The Past of Future's Present

Jimothy Dyck, captain of the starship Explorer says good-bye forever to his family and leaves on a mission that makes no sense. 

It was Earth year 3084. Jimothy Dyck, captain of the starship Explorer, was leaving for his final mission in space.

Jimothy gathered his wife, Maria, and two children, Jimothy Jr. and Jennica, to say goodbye forever.

“Where you going, dad?” Jimothy Jr. asked without looking up from his phone.

“I’m going to find the biggest black hole in the entire universe,” Jimothy said, “so I can fly into it.”

“Why are you doing this?” Maria sobbed.

Jimothy stared into the vacant distance. “Because I have to,” he said, dramatically.

“Are you going to die, daddy?” little Jennica, six years old, asked.

“No, sweetie,” Jimothy assured Jennica, “My body will be torn apart atom by atom as I cross the black hole’s event horizon. Every particle of my existence will become one with the universe – and then I’ll be with Jesus.”

“In Heaven?”

“That’s right, Jennica.”

“Can I come with you, daddy?”

Jimothy smiled at Jennica and saw the entire universe sparkling in her beautiful eyes, and said, “But we’re already there…”

With that, Jimothy Dyck put on his space helmet, engaged the Explorer’s thrusters, and plotted a course to Uranus.

 The end.