Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies

“You are not Gods!”

“Nor is the sun a god. It’s just a chunk of high temperature. You will only get burned if you get too close to the sun.”

As Ed lay on the cold stone floor, he wondered if he would ever see the sun again. The blade piercing his body withdrew, and he began to feel his life flow out with it. He’d come so far, gotten so close to the sun, and now it was over. He’d been burned.

Ed had never believed in God. He’d always thought that the idea of some sort of supernatural being controlling the universe was somewhat ridiculous. But maybe, he wondered, just maybe, it wasn’t scepticism. Maybe it had always been fear.

That was why he never believed in fate. The idea that he wasn’t in control of his life terrified him. But now, lying here, was he really in control? Had he ever been in control? All those times, when he’d thought he’d been doing things for himself, it had really been set up for him, to guide him to a particular point. That sounded far too much like fate.

Ed had seen death before, too many times. But he’d never known it, never felt its misty coldness wrapping around him, dragging him away. He felt his eyes slowly closing, his mind shutting down. He realised that he’d never dealt with death very well. He’d thought he was an adult, but he still saw everything in the way a child would. He didn’t want to die, it wasn’t fair. He should never have been in this situation in the first place. But now he was here, and he’d come too far for it to end like this.

‘I fear God because everything dies.’

Ed was afraid.