He was brushing his teeth when it happened.
The bathroom grew dark and he was filled with a sense of wonder. At first, he had no idea what was happening, while at the same time he was experiencing some kind of euphoria. It was a sensation that he’d never felt before. He took the toothbrush out of his mouth and stood in the pitch-black room, not moving. Gradually, a great awareness flooded through him. In some strange way, he knew that it was just the beginning of a great understanding. He began to see the truth of it all. All of the questions he had ever asked came tumbling into his mind, each one followed by a succinct and definitive answer. Who am I? What am I doing here? Where did I come from? What is my purpose? How did all this come about? Is this universe real? What happens after death? Is there a God?
The questions and answers continued in this way for some time, until he felt so overwhelmed that he dropped his toothbrush and gripped the edge of the basin. At this point, the room lit back up and he found himself staring at a pale version of himself in the mirror. Despite feeling completely exhausted, he knew that he had to tell his wife all he had learnt. He would sit and tell her everything.
When he entered the bedroom, he found her asleep. He proceeded to excitedly shake her awake. “I have something to tell you.”
“What!”
“I need to tell you things and it won’t wait until morning.”
“What time is it?”
“That doesn’t matter…”
“What do you mean? Of course, it does. I’ve an early start tomorrow. Can’t it wait?”
“Look. There is just so much to tell you, and I can’t risk forgetting any of it.”
She struggled to sit up in bed, took a sip of water from her bedside glass, and said, “OK. This had better be good!”
“It’s more than good. It’s truly wonderful!”
She nodded. “Go on.”
It was at this point that the epiphany folded in on itself, as it were. He just sat on the edge of the bed realising that this vast array of knowledge was ineffable. He simply couldn’t put any of it into words. He was utterly speechless!
After a few moments, with her eyes drooping again, she snuggled back down under the covers.
He couldn’t be sure, but he thought he heard a muffled, “Goodnight.”