The Proposal for Infinity - Part 2

Conrad and Priscilla sat in the back of Nicholas' car. Conrad attempted to exercise as much patience as he possibly could as they waited in traffic. His hands were clenched tightly shut, his gaze fixed forward. Nicholas was in the front, focused on the task at hand. His charge had somewhere that he needed to be, and come hell or high water, Nicholas would get him there.

Priscilla placed a hand on Conrad's shoulder gently, drawing his attention to her. "So everything that Nicholas and your father told me is true? Some kind of goddess sent you to a different world for the last year? I just can't wrap my head around it, son."

Conrad squeezed his mom's hand reassuringly, smiling at her. "It's all true, mom. The adventure that I went on was incredible. Honestly, if it wasn't for how stressed I am about solving this problem, I'd be quite excited to tell you all the details. Believe me, I've had my fair share of successes and failures over the last year, mom."

Nicholas piped up from the front. "Did you conduct yourself well on all matters like I advised, my boy? Respect, courage, kindness?"

"Everything, Nicholas."

Nicholas smiled. "I'd expect no less."

Fifteen minutes later, they at last arrived at their destination. Nicholas turned to his mother, pulling her into another deep hug. "Let me go take care of this, mom. I promise, I won't be gone for a year this time."

Priscilla sniffled, hugging Conrad back. "I should certainly hope not."

He stepped out of the car, and Nicholas followed him out. Conrad's attendant simply stood in front of him for a moment, observing his expression, checking for strength in his eyes. Finally, he clapped a hand to Conrad's shoulder, and gestured towards the library with his head. "Go do what must be done."

After giving Nicholas another hug, Conrad turned and faced the library. As he walked up the steps, his entire body shook, as if overcome by the enormity of what he knew he needed to do. His nerves were alight. The weight of the continued existence of billions of human beings sat on Conrad's shoulders.

Conrad opened the door, stepping inside. He glanced around the room, looking for Nana. Passing by the reception desk, his heart hammered in his chest as he spotted her. She was facing away from Conrad for the moment, pouring over paperwork at the desk as if it was a perfectly normal day. Conrad walked up next to her, clearing his throat.

Nana's eyes widened, and she turned. The two of them stared at each other. Then, Nana closed her binder, turning to face him with her shoulders squared. And then, against all of Conrad's expectations, she smiled.

"I'm touched."

"Pardon, Nana?"

"I gave you a week to spend with your loved ones. The people who raised you from a newborn into a good young man. I figured you'd be spending every last minute with them. Instead, you gravitated to me, the only one you know who will still be next to you once all of this ends. To think I left this much of an impression on you. How sweet, Conrad Walters."

Conrad stiffened. "Your theory for why I'm here only holds water under the assumption that I have given up."

Nana sighed. "Of course. So you're not done begging."

Conrad leaned in, imploring Nana with his entire body and all of his words to see sense. "You've given me the chance to experience an amazing life! Trials, joy, love, and sorrow! All in a year's time! And I'm grateful to you for it in ways I don't even know how to express! But you don't seem to comprehend that it matters just as much to every other human being that they get the chance to experience life too!"

Nana stared back, her face somber. "You HAVE all had the chance to live. Everyone has had their own unique experiences. And those currently too young to process joy and success are also too young to experience despair and failure, so I'm not cheating them either. I promise you, Conrad, when the time comes, it will be completely and utterly without fear and pain for them. You don't think I would exercise cruelty against everyone, do you?"

"This IS cruelty, Nana!"

"It is no more cruel than the fate of a dog that is owned by a human being for its entire life."

Conrad was gobsmacked. "I'm sorry, Nana?"

"The dog that lives its whole life under the ownership of a man does not even experience freedom. And yet, it too experienced a life. Here you stand, Conrad Walters, with both lived experiences AND freedom. The same can be said for your mother and Nicholas waiting outside, your father, and every other person you can care to name. And yet you have the audacity to claim me cruel. It's almost impressive."

Conrad grit his teeth. What did he have left? He had no leverage to hold over Nana. She held all the cards. How was he supposed to negotiate from a position of such weakness? How was he supposed to convince her to see things from the perspective of human ethics?

"Besides, Conrad, even if I decide not to see how Earth looks left to the wildlife, or another species, my greatest problem remains unsolved."

Conrad glanced back up at Nana.

"I am a prisoner of my own circumstances, Conrad. I don't even know whether or not my existence will ever end. I have lived for over four and a half billion years. Whatever fascinating discovery you can think of, on the planet, in the planet, or by the people, I have already experienced. This is why I appreciate you so much, Conrad. All you want is to experience new things...and that's exactly what I want too."

Conrad stared into Nana's eyes. Eyes that held behind them the infinite knowledge of the world. Knowledge that he now understood was Nana's great curse. She was a goddess, a physically and mentally perfected being, and that meant there was no growth left for her. For the first time since Conrad met her, despite how odd this would have felt to him a year ago, he looked at Nana with pity. He couldn't help it.

And then, as Conrad thought over Nana's dilemma, it came to him. The man's sharp, deductive mind came up with an idea once again, when it was needed the most. It was a potential solution to both problems. Nana's threat of human extinction, and Nana's potential eternity of tormenting boredom and stagnation. It was an idea that Nana, who had only ever known incredible power, had not properly considered herself. An idea that rejected the notion of even being tied to this power in the first place.

Conrad straightened up. "Nana. You can do essentially anything, right?"

She nodded solemnly. "Yes, which is part of the problem. Why?"

Conrad grinned. "I've got something I want you to think over. Hear me out."

It was a dreary Monday morning.

A young girl walked to school, holding her guardian's hand. Light rain fell upon the two of them. Spotting a puddle, the young lady hopped over, not wanting to get her feet wet. Her guardian smiled down at her.

"Good idea. You have to worry about getting sick now."

The child smirked, glancing up at him. "For sure."

The two of them walked in silence a few minutes more, until they arrived at her new school. The child sighed slightly.

"Are you sure I need to go here five days a week? Don't you think I already know all the things those teachers could tell me about?"

"Of course I do. But it isn't just about sitting there as the teachers tell you things. This place is also important because it teaches you how to associate and work with your peers." He grinned down at the child. "It's important to attend this place so you can learn how to be a functional human being. Makes sense, right?"

The child glanced up at him, skeptical. "You're saying that with an awful lot of confidence for someone who was homeschooled."

Her guardian sighed. "I get that, but just trust me, okay? This is the perfect place to practice dealing with problems the human way."

"Very well. I trust you."

The child walked up to the front door, then turned back to address her guardian again.

"Remember what I taught you. Check for meteors approaching the planet every now and then. Make sure everything functions, and then just leave the planet to rotate as it always does. We'll talk more soon about how often you'll do this, and how often I'll take back over."

"Understood. Have a nice first day."

The child took off her hat, revealing teal hair, and stepped inside.

Conrad glanced up, smiling. "After I check in with mom and Nicholas, I think I'll go visit Carmela today."

He vanished.