It was a day like any other for the Void. Business was thriving as usual in his World of nothingness. Quarterly results showed there to be no activity present. No peaks or troughs in matter or energy, indicating that in the Void's world nothing existed, as expected. You see, Void worked so very hard his whole life at making sure his World remained cool and empty. "An empty world is a clean world," he would say. In emptiness Void found a certain sense of inner tranquility. Whenever he was confounded with pressure or gloom, it was in this emptiness that Void would find inner strength. For most of his life he sought after this sense of peace, ridding his World of everything unnecessary. Indeed, due to Void's hard work there was no reason for sadness or pain or misery. Nor was there any time for such affairs, for time did not exist. He made sure that for anything in his life that would cause woe, he would find or create its antidote. For sadness there would be an immediate remedy of gladness. For pain, instant gratifications. For misery, staunch and defiant optimism. As these opposing forces would collide they would - as the laws of the entire universe demand - annihilate one another, causing emptiness, and Void would feast upon this emptiness. By and large this sort of diet worked for Void, for he used to feed upon anger and hostility, but that left him very gassy. But now, there was peace and tranquility in everything the Void knew. However, a nagging predicament would arise after every meal: Void wasn't sure if he was consuming the emptiness in his world or whether the emptiness of his world was beginning to consume him.
One day, as Void approached his empty workspace to prepare for another day of nothingness he was confronted by a bright shining light. At first he was in awe, he had never seen a light quite like this ever before. She was warm enough so as to appear inviting, and yet cool enough to put to rest any fears one might have that she would burn her guest. She was bright enough to illuminate Void's World, and even show him a few items he had forgotten to annihilate, but dull enough to allow Void to stand in his own peaceful darkness, if he desired.
Void was taken aback with awe, as mentioned, but finally couldn't allow this intrusion to go unnoticed. Unsure of how to confront this new appearance in his world, and even more unsure of whether he wanted to, 'Void reached out towards this light with his right hand, offering a gesture to shake. He did this only to test whether or not the light was real or somehow a figment of his vibrant imagination. He had only dreamed of these lights as a young child and wasn't convinced they were real. The light reached out as well as if to suggest she was okay to touch, but not to suggest that she wanted to touch, at least not in this cold formal manner. All the same he shook her hand and was overcome with emotion.
Her touch was soft and yet powerful. It's fair to say that she did not shake back, but probably more accurate to mention she did not need to. She looked at him with a glance as though she was wondering when he would finally break the silence and introduce himself. Anyhow, as mentioned, Void shook her hand and introduced himself as Void. She mentioned that where she comes from his name means 'handsome,' but Void already knew this, he was quite learned. She mentioned she had met a few Voids before in her travels, but none quite like him. He quickly asked her what her name was and she told him her name was Myriad. He felt obliged to give her some similar feedback on what her name meant in his World, so he said Myriad made reference to a local trendy unisex fashion store. She asked him if he knew what Myriad means where she was from, for she did not know herself. Void wasn't even sure yet where she was from and so exclaimed that he could not know unless she told him. She responded, "Guess where I'm from!" After a few guesses Void got it right, a far away world; she was from the Motherland, the very centre of the Universe, mother to all other worlds and home of the ancients. Robust as her attention to world history may have been, she had neglected to understand the full meaning of Myriad, but Void came across this word in his studies.
He told her: This is the depth of what Myriad means. It encapsulates all that you are, it defines you as much as it defines itself. In the days of the ancients, Myriad was a way of describing an idea, the idea that we can define the infinite. The universe and the world you are from were both in their infancy, and we did not yet know how large either was. Our knowledge was small but our ideas were most grand. We set out with the belief that the infinite was simply a number, a large number for us at the time, 10,000. Myriad at base means 10,000. The number isn't important, what's important is the idea that Myriad is a measure of the infinite within the finite, an impossible notion for some to understand. However, I understand the concept myself quite well but never thought I would live to see a Myriad. Today I am awe, you may have noticed, because I am quite certain your name is not an accident.
What do you mean?" Myriad wondered, "How am I a Myriad? Void voiced the only reply he could at the time "One day I'll tell you why you are a Myriad." It was not yet time.
In short order Void and Myriad became immeasurably close, resounding complements for one another. The pair shared many interests and made plans to spend much time together. Void was a little unsettled. He owed her an explanation as to why she was a Myriad, but he just could not find the words. Time passed and with each passing day he spent with her he understood her a little bit more, and understood himself a little bit less. When he came to grips with this, he knew 100% that she was indeed a Myriad.
He jotted down a few notes here and there so he wouldn't forget, but by an large the explanation spewed forth. Excited with the good news of his epiphany he called upon Myriad to let her know he finally had the words. He was ready, like a freddy. They planned a night to go out among the stars so that Void could take his time and have his words about him. On that night he told her what's has been on his mind:
You are a Myriad, and if I'm the first person who has ever told you this than I might be the first person who has ever been able to notice it. Others may have felt that you are just a girl, just another passer by, but I see in you a million souls. Just a scientist looks at an atom to find 1,000,000 sub-atomic particles. Just as a mathematician looks at a formula and sees a 100,000 applications. Just as a Sufi mystic looks at tree and sees 10,000 souls I look into your eyes and I see 1,000 reflections of myself, or perhaps more. If you let me look for long enough I can actually feel the two of us standing side by side in a past life, but you never do, we shouldn't dwell on the past. The point is we're here. You may have said it first but I meant it first: I'm so glad I found you. What Myriad means to me is how I'll always remember you: You are my perfect compliment.
You are the last piece of the World's greatest puzzle: How do we define the infinite? I know for my sake, if I could define the infinite, that would enable me to experience the infinite. Infinite joy, infinite love, infinite tranquility....infinite possibility. But how?
Well, you can take a single object, any object, and theoretically divide it into an infinite number of halves, a never-ending regression of stories about division. Likewise, you can take a single moment, any moment you and I have shared together so far and divide it into an infinite number of joys, a never-ending regression of stories about love and laughter. All we need, to make a single moment infinite, to make it Divine, is you and me. All we ever needed was a Myriad coupled with a Void, side by side, intertwined. In fact, that's exactly what the infinite is. Mathematicians, Philosophers, Noble Kings, and college students on shrooms have all had a swing at defining the infinite. But after meeting you I realise that the concept is quite simple. If you combine a Perfect Void with a Perfect Myriad you reach infinity...
...to be continued.