Fiction
Existential
Rouletteby Chris Knopf
“I’m thinking of killing myself,” he said to his friend over the phone. “I was hoping you’d talk me out out it.”
“Because you can’t decide if you should live or die?”
“Something like that. Life has its charms, but there’s a lot of pain associated with the experience. For example, my sister is about to succumb to cancer. She’s not going gracefully. We got a fair amount of groaning and weeping.”
“I’m sorry. We know she’s a lovely person.”
“And that’s my point. Why should the best of us be stricken with calamity, when so many of the worst trundle on undisturbed?”
“You think life should be more fair?”
“I do.”
“Have you ever played roulette?” asked the friend. “It’s all luck, just like life. You’re an educated man, you should know that.”
“By
