Harmony

By Mark Joseph Kiewlak

Gene had been studying energy patterns all his life. Decades ago humanity had believed that energy and thought and matter were all separate things. Now we knew better. But the unfolding of true understanding had only just begun.

There was a knock at the door and Gene's son Michael entered. Gene turned away from the computer screen.

"What are you working on, Dad?" "The Harmony Theory," Gene replied.

Michael yawned elaborately. "I'm getting ready for Scream Night," he said.

Gene was still doing calculations in his head and was only half paying attention to his son. Michael was used to this. So used to it that even half of his father's attention seemed like a blessing.

"Mom said she would come with me. Will you come, too?"

"Sure," Gene said. "Sure I will."

It was only after Michael had left the room that Gene realized he had agreed to something.

The Harmony Theory was his life's work. This was the case with many of the world's scientists, but unlike so many of his brethren, so much of the world in general, Gene understood the theory. He believed in it, and not just for inspirational purposes. The Harmony Theory would literally save the world. It was, in fact, our lack of understanding that had set us adrift in the first place.

Even decades ago, years after the breakthrough, humanity still struggled to take responsibility for their own lives. Even after the energy of the universe became a measurable force, man did not want to accept his crucial role in its maintenance. Even Gene's wife willow had struggled with it on that first night he had tried to explain.

They were in his lab, watching the patterns on a subatomic level, the dance of creation, and Willow, his girlfriend at the time, was wired head to toe with emotion receptors.

"I know they say it's true," she said, "and I was taught this even in kindergarten, but how does the energy of my thoughts help to build or destroy the universe?"

"Watch the screen," Gene said.

Willow complied. On the screen individual energy patterns lapped like waves on an ocean. There was color and beauty and sense to the patterns, but it was nothing she could put into words. It seemed as much art as science.

"What does this have to do with the Harmony Theory?" she had asked.

When there was no immediate reply she turned back around and ." saw that Gene was on one knee before her. In his palm was an engagement ring.

"You are my life," he said to her. "Marry me, Willow. And together we'll change the universe."

She was in tears and nodding her head and the moment lasted an eternity. They held each other and cried, and it was only after the emotion had been fully spent that Gene gestured again toward the screen and willow understood. The energy patterns had undergone a visible change. They were softer, yet stronger somehow. The colors were more vibrant, the flow was easier, steadier than before. It was nearly impossible to quantify but undeniably true. Love had changed the world.