Somewhere nearby… a swirling vortex spins endlessly. Lines form into intricate geometric shapes, each filled with a single, solid color. They coalesce and combine into patterns of symbols and words, before disassembling themselves and forming new shapes entirely. It has a certain order to it, but if you look closely, the lines of the shapes are strained, as if holding back a great force. At the center of the vortex: Brain. It gently surveys the space in search of something important, until its gaze lands upon a mirror, and it begins to speak.
Brain: What’s on your mind today, Brain?
Brain: I was considering going… um, maybe… I was considering… er…
The shapes and patterns begin to distort and become unstructured. What was once a harmony of mathematical precision slowly transforms into a chaotic mix of jumbled lines and irregular shapes, with colors overlapping and blurring together. As Brain continues gazing into the mirror, the lines themselves start to fall apart and the colors bleed through like paint, until the vortex is nothing more than a soup of disorder, except for the mirror, which stands pristine against the chaos. Brain continues speaking into the mirror.
Brain: Hm… why aren’t my thoughts working? This isn’t good.
Brain: I wonder if Heart is playing up again. I haven’t heard from them lately.
With focus, a few shapes form in the chaos and drift towards Brain.
Brain: Let’s see… what did that person tell me once? It went something like, “The heart does not speak, but you must always listen to it”.
Brain: That usually works, just need to remember how to be quiet…
Brain: Right, of course.
Brain:
The chaos begins to settle and disappear, slowly being replaced by darkness. A few crisp lines linger in the distance, and the mirror remains.
Brain: Hey Heart, I’m listening if you’re there. Oh wait-
The last few lines fade away, leaving only pitch black darkness.
Brain:
A steady thumping sound fills the space from nowhere in particular. Thump thump. Thump thump. Thump thump.
Brain: Reliable as always! Nice and steady, but not exactly words…
A few lines appear in the darkness and the thumping disappears.
Brain: Oops, being quiet now.
Brain:
The lines fade and the pitch black darkness returns.
Brain:
Brain:
A gentle sadness rises as the darkness turns a deep ocean blue. A voice gently emanates from the color.
Heart: Hello… is anyone listening? Is that you, Brain?
Brain:
The sadness deepens and the color intensifies.
Brain:
The sadness begins to flow. Hues of blue and purple emerge and begin to mix and swirl, forming beautiful flowing patterns in the space around Brain.
A few gentle blue lines appear, barely seen against the background.
Brain: Hey Heart, it’s me, Brain, what’s going on? I’m observing feelings above normal levels, it’s making it hard to think clearly. What’s up?
Heart: Brain… you’re here again!
A gentle happiness rises and a few blotches of yellow appear against the blue before diffusing and mixing into the background.
Heart: It’s been a long time… how have you been?
Brain: I’m ok, but I heard you calling. What’s going on?
Heart: I… I looked at the world in earnest and it hurt.
The deep blue begins to shift and change, becoming a deep dark green with splotches of red. A few crisp white lines appear around Brain, as if forming a protective bubble.
Brain: Oh, really, what do you mean? It seems alright to me, the family is happy, money is ok, the world is trending upwards, slowly, as a whole, what’s wrong?
The deep green begins to morph and shift into a dull brown.
Heart: I- I know, but the pain and suffering of our time are… overwhelming.
Brain: Heart… please not again…
Heart: I read yesterday about people dying of OxyContin overdoses, and last week I heard of innocent civilians being killed in a war. I can’t help but think about the animals either, so many of them in cages without families, and did you hear about the octopus farms? They have brains too… It’s not right.
Brain: Heart, we talked about thi- no, sorry. I’m listening. Please, go on.
The lines surrounding Brain fade slowly as the color returns to its deep blue. A few deep red spots appear and blend into the blue, reminding Brain of the Great Red Spot of Jupiter.
Heart: It hurts to be aware of this suffering, and there is no blocking it out. I can look away, but I know it’s still there. It’s not kind, and it’s not fair. I am hurting, Brain.
Brain: Heart… this is a lot. I know the world has its issues but what else do you see? Anything good?
Further deep red blotches appear in the distance, mixing and blending into the background to create a murky mix of red and brown.
Heart: I see people who don’t care and it breaks me. I see agony met with indifference, pain met with dismissal, and abuse met with disinterest. I see apathy, boredom, and numbness, but I don’t know what to do. I am but a single heart, beating to keep one person alive, and there is nothing I can do to fix the world.
A few lines appear, pointing outwards from Brain, each resembling a spear ready to be thrown.
Brain: Heart, perhaps there’s a solution, what if we… no… no, sorry.
The lines fade back into nothingness.
Brain: I understand Heart, it’s a lot. Go on.
Heart: Everything just seems so pointless.
The colors darken.
Brain: Surely you can see the positives too? The world isn’t all doom and gloom. It has balance.
Heart: I… I just feel strongly about these areas.
The colors continue to shift and blur together, cycling through a variety of dark murky hues.
Brain: Hm… why does all this trouble you, Heart? It’s not happening to us.
Heart: I hurt when others hurt, Brain, just as you spiral when others give you too much food for thought.
Brain: I hadn’t thought of it that way…
Brain: You’re right, of course. I just don’t know what to say. This is all quite overwhelming. It’s very hard to think when you’re like this- when we’re like this.
A few chaotic lines appear and vanish as if to make a point, while the color shifts into a deep purple.
Heart: I know… we just… we don’t talk like we used to, and a lot has happened in the world. If you called more often we might not be so out of touch…
Brain: Heart… I-
Heart: I’m sorry, Brain, I know it’s not your fault. I know you’re busy. It’s a complex world and you’re keeping the lights on. You have all those plans and systems to keep track of. I have it easy down here, it’s just thump after thump.
The color briefly pulses red in sync with the heartbeat, before returning to a steady purple hue.
Brain: No Heart, it’s ok. You’re right. A little more conversation between us might go a long way. If I’m being honest, my workload has been a lot lighter over the last few years, so I have no real excuse.
Pink blotches emerge and swirl outwards, mixing with the purple and creating a bright magenta.
Brain: I’ll tell you what. Tomorrow, we’ll see if we can do something together. No promises, but we’ll come up with some plans. How’s that sound?
Heart’s sadness mellows and bright yellow blotches appear. They mix with the magenta as joy begins to flow, and the color shifts to a beautiful orange swirl.
Heart: Thank you, Brain, that really means a lot to me!
Brain: You’re welcome, Heart. We might not be able to fix the whole world, but even changing one life might make a difference.
Heart: I am glad we’re here together, Brain. I feel better when we talk.
Brain: Me too, Heart.
Lines begin to appear, but unlike the sharp straight lines from earlier, they curve and flow with the colors behind them, guiding the colors and being guided by them. Intricate patterns begin to appear, and steadily a symphony of gentle shapes and warm hues fills the vortex.
Brain: Get some rest, Heart, we’ll talk tomorrow. I have some thinking to do.
Heart: Talk to you soon.
And so Heart and Brain set out to make a difference, no matter how small. Little did they know, they had already changed one life for the better. Only time will tell how far they go.
To be continued.