“I can’t. Something else is wrong,” Seven said moodily. “This whole scene I’ve chosen, the classroom and benches: it was fun in the beginning, but it doesn’t fit now. I don’t even like the wastepaper basket any more. Worse, I’ve been so busy that I suspect I’ve missed several important issues. And so far, you aren’t helping me one bit.”

Impatiently Seven waved his hand, and the entire scene vanished. Now he and Cyprus stood, invisibly, in Ma-ah’s 35,000 B.C. courtyard. “I have the feeling that there’s something here that I still don’t understand,” Seven said.

“You just made up for several points by making this move,” Cyprus said. “Very astute.”

“I did? Mmmm,” Seven said. “That reminds me of something else. Do you mind if I bring my analogy back?”

“Not at all,” Cyprus answered. “That’s a very good idea, only don’t let it run away with you this time.”

Seven grinned sheepishly. Once more in the skyscape, the glittering letters appeared.

“Do you remember what the letters meant?” Seven asked.

“Indeed I do,” Cyprus said quickly. “And I certainly hope you do, too.”

“There’s just one problem,” Seven said. “But wait.” And above the letters, Seven projected his three boxes, representing the three kinds of time with their three subdivisions.

“Now just give me a moment,” Seven said.

“A what?” Cyprus said, with mock shock.

“Well, in my present state of development it takes time to understand the nature of time.”

“In your what state of development? Don’t you see, Seven?”

Her words rang through Seven’s mind, and in some indescribable way his mind expanded. Barrier after barrier previously invisible and unfelt dropped away, until Seven’s comprehension itself encompassed everything he saw or knew or perceived. His consciousness circled the analogy in the sky—and he went through it, finding that all these times were different appearances of one inexpressible experience in which all Happening Out of Itself kept newly, freshly Happening.

All of his Boxes
Merged.
They Changed into
Circles
in Which Other Circles
(And “Times”)
Were Constantly Happening.
And the Circles
Changed into Shapes
Of Sound
On the Other Side
Of Silence,
Until the Very Breath
Of
Nothingness
Danced in Time-Drops
And Light-Drops
And Finally
Thing-Drops,
And out of the
Thing-Drops
His Boxes Emerged—
And out of the Boxes
Came
Lydia’s Time
And Josef’s
And Ma-ah’s and Proteus’
And the Tiles
in the Courtyard.

And Seven shouted: “Oh, I’ve got it! The Speakers’ ruins were never discovered before Window’s time because—” He was so excited that he projected his words outward so that the letters seemed to come out like minutes one at a time from his open boxes.

“The Speakers’ ruins
Didn’t appear until the twenty-third century
Because
They weren’t there earlier—

Because
They were fresh action
Happening in … the future of Past Time
and only then
Emerging in the past of Present Time—

They were brand-new ruins!”

“Will you elaborate?” Cyprus asked, smiling.