All at once, the air around him seemed to speed by like a roaring jet. Berger felt something strike his eyes, so he closed them. The wind died. He opened his eyes and looked.

Berger found himself kneeling inside a large room. One wall was a window looking out at the darkness of night. The floor was dirt with a few scraggly plants. The walls were plain and white. He looked behind and saw the back wall was open and faced another darkness.

A voice inside his head said, "Welcome to the beginning of all time. Please approach the window."

Berger shuffled forward and stopped a pace from the strange window. He reached out and touched it. The window was cool and felt like glass.

The voice inside his head spoke again. It reminded Berger of the voice of a woman singer. Smooth and melodic. "Look out the window to your right. Curving into the distance are more and more advanced civilizations."

Berger looked and saw that his room was a single cell in a huge curved wall of zillions of cells. Those further away glowed brightly.

"We are the most advanced peoples from the previous universe, the one that existed before your universe. We are so advanced that, to you primitive civilizations, we seem to be gods."

The voice inside his head made Berger's ears itch. So he scratched them.

"We invited representatives from the new universe that will-be, to return to its beginning to witness its creation. It is our desire and hope that we may inspire you, the next civilizations, to create yet another universe when yours ends."

Berger wondered who was in the room next to his. He walked to the back of his room and stuck his arm out into the emptiness. It was really cold. He decided it was probably the vacuum of space.

Berger held his breath and stuck his head out and around the corner. He discovered the next room was lit with a dim yellow light. A large creature that resembled an Easter candy wearing a hat turned to look at him. From its base extended dozens of snakelike arms with long fingered hands. It appeared to be constructing something from stones.

Berger pulled his head back into his own room. He breathed in a huge breath and shivered. The voice spoke again.

"Come to the window and behold."

Berger approached the window and found a small glowing cloud outside. "What are you?" he asked.

The cloud formed itself into a human-like face and spoke. "I will become the speed of light."

Berger was impressed. "A universal constant in the making," he said. He was surprised how easily his college physics returned.

The cloud smiled. "Yes. Thank you. But I should warn you. Most primitive civilizations like your own seldom survive. For every thousand primitive civilizations that evolve, only one will survive to become advanced."

Berger thought about that. "Well please wish us luck," he said.

"God speed," said the cloud.

Berger understood the joke and laughed.

The cloud sped away, toward the center of the curve of the windows. Other super advanced people did the same. They glowed and twirled and sped. Mini-gods, thought Berger.

The advanced people combined in the center. All appeared to squeeze into the tiniest imaginable point. Then, with a bright explosion, the dot expanded and became the universe. Berger closed his eyes because the explosion was so bright. Berger covered his ears because the explosion was so loud.

Berger heard a bang, bang, bang over his head. He opened his eyes and found himself back inside his cardboard box.

Burger leaned forward and pulled aside the rag that was his curtain. A policeman's face appeared in front of his.

"You'll have to move all your stuff," the policeman said. "This street is being closed for a festival."

Berger scooted out of his box. With the difficulty of age and abuse, he stood. The policeman didn't look patient.

"I witnessed God," Berger said.

"I'm sure you did," the policeman said. "Now get your junk out of here."