of blind heroines and foolish heroes

iii. THE MOST ASTOUNDING FACT

i once saw a scientist

on television.

and she was speaking generally

about science things

(being a scientist and knowing science things

etc.)

and, speaking generally

i am not a science

person,

and while i respect them,

i do not have much interest

in scientists

or science things.

so i went to switch the channel

at the precise moment that the presenter sitting beside the scientist asked:

what,

in your opinion,

is the most ASTOUNDING fact

about the universe

?

and this stopped me.

because it is not often that television presenters ask such interesting questions,

and the scientist was pursing her lips in a thoughtful way that made me think

i wanted to hear her answer

to the interesting question.

after a pause,

she did not look directly at the

camera,

but directly at the presenter.

did you know,

she said,

that there are atoms in your body?

the presenter laughed.

of course,

he said.

what else would my body be made of?

well,

said the scientist,

and i did not need to look at the television screen to know

she was smiling.

do you know where those atoms came from?

well,

said the presenter.

and he did not say anything else.

i snickered from my place in the armchair

and the scientist smiled again.

the most ASTOUNDING fact that i have ever known,

she said,

is not a fact, specifically,

but the story of every atom on this planet.

the ones that make up the grass and the sea and the sand and the forests and the human

body.

these atoms came

from stars.

the presenter sat forward and so did i.