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Oxford, may 06, 2010, 10pm



Professor James Craven hurried through the streets of oxford towards his laboratory at Trinity College. The night was cold and there was a heavy fog, as if the clouds had descended from heaven and were touching the ground. Or as if he had died and was now walking the streets of some obscure heaven. Or as if he was in a very realistic dream. He knew that, for the brain, the difference between a dream and reality was subtle. The clouds were rushing in front of the moon. Professor Craven looked up. It seemed like the moon was following him.


I must get to the lab before midnight. He thought. He had been traveling for more than 5 hours now, but showed no sign of fatigue. From Gare du Nord in Paris to Victoria station in London, under the English channel.


“Gentlemen, thank you for coming here at such a weird hour”. Started Dr. Craven.


“I left a blond bird talking to herself at the pub to come here mate”. Said one of the professors jokingly. “This better be good”.


“Well, you’re lucky”. Said another professor. “I will have to tame an angry wife when I get home. She said this was the worst excuse to go to the pub I ever invented.”


“I asked you to come here because we have no time to lose”. Interrupted Dr. Craven. “Gentlemen a new science is being born as we speak. The science of God.”


The room instantly turned into a turmoil of echoing voices. As if the reaction was totally expected, Dr. Craven left a childish grin in the corner of his mouth and started to connect his notebook on a projector. I will just wait a few seconds for the crowd to calm down and then I will continue, he thought calmly. Can’t they just wait to see what I have to say? I said only one sentence, how can they be fighting themselves over one sentence?


“Oil and water Dr. Craven” shouted one professor as if he was in the stock exchange room. “That’s what science and religion are. Are you trying to mix oil and water?”


The crowd became silent and turned its gaze to professor Craven.


“Yes I am” said Dr. Craven without modesty. “let me show you what we have been working on, here at the lab. It might help dissolve your oil into the water”.