In Fourhaven, Fordy is a four-dimensional being with godlike powers over three-dimensional earth people. How can we visualize this?
Imagine a two-dimensional civilization, first popularized in 1884 by English school teacher Edwin Abbott. humans were represented by flat geometrical figures in his delightfully satirical book. we can expand this premise.
Our Flatworld citizens will be two-dimensional (flat) outlines of people. Think cartoon caricatures, if it helps. Flat Franky and his girlfriend, Flat Felicity, are teenagers living their flat little lives in Flatville. They take classes at Flat Prep School, hoping to majors in Flat Economics at 2D University. They love to watch movies together: dramas about one-dimensional dots on a screen. They often walk in lovely flat parks together, relishing the aroma of flat fragrant flowers while Flat Franky’s dog, Flat Flip, waters the colorfully flamboyant flat trees. Recently, they started attending Flatville Linear Baptist Church, often wondering about a god whom they cannot see or hear or touch.
“Where is God?” asked Flat Felicity in a flatly flustered moment. “How do we know God even exists?”
YOU are the god of Flatworld. You drew it all into existence. You sketched the flat mountains, rivers and lakes, the flat forest fauna, and all the flat people, even every curvy flat follicle on their round flat little heads. It was YOUR imagination that breathed life into their flat two-dimensional bodies!
YOU are all-knowing and all-powerful. You see every single person at once, watching everywhere they go and everywhere they’ve been. With a tiny stroke of your pencil or brush, you can radically alter their lives. You can make a flat mountain erupt in fiery lava, erase a fracture in Flat Franky’s leg after he fell flatly to the ground. You can bring forth life: Flat Flip’s canine companion, Flat Flossy, just had flat puppies!
You’re very fond of your creation. You love it, especially the flat little people. You constantly whisper tender words of affection to them and surprise them with many lovely gifts.
And most of them haven’t a clue that you even exist.
READER: I would love to hear your response, even if you disagree with my conjectures!
