Excerpt from Threads
A story of the many-worlds interpretation, and what it means to understand the implications of branching futures in our relationships with others.
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“Why don’t we go home?” he says.
“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.” We go outside and get in his car, the heater sending bolts of warmth through my icy fingers. We reach an intersection and I immediately feel dizzy.
“Which way?” Siyam asks with a smile. “Left or right?” I return his smile.
“Right,” I say.
We never even saw the other car.
~ ~ ~
In some realities, I saved you. In some of them, it was the other way around. There are so many endings and so few beginnings that I almost wish I didn’t know that, somewhere else, you are still alive. It’s only a heartbeat, but it may as well be eternity.
There are things I hate about the choices I've made, but that can change. And somewhere, always, life goes on. Not even death can last forever. Nothing does. Sometimes we might wish for certain moments to extend beyond their time, to take a form and embrace our entire lives so that we never have to leave them again. There are definitely moments like that.
Like when I believed you loved me, and that we had a chance.
Yes, that would have been nice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Why don’t we go home?” he says.
“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.” We go outside and get in his car, the heater sending bolts of warmth through my icy fingers. We reach an intersection and I immediately feel dizzy.
“Which way?” Siyam asks with a smile. “Left or right?” I return his smile.
“Right,” I say.
We never even saw the other car.
~ ~ ~
In some realities, I saved you. In some of them, it was the other way around. There are so many endings and so few beginnings that I almost wish I didn’t know that, somewhere else, you are still alive. It’s only a heartbeat, but it may as well be eternity.
There are things I hate about the choices I've made, but that can change. And somewhere, always, life goes on. Not even death can last forever. Nothing does. Sometimes we might wish for certain moments to extend beyond their time, to take a form and embrace our entire lives so that we never have to leave them again. There are definitely moments like that.
Like when I believed you loved me, and that we had a chance.
Yes, that would have been nice.
