Oscilloscope

Simon was scanning a labyrinth of corridors in an inverted, subterranean pyramid. The crew of the Khonsu 0 stumbled upon this empty world and wanted answers, so they split up hoping to find them in this relic. He rounded a corner and was confronted by a massive space filled with rows of analog devices which stretched as far as the eye could see and stacked one on top of the other so high they became lost in shadow. Catwalks and spiral staircases provided access to every device.

Simon, over here, Said a person at a device on the ground floor. There they were again. This time they appeared as a woman with tightly curled hair, thick glasses, and wore a white coat. Simon joined her and examined the device more closely. Its display was an oscilloscope and below it were dozens of knobs and levers. Oscilloscopes normally traced single waveforms but this one was crowded with several chaotic frequencies.

What is this, Simon asked. The woman tapped the glass display, This is you. Simon frowned. She said, Would you like me to clean it up? He nodded. She fiddled with the controls and slowly a pure signature resolved on the display, gracefully undulating up and down. For a moment, Simon felt peace. A profound sensation he could only describe as floating at the bottom of a still, cool pond. He was almost brought to tears. Then his worries and shortcomings reasserted themselves. The oscilloscope displayed chaos once again.

I’m sorry, He said. She responded, It’s okay. I can clean it up again. And she did, and the chaos returned. This process repeated several times until Simon’s frustration got the best of him, Stop, it’s useless. Don’t you want me to clean it up, She said. Yes, but — He gestured to the innumerable other oscilloscopes with their own unique chaotic patterns, It’s obvious you can’t waste time on me when there are so many to fix. I do not think it a waste, The woman said. Suddenly, she was standing before every single oscilloscope. All her eyes turned toward Simon. He had never felt so insignificant under their gaze. Yet, he felt profoundly known. All her months spoke in unison, Do not tell me what I cannot do.