Wherein I post my not so well thought out scribbles.
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It was 1987 and I was 23 when I started reading PKD's VALIS and began exhibiting the symptoms of schizophrenia.
At 32 I developed an ear infection and had my right ear removed. They do that for ear infections don't they?
With the passing of my 60th I started following a robot. I suspect he's a robot because he always takes the most direct route from point A to point B. I mean he'll start walking at the corner and walk the diagonal across the street to the corner of the adjacent avenue instead of making two right angles.
I'm on my death bed now and I have that one regret everyone has on their death bed: I wish I'd taken better care of myself, to live just that little bit longer, you know... to find out where that robot ran off to with my ear.
The flame is its own reflection. I don't know if I interpret this the way you meant it but I love this line. The flame represents every action we take. Every moment of time/space we act out is a piece of existence we burn which can no longer be used again. Our existence is time/space being used up no matter what we choose to do with it. It's neither positive or negative. It just is. I love it.
This is a story about a man that keeps coming back with a smaller and smaller penis.
At the end of his life he is shown all his past lives and sees how much happier a life he lives each time. This is his heaven. He realizes that he will get to do it all over again, but with that single difference.
Eventually his penis will get so small that the doctor will pronounce him a girl.
