Page 30 - Nutshell 4

MINIMAX: Yes, I do, Great Bargello. Perhaps they are quarks.

BARGELLO: Quarks? They must the extremely smallest thing ever!
I’m feeling very dizzy now, but let’s go have a look at one. (gets in;
effects) Here we are, Minimax: a quark! Wait a minute: what’s inside a
quark?

MINIMAX: I don’t know. Why don’t you go find out, since you are
the leader?

BARGELLO: All right, I will! (gets out, hacks at object) Grr! There!
Now, get a picture of this, Minimax. Oops! Am I seeing things? No,
there it is again! Something smaller! We still haven’t found even one
of the Two Extremes. Oh, drat! (hits object) Ouch!

MINIMAX: What do we do now, Great Bargello?

BARGELLO: (gets in slowly) Shrink, Minimax, shrink. (effects) Hit the
brakes, Minimax! We’ve found something! (gets out) What an odd-
looking thing. But I suppose the smallest thing there is would have
to be a little strange. Let me just break it open so we can get a photo
for Dr. Pesky. (struggles) Boy! This one is really a tough nut to crack.
Ah! At last! But—but—what are those tiny particles inside it?

MINMAX: I don’t know what they are called, Great Bargello. Shall
we continue?

BARGELLO: No, no, no! Something is wrong here! Every time I
think I’ve found the smallest thing, I look inside it and there’s
something even smaller! Tell me the truth, Minimax: does this go on
forever?

MINIMAX: I don’t know, but we cannot go on forever to prove
it. Even so, if we did find the smallest thing there is, we wouldn't
be able to take a picture of it from the inside.

BARGELLO: What do you mean? Why not?

MINIMAX: Because if you could break it open, then it would
have at least two pieces, wouldn't it?

BARGELLO: Yes, of course. That's obvious.