Chapter one: Mind Boggling

Chapter one: Mind Boggling

Chapter One:


Mind Boggling





The scene is set in darkness. A mind wandered around in this darkness by itself wondering about nothingness. It seemed to think that wondering about nothingness, while in this nothingness, was absolutely normal. It had been here before, though. But this time, the mind’s nothingness that it wandered through will be different.

As it wandered it seemed to think something wasn’t right. It didn’t know why nothing seemed right at that moment, for it all looked similar to the mind, dark. However, it continued its feelings towards the feeling of unknown dread. Suddenly, something had caught its’ attention.

The mind wandered to an area, different from the rest of its darkness. It appeared to have the shape of a room. Peculiar. A small stream of light happened to be in there, one very small stream. The contrast that it made with the rest of the room was significant. If one was to look closer, it would appear that all the objects in the room had a faint glow. But they weren’t objects.

In place of objects were symbols repeating themselves to act as the objects. They seemed to dance about, keeping with some other symbols as if they were playing follow-the-leader while keeping the three-dimensional shape. However, some things were moving around. These letters were only that, they didn’t have a shape. They were jumping around and around, following certain paths as if they were searching for something. Something important to them seemed to have been lost.

As one of them neared the light a feeling of tension would hit the mind. A feeling of supreme worry, confusion, and curiosity. A little voice in the back of the mind would remind the rest of the mind of the age old saying to keep little children out of trouble:

“Curiosity killed the cat.”

It would say in the childish warning voice, appearing the wag its finger at the rest.

However, it wasn’t before long that the searching symbols around the room were to be seen in the light. One of the searching symbols seemed just a curious about the light. It wanted to test it out, but another searcher came to investigate. The symbols looked as if they were communicating, but not making any noises.

Another peculiarity has just struck the mind. The whole world was silent. Not even the slight murmur of the world that seems so present was there. The mind finds this unnerving, and it is upset. It screams to be taken away, but it cannot. It, somehow, doesn’t seem to be in full control. It cannot move on its own, it needs a body. Of which, it didn’t see that it had. Odd, but the conversation being held with it was interrupted by the searchers.

They were rolling around, one on top of the other, then the other way around. One would have thought that they were fighting. Wrestling like small men, but the mind wouldn’t have related them to men. There were no men in this world. There never has been, nor has there been a woman. So the mind looked at this with wonder, and amazement. It was certainly unreal. But what was real? Nothing this mind had any right to try and understand at all! But it went ahead and did, or tried to:

If real is what seems natural, then what seems natural?

Well, natural is what is real, or course.

Now we are just going in circles, so let’s think about the first question again. What is natural?

What have we always known to be normal?

The darkness. But is it natural?

Who’s to say it isn’t natural? You have been in it for all of your life, so why would it suddenly seem unnatural?

Because it never seemed right?

What is right?

That is the same as asking what is natural, and what is real. We’re going in circles!

Why don’t you ask another then?

What would I ask?

Try a book.

That seems natural.

But you’ve never seen a book, or read one. Not in here, at any rate.

Does me not seeing it mean it is unnatural?

Maybe, maybe not. It all depends.

Fine. I’ll go and look at this book.

The mind goes over to an area that has certain symbols on it. The symbols are different from the rest of the room. They are still. The mind wonders why? Is it because they were never given life, or never taught how to move? Perhaps, but rather than asking the other this question, keep on track of the current one.

Good idea.

It commented. Strange. The mind didn’t even try and wonder why the other was in the room with it. It had no clue what the other was. Was it a part of the mind to begin with, or was it another entity altogether? The mind didn’t know or care. Or it just didn’t care to know, either way, it didn’t try to find out.

The mind looked at the book. It was able to understand the markings, barely. But not really understand them, but know what the book said. It wasn’t reading, but remembering, in a sense. Remembering something that it has never known. Well why not? Nothing here was natural, anyway! The mind knew (instead of “the book read”):

Natural- having real or physical existence, as opposed to one that is spiritual, intellectual, or fictitious.

Well, that didn’t help.

The mind knew that the other was right. It would not look for real, rather then natural. Get right to the bottom of things, rather than taking the long way about. The mind knew:

Real- occurring as fact. Not fictitious or fake. Real.

Occurring as fact, eh?

Yes, so this place is real, then?

Well, yes and no.

What?

Yes and no. Really, you ought to listen better. I don’t want to have to keep repeating myself.

But you aren’t!

Aren’t what?

A self! You aren’t here, are you?

I can’t answer that.

Why not?

Because I’m not allowed to tell you what you can and cannot see. But you don’t see, really, do you?

The other was right. The mind didn’t see for it didn’t think it had eyes, but it wasn’t even sure that it knew what eyes were. So, it couldn’t say anything.


Why can’t you tell me?

Because it’s up to you to make your own decision of what you want to think and believe.

It is?

Yes. Far be it for me to tell you what you can and cannot think.

Oh. So you can’t tell me what is real after all, can you?

No. You made this place, and I’m just here.

I made this?

Yes.

But I didn’t know I made it!

But you did. That’s all that matters.

The mind tried several attempts to get the other to speak back to it after that. But it wouldn’t listen. It was gone, or silent enough that the mind didn’t know it was there. The mind shrugged it off. Nothing. It felt some urge to lie down, which is weird for a mind. However, it thought that since nothing was real without it saying so, nothing was technically weird, either. Was it?
The mind settled down again, as it had done so many times before. It had changed this time, in its wandering. It was no longer the same after this encounter with the room and the other. However, it was willing to put these thoughts and memories to the back of itself, rather than think about such things.
Why, one may ask? Simply, because individual thoughts, for anything, are dangerous. The mind knew this, and it decided it liked staying the way it was, for a bit longer. So when I lie down to rest, it took all the memories of what had happened from those moments, and put them away. Only just far enough that it wouldn’t find them until they are desperately needed.