Read Online Dead & Godless by Donald J. Amodeo - Free Book Online Page A

and glints of shimmering pearl
that danced like fairies upon the underbrush. Ransom plucked a jewelberry from
a hanging vine and popped it into his mouth, an act which made the star child
most curious.
    “That
jewelberry!” he exclaimed. “Why do you do this thing?”
    “It’s
called eating. It’s not a bad pastime, though I much prefer drinking, to be
perfectly honest.”
    Fishing
a brushed metal flask from his coat, Ransom washed the berry down with a swig
of bourbon, hissed a happy exhale and returned his attention to Corwin.
    “Suppose
that you decided upon the meaning of life, but someone else adopted a different
meaning, one that contradicted your own. Which of you would be right? Which is
the true meaning?”
    “Both,”
Corwin replied. “One meaning can be true for one person and a different meaning
true for another.”
    “Nonsense,”
spat Ransom. “If both are true, then nothing is true. Truth cannot contradict
truth.”
    “What
if there were no contradictions? What if, unified by scientific reasoning, our
race decided upon a common goal towards which to aspire?”
    “Even
that improbable scenario would change nothing. Universal truths are always
discovered, never decided upon.”
    As
they were talking, the land rose on their left, a low roar furtively growing.
The ivory-barked boles of the trees parted, giving sight to a wide and rambling
river with many forks.
    “It
doesn’t look like there’s any way across,” mentioned Corwin.
    “We
could swim or carve canoes,” said Ransom. “Or build a giant catapult!”
    “Or
we could follow the path,” the star child suggested.
    The
path, which won out over the catapult in a two-to-one vote, soon became a ledge
that ran behind a chain of waterfalls. Because it wasn’t frightfully high off
the ground, Corwin felt at ease, far more so than on the previous ledge. The
falls themselves were not a violent rush, but a smooth curtain of water
spilling over the ridge. They misted the air with a white, spectral fog. As it
swirled and strengthened, visions appeared in its folds.
    Corwin
saw a sunny pasture. In the air was a bi-wing glider, its shadow racing over
the grass while a bicycler peddled furiously to catch up.
    “In
the realm of science, the nature of truth is most evident,” continued Ransom,
resuming his former line of thought. “Man did not learn to fly by deciding the
laws of aerodynamics, but by discovering them and harnessing that knowledge.”
    The
fog rolled and a new scene materialized. Grapes ripened on rows of vines in
golden Tuscan fields. A painter stood in the shade, his easel propped before
him. With quick and precise dabs of his brush, the canvas came to life.
    “You
see it also in the arts, for beauty is not as subjective as mortals think. The
great painters and composers did not simply decide what beauty was. They
discovered it in their lives and devoted themselves to capturing it.”
    Next
came a place that Corwin instantly recognized. It was the frozen foods section
of a local grocery store. Rows of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream stared them in
the face. Corwin’s mortal self stepped gingerly into view like a thief in a
jewelry shop, prying open a glass door to the hum of industrial freezers.
    “Chunky
Monkey, good choice,” grunted Ransom with an approving nod. “But even your
favorite flavor of ice cream is not purely a matter of choosing. You discovered
that some ingredients were more pleasing to your taste buds than others.”
    “That’s
not what I would call a universal truth,” objected Corwin.
    “True,”
Ransom agreed. “Maybe I’m just getting hungry.”
    Again
the vision dissolved. The white mist was thinning.
    “Let’s
say I grant you that in order for there to be an objective meaning of
life, it would have to be something we discover,” Corwin said as they put the
river behind them. “You still haven’t proven that there is one.”
    “Nor
do I intend to, but why ignore the evidence written within