Writing

After the Fact

light at the end of the tunnel

Image by Panthera Lee at Deviantart.net

“People fear death out of a wrong perception of awareness after the fact. But if you are dead, you are not aware. There is no awareness after death. There is nothing. Therefore, there is quite literally nothing to fear.”

“Bollocks.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You can have it. But if I draw my knife and hold it up to your neck like this – Now, you don’t fear what you think is on the other side of death, whether or not it exists or any of that, do you?”

“Uh -”

“No, you don’t. What’s got you by the throat – he he he – is that you might cease to be aware of this existence, right?”

“Um -”

“People don’t fear death – how can they fear something they have no experience with? What they fear is an absence of life. Psssh. Your philosophy needs work. Hey! Innkeeper! I’d like a beer, please. And my friend here needs directions to the pisser.”

Birthday Girl

The Near Future

girl holding balloons, her face obscured

“She looks so cute.”

“Shhh – she’ll hear you. And we won’t get the picture.”

“Are you using the phone?”

“No – you never know who’s monitoring you and the pic might get accidentally uploaded somewhere.”

“That would be bad.”

“So I’m using the old camera.”

“Great; then we can print it and save it in the scrapbook.”

Sound of sigh. “I remember when we used to be able to take pictures of birthday parties with all the kids at the party in them.”

“I wish we could still do that, but even if their parents don’t object, someday the kids might sue us for violating their privacy or holding them up to ridicule.”

“I know. It’ll be enough if we get just the picture of the birthday girl.”

“Maybe someday we can show it to her.”

“Maybe. But it’s hard to know, and I’d hate to be taken to court by my own kid.”

“You’re right; we’ll just keep the pics for us. That’s safest, isn’t it?”

“Oh! She’s getting ready to blow out the candles! Take the picture!”

“Got it. Look, it’s great.”

“Jeez, I hope she doesn’t remember us doing this.”

“Me too.”