The sun had not come yet over the horizon, so they felt relieved. Their long climb onto the volcanoes' top was precisely performed to arrive fifteen minutes before sunrise. And that included the fact that from the vantage point they would witness it several minutes before their village down by the sea shore,

As the sky progressively turned from dark to light blue, without any cloud catching a reddish ray of light, Sam carefully watched his father who was now breathing calmly and waiting peacefully. He had recovered far better that he himself did from that difficult race against the clock. Or maybe it was the excitement of very soon becoming an adult that prevented his heart from beating quietly. The tension was rising, as well as the sun, because he had no idea what awaited him in the ceremony. Judging the sun would take another few minutes before appearing, he suddenly thought it was his last chance as a child to ask serious questions to his father.

'Dad,' he started and faltered. He was immediately embarrassed at breaking his father's concentration or worse: the spirit of the ceremony... But then he realised it was too late anyway so he kept on. 'Do you believe in God?'

'Oh I don't think so... And I certainly won't believe in such an almighty god who created all things on Earth including a people at his image. If anything is above us and had actually anything to do with our creation, it has probably created less than the fruitful imagination of our priests. '

Uneasy, Sam looked at his paws and shifted his tail to face his father. 'So you don't believe that Adam and Eve were the first kangaroos either?'

'Strictly speaking? No. In fact, those names are a usual metaphor to refer to the population of the oldest ancestors of kangaroos. And they are frankly little known. Strictly speaking, a unique couple couldn't have naturally given birth to the entire kangaroo kind. Take a couple of rabbits, they might have a lot of direct descendants, but if a second or even a third generation emerges, it is very likely to be sick in many ways and also be sterile, which in any case brings the whole clan to an end.'

'But,' protested Sam, 'that's exactly what the priests say: "it wasn't natural, so it must be supernatural."

'Or,' completed the father, 'there was no such thing as a single original couple in the first place. On the opposite, there is growing scientific evidence that species naturally evolve, sometimes subdivide and sometimes die. Whether a particular species follow a good or bad direction is just another matter.'

'But the priests also say that "the kangaroos were created differently by the gods, and that is a proof that we are superior to the animals."

'Well, you don't need faith to know we are indeed superior to rabbits. We may look alike but those creatures are simple beasts without pouches that breed like crazy, whereas we care for the few children we have, which is morally good. And they might have some kind of intelligence but they can't communicate like we do. Our destiny is, I believe, to accumulate knowledge generation after generations; and that is also morally good.'

'So you're saying we should ignore the religious ones who claim that "without god, we are just animals."

'Like it or not, the priests are somehow lying to us but also to themselves. Well, that's what I think. And I would say the same thing for the charlatans who try to sell us stories about the robots war at the beginning of time as well as the independence of dog fighters from the human wizards. They are fully unproven stories, but they resonate in our minds.

Those imaginary beasts are almost tangible and palatable, because we know so much about them, yet they stay imaginary. They only exist because we want to believe in them. I'm not sure but our imagination may be the reason why our minds are superior.

But what do you say about all that?'

Sam was perplex and sit down do look at the sun which he felt was just below the limit of the horizon. And that was true because he then he saw the first spot of the sun appearing above the ocean. But while he was still thinking for a proper reply, he kept looking at the rising sun. He was expecting the sun to progressively and slowly show an arc of light, but instead the point spread horizontally in just a couple of seconds and formed a small bar. The sun stabilised in this shape, whereas Sam wondered what was happening. Then he saw a second point appearing above the bar and it also spread horizontally in an instant to form a second bar though not that broad. After the initial surprise, he reasoned the sun formed of many bars would in the end appear circular. He remembered he was supposed to answer his father. He went back to it again, breathed deeply, changed his mind and started a resolute speech.

'Well, there are a lot of things we take for granted and a lot of things we can't comprehend. I think that, rather than being told, I prefer to discover by myself what are the limits of my own knowledge. Therefore, I guess that, if the religious people grow as a willingly ignorant species, I'll be glad not to be a part of it.

'I like the term "willingly ignorant," pointed his smiling father.

'Well,' said Sam, seeing the sun finally assumed a normal curvature by then, 'it's time to start the ceremony, isn't it? What am I supposed to do then?'

'Nothing... It's already over.' He said matter-of-factly. 'The whole point was to have you think by yourself and call into question what the others say are definitive answers.'

'What!' Sam said flabbergasted. 'You mean, this long climb at dawn was a set up just' emphasised with a mimicked double quote 'so to have me think? Can't believe it! ...And how did you know there would be this weird sunrise?'

'I didn't... I mean, I've seen it a few times, but I guess this trick of light depends on the weather and so it can't be predicted...' he casually assured.

'If,' realised Sam, 'if that trick hadn't happen and...'

He was on the verge of crying but it put it back with a deep breath.

'If I had remained religiously stubborn...' he finally managed, 'Listen carefully Dad... Would you have abandoned me like a baby kangaroo who is too weak to reach his mother's pouch?' And searching for an answer in his father's eyes, he added 'Oh my god you would have, wouldn't you?'

'You know our way to remain a strong people....' replied a serious and frowning Dad. 'You should accept it as the adult you are now'

'But as an adult, I am now calling into question the tradition of abandoning the weaker,' he spelled with obvious rage and dare mixed in his eyes.

'I see you doubt my love for you,' was the calm and wise answer of the father. 'But we both know there is no ground for it. Honestly, I have been watching you growing up and seeking to live fully and succeeding in it. So I never had not an ounce of fear that you might have failed at this stage, nor any other stage in your life for that matter...'

Sam let those sentences sink in for a few seconds, and in the end admitted he could hardly had a wiser father. But then the latter warned with a pointing finger, bulging eyes and a very alarming voice:

'But there is still one thing you could utterly fail and have to pay direly for the consequences in front of your creator!'

'And that would be?' said Sam in disbelief looking up at his imposing father standing in front of the rising sun.

'That would be: showing up late to the meal your mother prepared specially for you, to celebrate your first day as a respectable adult.'

'Dad,' Sam started, but kept open-mouthed.

'Surely, she'll be upset,' added the father with an affected voice and an over-expressive saddened face.

And they both burst out laughing loud and clear.

'Sorry... I couldn't resist...' he apologized after a while. 'You should have seen your face... Hilarious... No offense. Anyway, I love you, boy.'

Sam rose up, replied with an understanding wink which closed the discussion. 'But we haven't got much time, then. So, just to be sure, let's get started.'