“Breaking news, a new island appeared from the middle of nowhere in the Atlantic Ocean. It looks like a circular slab, made purely out of stone. Governments from all over the world have sent their experts to inspect it. Speculations about its origin are spreading like a wildfire on social media. Here in the studio is our very own expert on Geology: Peter Carey. Tell me, Peter, what do you think about the Slab?”

“Well, as you may have heard, the slab floats on the water. There is nothing connecting it to land. It puzzles me as a geologist, how could such a mysterious and wondrous slab suddenly appear? It is logical that most minds quickly jump to the conclusion that it must be supernatural or alien. Hell, if I didn’t firmly believe that the supernatural didn’t exist, I would say: God made it. No, I believe that this is alien technology. Experts have tested the stone and it is regular old plain stone. There is some sort of forcefield that makes it float on the water. The Slab is also fixed. It doesn’t move. Really, NATO tried to move it with some of their very best ships. It didn’t budge. There are now over a hundred scientist stationed on the Slab, trying to figure out how and why it works.”

Then the TV paused. “Okay students, speculation time. What could this imply?” The students in question quickly tried to think about a well-formulated answer. Very early on, on the first day that these students entered his lecture hall, he made it clear to them that they had to formulate their answer. Else he wouldn’t even listen. This didn’t make him popular, but it worked. Now they always thought before they answered.

Joan, a particularly bright student answered: “Professor Blackburn, I believe that if we can’t figure out how the Slab works, that it may be something metaphysical. Which would revolutionize Philosophy as we know it. One of the key aspects of the metaphysical is that we can’t see it. We will never know if it is there. Now? We may very well have definitive proof.”

Joan’s answer sparked a discussion with the rationalists. They were convinced that it must be alien technology, for there was no metaphysical. I was content to let them debate. Interference was unneeded. Every student was now debating, and I dazed away listening to them. It seems like I struck gold with the Slab. It was one of the most debated topics in the country, and that was applicable to every field of study. Even philosophers had heated discussions about that. Not to speak about the scientists. Never were there so many answers to a governments request for research. Scientist all around the world jumped on the opportunity to go to the Slab. A bleep awoke me from my daydreaming. It must have been Erick. “Erick, turn off your phone.” Erick got his phone. Another bleep, this time it was Suzy. “Okay, to those who haven’t yet turned off their phone, turn off your phone.” Now they all checked their phone. A murmur rose from their midst. Thirty years of teaching experience told me something was wrong.

“Professor, please turn the TV back on.”

“Writing has begun to appear on the mysterious slab. It is a set of instructions written in every known language. It says that those who want to think about a better world should mark their dominant hand with this symbol before midnight. Here is live footage of the writing and the symbol.”

The TV continued to blabber on about the instructions. A better world. The whole class was heatedly discussing what it may mean, and I was too tired to stop them. “Class dismissed. Your homework is a three-page essay about the philosophical implications of the instruction, or an interpretation of the symbol.”

Finally having some quiet to think about the whole situation, I looked up the symbol. It was an abstract rendering of a bird. Elegant, a bit like a sparrow. My bones rattled. Deep inside, I knew what I wanted. Quivering, I slowly drew the lines on my hand.