Seconds Last: After Dinner Conversation, #38

By P.G. Streeter

Synopsis: A foreigner wanders into a remote village just before a convicted criminal is about to be punished and is asked to throw the first stone.

 

After Dinner Conversation is a growing series of short stories across genres to draw out deeper discussions with friends and family. Each story is an accessible example of an abstract ethical or philosophical idea and is accompanied by suggested discussion questions.

 

Podcast discussion of this short story, and others, is available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and Youtube.

• Language: English
• Publisher: After Dinner Conversation
• Release date: Apr 9, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393667315

Book preview

Seconds Last

After Dinner Conversation Series

SO I’M TALKING TO LINUS the other day. We’re sitting on that bench—you know, the one across from the carousel. Of course, I say the other day, like it’s not always just this day, but you know what I mean. It feels like a while ago.

Anyway, I’m talking to Linus, the one people call The Professor. We go way back. Used to bring his car to my shop in Hartford in the late ‘90s. Good guy.

He asks me, Do you know where we are? As if this hasn’t been discussed a thousand times before. As if it’s not the one thing on everyone’s mind. As if any of us knows for certain.

I play it as cool as I can. I say to him, They say...well, you know what they say. But I’m no theologian.

No, he says back to me, I mean, what’s it look like, from before?

They tell me it’s Central Park, I say, "although