If On a Winter’s Twilight a Time Traveler

A month later, while you water your roses, you see Minuette standing outside. You let her in the front door and she begins speaking without introduction.

“Rarity is the contradiction between generosity and selfishness. She wishes to make others appreciated, while simultaneously wishing to be appreciated herself. We find our appreciation for her not only in watching her battle these two instincts, but also in her flair for the dramatic and for her fashion sense.”

You take a moment to think about this. “That is all true, and it reflects your increased understanding of my friends, but it does not tell me anything I did not already know, so I do not feel especially satisfied. Nor, several weeks later, do I even remember what point you are trying to make by telling me this.”

Minuette presents you with a paper with a short paragraph written on it. “Is this experience better?”

“Oh my stars, darling!” exclaimed Rarity. “Whatever happened to your coiffure?" The planning for the Summer Sun Celebration could wait... there was a fashion emergency in front of her. Quickly she rushed this strange new unicorn back to her home at the Carousel Boutique, ignoring all her pleas.

“It is a better experience,” you say after another moment, “in that it presents a narrative, even if one that terminates abruptly. And there is something satisfying about the familiarity of seeing these names and events I remember so well. But there is no sense of suspense in the narrative, for I know exactly what happened next.”

“Then,” says Minuette, “let us try one more experiment. Here is the novel I tried to have you read earlier.” You surmise that by “earlier” she means over a month ago, when you first met. “Now that you have a little practice reading, from that short passage about your friend Rarity, do you think you are able to read an entire chapter?”

You scoff a little at this provocation, take the book from her, and begin to read.