Page 59 of The Paradox Club

“She’s good at explaining things.”

“I explain things to you all the time.”

“You explain science to me.”

“Where babies come from is science.”

“It’s biology. That’s boring science. Physics is real science.”

“There’s no doubt you’re my daughter.”

“So, what’s an event horizon?”

“How do you even know that term?”

“I hear things.”

“An event horizon is the border of the gravitational influence of a black hole.”

“That’s not a very good explanation, Harry,” said Tess.

“Did it ever occur to you to call me Dad?”

“Did it ever occur to you to call me Tesla?”

“Fine. A black hole is a place where gravity is so strong that nothing can escape it—not even light. That’s why it’s called a black hole. A black hole can be created when a dying star collapses on itself. Its own gravity pulls it inward farther and farther until it is so dense it creates a black hole that just sucks everything in.”

“Everything?”

“Everything that is inside the event horizon,” said Harry.

“So, an important safety tip is, if I see an event horizon, I should stay on this side of it.”

“I don’t think that issue is likely to come up in daily life.”

But Tess thought Harry was wrong. Tess knew there were things in life that would suck her in, black holes from which she’d never escape. What she didn’t know was how to recognize the event horizon.

THERAPIST N − 6

“Do you think you might be depressed?”

“I don’t know. What does depressed feel like?”

“What do you feel like?”

“Isn’t that a little on the nose? I mean, for a therapist to ask me how I feel?”

“Isn’t it a little on the nose for an obstinate teenager to avoid the question?”

“Fine. I feel like I have one hand sticking out over the event horizon and the rest of me is being sucked into a black hole.”

“Is that some sort of science fiction metaphor?”

“Science. Not fiction.”

“Would you care to explain?”

“A black hole is an area in space where matter is so dense nothing can escape, not even light. The event horizon is the border beyond which everything gets sucked in.”