A sea change

The laboratory was crammed. But Joshua knew exactly where everything was. He could immediately locate the piece of equipment he needed or the notebook he was looking for. It wasn’t that he hated organization, but somehow it was easier to find things this way. No wonder he knew every nook and cranny of the place; he spent most of his time there. Very often he ate and slept there, had a shave and a shower there, or changed clothes there….

Despite the overall sloppiness, it was a pleasant place. A spacious room with a big, bay window overlooking the sea. Joshua fell head over heels in love with the view from the window when he had come to rent the place. “This will be my inspiration,” he had thought to himself. And he wasn’t wrong. Every time he was disappointed or disheartened with the results of his experiments, he turned towards the window. The restless sea somehow transmitted to him the strength he needed to continue. The never-ending sound of the waves tickling the sand also stimulated his imagination. And he started all over again. Changing one detail here, substituting something for something else there, adding something new, or omitting something unnecessary. But the result was always the same: failure.

Joshua was very secretive about his work and never talked about it with his family or friends. At least not before he succeeded. He found it tactless to talk about theories and experiments they had no idea about and that would bore them to death or, even worse, entertain them. So practically no one knew what he was working on. Except for himself and the walls of that off the beaten track laboratory. 

That day, the sun was setting and Joshua couldn’t help but look out of the window. His head ached and he desperately needed a break. So he took his jacket and scarf, opened the front door, went out and started walking towards the sea. He found a spot and sat down on the warm sand, looking at the sunset. It must have been the most beautiful sunset he had ever seen. Tired as he was, he felt his eyes heavy and ready to close. Within minutes, he was lying on the warm sand, sleeping heavily.

 * *  *

Joshua half opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was some stars appearing shyly in the sky. The sun had set, but it wasn’t dark yet. The twilight was still glowing. “Silly me,” thought Joshua when he realized he had fallen asleep on the beach. But as he was about to stand up, he heard a soft female voice next to him saying:

-        It isn’t a crime to rest from time to time, Joshua.

Startled, he realized there was a woman sitting near him. He sat up, turned and peered in the dark which was now thicker. With difficulty he distinguished a female figure, probably naked, with a slim body and long wavy hair which covered it. “What on earth,” he thought to himself and his eyes opened wide.

The woman was looking at him calmly and was probably smiling at him. How did she know his name? Where had she come from? Had she been watching him? Joshua kept looking at her, absolutely speechless. He quickly calculated his options in his mind: he could either stand up and run back to his lab, or sit and find out who the strange woman was and what she wanted from him. The woman spoke again with her soft voice:

-        Don’t worry, Joshua, I will by no means hurt you.

Her soothing voice somehow calmed him down. He didn’t want to run away anymore, on the contrary, he wanted to stay with her and find out whatever he could about her. She seemed to know him rather well and understand his thoughts. How was that possible? So many questions roamed in his mind.

In the meantime, darkness had fallen. All Joshua could see was the stars in the sky and the figure of the strange woman. Her eyes shone and Joshua assumed they were blue.

-        Who are you? Uttered Joshua with difficulty.

-      This is unimportant, she replied. What is important is that I am here. And I am here to help you.

-        Are you a scientist, too? Asked Joshua with doubt in his voice.

-       I am someone who knows your problem and has the solution, replied the strange woman firmly.

Joshua almost let a laugh out. That was impossible. Nobody had a clue about his work, let alone the solution to it. He thought that someone played a prank on him. Yes, that was it, a prank and nothing else. But the woman kept sitting there, cool, calm and collected.

-        Then tell me, what is the solution to my problem? Asked Joshua stifling a smile.

-        You are very down-to-earth and lack imagination, Joshua. Without imagination, you will not be able to grasp any solution to any problem. Let alone your own.

-        This is a very broad and equivocal answer, replied Joshua trying to challenge the woman. I need more details. How can my problem be solved?

Then the strange woman started to talk about his failed experiments, his equations that resulted in nothing, the materials he used, his obsolete equipment, his disappointment and frustration. She talked and talked about it, as if she was present in everything he did and thought, as if she knew his every step so far. Joshua couldn’t believe his ears. One question kept pestering him: how did she know so much?

Finally, the woman said, with a sympathetic tone in her voice.

-        As the universe is infinite, so is knowledge and wisdom. We spend our lives acquiring knowledge which is finite and mostly subjective. A machine that knows everything, that has all the answers is, for the time being and the means available, elusive.

Joshua felt his face blush. So everything had been in vain? No, he couldn’t accept that solution. There had to be something else, something he could do. But before he could utter another word, the strange woman stood up.

-        Don’t let an obsession consume you, Joshua. Said the woman and started to walk slowly towards the sea. She went in and dived in the water. Joshua couldn’t see clearly her legs but he thought he saw a fishtail gleaming under the full moon.

The bright sunlight woke Joshua up. With half-opened eyes he looked around him. He was still on the beach, alone. His face was red from the sun, probably sunburnt. He sat up and looked towards the calm sea. Then looked at his watch. Almost ten o’clock, not his usual wake up time. He thought about last night. Did it really happen? Or was everything a dream? He wasn’t so sure. 

He got up and walked up to his laboratory. He had many things to do. First of all, to call the cleaning lady. There was a lot of junk in his place. He needed to throw it away and start afresh, with a new idea. He had been chasing a chimera long enough. It was time for new feasible plans. Plans he could discuss with other scientists of his field as well, and ask for their opinions.

He looked out of the window at the sea. He smiled and felt a warm broad smile back.