The two men sit opposite each other at a table. They breathe in the air of an international restaurant. Before them is a pizza in the shape of the world. This world, as that one, is divided.
Each grabs a piece, takes a bite, and begins to chew.
“A lot has happened since we broke pizza dough together.”
“How have things been at your end of the tadpole pond?”
“Sharks have been biting little pieces of me off so I can't swim like I used to.”
“Have you made any decisions about what you are going to do about it?”
“Time for a little closure. Time to stop having little pieces of me getting devoured by others. I need to assess what's leftover and start swimming in a new direction.”
“What sharks. What have they eaten?”
“My heart was gnawed on by that wayward Katy. She kept changing her direction. In the end I never knew what to expect. I don't think she did either. But she decided if she went her own way at least she wouldn't have to worry about when I would criticize her about being all over the place.”
“How are you eating these days?”
“I find scraps here and over there. Wherever they turn up. I made some big investments. I was told they were sound by experts but I don't hear anything good from them anymore. I can't depend on them. I'm trying to invest my time in something more reliable.”
“Have you found it?”
“Yes.”
“Your audience waits. What is this stone to build on?”
“Myself.”
“Are you sure it will be enough to start over?”
“I had a long talk with myself and I agreed to close, then open to a new adventure.”
“Where will you go?”
“On a voyage of discovery below my skin. Traveling through my mind and senses, to go to new tidings of great joy and wonder.”
“Oh really!”
“I'm trying to sell myself on myself.”
“How has the adventure gone so far?”
“It's like being a thermometer for reality. I wait and absorb words, sounds, faces, pain, all there is at the time. Then it cooks like a Crock-Pot for a long time. When I decide to taste it I find new food. Things that I felt were always there but I couldn't find the words for. I begin to share those worlds with others to see if I'm quite mad or not.”
“What's been cooking lately?”
“The universe has a collection of suns. Those suns create new matter until they can't anymore. This leads to instability and they lose their shape. A new beginning comes in a new form.”
“What's that new form?”
“You and me.”
“So what happens next?”
“If inorganic matter evolves into new matter then organic matter evolves into new organic matter too.”
“Yes.”
“I think that organic matter might reach a level like inorganic matter and become unstable and lose its shape.”
“Lose its shape?”
“Cease to exist like it once did.”
“How do you find the world these days?”
“Reaching critical mass.”
“Let me chew on that.”
“I will too. By the way, do you have anything sweet? I'm getting a bad taste in my mouth.”
