“Three of my brothers and two sisters shrunk themselves down and have moved from civilization to civilization ever since, essentially acting as somewhat clumsy cosmic janitors. They clean up the little messes that they find, sometimes inadvertently causing others.”
“Mhm.”
“A brother and a sister decided that the only existence that was rightful was our own and so set out to wipe out all else, another brother and sister disagreed, and the pairs have spent their eternities opposing each other.”
“Yikes.”
“One brother concluded all existence was folly, and so travels about amusing himself and others. A sister felt that only justice, HER justice, mattered. They don’t mean to, but they wind up acting as counterbalance. Some situations require folly, others justice. And so on.”
“I see.”
“Then it was only me and my sister, we stayed together for time without end. She was curious, always trying to gather new information, new perspectives. Eventually, she departed to swallow any and all aspects of knowledge and art that creation created.”
“Oof.”
“Thus there was I, Steve. Alone in the Great Ether. Surrounded by blackness. Eventually that void became me. I floated, half dormant, for three of what you would call forever. I don’t know when the last bit of feeling left me, but I have felt nothing but a hollow, aching, emptiness for at least 10,000 times 10,000 millennia.”
At some point I lost track of the here and now. His words wrapped me up in a melodic embrace, taking me on a journey through his mind.
Or maybe I zoned out, but the other sounds better.
A knock came at the door, silencing Steve and snapping me back to reality. “Dr. Eliot, your 11:00 appointment is here,” Janice said.
“We’ll be a few more minutes, Janice,” I answered.
“Ahem, yes that’s alright. Just be aware that it’s already 12:04.”
I looked at my watch. “Shit,” I said.
“I’m sorry to take more of your time,” Steve said, “I suppose I can sum everything up with a question.”
“Right. Go for it,” I said.
Steve nodded, “What do I need to do to find happiness,” he asked, “What do I need to do to earn it? What price must I pay?”
I took in a breath through my nose.
I’m no therapist, more of a fraud really. A sham. And this guy, as far as I was concerned, was impossibly delusional. But I have felt that emptiness before. I have known what it is to lay with eyes half opened, unsure if it was time to sleep or rise, and uncaring either way. His words broke my heart in the greatest possible way. The gentle breaking of a life lived and wisdom gained through fire.
“Happiness is a how, Steve, not a what,” I said, “It’s a talent to be practiced, not a treasure to be found.”
Steve blinked, “Hm. Well that’s a pleasant surprise. I was afraid you were just going to try to sell me pot.”
I laughed uneasily.
Steve shook his head, “but where do I start? How do I practice what is supposed to come naturally,” he asked.
I had an idea. I reached down below my feet and grabbed my set of Connect Four. “Come with me.”
I walked into the lobby to find Janice waiting eagerly in her seat. I wasn’t even mad I owed her 80 bucks.
Turning the corner, I saw one of the regulars sitting impatiently in the lobby.
“I’m terribly sorry, Malcolm,” I said, “Scheduling mix up, I’ll see you right away.”
I turned back to Janice, “In the meantime, Janice, will you teach Steve here how to play Connect Four?”
She furled her brow, “Um, yeah, sure.”
“Connect Four,” Steve said, “Four of what? Four people? Planets? Timelines? Realities?”
I put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly, “You’re in good hands, buddy. Janice is the master.”
Malcolm stalked into my office before me. “What the hell dude, I’ve been waiting for over an hour,” He said as I closed the door behind him.
Just then, I heard the rattle of a piece dropping and a gleeful, childlike, laugh come from outside. When he left that day, Steve said, “This was good, I needed this. Same time next week?”
“Sure thing,” I answered.
He turned back before leaving, “And is it okay if I bring a friend next time?”
“A sister or brother,” I asked.
“No, not one of them, sadly. Just a friend. An interesting friend though, she turns into a rather large fish when startled.”
I chuckled, hiding my slight disappointment, “Of course, bring her in. I’ll make sure Janice doesn’t scare her.”
“Hey,” Janice said.
And Steve smiled.