This week’s FPQ is rather an interesting one and Fandango suggests that we have some fun with it. I couldn’t deal with this subject in a jokey way though.

What will your last day on Earth be like?

When I was in my twenties, I read a book by Neville Shute called “On The Beach”. It was set in Australia, in Melbourne, which interested me. The story was that World War Three had occurred and nuclear weapons had been deployed. Everyone in the northern hemisphere was dead and the fallout was gradually spreading across the globe meaning that eventually everyone would die and they knew it. In the story the Australian government had supplied everyone with a suicide pill so that when the sickness became too bad, they could end their lives in a dignified way.

I became fascinated with the way each of the characters chose to die. By the way the book had a more sombre ending than the made for TV mini-series of some years ago. I remember giving some thought to how I would prefer to die. Certainly, if I was in that scenario I’d want to go before my life became too horrible from the illness. Each of the characters in the book chose to go doing something that meant a lot to them.

I think that I would want to be at home, in my own place. I don’t know what the end of my life will really look like. I may be sick; I may not even know who I am anymore although I hope I die before that happens. I’d just like to have a pleasant day doing things that I like and seeing people that I care about. I’d like to have time with my pets. Then I would like to go to bed, listen to some music and just drift away without any fuss.