Ian and Steve both sat in chairs in the middle of a huge, dark room illuminated only by a lone overhead light. They sat quietly, staring straight ahead while pondering their latest dilemma. Then the silence was broken by the sound of Steve rising from his chair.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Ian asked.
“To see if I can find a way out of here,” Steve replied.
“Steve!” Ian shouted. “We’re in a black hole, remember? Anything that enters a black hole cannot escape and is gone forever! Don’t you understand? There is NO WAY OUT!”
“There’s nothing wrong with trying,” Steve muttered as he began to walk into the darkness behind the chairs.
“You get back here, Steve! You’re just wasting your time!”
The only response Ian got was the sound of footsteps fading into the distance as an uneasy silence began to settle in. He constantly monitored his surroundings for any sign of Steve returning from his search. Or had Steve found the way out?
“Hey, Ian!”
Steve’s voice rang throughout the room, but he was nowhere to be found.
“Up here!”
Ian looked up and gasped. There was Steve, standing on the wall high above the floor, defying gravity and perhaps reality.
“STEVE!” Ian roared. “What are you doing up there?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing,” Steve replied.
“Quit clowning around and get back down here!”
“Okay, fine,” Steve sighed. “But I did see some doors-”
“SHUT UP ABOUT THE DOORS! GET DOWN HERE NOW!”
“Fine,” Steve sighed again and disappeared into the darkness. Ian could hear the footsteps fade into silence before they became louder again. Then they stopped. Where was Steve this time?
“Hey, Ian!”
Ian quickly checked his surroundings to see where Steve was but was left clueless. Then he looked up and nearly fell out of his chair. There was Steve, standing on the ceiling directly overhead.
“STEVE!” Ian screamed.
“Sorry,” Steve muttered before disappearing again. Again there was the sound of footsteps, this time coming from all directions. Ian had a hard time figuring out where Steve was headed and where he would end up next. Then the footsteps stopped and there was silence. Ian kept glancing at the walls and the ceiling to see if Steve was lurking there. The space inside a black hole is a very strange space indeed.
Then a figure came floating out of the darkness, hovering well above the floor. It stopped near Ian, who couldn’t make out what this figure was although it seemed vaguely familiar.
“I found a way out,” Steve said. “So long.”
With that, Steve floated towards the wall at the opposite side of the room, where he faded into the darkness.
“STEVE!” Ian screamed. There was no answer, only silence. He did his best to fight the sensation that he was truly alone, but soon lost to the reality that eventually overpowered him.
“STEVE!”
Still no answer.
Steve was gone.
To be canoe tied…
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