All notes disclosed in chapter one. Here's where it gets educational but I swear it serves a purpose.
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There's some women out there who talk and stare
Who never seem to let down their hair
Like to pass judgment but they're just scared
And don't know what they're missing, so they better beware
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The pair watched the sun go down two hours later, relaxing back on the large blanket.
"Did you know that due to tidal acceleration, the orbit of the moon around the earth is unstable, and becomes approximately three point eight centimeters more distant each year?" Mulder recited, rolling his head to look at her. She shook her head, looking over at him.
"They even estimate that in 600 million years, the distance from the earth to the moon will have increased by 14,593.5 miles, making it so that the moon will no longer be able to cover the sun's disk."
"Fascinating. Educate me some more."
Mulder smiled widely at her before turning his attention back to the sky.
"They also predict that the sun will increase in size over this time scale. That makes it even more unlikely that the moon will be able to cause a total eclipse, which would make the last total solar eclipse on earth in slightly less than 600 million years.
"The earliest recorded solar eclipse was on the fifteenth of June in 763 BC. They found it recorded in Assyrian text. Herodotus wrote that Thales of Miletus predicted an eclipse which occurred during a war between the Medians and the Lydian's. Soldiers on both sides put down their weapons and declared peace as a result of the eclipse. Exactly which eclipse was involved has remained uncertain, although the issue has been studied by hundreds of ancient and modern authorities. One likely candidate took place on May 28, 585 BC, near the Halys River in the middle of modern Turkey."
"Wow, I definitely did not know that." Dana rolled onto her side. Her eyes gazed over him, all of him. It was amazing. The more time she spent with him, the more she was afraid she was falling for him. "What else do you know?"
"A lot about a lot," he said cryptically. "Why? You gonna let me teach you?"
She smiled barely. "Yes because it's nice to not have to think for a few hours. And… you have a really nice voice. It's easy to listen to, kind of therapeutic," she admitted quietly. His head lolled to the side again but he didn't say anything. He didn't have to. His expression spoke for him.
"Um, let's see. We talked about the moon so… do you know that every major religion has a god or goddess for everything?"
"Now that I did know."
"Let's start with the oldest religion, Hinduism," Mulder began, switching his voice to story teller mode. "Indra is the god of weather and war. All his titles refer to strength and might. His weapon is the thunderbolt, sort of like Zeus. He rides a four-tusked, albino elephant called Airavana.
"Indra had an affair with Ahalya, the wife of Gautama Maharishi. He was punished by Gautama with a curse that one thousand female organs would cover his body in a grotesque and vulgar display, and that his reign as king of the gods would meet with disaster and catastrophe. Gautama later commuted the curse, upon the pleading of Brahma, to one thousand eyes instead of female organs."
"Eww, thank God for that. It's just like a guy to do that," Dana interrupted. "Disgusting."
"Anyway," Mulder continued loudly. "Due to this sin, Indra's throne remains insecure forever. He's repeatedly humiliated by demonic kings like Ravana of Lanka, whose son bound Indra in serpent nooses and dragged him across Lanka in a humiliating display. Ravana released Indra when Brahma convinced him to do so, but as the defeated, Indra had to pay tribute and accept Ravana's supremacy. Indra realized the consequences of his sin and was later avenged by Rama, who slew Ravana to deliver the three worlds from evil."
"What happened to Indra after that?"
"He became known as the thousand-eyed god. Sounds pretty cool, doesn't it?' Mulder wagged his eyebrows at her. She, in turn, rolled her eyes at him.
"Tell me another one."
"Surya is the chief solar deity, with hair and arms of gold. He drives Agni, the fire god, his chariot across the sky in his horse drawn chariot driven by Aruna, who brought the dawn. Aruna's image is always depicted without legs sitting on the chariot. The chariot is driven by seven horses to represent the seven chakras.
"And then there's Varuna. He keeps the cosmics in order, another solar deity. He later became the god of oceans and rivers and the keeper of the souls of the drowned. Because of that, he's a god of the dead and can grant immortality. Also, he's one of the Guardians of the directions, representing the west."
"Maybe I should pray to him as well," Dana said softly.
"Why's that?"
"I love the water, grew up around it. It makes me feel peaceful."
Mulder fell silent at that, admiring the look on her face. She looked so… well, peaceful. Her eyes had fallen shut not long ago. She'd moved closer as well. Her hand was lying close to his arm, so close she could touch.
"Keep telling me these stories."
Her voice had adopted a sleepy tone he found quite sexy. It was a mixture of a low tone and a raspy sound.
"You're not falling asleep on me, are you?" he teased, rolling over to mirror her position.
Dana scoffed. "First of all, I'm not on you. I'm next to you. Second, I'm wide awake. Keep talking."
"Yes, master," he joked, mimicking Jeannie. A smile crept onto her face but she made no comment.
"Let's go to Egypt now," he resumed. "I'll make it short since you're falling asleep on me. Hathor, the goddess of the sky, the moon, love, marriage, and childbirth. Then there's Khepri, god of the rising sun but when the sun sets, he takes on the form of Atum. He's another solar deity."
Dana settled further into the blanket. "What is it with you and the sun? Or the cosmics I should say."
"It fascinates me. Why? Don't you like it?"
"No, I do. I've just always been one for the night. The moon is a beautiful thing."
"Yes, it is." But he wasn't talking about the moon or sun anymore.
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Continued in next chapter……
Most information in this chapter can be found at but some information came from the book 'Gods, Goddess's, and Monsters.'