update from sparkleup

writing/post-self/embodied-exegesis.html

@@ -96,7 +96,15 @@
 <p>I laugh. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re a hell of a guide. What&rsquo;s your name?&rdquo;</p>
 <p>&ldquo;Fork, and I will tell you.&rdquo;</p>
 <p>Snrk. Well, might as well. I do my best to keep the eye-closing and mumbling-to-myself to a minimum, instead taking a deep breath in and then&hellip;</p>
-<p>Beside me stands another version of myself. We both let out a startled laugh and take a half step away from each other. </p>
+<p>&ldquo;Well done, Rena,&rdquo; the guide says, grinning.</p>
+<p>Beside me stands another version of myself. We both let out a startled laugh and take a half step away from each other. I work up the courage to lean in closer to my new instance and, after a moment, she does the same. We take a few moments to inspect each other&rsquo;s faces. I&rsquo;m startled to see just how much the acne scars that pock my face crinkle my cheeks when I smile.</p>
+<p>&ldquo;Well I&rsquo;ll be damned.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&ldquo;Neat, is it not?&rdquo;</p>
+<p>Both of me nod. My double — it flashes into my head that she&rsquo;s named Rena Hatch#2a883de3, though how that comes to me, I haven&rsquo;t the faintest idea — says, &ldquo;So I can just go on living as I&rsquo;d like?&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&ldquo;Well, sure, but for the purposes of this exercise, I would like you to go ahead and quit. Same thing, desire to quit, yadda yadda.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&ldquo;Isn&rsquo;t that kind of like dying?&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&ldquo;Not really, no. It is a merging. Many call it &lsquo;merging down&rsquo; rather than &lsquo;quitting&rsquo; for that reason. Our answer to the teleporter paradox is&hellip;&rdquo; She gives a Talmudic shrug.</p>
+<p>Both of me laugh and, after a moment, where once Rena#2a883de3 stood, she is no longer. There&rsquo;s no sudden inrush of air</p>
             </article>
             <footer>
                 <p>Page generated on 2023-09-20</p>