The line (in metaphysics) starts off at point L and it knows it’s supposed to be at point I sometime in the future, ideally before lunch on Sunday. So the line starts, thinking about what it can experience on the journey to I. I itself isn’t supposed to be much, only a straight street, a quiet place.
On the journey: maybe an adventure? A trip to unknown places? Just taking a little detour. But this turns out to be harder than the line initially thought, after all, it has learned to go to point I only. Now, the line thinks (as far as the line can think) that maybe it would be worthwhile to go to point O instead. Oh, the wonders of the O: not a straight street in sight! The line is very fond of the food here, can you imagine that. And at O, it meets another line, making a swift cross. I is almost forgotten by now, because it has heard about a wild place called M (where the other line has been before). But it seems that M is unreachable by now, although V could be a viable alternative - continuing on without much bending. V, when reached, is a hub, nicely ordered, other lines passing through on their way to destinations unknown. The climate is quite pleasant, a gentle breeze from the flatlands with a hint of inky rain. The line continues on, it has to, after all, in order to reach I where it was supposed to be a while ago. Guilt creeps in. W is passed close by, just tangibly, not so different from M.
Then, for a while, nothing. The line continues, growing ever fearful. Looking back, it can see the past destinations. And eventually, growing slowly on the horizon, three connections to another line. It arrived at E. The journey is complete, this would be a good place to stay and rest, maybe start a family.
But there is no rest, the line cannot quiet down, it cannot sleep or concentrate. It gets up in the middle of the night, tortured by the thought that it had to be at I so long ago, they must be worried, everything was a mistake. In the narrow and straight streets of E, it hears a voice, murmuring. Hidden between two streetlights, it finds a curious character, he seems to be a short line, changing length ever so often.
-Let me tell you about a place called the second dimension… it whispers.
Frightened, the line runs away, fleeing from E in the middle of the night. It misses the correct exit, wanting to go back to V, but when the day breaks, V is nowhere in sight! This is crazy, the line thinks, V was near, but now it’s gone. But as ever, there is only the way forward: pushing on without detours or bends, tired and weary. Suddenly, hidden in a valley, there is N. Everything seems familiar, as if it has been here before, but the voices sound different and the air is hard to breathe - not a place to stay for long. Irritated, lost, the line doesn’t know what comes next. Nothing makes sense anymore, until suddenly, it reaches a place where it’s welcomed with much enthusiasm.
-Finally, you’re here! they say and celebrate with lots of music and fine food.
-Here where? the line asks.
-At I, of course, although you came from another direction than we thought. Well, no matter, you’re here now.
The next day, the line goes on, now it knows where it will arrive and does so at L late in the afternoon, telling stories about foreign places, before it’s ready to go on another journey. From I, it has heard, there is another way to E, going over F, a promise of fun and fire, and quite a nice trip, so the others say.
You see, all the metaphysics is quite the monkey business and much more interesting than it appears from outside where we only see two points and a straight line.