Chapter 7: The Prophet Speaks

To interrupt the sudden feeling of tension in the room Kaden carried on trying to finish what he had tried to say just a few moments ago.

“What I meant to say” started Kaden, “was that ... that ... I believe that the universe is just WAY too fantastic and just WAY too impossibly complex for there NOT to be some sort of God or a Super Intelligence of some description behind it all. Mere chance and probability just doesn’t seem to answer all those impossible questions that only the concept of a God of some kind can answer. But who or what that God is I don’t know but if He, or She, made us all naked originally then I think it only fair to assume that He, or She, probably doesn’t mind us being naked now. What DOES matter in my mind is ... is how ... how we treat each other ... and that has absolutely nothing to do with being naked or clothed. If you want to be clothed ... fine ... that’s good by me ... but what does me wanting to be naked have anything to do with my morals. What has it got to do with me, or you, being a GOOD or a BAD person.”

A burst of applause was suddenly heard coming from Leanne’s hands with the girl saying with utter glee, “BRAVO, BRAVO ... couldn’t have said it better myself!”

Leanne’s mom then launched into her own little diatribe of her own rather definite opinion on the subject.

“Yes ... but ... but don’t you think that ... God or NO God ... if it has taken thousands of years of evolution to produce ‘animals’ that walk upright and can talk and WEAR clothes ... then ... then...”

“It’s millions of years, mom. Millions and millions of years ... not just a silly thousand!”

“Be quiet, Lucy. I was talking ... and who cares ... thousands, millions ... it’s all the same!”

“Actually, it’s more like billions of years, I think ... billions and billions and billions of years. So you are both wrong ... huh!”

The room was now filled with absolute silence as all heads turned to look at Jack Hayward with his ONE verbal contribution to the whole discussion. And that one contribution stayed exactly as that. The guy never said another word ... but it did prove however ... to everyone’s total surprise ... that he was actually paying attention and following the debate in his own laconic style.

“Oh, gosh!” said Jack’s wife eventually, followed sarcastically by, “ ... the prophet has spoken!”