Conditional Reality

The dragonflies couldn’t stop eating. They consumed all the insects they could find, and when they could find no more they began eating each other. This filled us with a fascinating and uncomfortable horror. We turned from the grisly sight and chose instead to enjoy the spectacle of leaves turning color. We sat watching sugar maples for days. The smell of the leaves intoxicated us. Their deepening red soothed our spirits with the thought of comforting cycles. The chatter of the dragonflies gradually diminished. Only a few remained. We turned to them. They displayed steady eyes and barely trembling wings.