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"I have no memory of writing that." thought Thad, "What does it mean?"
Thad sat on the edge of the bed and began flipping the pages of the book. It was entirely hand written and Thad had clearly been the writer, but he had no recollection of doing the actual writing. He began to read:
It's dark. Where am I? I hear voices. People talking and laughing. Why am I not laughing? I hear people. People I love. I know they are out there. Do they know I am in here? Do they know I exist? Why do they laugh, why do I not? I am so tired. I am so sleepy. Am I sleeping now? Is this a dream? Where are the ones I love? I hear them. I hear them laugh. I hear them talk.
This went on for a while. Thad flipped to another page and began to read again.
I saw the moon today, and she was going the wrong way. So I spoke to the moon. "Great Luna, who brings beauty to the night sky, why are you headed to the east?" and the moon replied "The east is the past, there is no fear in the east. No new death, no new sorrow. The west is unknown, but I fear it. The west is full of new sorrow and new death. I choose no more death, no more sorrow. That is my choice."
I rebuked the moon "But my dear, you who are fairer by far than anything in the heavens, the west is also new joy and new pleasure. To go east is to stagnate and die again and again. The west may bring new death, but it also brings new life. To hide in the east fearing the new, only gains you eternal tiredness, old decay."
Luna answered "I shall go west, west to die the new death, and west to the new rebirth. I shall not die to an old death but die to a new life."
So I left the moon and walked east.
"What does this mean?" asked Thad to no one in particular.
"Can you not guess?" said a voice behind him.
Thad quickly spun around to see the source of the voice. It was coming from the window. Thad ran to the window and looked out. All he could see was the moon and indeed it was the moon that spoke to him.
"Do you really not understand your own words?" asked the moon.
"No, I do not."
"Read it again. What happened?"
"I told the moon, eh, you, that you should not fear the future."
"And then you walked away from it. You knew what was right and you chose the fearful way anyway. Then you went to sleep because there is no waking life in the past."
"Why am I hear now?"
"Only you can answer that. Perhaps you have decided to go west after all."
"Perhaps I have. perhaps I know nothing. I need to do more cleaning in my room before I go anywhere."
With that he bid the moon good night and walked off to dust the mantle.
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