This story is a work of fiction and is Copyright 2009 Brandon Franklin. You may not copy or reprint it without my permission. However, I encourage you to share it and link to it if you like it.
Mr. Alexander Wilson and a certain Professor Marcel Fraunhofer were having an argument.
"The point you are making, while perhaps worthy of consideration in some circles, falls far short of being worthy of serious discussion in the context in which we are currently conversing, sir!" protested Wilson.
"With all due respect, I beg to differ! It is obvious to any but the most uninformed of observers that the point I have illustrated draws forth not only the crucial aspects of the matter at hand, but simultaneously refutes the claims you were making only moments ago!"
The airship on which the two stood coasted gracefully upward. Fraunhofer looked irritated, turned, and placed both hands on the railing, arms spaced widely in a stance of obvious frustration. He watched the buildings below slowly fall away as he considered the discussion.
Wilson was unmoved, and smugly replied, "It frankly astounds me that you can make such a claim with any pretense of seriousness. Are we then to consider that, of the three issues within which we have agreed to frame our discourse, two are essentially the same question and should not be assumed to reflect entirely different outcomes when presented with identical instances of the fundamental data at hand? Do you truly believe that we should consider no variance whatsoever, even when the initial assumptions would seem to demand such by virtue of their identity?"
The ship slowly tilted as it made a gentle turn to the left. Wilson placed his hand on the railing to maintain his balance.
"I believe we must operate under that assumption, yes. One can hardly ignore the obvious problems that bisecting what is essentially one underlying truth into two disparate questions would present to the analysis of our third, or rather, 'second' topic at hand! Injecting the assumption of discord between the first and second scenarios generates a requirement of further assertions of fact that we are in no position to make."
"Professor, if we are to conflate the first two questions into a single underlying assumption, I fear that the fundamentals under which our ent—aaigh!"
Wilson had lost his footing, slipped under the railing along the side, and been sucked into one of the intake valves directly below. The propellor therein had cut him to ribbons almost instantly. Fragments of gore and cloth could be seen descending in a red mist behind the vessel.
"Oh!" exclaimed a nearby gentlelady, placing her hand over her mouth in surprise. "How unfortunate!"
Fraunhofer held onto the railing with both hands, leaned forward ever so slightly to look down at the intake, then stood back up. "Yes, quite."
