. And true to that balance, the experiment produced an anti – Higgs boson. In a thousandth of a trillionth of a second dark matter, using dark energy, compressed all the matter of the universe into the anti – Higgs boson. The entire mass of the universe was now compressed into a minute particle of unbelievable mass. This process had been repeated for an infinite number of times. For infinity. The anti – Higgs boson sat alone in the emptiness of space. And after billions upon billions of years would morph into a Higgs boson prepared to initiate another ‘Big Bang’.

                                         THE END

                               AND THE BEGINNING

God does not play dice with the universe.

                                         —- Albert Einstein

God not only plays dice, he also sometimes throws the dice where they cannot be seen.

                                         —- Stephen Hawking

THE UNIVERSE IN BALANCE

Prof. Maxwell Lowman sat in his MIT office deep in thought. It was mid-afternoon, the blinds were lowered and closed creating the setting he desired. The sole illumination a reading lamp on his desk, a desk littered with books, research papers and correspondence. His office, lined with bookshelves contained works reflecting his eclectic interests running from poetry to the latest volumes in astrophysics.

With his salt and pepper eyebrows and mane of unruly gray hair he looked every part of the college professor. Lowman was an expert on the ‘Big Bang’, as if anyone could claim that title, he often thought. An expert. Might as well be an expert on heaven. Another doctrine born of conjecture. He often mused, “Why did the ‘Big Bang’ take place? How did it give birth to the universe? Questions yet to be solved. And to some, the answers relying on faith. The same as the existence of heaven. But unlike heaven, there was proof, in theory, that the ‘Big Bang’ did take place but for what reason did the universe exist? The question of why the universe came into existence is unanswerable. How is a matter of conjecture.

Lowman’s mind continued on a journey he had come to enjoy. Where some unknown force, some would call God, held hands with science. How could the universe come into existence from nothing? He tried to imagine space before the ‘Big Bang’. Nothing existed. Time did not exist. Light did not exist. Before the ‘Big Bang’ did space exist. Some thought, before the ‘Big Bang’ space did not exist but then unfolded. Did anything come before the existence of nothing. He spent hours musing over these questions thinking, that perhaps, science could not and should not answer everything. Some mystery should remain.

                                                       * * *

Lowman was conducting his first graduate class of the semester covering the ‘Big Bang’. His lecture would be full of theory, but in reality, no answers. During the course of his lectures he encouraged questions. And these questions would determine the structure of his future lectures. And this year, with the important upcoming experiment, he wanted to introduce the Higgs boson. 

During his lecture, one of his favorite pupils from the past year, Joe Hess, raised his hand and asked, “The ‘Big Bang’ is a mystery to me.”

Lowman said, “Well, you are not alone.”

Hess continued, “We know it happened, or else we wouldn’t be here. But where did all the matter in the universe come from?”

Lowman anticipated this question for it was asked every year. He began pacing along the front of the lecture hall to organize his thoughts for opinions were constantly changing. He began, “Stephen Hawking has a relatively new theory that all matter in the universe was created by the ‘God Particle’. In 1964 Peter Higgs predicted the existence of the Higgs boson which, in a book written by Leon Lederman, was referred to as the ‘God Particle’. The boson is central to our understanding of the structure of all matter”. 

Lowman anticipated Joe’s next question, “But where did the ‘God Particle’ come from?”

“That, young man, is the question which remains unanswered. The theory is that the ‘God Particle’ populated the entire universe in the smallest fraction of a second at a speed far beyond the speed of light. Of course, it is accepted that nothing can exceed the speed of light, but we must remember, that when this occurred light did not exist. Time did not exist, so anything is possible. When the ‘Big Bang’ occurred, it is theorized that the universe consisted of equal parts of dark matter, which is now accepted to exist, and visible matter. For reasons unknown, the amount of visible matter surpassed the amount of dark matter. And that is the reason that the universe – stars, black holes and you and I – exist.

Lowman concluded his lecture by telling the class, “I am sure you are aware that tomorrow a unique experiment will be conducted. It will attempt to duplicate the material which existed immediately following the ‘Big Bang’.  And perhaps create the particle which existed at the moment of the ‘Big Bang’, the ‘God Particle’. He concluded the lecture, and as the class exited the lecture hall, erased the white board of his lecture notes. One fact he saved for his future lecture was that the universe was expanding not contracting as was originally thought. So rather contracting to the point of, perhaps, another ‘Big Bang’ it will expand into single atoms wandering in space. Nature destroyed along with all the balance which once existed. It made no sense.

                                                                                                * * *

Lowman made his way to his office, excitement in his step. His anticipation of tomorrow’s experiment filled his mind with the possibilities it may contribute to understanding the birth of the universe. He would be counting the hours, the minutes until the experiment was initiated. Wondering at the knowledge to be revealed. It was an experiment in which MIT was a participant, along with a host of other prestigious institutions from all over the world. Prompted by his excitement, he scheduled a meeting with Dr. Volachek, head of the Physics Department, to share his enthusiasm. With a few hours before the meeting was to take place, he returned to the solitude of his office to contemplate what tomorrow’s experiment might reveal. Now he raised the blinds to the dismal gray of the winter’s afternoon. 

While sitting at his desk, his eyes wandered over the bookcases lining the walls of his office. He had a love for books since he was a child. During his youth they were his entertainment, and as he grew older, his source of knowledge. He enjoyed being among the thoughts and ideas of the great minds contained in these volumes.  Now, with tomorrow’s experiment, he may be witness to a great advancement in the understanding of the universe. The answers to questions great minds had pondered.

With the Hubble telescope and a host of great technologies being developed, questions were being answered and knowledge being gained more rapidly than ever before. The discovery of dark energy and dark matter, once radical concepts, have changed the science of physics. The question is, why does this mysterious dark matter and energy exist? Lowman sat in his office with the only sound the ticking of the old clock sitting on his bookshelf.

As the time of his meeting with Dr. Volchek drew close he donned his overcoat, and through the crisp winter afternoon, made his way to the dean’s office. He had known Dr. Volchek for years. The dean was a good friend and knowledgeable colleague. He entered the office and Dr. Volchek rose and welcomed him with a handshake. “Good to see you, Max. Glad to have someone with whom to share the excitement of tomorrow’s experiment.”

Lowman answered, “I just hope nothing goes wrong. It is an extremely complicated endeavor. This is an international effort with billions of dollars invested. Failure would be heartbreaking.”

The dean replied, “With every experiment there is a risk. But even a failure can produce knowledge. Now relax. Just look forward to the progress we may make in understanding the mysteries of our universe. Tomorrow that device nicknamed, The Hand of God, with gold atoms racing into one another to achieve unbelievable temperatures, will hopefully cause protons and neutrons to break apart into quarks and the gluon particles which hold the quarks together. And then, we hope, the quark – gluon plasma will duplicate the densest material ever created. The material which existed at or immediately after the ‘Big Bang’. Perhaps a Higgs boson. What a mighty contribution to physics that would be. Creating the material unknown to the universe for 18 billion years.”

                                                          * * *

That night, at home, his mind was like a whirling dervish. At dinner Max’s wife, Martha, could feel the excitement her husband generated. She said, “Max, calm down. You’re going to make yourself sick. Indigestion will not help you appreciate tomorrow.”

You’re right, Martha. You’re right.”

They finished dinner and spent the remainder of the evening reading. Later, as Martha prepared for bed, Max lie there, his mind working furiously. Once Martha was in bed, she turned off the bedside lamp, kissed Max and said, “I love you.”  And he returned that thought. It was their bedtime ritual and meant a great deal to them both. In the darkened room Max turned onto his side. He knew it would take some time to fall asleep, feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve.

The next morning, having spend a fitful night of anticipation, Lowman prepared for work. Before leaving he kissed his wife on the cheek and softly said, “I love you. You make my life worth living.” Martha slightly stirred and smiled.

                                                         * * * 

The drive to campus seemed to take forever. Lowman had trouble maintaining the speed limit. His excitement transferred to his foot. He parked his car and entered one of the large lecture halls reserved to watch the experiment take place on closed – circuit television and hoped for some kind of immediate results. Dr. Volchek saw Lowman and motioned for him to come over and sit in the seat Volchek saved for him.” The scientists at the ‘Hand of God’ began the introduction of those present at the site and relate a brief history of the journey which led to the experiment.

When that was completed, the experiment was initiated.

Lowman began to consider what knowledge might be discovered but that thought was never completed. In an instant Lowman no longer existed. The universe no longer existed. The balance of nature was revealed. All Lowman’s questions were answered and the answers would remain forever unknown. 

Lowman had always been amazed how nature maintained balance. The balance also applied to the Higgs boson. And true to that balance, the experiment produced an anti – Higgs boson. In a thousandth of a trillionth of a second dark matter, using dark energy, compressed all the matter of the universe into the anti – Higgs boson. The entire mass of the universe was now compressed into a minute particle of unbelievable mass. This process had been repeated for an infinite number of times. For infinity. The anti – Higgs boson sat alone in the emptiness of space. And after billions upon billions of years would morph into a Higgs boson prepared to initiate another ‘Big Bang’.

                                         THE END

                               AND THE BEGINNING

God does not play dice with the universe.

                                         —- Albert Einstein

God not only plays dice, he also sometimes throws the dice where they cannot be seen.

                                         —- Stephen Hawking

THE UNIVERSE IN BALANCE

Prof. Maxwell Lowman sat in his MIT office deep in thought. It was mid-afternoon, the blinds were lowered and closed creating the setting he desired. The sole illumination a reading lamp on his desk, a desk littered with books, research papers and correspondence. His office, lined with bookshelves contained works reflecting his eclectic interests running from poetry to the latest volumes in astrophysics.

With his salt and pepper eyebrows and mane of unruly gray hair he looked every part of the college professor. Lowman was an expert on the ‘Big Bang’, as if anyone could claim that title, he often thought. An expert. Might as well be an expert on heaven. Another doctrine born of conjecture. He often mused, “Why did the ‘Big Bang’ take place? How did it give birth to the universe? Questions yet to be solved. And to some, the answers relying on faith. The same as the existence of heaven. But unlike heaven, there was proof, in theory, that the ‘Big Bang’ did take place but for what reason did the universe exist? The question of why the universe came into existence is unanswerable. How is a matter of conjecture.

Lowman’s mind continued on a journey he had come to enjoy. Where some unknown force, some would call God, held hands with science. How could the universe come into existence from nothing? He tried to imagine space before the ‘Big Bang’. Nothing existed. Time did not exist. Light did not exist. Before the ‘Big Bang’ did space exist. Some thought, before the ‘Big Bang’ space did not exist but then unfolded. Did anything come before the existence of nothing. He spent hours musing over these questions thinking, that perhaps, science could not and should not answer everything. Some mystery should remain.

                                                       * * *

Lowman was conducting his first graduate class of the semester covering the ‘Big Bang’. His lecture would be full of theory, but in reality, no answers. During the course of his lectures he encouraged questions. And these questions would determine the structure of his future lectures. And this year, with the important upcoming experiment, he wanted to introduce the Higgs boson. 

During his lecture, one of his favorite pupils from the past year, Joe Hess, raised his hand and asked, “The ‘Big Bang’ is a mystery to me.”

Lowman said, “Well, you are not alone.”

Hess continued, “We know it happened, or else we wouldn’t be here. But where did all the matter in the universe come from?”

Lowman anticipated this question for it was asked every year. He began pacing along the front of the lecture hall to organize his thoughts for opinions were constantly changing. He began, “Stephen Hawking has a relatively new theory that all matter in the universe was created by the ‘God Particle’. In 1964 Peter Higgs predicted the existence of the Higgs boson which, in a book written by Leon Lederman, was referred to as the ‘God Particle’. The boson is central to our understanding of the structure of all matter”. 

Lowman anticipated Joe’s next question, “But where did the ‘God Particle’ come from?”

“That, young man, is the question which remains unanswered. The theory is that the ‘God Particle’ populated the entire universe in the smallest fraction of a second at a speed far beyond the speed of light. Of course, it is accepted that nothing can exceed the speed of light, but we must remember, that when this occurred light did not exist. Time did not exist, so anything is possible. When the ‘Big Bang’ occurred, it is theorized that the universe consisted of equal parts of dark matter, which is now accepted to exist, and visible matter. For reasons unknown, the amount of visible matter surpassed the amount of dark matter. And that is the reason that the universe – stars, black holes and you and I – exist.

Lowman concluded his lecture by telling the class, “I am sure you are aware that tomorrow a unique experiment will be conducted. It will attempt to duplicate the material which existed immediately following the ‘Big Bang’.  And perhaps create the particle which existed at the moment of the ‘Big Bang’, the ‘God Particle’. He concluded the lecture, and as the class exited the lecture hall, erased the white board of his lecture notes. One fact he saved for his future lecture was that the universe was expanding not contracting as was originally thought. So rather contracting to the point of, perhaps, another ‘Big Bang’ it will expand into single atoms wandering in space. Nature destroyed along with all the balance which once existed. It made no sense.

                                                                                                * * *

Lowman made his way to his office, excitement in his step. His anticipation of tomorrow’s experiment filled his mind with the possibilities it may contribute to understanding the birth of the universe. He would be counting the hours, the minutes until the experiment was initiated. Wondering at the knowledge to be revealed. It was an experiment in which MIT was a participant, along with a host of other prestigious institutions from all over the world. Prompted by his excitement, he scheduled a meeting with Dr. Volachek, head of the Physics Department, to share his enthusiasm. With a few hours before the meeting was to take place, he returned to the solitude of his office to contemplate what tomorrow’s experiment might reveal. Now he raised the blinds to the dismal gray of the winter’s afternoon. 

While sitting at his desk, his eyes wandered over the bookcases lining the walls of his office. He had a love for books since he was a child. During his youth they were his entertainment, and as he grew older, his source of knowledge. He enjoyed being among the thoughts and ideas of the great minds contained in these volumes.  Now, with tomorrow’s experiment, he may be witness to a great advancement in the understanding of the universe. The answers to questions great minds had pondered.

With the Hubble telescope and a host of great technologies being developed, questions were being answered and knowledge being gained more rapidly than ever before. The discovery of dark energy and dark matter, once radical concepts, have changed the science of physics. The question is, why does this mysterious dark matter and energy exist? Lowman sat in his office with the only sound the ticking of the old clock sitting on his bookshelf.

As the time of his meeting with Dr. Volchek drew close he donned his overcoat, and through the crisp winter afternoon, made his way to the dean’s office. He had known Dr. Volchek for years. The dean was a good friend and knowledgeable colleague. He entered the office and Dr. Volchek rose and welcomed him with a handshake. “Good to see you, Max. Glad to have someone with whom to share the excitement of tomorrow’s experiment.”

Lowman answered, “I just hope nothing goes wrong. It is an extremely complicated endeavor. This is an international effort with billions of dollars invested. Failure would be heartbreaking.”

The dean replied, “With every experiment there is a risk. But even a failure can produce knowledge. Now relax. Just look forward to the progress we may make in understanding the mysteries of our universe. Tomorrow that device nicknamed, The Hand of God, with gold atoms racing into one another to achieve unbelievable temperatures, will hopefully cause protons and neutrons to break apart into quarks and the gluon particles which hold the quarks together. And then, we hope, the quark – gluon plasma will duplicate the densest material ever created. The material which existed at or immediately after the ‘Big Bang’. Perhaps a Higgs boson. What a mighty contribution to physics that would be. Creating the material unknown to the universe for 18 billion years.”

                                                          * * *

That night, at home, his mind was like a whirling dervish. At dinner Max’s wife, Martha, could feel the excitement her husband generated. She said, “Max, calm down. You’re going to make yourself sick. Indigestion will not help you appreciate tomorrow.”

You’re right, Martha. You’re right.”

They finished dinner and spent the remainder of the evening reading. Later, as Martha prepared for bed, Max lie there, his mind working furiously. Once Martha was in bed, she turned off the bedside lamp, kissed Max and said, “I love you.”  And he returned that thought. It was their bedtime ritual and meant a great deal to them both. In the darkened room Max turned onto his side. He knew it would take some time to fall asleep, feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve.

The next morning, having spend a fitful night of anticipation, Lowman prepared for work. Before leaving he kissed his wife on the cheek and softly said, “I love you. You make my life worth living.” Martha slightly stirred and smiled.

                                                         * * * 

The drive to campus seemed to take forever. Lowman had trouble maintaining the speed limit. His excitement transferred to his foot. He parked his car and entered one of the large lecture halls reserved to watch the experiment take place on closed – circuit television and hoped for some kind of immediate results. Dr. Volchek saw Lowman and motioned for him to come over and sit in the seat Volchek saved for him.” The scientists at the ‘Hand of God’ began the introduction of those present at the site and relate a brief history of the journey which led to the experiment.

When that was completed, the experiment was initiated.

Lowman began to consider what knowledge might be discovered but that thought was never completed. In an instant Lowman no longer existed. The universe no longer existed. The balance of nature was revealed. All Lowman’s questions were answered and the answers would remain forever unknown. 

Lowman had always been amazed how nature maintained balance. The balance also applied to the Higgs boson. And true to that balance, the experiment produced an anti – Higgs boson. In a thousandth of a trillionth of a second dark matter, using dark energy, compressed all the matter of the universe into the anti – Higgs boson. The entire mass of the universe was now compressed into a minute particle of unbelievable mass. This process had been repeated for an infinite number of times. For infinity. The anti – Higgs boson sat alone in the emptiness of space. And after billions upon billions of years would morph into a Higgs boson prepared to initiate another ‘Big Bang’.

                                         THE END

                               AND THE BEGINNING

God does not play dice with the universe.

                                         —- Albert Einstein

God not only plays dice, he also sometimes throws the dice where they cannot be seen.

                                         —- Stephen Hawking

THE UNIVERSE IN BALANCE

Prof. Maxwell Lowman sat in his MIT office deep in thought. It was mid-afternoon, the blinds were lowered and closed creating the setting he desired. The sole illumination a reading lamp on his desk, a desk littered with books, research papers and correspondence. His office, lined with bookshelves contained works reflecting his eclectic interests running from poetry to the latest volumes in astrophysics.

With his salt and pepper eyebrows and mane of unruly gray hair he looked every part of the college professor. Lowman was an expert on the ‘Big Bang’, as if anyone could claim that title, he often thought. An expert. Might as well be an expert on heaven. Another doctrine born of conjecture. He often mused, “Why did the ‘Big Bang’ take place? How did it give birth to the universe? Questions yet to be solved. And to some, the answers relying on faith. The same as the existence of heaven. But unlike heaven, there was proof, in theory, that the ‘Big Bang’ did take place but for what reason did the universe exist? The question of why the universe came into existence is unanswerable. How is a matter of conjecture.

Lowman’s mind continued on a journey he had come to enjoy. Where some unknown force, some would call God, held hands with science. How could the universe come into existence from nothing? He tried to imagine space before the ‘Big Bang’. Nothing existed. Time did not exist. Light did not exist. Before the ‘Big Bang’ did space exist. Some thought, before the ‘Big Bang’ space did not exist but then unfolded. Did anything come before the existence of nothing. He spent hours musing over these questions thinking, that perhaps, science could not and should not answer everything. Some mystery should remain.

                                                       * * *

Lowman was conducting his first graduate class of the semester covering the ‘Big Bang’. His lecture would be full of theory, but in reality, no answers. During the course of his lectures he encouraged questions. And these questions would determine the structure of his future lectures. And this year, with the important upcoming experiment, he wanted to introduce the Higgs boson. 

During his lecture, one of his favorite pupils from the past year, Joe Hess, raised his hand and asked, “The ‘Big Bang’ is a mystery to me.”

Lowman said, “Well, you are not alone.”

Hess continued, “We know it happened, or else we wouldn’t be here. But where did all the matter in the universe come from?”

Lowman anticipated this question for it was asked every year. He began pacing along the front of the lecture hall to organize his thoughts for opinions were constantly changing. He began, “Stephen Hawking has a relatively new theory that all matter in the universe was created by the ‘God Particle’. In 1964 Peter Higgs predicted the existence of the Higgs boson which, in a book written by Leon Lederman, was referred to as the ‘God Particle’. The boson is central to our understanding of the structure of all matter”. 

Lowman anticipated Joe’s next question, “But where did the ‘God Particle’ come from?”

“That, young man, is the question which remains unanswered. The theory is that the ‘God Particle’ populated the entire universe in the smallest fraction of a second at a speed far beyond the speed of light. Of course, it is accepted that nothing can exceed the speed of light, but we must remember, that when this occurred light did not exist. Time did not exist, so anything is possible. When the ‘Big Bang’ occurred, it is theorized that the universe consisted of equal parts of dark matter, which is now accepted to exist, and visible matter. For reasons unknown, the amount of visible matter surpassed the amount of dark matter. And that is the reason that the universe – stars, black holes and you and I – exist.

Lowman concluded his lecture by telling the class, “I am sure you are aware that tomorrow a unique experiment will be conducted. It will attempt to duplicate the material which existed immediately following the ‘Big Bang’.  And perhaps create the particle which existed at the moment of the ‘Big Bang’, the ‘God Particle’. He concluded the lecture, and as the class exited the lecture hall, erased the white board of his lecture notes. One fact he saved for his future lecture was that the universe was expanding not contracting as was originally thought. So rather contracting to the point of, perhaps, another ‘Big Bang’ it will expand into single atoms wandering in space. Nature destroyed along with all the balance which once existed. It made no sense.

                                                                                                * * *

Lowman made his way to his office, excitement in his step. His anticipation of tomorrow’s experiment filled his mind with the possibilities it may contribute to understanding the birth of the universe. He would be counting the hours, the minutes until the experiment was initiated. Wondering at the knowledge to be revealed. It was an experiment in which MIT was a participant, along with a host of other prestigious institutions from all over the world. Prompted by his excitement, he scheduled a meeting with Dr. Volachek, head of the Physics Department, to share his enthusiasm. With a few hours before the meeting was to take place, he returned to the solitude of his office to contemplate what tomorrow’s experiment might reveal. Now he raised the blinds to the dismal gray of the winter’s afternoon. 

While sitting at his desk, his eyes wandered over the bookcases lining the walls of his office. He had a love for books since he was a child. During his youth they were his entertainment, and as he grew older, his source of knowledge. He enjoyed being among the thoughts and ideas of the great minds contained in these volumes.  Now, with tomorrow’s experiment, he may be witness to a great advancement in the understanding of the universe. The answers to questions great minds had pondered.

With the Hubble telescope and a host of great technologies being developed, questions were being answered and knowledge being gained more rapidly than ever before. The discovery of dark energy and dark matter, once radical concepts, have changed the science of physics. The question is, why does this mysterious dark matter and energy exist? Lowman sat in his office with the only sound the ticking of the old clock sitting on his bookshelf.

As the time of his meeting with Dr. Volchek drew close he donned his overcoat, and through the crisp winter afternoon, made his way to the dean’s office. He had known Dr. Volchek for years. The dean was a good friend and knowledgeable colleague. He entered the office and Dr. Volchek rose and welcomed him with a handshake. “Good to see you, Max. Glad to have someone with whom to share the excitement of tomorrow’s experiment.”

Lowman answered, “I just hope nothing goes wrong. It is an extremely complicated endeavor. This is an international effort with billions of dollars invested. Failure would be heartbreaking.”

The dean replied, “With every experiment there is a risk. But even a failure can produce knowledge. Now relax. Just look forward to the progress we may make in understanding the mysteries of our universe. Tomorrow that device nicknamed, The Hand of God, with gold atoms racing into one another to achieve unbelievable temperatures, will hopefully cause protons and neutrons to break apart into quarks and the gluon particles which hold the quarks together. And then, we hope, the quark – gluon plasma will duplicate the densest material ever created. The material which existed at or immediately after the ‘Big Bang’. Perhaps a Higgs boson. What a mighty contribution to physics that would be. Creating the material unknown to the universe for 18 billion years.”

                                                          * * *

That night, at home, his mind was like a whirling dervish. At dinner Max’s wife, Martha, could feel the excitement her husband generated. She said, “Max, calm down. You’re going to make yourself sick. Indigestion will not help you appreciate tomorrow.”

You’re right, Martha. You’re right.”

They finished dinner and spent the remainder of the evening reading. Later, as Martha prepared for bed, Max lie there, his mind working furiously. Once Martha was in bed, she turned off the bedside lamp, kissed Max and said, “I love you.”  And he returned that thought. It was their bedtime ritual and meant a great deal to them both. In the darkened room Max turned onto his side. He knew it would take some time to fall asleep, feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve.

The next morning, having spend a fitful night of anticipation, Lowman prepared for work. Before leaving he kissed his wife on the cheek and softly said, “I love you. You make my life worth living.” Martha slightly stirred and smiled.

                                                         * * * 

The drive to campus seemed to take forever. Lowman had trouble maintaining the speed limit. His excitement transferred to his foot. He parked his car and entered one of the large lecture halls reserved to watch the experiment take place on closed – circuit television and hoped for some kind of immediate results. Dr. Volchek saw Lowman and motioned for him to come over and sit in the seat Volchek saved for him.” The scientists at the ‘Hand of God’ began the introduction of those present at the site and relate a brief history of the journey which led to the experiment.

When that was completed, the experiment was initiated.

Lowman began to consider what knowledge might be discovered but that thought was never completed. In an instant Lowman no longer existed. The universe no longer existed. The balance of nature was revealed. All Lowman’s questions were answered and the answers would remain forever unknown. 

Lowman had always been amazed how nature maintained balance. The balance also applied to the Higgs boson. And true to that balance, the experiment produced an anti – Higgs boson. In a thousandth of a trillionth of a second dark matter, using dark energy, compressed all the matter of the universe into the anti – Higgs boson. The entire mass of the universe was now compressed into a minute particle of unbelievable mass. This process had been repeated for an infinite number of times. For infinity. The anti – Higgs boson sat alone in the emptiness of space. And after billions upon billions of years would morph into a Higgs boson prepared to initiate another ‘Big Bang’.

                                         THE END

                               AND THE BEGINNING

November 5, 2023 at 9:16 pm Leave a comment

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