“From these notes, you can see that the Egyptian hieroglyphics date farther back than we can all imagine now. These writings, which have eluded translation for thousands of years, only acknowledge and explain the existence of a higher being that makes everything we see possible. A deeper understanding of the notations will prove that the Big Bang theory and other such postulations are all hoaxes.”

Gaston stood on the stage in the large auditorium before a large group. Many professors from different departments in the university and other visiting professors looked at him with wonder and intense concentration.

It was nothing new to him to have people look at him with so much attention, waiting to hear what he had to say about anything. In all his ten years of life, he could not remember a time when he did not have an answer or anything to say. His parents had a hard time at first, but fortunately, his father was an academic who understood that he had a child prodigy. So, he did all he could to protect his son without causing him to lose his childhood.

As he stood in front of everyone in the auditorium and prepared to end his presentation, his eyes involuntarily slid to a young man sitting close to the back of the crowd. In his young mind, Gaston would not have picked him out of the crowd. There was a mixed group of students, lecturers, and professors, which was expected because it was a university.

However, the man stood out for young Gaston because he looked slightly different from the crowd. He had no hair, which was strange even for the weirdest students in the school. But that was not the only odd thing. The young man did not seem interested in anything Gaston had to say. He was not writing like everyone else and seemed more interested in the boy on stage than in anything Gaston had to say.

Before he could think further about the strange young man, the auditorium erupted in a loud and standing ovation. Even the old and stern-looking professors sitting close to the front cracked a smile as they all looked at him in awe. Many of these men and women had heard of the little boy with an uncanny flair for interpreting ancient languages and solving complex problems in mathematics and chemistry.

Though in different universities and organizations, Gaston barely smiled because he had gone down this road before. So, he was all too familiar with the reception, although it was a little different this time.

As he was led off the stage, he carefully searched the crowd for the young man he had noticed earlier. But because of his size and the number of people coming to greet him, he was quickly lost in the crowd. His father efficiently moved him through the crowd as they headed out of the auditorium, with his mother close behind.

While he allowed some people to greet his son, Gaston’s father was not open to having everyone touch him. He was also familiar with the scene, taking Gaston to several places for lectures and keynote addresses and seeing everyone reaching out to touch the wunderkind.

As they headed out from the hall to get to their car, Gaston felt a light tap on his shoulder and turned around. His parents also turned simultaneously because they knew someone had been walking close behind them. Gaston was only slightly surprised but greatly alarmed to see the young man from the auditorium standing so close to him.

He appears taller than I imagined in the hall. And he’s skinny; I don’t like skinny with a shaven head. It reminds me of the Slender Man. Many of my neighbors talk about…

“Can we help you?” Gaston heard his father ask the young man, jolting him out of his thoughts. He looked up at his father because his voice sounded strained, and his face looked the same, even though he smiled.

“Hello, sir. I was thoroughly impressed with your son’s lecture, which was obvious from the reception after the lecture. It truly opened our eyes to many aspects of the universe and existence beyond what we already know. Amazingly, he did it by simply interpreting ancient languages. Astounding, isn’t it?”

Gaston’s father reluctantly shook the young man’s hand and muttered something. The man smiled and turned to Gaston to shake his hand. As he reached out, Gaston saw a tattoo on his wrist. It was not the usual tattoo young men drew on their bodies; this one looked like a distinct logo, but Gaston was too young to recognize it.

“Hello, Gaston. You are an exceptional young man, aren’t you? It is finally nice to meet you in person. I’ve heard so much about you.” He gave the boy a fuller smile than he had given his father, and Gaston noticed he had strong white teeth. The smile changed his appearance, making him look a little less intense.

Gaston gave him a firm shake, as strong as his ten-year-old hand could manage. He was relieved that the man was not as scary as he had imagined, although he still could not understand his father’s tense reaction to the man. Although he was a truly gifted child, he was still oblivious to specific responses and reactions to things, especially when they concerned adults.