“Very good. White energy encompasses the inclusive spectrum. Darkness, defined as the absence of light, generates an eleventh dimension, which we do not access. What else can you theorize through your observations?”

“While the purest energy is abundant in the upper three dimensions, by the time it reaches our physical world it’s been filtered considerably. The wavelengths are longer and yet weaker, as if by design.”

“Excellent. And why is that significant?”

“Less energy imposes limitations.”

“And what limitations might be imposed on a physical being such as yourself?”

“You really do sound like Joe.”

“Answer the question, please.”

“Sure. Wouldn’t want to waste your time.” I burst out laughing, feeling giddy.

And there it was—the answer he was trying to coax out of me.

“My own mortality. In the physical world we face the threat of dying every day. You can add to that disease, pain, hunger, hatred, injury, loneliness, and sorrow. Do you experience any of these things on your world, Alien Joe?”

“We did, but not anymore. We evolved.”

“You’re immortal?”

“The soul is immortal. Physicality imposes limitations that can be overcome.”

A chill ran down my spine. At least I registered the sensation as such. “Alien Joe, why are you here?”

“I am here because I chose to communicate with you. Why are you here, Zachary?”

“I’m here because I sought answers about life by exploring the past. Now that I’ve been given access to an advanced intelligence, I need to know more. How did you evolve as physical beings? Does it have something to do with this energy that is flowing down through the ten dimensions of existence? Where’s this energy originating from? What does it do? How can we access it?”

“You say you seek answers about life. What you truly mean is existence: why are we here? What is our purpose?”

“Tell me.”

“How can I tell you that? My purpose is different from yours.”

“Then tell me, does God exist?”

“Define God.”

“The Creator. The entity that was here before there was a here.”

Joe closed his eyes and rocked. “Let’s play our old game of cause and effect. How was the physical universe created?”

“The Big Bang.”

“If energy flows from the higher dimensions into the physical universe, then which came first, the energy or the Big Bang?”

“I suppose the energy.”

“Then imagine, if you can, the entirety of existence before the here as pure, infinite, conscious energy. And in this infinity of conscious energy, there was the essence of the energy’s DNA, an essence which gave it an all-consuming desire.”

“What desire?”

“The desire to share.”

“Share what? What can energy— Oh, you mean immortality.”