A great deal of time ago, when the form of the world was still young, there lived a small group of men, and one man in particular - a man blessed with the gift of thought. Their lives were hard, as they were faced with many problems, and so they toiled in the dirt, and lived in cold caves.

The tribe cried out, "We are cold and hungry, but our food wastes away!"

The man answered, "Your meat goes bad, and your children go hungry? I have just the thing for you!"

And so he gave them fire, and the tribe set about curing meats, warming their caves, and thus the tribe was greatly expanded.

Many decades passed, and a city was founded. They experienced great joy, and began to explore their world. However, their lives were still hard, as they lacked the capability to record their knowledge except by word of mouth.

The city cried out, "We have knowledge, but when we die, so shall it as well!"

The man answered, "You wish to share your knowledge, and preserve it after your deaths? I have just the thing for you!"

And so he gave them books, and the city set about writing down their sciences and achievements, and thus the city was greatly expanded.

Many centuries passed, and a nation was created. They encountered other nations, some good and some bad. However, their lives were still hard, as they were constantly at war with their enemies, having come to a standstill.

The nation cried out, "We have enemies, but we cannot defeat them!"

The man answered, "Your enemies advance upon you, and threaten your borders? I have just the thing for you!"

And so he gave them nuclear weapons, and the nation set about destroying their enemies and absorbing their peoples, and thus the nation was greatly expanded.

Many millenia passed, and an empire was created. They were masters of their own planet, and there was peace. However, their lives were still hard, as they had filled up their world, and had nowhere else to go.

The man answered, "You wish to explore the galaxy, but the stars are too far away? I have just the thing for you!"

And so he gave them space travel at speeds higher than that of light, and they set about colonizing all of known space, and thus the empire was greatly expanded.

More time passed, too much to name, until nothing was created. By then, the men were no longer men, no longer anything at all. They were immortal, and thus they were eternal, and barely recognizable as what they had used to be. One by one, the stars began to die, and the not-men watched. Their lives were easy, as they wanted nothing. They had seen all that there was to offer, had chased down other universes, and had even seen the end of time itself.

The not-men cried out, "We are too old, and have grown weary of this life!"

The man answered, "You have become masters of existence, and there is nothing left for you to do? I have just the thing for that!"

And so he gave them nonexistence, and the people were no more.

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I've been so busy lately I've not had time to continue writing! Fear not, though - I shall resume once I finish this project. In the meantime, this popped into my head, and so I wrote it down.