“Yes, you can ask that question,” I said.

“Fucking right,” he said.

“But there is more nothing than anything else and it is not observable at all.”

Eigen took a mug of tea from Karras. “How do you know there is nothing, Wala?”

“What did you just ask me about?”

“Nothing,” he said.

“There it is. Nothing is everywhere and nowhere. It exists all the time and at no time. It doesn’t change or move and experience or exhibit any kind of change, so time is unintelligible when considering it. Nothing is so dangerous.” I looked out the window. “Tell Eigen how you saw evil.”

He stared at me for a few beats and then nodded. “I performed an exorcism in my youth. I had to drive fucking evil out of a little girl. The experience rocked my faith, took it from me, showed me that there can be no God.”

“How do you hide something in space?” I asked.

“You put it behind something,” Karras said. “But there is nothing to hide behind out there.”

“Why are you still a priest?” Eigen asked, not letting the subject go.

“My dear girl,” Karras said. “I remain a goddamn cleric because in this world one needs something to hide behind. I have chosen this fucking collar. You have chosen mathematics.”

“How did you know I’m a mathematician?”

“You’re hanging out with him.” Karras pointed at me. “Your name is Eigen Vector. I might be a priest, but I’m not fucking stupid.”

Chasing two rabbits

1

From passage to pastiche was how I might have characterized the last two days, though I wasn’t sure why. Father Karras assured us that while he might have been dressed, he was not clean and asked us to wait downstairs while he performed his ablutions. When Eigen turned to the door, Karras looked at the seat of her sweatpants. “Juicy.”

“What?” Eigen turned around.

“Your pants say juicy on the butt,” he said.

She tried to look back. “They do? Wala, why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t think it mattered. And we were in a hurry.”

“Whatever does that mean?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” I said.

“I don’t think it’s good,” she said.

“You can have a pair of my sweatpants,” Karras said.

“Those do make you easy to spot,” I said.

The sweatpants that Karras gave Eigen pretty much swallowed her. She was just able to cinch them tight enough with the drawstring, but they were voluminous. She was even more conspicuous now.

“How is this?” she asked.

“Good,” I lied.

“Nothing’s written back there,” she said as a question.

“Only Jesus Saves,” Karras said.

“What?” Eigen said.

“Just joking,” he said. “Jesus never saved any-fucking-body.”

Eigen and I waited downstairs by the heavy bag. She punched it with a loose fist and felt some pain.

“How does anybody hit that?” she asked.

“Shift your weight to your back leg as you twist hard and pivot onto the ball of your front foot. Simultaneously, swing your left arm forward with your elbow bent at about ninety degrees and turn your hips with your motion. Keep your fist closed and let your palm face the floor.”