[ WP ] You 've finally found the piece of ice that never melts . A rich guy uses it to keep his whiskey cold .

“ You have got to be shitting me. ” My legs are still crossed; the rich red leather of the chair can be felt through my shear slacks. The tepid April air stirs slowly through the open window of the study. The room is furnished in subtle wealth; there are no glamorous trinkets placed to ostentatiously impress visitors. Yet I have no doubts, that were I to spill my own beverage, there isn ’ t a single item I could afford to replace. The clear ice clinks cheerfully in my glass. The oil canvases hung in between bookshelves are artfully rendered, but I doubt I would recognize the artist ’ s signature scribbled in the corner. Dark, coffee colored wood and thick leather bound books surround us. The brass fixtures inlaid on the furniture are probably the only additions made to the room in the past decade. 
 
 “ I ’ m no liar, Mr. Burke. It is genuine. ” The voice is dry and quiet, but still powerful. He doesn ’ t have to raise his voice to be heard, likely he never has. He swirls the glass in his hand and takes another measured sip. I mirror the act. The soft cool liquor spreads across my tongue evenly and gently. As it warms, it seems to evaporate and the smoky bite of the aged whiskey floats down my throat without me even needing to swallow. That one sip, I reflect, is worth more than I make in a day, probably. 
 
 “ An ice cube that never melts, it sounds like something out of a poorly written children ’ s cartoon, or the Greek mythos. And you use the damn thing for your afternoon whiskey. ” He grins. It ’ s a slow act, like watching a glacier carve a mountain in two. But he knows I will wait for him to finish before saying anything else, like an obedient dog I wait for him. 
 
 His lips part again to speak, the act of an ice shelf splitting and falling away. “ It is mine to do with as I see fit. And the way I see it, there is no higher calling than this. ” 
 
 “ But it could be used in a thousand productive ways! Bring down the temperature in arid countries to be used for farming, reform the melting poles, refrigerate food for the masses! With just a little design work, my team and I could create machines to harness this power and help everyone! ” 
 
 The grin flattens out, a sun setting. “ Of course you could. I have no doubt in you or your team ’ s abilities. You are a very skilled bunch of smart young people, which is precisely why I will never give this to you. ” 
 
 “ What? What do you mean? ” 
 He doesn ’ t answer right away, just takes another sip, each movement as deliberate as tectonic plate shifting. “ You are young, optimistic. In a world of half-truths and partial answers, this is not so dangerous. In that world, no matter what happens, there is neither immovable object nor unstoppable force. Even when the first atomic bombs were detonated the scientists were not so certain that the reaction of splitting atoms would not spread to all matter in the universe. ” 
 
 He takes another measured sip, and I feel compelled to copy him again, but I resist. “ But they did it anyway. ” I prompt him. 
 
 “ Yes. They did it anyway. Because they were young and optimistic. At their core they truly and completely believed that there was no real chance that the whole of the universe could be destroyed by their actions. ” 
 
 “ Of course it couldn ’ t. ” 
 
 I see his forehead wrinkle and furrow. When he speaks, anger seeps out like lava in between his controlled measured words. “ You young, arrogant child. This is a world of absolutes, they are rare to be sure, but they exist. And they should not be frivolously harnessed. This- “ He points at the one cube of ice in his glass, “ This is an absolute. At your core, you believe that there is nothing beyond repair, that no matter what humans do there can be no permanent damage to the universe. You are wrong, so dangerously wrong. ” 
 
 He stands and strides to the window. “ You have no real comprehension of what I ’ m holding. It ’ s entropy itself, the anathema to energy, heat, warmth, and life. And you wish to attach it to some device and start changing the damn atmosphere. If I were to accidentally swallow it, it would suck the warm from my body. You would have to chisel your prize from my frozen guts. If I were to drill down to the mantle and place this there, it would freeze the very core of the earth. We would be barren to the leeching radiation of solar winds without the magnetic field our molten core gives us. If I were to strap it to a rocket and fly it to the sun, it would be extinguished. Our very solar system would fly to pieces. ” 
 
 He turns to me and levels a finger at my eye, like pointing an artillery piece, “ And you want me to hand it over like a father passing over the keys to his mustang. ” 
 
 I finish the bolt of whiskey, my own ice cube rattling as I set the glass down. “ That ’ s not true, we would safeguard it. Better than any treasure every found. That ’ s what it is a true treasure, something to propel mankind forward, not destroy him. ” 
 
 He sighs and shakes his head. I reach down for my glass, forgetting there is no more liquor. I pause for a moment then swallow the ice cube, savoring the last remnants of the whiskey. When I look at him, he is staring at me intently. “ I am so sorry you feel that way. It is foolish and dangerous, I will not allow it. ” 
 
 “ I will find a way, have no doubt. You have jealously guarded this for too long. It ’ s time for the rest of us to give it a shot. ” 
 
 He sighs again, the sound of wind passing though a hardwood forest. He reaches for his glass and downs the contents, ice cube and all. 
 
 “ I knew you would say that. That is why I put the genuine ice cube in your glass. ” 
 
 I try to take a step forward and realize my feet have gone numb. I reach towards my mouth and find my fingers are shaking too badly to control. I fall backwards into the chair. The old man walks slowly back to his chair and reaches under. He pulls out an exquisitely carved cigar box. From which he removes a well-worn brass hammer and iron chisel. “ I am sorry Mr. Burke, but you were being unreasonable. And after all, in a world of absolutes, I can afford to make absolutely no mistakes. ” 
 
 
 

