Mercury, the messenger, does not create the message, nor does he act upon it. He is a conduit, the string between the tin cans, the wire between the telephones, the radio signal. Neutral catalyst, neither moral nor immoral, speaking all languages and understanding none. Quick as thought. Light as air. Pregnant with meaning. Midwife to action.
He does not know who he is, or where he is going, or what might happen when he arrives.Once earthbound, now he travels in light-straight lines in every direction at once, conveying our thoughts and dreams to an unanswering universe.
The earliest broadcast radio signal has travelled some one hundred fifteen light years and, though much attenuated, whispers, "I was here. I existed. Remember me." Then, suddenly, the messages stop. |