“Tell me about the future,” one of Tlön’s mates whispered into his ear as they were lounging by the fire well past the sunset. “The future is irrelevant,” he responded after a brief pause. “The present tells you all you need to know.” His mate frowned in disappointment: “Are you sure?” Tlön started laughing at this point. No matter how long his mate kept prodding him on the quiet, he kept laughing ever more loudly. “The future is the future,” he gasped at last for all to hear. Everyone around the fire was puzzled by his unending laughter, though. Nobody present remembered him laughing so much for so long.