Seventh PSI

[a_gentle_boy]

Um.

 . . .

Carry the . . . 2, right?  And then . . . Hm.  That's not right.  Maybe I have to do long division . . . Or calculus?  I heard someone mention calculus before, but I don't know how it's any different from calculation . . .  Is that when I put the 4 underneath the bracket  . . . ?  And make it so that there are enough 4s to go into 9394 . . . And if there aren't enough 4s . . . . . . . . . . . Um.  You take them from here.  And erase it and use the numbers over here because of the . . . Principle of Something Equality  . . . Which means . . . And I am under 18 years of age and I don't know what the rest mean so I check all these boxes . . . . . And multiply by this number . . . . . . . . . . .........  Oh.

Gosh.  It looks like the government owes me $39,918,285.  Maybe I should go buy some more popcorn after all. 

Comments

[izlegal.livejournal.com]

[A light chuckle] You really ought to have your parents do that. Unless it's for school?

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

My 'dad' said I should learn . . . The government sure is generous. I couldn't get that much DP if I destroyed a hundred chimeras.

[izlegal.livejournal.com]

[Going to... pretend he didn't hear the DP thing...or chimera...]

Usually it isn't; perhaps there was a mathematical error?

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

But I'm sure I did all the multiplication right. I just finished learning it in school and I got a good grade . . .

[The problem, Lucas, may lie in the fact that you multiplied instead of divided.]

[izlegal.livejournal.com]

Maybe you should have you father look over it before hand...

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

I try not to talk to him if I don't have to . . .

[izlegal.livejournal.com]

I see...


Do you.. need somebody to look over it, then?

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

. . . That would be nice. But it's OK, Mister, I wouldn't want to take up your time.

[izlegal.livejournal.com]

I've plenty of time to spare...

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

R-Really? Thank you very much! . . . My name is Lucas -- I'm on 846 Goldberg. I don't think we've met before although you kinda sound a little familiar.

[izlegal.livejournal.com]

Luke Triton, although Mr. Luke is what I normally go by.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

Luke Triton? But . . . Oh! Are you the future Luke he talked about then?

[izlegal.livejournal.com]

I am! I hadn't realized you were friends with my younger-self. It's a pleasure, Mr. Lucas.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

That's right. We talked on the phone once and then met in school. It's nice to meet you as well, Mr. Luke.

. . . It's strange to think of you as the same person.

[izlegal.livejournal.com]

It's strange to think I have a younger-me to talk to, and he an older-him.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

Gosh. So you must know everything that's going to happen to him. Or well. You. What do you think would happen if you told him how to pass all his tests or things like that?

[izlegal.livejournal.com]

That would be dangerous to my existence; I've to watch what I do and say.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

Dangerous to your existence . . . ? What do you mean?

[izlegal.livejournal.com]

If Luke were to learn something about his future, and altered it, I would effectively disappear.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

Is that the way it would work? . . . You know, I think you'd probably be OK. Parallel worlds do exist, after all.

[izlegal.livejournal.com]

I've never been fond of risks, no less.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

I just can't see Mayfield letting you vanish from existence. But I guess you're right.

[fuelefficient.livejournal.com]

I think you may have made a mistake.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

Really? . . . Maybe it was over here. 35 times 401 is 959,245, right?

[fuelefficient.livejournal.com]

In terms of where the mistake is being made, I would not know unless I saw the paper.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

Oh. But there's definitely a mistake, you think? I guess I'll just have to go back and double check everything . . . This is pretty hard.

[windmill.livejournal.com]

How'd you come to that number?

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

I used math!

[windmill.livejournal.com]

I think your math's a little off.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

Really? So I'm not getting that much money after all?

[windmill.livejournal.com]

Nah. You owe them money, not the other way around. Sucks, doesn't it? It's part of being an adult.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

. . . You don't mean I owe them $39,918,285?! I can't even come up with 20! . . . But I'm not an adult yet, so it's OK, right?

[windmill.livejournal.com]

Yeah. It'll be your parents that have got to pay it. [no point in trying to correct the number.] So don't worry.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

OK. Then I'll just let them take care of it. Gosh, I hope they've got that much. Who knew money was such a big deal . . .

[ahoge-goddess.livejournal.com]

You must have made a tiny mistake, little one.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

A tiny mistake . . . ? Why?

[ahoge-goddess.livejournal.com]

Because no government would pay that much willingly to a single subject.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

Maybe. Maybe the government of Mayfield is actually really nice and just wants to give us all a lot of money so we can buy whatever we want.

[ahoge-goddess.livejournal.com]

Have you considered what the government of Mayfield has done to us already?

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

Maybe they've seen the evil of their ways?

[ahoge-goddess.livejournal.com]

If they did, we'd be home.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

That's true. . . . . . I guess maybe I did do something wrong.

[ahoge-goddess.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you can fix it!

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

T-That's right. When in doubt, just start all over again, right?

[ahoge-goddess.livejournal.com]

Yes!