World Building
“The key to building a world is the structure,” Grand High Architect Vlgin said to the class.
Outside the thick windows the outline of a planet made in steel, vast bands of latitude and longitude miles across describing a world forty thousand miles. The awed class of students watched the megaproject. Their teacher was awed as well. This was the sort of thing
“You need to have a goal in mind. Here, we are capturing all the dust in the system to make a new world. World building is like an iceberg. Most people will never see anything other than the surface, the tip, if you will.”
As they watched a large asteroid was towed into view.
“All the resources will be brought in to make this world. Naturally, this would take a long time. Millions of years even, but these days, time is nothing compared to our technology. Worlds bow at our feet. Pressure. It’s all about pressure and time and we have needs not in alignment with that.”
One student raised a hand. “How do you make the planet useful so quickly?”
The Grand High Architect laughed. “By manipulating the very forces of the universe.” He set his hands on a dial and ticked it forward just once. Then he brought it back to its original position. He gestured grandly to the window.
The class looked out.
There indeed was a planet. Fully formed with oceans and skies. Vlgin looked proudly over it all. He rested a hand on the dial. It slipped. Another tick later, the planet was gone. Every piece of it vanished. There was no dust, no rings. All of it was gone.
“Where is it?” the students asked.
Vlgin gulped. He didn’t know. “Um. Ta da!”
Michael Frutig 