“Exploring life through fiction, together.”

I’ve realised I have a strange belief and I think you probably have it too. I just assume I’m going to wake up tomorrow and live another day. Sure, you tell me, it’s pretty likely, and you’d be right. But it’s not guaranteed.

Because people die all the time. Lots of them. Unexpectedly. I know that. I’m sure you know that. But do I behave as if it’s true?

I don’t think so.

Fiction Bite - Nuke them. It’ll be fast.

You’re at a BBQ. The suns beating down as you slip inside to grab a beer out of the fridge. You stand by the sink, watching the garden humdrum from the air-conditioned side of the window. Suddenly, everything turns white. The bottle falls to the floor as you claw at your burning face. Spilt beer splatters your favourite jeans.

Your vision fades in. Silhouettes of your family stagger around the garden. A quick count shows they’re all there. Still standing.

Aunt Agnes’ chicken wings slough off and slop to the ground. Not the ones she was eating. As your sight recovers, you see their blackened skin is detaching like a bad horror movie. Rise of the zombie relatives II: BBQ payback.

You close your eyes and shake your head. Normality will be back any second.

It isn’t. Instead, a boom tears through the garden, flinging Kentucky fried family members against the rough cut fence, which collapses under their weight. They lay stunned on the charred wood. Unable to move as it ignites and burns around them.

And you’re falling onto the cold tiles, head in spilt beer as your muscles stop reacting. Vision fades again, but you’re still in there somewhere. You can hear the car alarms outside. You can smell the beer beside your face. And, when the breeze blows through the door, it smells like the sausages are ready.

Quote of the Week

“fathers die, mothers die, uncles die even if they went to Yale and look as solid as bank walls in their three-piece Savile Row suits. Kids die too, maybe,” ― Stephen King

Book of the month

A Responsibility to Awe by Rebecca Elson

Final Words

Now I’m not asking what I’d do if I believed I was going to die tomorrow. That’s a different question. No, it’s what I would do differently if I believed I might die tomorrow. They’re almost the same sentence but, for me at least, have very different answers.

The good news is we’ll probably all see another day. Can I wake up tomorrow and see the gift I’ve been granted? Or will I be grumpy and sleepy as usual? I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.

Maybe.

What about you? Does reflecting on death change your day today? If so, how? Would you be willing to hit reply? It’d make my day to hear from you.

With Love,

Josiah

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