Rebuttal

A hospital pathologist studies a clergyman returned from an interstellar expedition who suffers a baffling, painful condition; tissue analysis reveals unprecedented cellular behavior that demands urgent inquiry. The patient, shaken by the voyage's discovery and convinced that the cosmos lacks divine purpose, rejects prayer and expresses deep theological despair. The pathologist pursues clinical tests, offers a projected-microscope demonstration, and engages in measured philosophical rebuttal that draws on literary and spiritual imagery. The narrative stages a quiet confrontation between empirical observation and religious doubt, probing themes of belief, mortality, and how cosmic evidence can unsettle personal faith.