“Look at me,” Tlön muttered to himself as he raised his hands from his knees. “Privy to all laws of nature, free to roam at the greatest speed conceivable, familiar with every corner of the universe, capable of appreciating all forms of life that pop up hither and thither only to peter out soon afterwards, bereft of all needs and worries, impregnable to any disaster but the end of the entire universe…” Grabbing his knees again with all his might, he shook his head. “And?” He sat on the top of a craggy hill for a long while and scanned the horizon, where the local star was about to show its bluish face. “And?” He shook his head again and smiled faintly. “Nothing!” He got up and started walking toward his craft that awaited him in the foothills. “Absolutely nothing!” Raising his arms above his head, Tlön let out a long, loud scream. It echoed a few times from the neighboring hills, which were completely barren, and then it died down. There was no sign of life anywhere around.