The Arch-preposterous

“When we were alone in the Hrhaharhtzaha itself, Gornahoor Harharkh, after turning one of what are called ‘switches’ there, said:

“ ‘The work of the “pump” has already begun, and soon it will have pumped out all the results here without exception of those cosmic processes, whatever they may be, the totality of the results of which is the basis and significance, as well as the process itself, of the maintenance of the existence of everything existing in the whole of this “Everything-representing-one-world.” ’

“And he added in a half-sarcastic tone: ‘Soon we shall be absolutely isolated from everything existing and functioning in the whole of the Universe; but, on the other hand, owing firstly to my new invention, and secondly to the knowledge we have already attained for ourselves, we have not only now the possibility of returning to the said world, to become again a particle of all that exists, but also we shall soon be worthy to become nonparticipating eyewitnesses of certain of these World-laws, which for ordinary uninitiated three-centered beings are what they call “great-inscrutable-mysteries-of-Nature” but which in reality are only natural and very simple results automatically-flowing-one-from-the-other.

“While he was speaking, one could feel that this pump—another also very important part of the whole of his new invention—was perfectly actualizing the work assigned to it by this being with Reason.

“To enable you to represent to yourself and understand better the perfection of this part also of the whole of this new invention of Gornahoor Harharkh, I must not fail to tell you also about the following:

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