A Funny Official History of Contemporary Physics (Volume One: Dreams)

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The warm sun shone over the land of North America. PRL, wearing gold-rimmed reading glasses, carefully turned the pages of the journals it had published with aged fingers, filled with joy.

Just then, two little children, rubbing their sleepy eyes, stumbled into the room and clung to PRL’s legs, tugging hard. PRL took off its reading glasses, looked down, and gazed affectionately at the two innocent children, its face full of confusion.

The two children (looking proud and confident as they stared at the elderly PRL):

Grandpa! Grandpa! We just had a dream. We dreamed that two sets of cobalt-60 rotating in opposite directions could become two objects that are mirror images of each other.

PRL (waving its hand, seemingly a bit annoyed):

Nonsense! Grandpa has never seen two physical objects become mirror images of each other by rotating in opposite directions.

The two children (looking earnestly into PRL’s eyes):

Grandpa, you must believe us—it’s really true. We’ve had this dream and verified it many, many times.

The elderly PRL slowly raised its head and gazed out the window, lost in thought.

In the azure sky, two white clouds drifted by. A few small birds gathered on a decaying dry branch in the bushes, chirping at the clouds.

PRL (gently tapping its forehead, deep in thought):

Perhaps Grandpa is truly getting old. Isn’t this the very dream Grandpa had when he was a child?

PRL (lost in contemplation). After what felt like an eternity, it firmly raised its head.

PRL (comfortingly patting the children’s heads, heart surging with emotion):

Good children! Seeing you reminds Grandpa of his own childhood. Grandpa believes you. Grandpa will now make your dream come true and announce this extraordinary news to the world.

The two children hugged each other, jumping and cheering with joy.