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Diminishing Returns
A Short Story by Van Russo
And so it must be true. It was printed in several respected scientific
journals. It was even on TV. Parallel universes are real. Anyone would
say it's impossible. Not only are they real, but almost certainly there
is a universe where his Bernice is still alive. Stan Molton pondered
this for quite a while.
His Bernice, who had withered and died so quickly, was alive in a parallel
universe. And in that parallel universe they too know about other universes.
It was a scientific certainty. They said so on TV. His Bernice, who's
death left a black empty hole in his life, was alive. Alive in some unimaginably
distant universe. Stan pondered this some more. What distance? When Bernice
went to Miami to visit her sister, she was distant. He couldn't see her,
or touch her, but she was his Bernice, and she was alive, and everything
was alright.
Stan felt the hand of God in all this, but he did not much believe in
God. Not much at all. But, yes, God was behind this; had to be. The truth
of this, for Stan, was suddenly as true as fire is hot and ice is cold.
He pondered a while longer and he started to recall a poem he read,
not that long ago, called "Diminishing Returns" written by
... he couldn't remember. A boy was asking questions in the poem and
being
answered
by
somebody...his
father perhaps.
"Is God real?"
"
No."
"
Does he care about us?"
"
No."
"
Do we go to Heaven when we die?"
"
No."
"
Can I have a dollar?"
"
No."
"
Can I have a quarter?"
"
Yes."
Then in his mind Stan could see that quarter turning in black space,
bright and shiny, with the eagle's wings spread on one side of the coin,
and Thomas Jefferson in profile on the other side. Stan pondered no more.
The enigma of God lifted like a dark cloud away from the sun. "I
am that I am," said Stan. "Hello, Bernice."
 © Van
Russo, 2004
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