19 Comments
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Bradley Vee's avatar

This was fun! I rolled a six, but being such a fan of your writing, I of course rolled the die over and over so I could read the other endings. Did I have to roll the die and wait for the numbers to come up? Oh, we'll. Too late.

How many rolls of the dice are we from being ourselves homeless? I used to ponder this years ago as I ran along the Santa Ana River whose western side was lined with a two-mile stretch of homeless encampments. The realization always powered my runs. Slack off on running, lose your fitness. Lose your fitness, lose your wife, ad infinitum.

Luckily, I haven't rolled snake eyes ten times in a row as some people have. There but for the grace of, etc.

BTW, the meditation on plastic is lovely. I wish you could go back in time to nudge Paracelsus and show him what's up with a crushed 2-liter bottle of Sprite.

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A.P. Murphy's avatar

Thanks for your deep comments both on the fun and on the tragedy of this story.

As you guessed, the die roll thing is a gimmick but a gimmick with a purpose, to remind us that we're just a bum die roll away from something similar (well, you are, not me, because I live in the People's Republic of Barcelona where destitute people get some help in returning to normal life). But in any case there but for the grace.

And as for plastics, I wonder what Paracelsus and other alchemists would say if they knew how much of our actual physical bodies now consists of synthetic substance, thanks to microplastics aborption? Would they be excited or alarmed? Maybe if they knew the Alzheimer stats they'd be quite upset...

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Caleb Caudell's avatar

I didn’t roll any dice, because I don’t play like that. But this is excellent

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A.P. Murphy's avatar

Thanks for those kind words, CC. Would you instead choose a preferred ending, or do you accept all endings as valid?

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Caleb Caudell's avatar

6 is the most aesthetically pleasing as far as the prose, but I also like 2 for its haunting sparseness, the greater mystery of it

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William Pauley III's avatar

This is incredible! It worked its way into me quickly. I couldnt stop reading. To know that my work had even the smallest influence on bringing this out of you fills me with all sorts of pride. This is what art is all about, creating something that inspires the creation of more art. I now know why (16 years ago) I sat down and wrote "The Lump." Thank you for writing this. 🙏

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A.P. Murphy's avatar

Likewise your comment fills me with joy, WP. I hope that in a similar way my work can be reflected in yours in some way eventually. Then the postive feedback will generate its own strange energy.

Did you play the game and roll the die or select a preferred ending?

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William Pauley III's avatar

I was still in bed, far from any die, so out of pure laziness I just read them all. 😅

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A.P. Murphy's avatar

That’s OK, but know that there is one particular ending which is yours by destiny. Only the die can reveal it.

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William Pauley III's avatar

But… I. Will. Live. Through. It. All.

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NJ Fiction's avatar

This might be my favorite thing you’ve written! BRAVA

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A.P. Murphy's avatar

Thank you so much NJ - did you roll the dice or choose an ending?

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NJ Fiction's avatar

I used a virtual dice roller it landed on 1

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A.P. Murphy's avatar

Ha! Me too - we're both in the 'near horror' zone, my favourite.

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Ivan J. Kirk's avatar

i hit a 1 too. the true ending, statistically, so far

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A.P. Murphy's avatar

There are satisfactory and unsatisfactory endings, and realistic and unrealistic ones. #1 is the most satisfying IMO and nearly the most unreal.

Let me know if there's a more preferred ending you would have liked.

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Sean Thomas McDonnell's avatar

Damn. I loved this. I got 4 on my first roll, but thought it might be a mistake (I was using an app), so I rolled again and got the right ending for me: 3. :))

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A.P. Murphy's avatar

Thanks very much Seany, I'm very happy that you liked it.

No backsies - 4 is your ending. Whatever random method is used is valid as the vehicle for fate. Your predetermined ending is the 'happy ending' - you should be jolly glad about that.

Your attempt to embrace the sicko #3 ending is noted, but just won't work I'm afraid.

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Sean Thomas McDonnell's avatar

haha aww man! ❤️

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