Image: Credit: NASA, BBC News

PROMPT

I am not a fatalist. I’m not obsessed with darkness. Yet, a landmark development in astronomy this week inspires me to remain on the periphery of the theme, but not get sucked inside.

See if you can explore the science, give it a new twist, write a fairy tale or fables around it, or give it a totally new meaning. Black holes do not exist only in space. Many of us have those in our minds, when we cut ourselves off from the world.

The release of a photo purporting to be that of a black hole hit the headlines and caused Cyril Rum, an Angel on Sabbatical, to sit up and take notice.

Cyril being an Angel had been around a long time, and the theory of black holes in the universe had always fascinated him.

Then again, most things fascinated Cyril which was why he had come to earth to try and make some sense of the human beings who seemed to Cyril intent of destroying everything they put their hands on.

He had settled in a small town and found a house along an equally small street beside a woman who was to prove a great help to Cyril in his quest to understand the earth and what made it go around.

Well gravity he got, it was a fact of nature, and he didn’t question such facts, only to think it was a rather curious phenomenon.

Black holes in Cyril’s thinking were not objects to think a lot about. After all, being an Angel, anything black was sort against all he stood for and his brief when once he asked about black holes was to simply not go there.

He was told they’d not do his angelic nature a lot of good and that they were one of those curious oddities within the Universe one had to accept existed or else risk the onset of madness.

Cyril had seen a lot of madness in his time. It was surprising how often it afflicted an angel. Especially ones who questioned the existence of anything.

It was explained to him that within the creation of the Universe there existed two sides to everything. Ups had downs, bright had dull, forward had reverse and so on, so it was clear to all who took notice that for there to be black holes there had to be white holes though there were just as difficult to see if fact maybe more so.

Cyril read through the news story on the photo that covered the front page and as was amazed it had allowed itself to be photographed.

Cyril concluded the black hole must be smarter than he envisaged as the only reason he could think of for the black hole to allow a photograph to be taken was to further confuse those who believed it was what they thought it was. Either that or it was a warning a hole was approaching the earth and soon to swallow it up.

Cyril considered this possibility and thought it may not be such a bad idea as the earth had all but exhausted its purpose and a new start in a new dimension might bring about a change in attitude among the few who might survive.

A little later Cyril received a message from his headquarters to say the end was not nigh, the black hole was messing with the human minds, and he had more than enough time for a second cup of coffee, a drink he was developing a taste for.

Written for: https://reinventionsreena.wordpress.com/2019/04/11/reenas-exploration-challenge-82-2/