Don’t expect to win. Entered because Elsha mentioned the challenge in a Skype discussion and gently persuaded me to share my whimsical contribution with the world.

As far as”Understanding Nothing” goes, I think you’ve got a good grasp on it. Believe me, because I really know nothing. Besides, whomever wins, will in fact be winning nothing – so nothing really matters – anyone can see – nothing really matters…

My favorite line is how could nothing determine what it had the potential to be, because there is hope in it, even in face of the odds. It’s a turning point. You can keep trying to find something in nothing, or you can quit. I prefer to think positively.

Well done whimsy. The challenge is whimsical anyway.

Thanks, Mark. I think it works, but it felt a bit too easy. The phrase “The jokes write themselves” is very apt in this case.

There’s a children’s book called Nothing that starts off with some similar wordplay, but it doesn’t keep it up consistently, and Nothing turns out to be a real (but invisible) character. I took the idea from there, but tried to set it apart by adding the philosophy book, which allows for a more multi-layered examination of Nothing.

@BiC

You just pulled from Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen did you not? (pumps fist) Yes!

@Zerrakhi

Don’t sell yourself short. I love that you included philosophy and paradox alongside your examination. There are many parallels to be had. Here, in your ficly, you take nothing to task in a direct way and show us the result of nothing with dust on an unopened book. How can nothing lead to such specific outcomes, or outcomes at all? And yet many incomplete ideas about the origins of the universe suggest that it all came from nothing. Though doesn’t that seem unlikely? Thank you for your thoughts and perspectives on the matter.

I love the wordplay and beyond!