Fated to death

I have lived for far too long. Witnessing civilizations rise and fall has irrevocably altered my perception of time. I have seen generation after generation make the same mistakes, failing to learn from their ancestors' anguish. Each new wave of humanity struggles against the same greed, lust, and deceit, never adapting, never evolving. Time has become an endless cage, trapping me in a continuous cycle of watching those who dared to love me perish over and over again.

Ninety-nine funerals. This is the ninety-ninth funeral I've attended for someone who loved me. He loved me unconditionally, passionately, and ultimately, to his death. The death of ninety-nine lovers has stained my soul with an indelible mark.

"Death is not the greatest loss in life," a wise man once said. "The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live." That wise man was Norman Cousins. I am convinced he wrote that line for me, for I have faced ninety-nine deaths in this seemingly endless lifetime.

-I.V