A Matter of Life and Death Fiction | Christopher Hanson Stop. Stop whatever it is you’re doing. What if I told you not everyone in this room is who you think they are? Look around you. Not like that, you idiot. Subtly. Look for a clock, and use your peripherals as you do. Did you find her? The one in the mask? Do you really know her? Of course you don’t. For starters, it is possible she isn’t really there. You are either alone as you read this, or there is no one in your vicinity who identifies as a “she.” Or perhaps you did find someone, but she isn’t real. In this case, you cannot know something that isn’t there. Perhaps you can, but I do not want to get into a discussion of existence or supernatural powers or anything such as that. Now, assuming there really is a person there, it is still possible that you do not know her. Perhaps you have never met her before. She is a complete stranger to you. Therefore, you do not really know her. Unless of course you were lying to me when you said you did not know her, but I would advise against lying to me. The third possibility is that you do know her. Either you have met once, or you are as close to her as death is to life. Either way, you cannot be truly certain you know her, can you? Can you say you know every intricacy of her life? Do you really think she is exactly who you think she is? She is not. I know. She lied to me too. *** “Wait. Wait. Hold up!” She is panting as she runs. Her arms and legs are protesting the exertion by flopping awkwardly behind her. She is still young. But so am I. I wait. I wait. I hold up. I take the time to look up. There are stars peeking between the pine trees. Soft clouds waft through the sky like the thistledown that floats along the breeze as it brushes past my face. It is a very peaceful night. It is a very bright night. The pine 40
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