[ WP ] You 're an explorer in the Dark Ages and set out westwards to show that the earth is round . Except it is n't and together with your crew you sail off the world 's edge .

`` Tell us again why you think the world is round, son?'' 
 
 The Assistant Professor sighed internally, careful not to show his frustration with dealing with these overfed, overdressed fools. 
 
 `` As I have previously explained, it's a simple matter of mathematics, observation and logic.'' 
 
 Assistant Professor Wanton Shortbottom the Third paused for a moment, thinking of a way to simplify his research to the group of simple minds before him. Wanton needed the funding of the school to take his theoretical research and go prove it in the field. They had been at this meeting for 4 hours, and their inability to grasp the most rudimentary aspect of mathematics was infuriating. 
 
 `` Perhaps we can try a different approach'', Wanton muttered under his breath. `` Have you ever seen a fly walk on a melon?'' 
 
 `` Assistant Professor Shortbottom, I doubt any of us have time in the day to wait around and look at melons in the misguided hope that flies would land on them.'' The head of the university was speaking very slowly and carefully, as if to a particularly dimwitted child. 
 
 `` What if it were a particularly large melon?'' This voice belonged to the Professor of Insects and Their Mating Habits, a very senior Windle Poons. `` Is it over-ripe or spoiled? If so, it would easily attract a number of insects, in particular, the very rare Lampyridae Coleoptera.'' 
 
 He was interrupted by the Master of Diagonal Thinking 
 `` Perhaps, this is not a simple house-fly? Maybe this is a methaphor. The melon could represent the plumpness of life and since we all know our world actually resides on four'' 
 
 `` Enough!'' blurted out Shortbottom. His freckled face had gone very red, making him look like an angry pumpkin. He did n't much care and ploughed on with his explanation. 
 
 `` This is just a normal fly, on a normal melon. Listen to me and visualize this in your mind's eye, please. If you were to stand on one side of the melon, whatever its size, and try to track an insect of any kind that was walking on it, it would disappear from your view as it crested the `` horizon''.'' 
 He grabbed a piece of chalk, and drew out a circle on the board behind him, eight pairs of eyes boring into his back. He kept going, knowing that he had their full attention now. 
 `` The same is true of us when we stand on the quay! A ship will eventually disappear from view as it `` falls'' below the horizon!'' He drew again on the board, adding mathematical symbols along the way. When he was done, he turned around and saw eight very serious faces. 
 
 `` Give us a moment please, Assistant Professor Shortbottom, while we confer and we will inform you of our decision soon'' 
 
 He could see the old men, in their old, moth-eaten robes, talking amongst themselves, their eyes occasionally darting to him, surprise evident on their faces. They must be wondering why something this obvious, this world-changing had never occured to them, he thought. 
 
 
 `` I'm willing to let him go and see the edge for himself, I do n't want another day talking about zuchinnis and spiders. No offense, Windle'' 
 
 `` None taken, Mustrum. I quite liked his story about the walking melon, quite honestly. That is Professorial-level thinking, that is.'' 
 `` I do n't think the melon was walking, I think this young man was maybe talking about 
 the idea of walking melons, or the sublimation of such...'' 
 
 Archchancellor Ridcully cleared his throat after a few moments and turned to face the confident Wanton Shortbottom. 
 
 `` Yes, yes, Professor Shortbottom. We have all been quite impressed with your presentation on plump aubergines and their practical application regarding navigation with hyper-intelligent flies.'' 
 
 Before Wanton could protest, the Archchancellor continued 
 
 `` We will provision you with a ship to sail to the ends of the Rim Ocean to prove that'', he hesitated for a moment, `` to prove that kumquats are round. Also, as it befits your rank, we will also send an assistant with you. The highly qualified Rincewind will accompany you on your journey.'' 

