The Quandry

H.o.p.: Mom, there’s something I want to talk to you about. I have this problem that freaks me out sometimes. It’s about life. Sometimes when I think about life it’s like something I can’t escape. It’s hard to describe. How can I forget about it, mom?

Bad mom softly laughs.

H.o.p.: And I sometimes get freaked about the earth, too. Like scientists say in the future the earth will be swallowed by the sun. How can I forget this? I don’t want my great-great-great-great-great grandchildren to die from it. How can they escape it? It freaks me out thinking about how the earth is going to be destroyed. They talk about it everywhere. Even Tim and Moby at Brainpop talk about it. I can prove it to you, and you’ll feel the same way I do.

Mom (knowing this won’t help one bit): That’s billions of years in the future.

H.o.p.: I can prove it to you. Lots of scientists are talking about it. (Going to his computer and opening a browser window.)

Mom: I know. I’ve read about it many times over the years.

H.o.p.: So, I got here for no reason?

Mom (thinking he meant being born): What do you mean?

H.o.p.: So I opened my browser window for no reason?