Free Darkness on a Pale Blue Stone by D. T. Peterson

die by the end of the night. Drowning is probably a better death," Gresson solemnly said.
    "It's still a death I caused," Michael replied.
    "Caused? As I recall, the wreckage was on the verge of collapse already."
    "It still wouldn't have happened without me."
    Gresson sighed. "Irrationally beating yourself up will not do you or us any favors."
    Michael scoffed. "I guess I just take death seriously and apparently you don't. Throwing a gun in everyone's face and pulling the trigger if someone's in your way. You..."
    Gresson interrupted with his own scoff. "In my way? They were a group of armed thugs. You are placing a sanctity on life that doesn't belong. Actions are what matters, not just the state of being alive. Sometimes death is better than the miserable lives it ends."
    "So death is better than life? Are you talking about some kind of afterlife? I never pegged you as religious," Michael said.
    "No." Gresson shook his head, then said distantly, "You people have so much to learn."
    "'You people'? What do you mean..."
    "Dad, just drop it, alright? You two can have your philosophy chat sometime when I don't already have a raging headache," Adam groaned.
    Michael shook his head at Gresson, then turned to his son. "Sorry, Adam. How are you feeling?"
    "'Floaty' is the only word I can think to describe it. I'm... I'm not all here yet."
    "Let's get to shore, then you can at least be on solid ground," Michael said.
    As they headed back to the New Jersey shoreline to find Alice and Marie, the two approached, paddling a small fishing boat.
    "Michael!" Alice shouted as she saw her husband. Alice and Marie both gave sighs of relief when they saw both Michael and Adam alive. They abandoned the fishing boat to join everyone else on the sailboat, which was now rather crowded. The Cases exchanged joyous hugs.
    Gresson turned the boat in the other direction as everyone else shared their perspectives of the events on the bridge. When Alice reached the point in her story where she saw Adam and Michael again, she broke into tears.
    "When I saw you were okay, I... *sob*... I am so glad you're both okay. God himself must be looking out for us." Alice wasn't very religious, and while she had a Catholic upbringing, those beliefs instilled in her as a child had eroded over time. But some respect for the spiritual realm still existed inside her.
    Gresson appeared slightly annoyed by Alice's comment. He made no attempt to make it obvious, but Alice noticed. She wiped away tears and said, "I take it you don't believe in God?"
    Michael was unsure if he should interrupt. Part of him felt that a religious discussion was a bit out of place after what they had gone through. Yet, he was too curious about the mindset of Alexander Gresson.
    Gresson didn't seem interested in the discussion, but he replied, "Which one?"
    Alice shrugged. "Any, I suppose."
    "No, I don't."
    "What do you believe in?"
    "I don't 'believe'. I observe, I learn, then I know. Anything else is pointless."
    Frowning, Sean said, "Sounds kinda arrogant, man. No one knows everything."
    "Of course," Gresson replied. "The difference is that I don't pretend to know what I do not, unlike many of those who 'believe.'"
    "But who cares if someone 'believes'?" Michael interjected.
    "Because 'belief' causes people to assume something beyond themselves is responsible for what happens to humanity. That their actions are secondary to some kind of destiny. Yet we are the only ones responsible for our fate. There was no god, angels, or spiritual energy that saved your son today. I did."
    Alice was put off by Gresson's explanation. "Well..." she replied with an angry tone. "I'm sorry I didn't thank you..."
    "I do not need your thanks. All I need is for you to think rationally and to understand that we have to rely on each other. That is the only way any of us are going to survive."
    No one had anything to say after that. The boat ride to the Delaware shore was quiet. When the group stepped onto shore, the