My story ‘Silent Speculation’ has just been published by CafeLit. If you’re sensitive about end-of-life issues, you might find it confronting but I hope you give it a chance. https://www.cafelitmagazine.uk/2022/10/silent-speculation-by-doug-jacquier.html
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Six Crooked Highways 
Interesting and thought provoking story, Doug. I liked the character arc of the story, but definitely don’t agree with the premise on which it was built. I can understand assisted suicide, to some degree, when someone is terminally I’ll, and in considerable pain, but the premise in your storyline is more despondency and mental illness. I don’t think that’s a good road to travel down. Mental illness, depression, to varying degrees, in people can lead to many ups and downs. A person can be mentally down and willing to end it one day and then feel better the next day and glad they didn’t. I know we all March to a different drummer, but as I said, very thought provoking story.
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Thank you for your thoughtful response (clearly you are somebody). I’m sure many readers would agree with you on what’s a valid reason to end your own life and on the morality of assisting someone you love in that endeavour. Certainly most editors have shared that view and have played God on behalf of their readers by declining to publish my story. My own view is that life is more complex than that and what you choose to do at what you decide is the end is no rightful place for the law or the medical profession. At least one editor had the courage to publish my views on this matter in the form of a think piece. https://thepineconereview.com/my-right-to-a-peaceful-death-doug-jacquier/
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I read the pineconereview, a few times. It’s a well thought out and succinct argument. “ What is a meaningful life” ? Good question. I do keep telling my wife, if I have a terminal illness, I’ll buy a bottle of rum, and sit under a tree,……………and just wait.
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Thank you again for your investment of time. For my wife, it’s Kahlua on a frozen mountain top in New Zealand. Not much waiting required she figures. 😉
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Well done, Doug!
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Thanks, Liz. I always knew it would take a while to find an editor with the cojones to publish this story and, as you might have guessed, it was a woman in the end. 😉
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👍
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Definitely a thought provoking story, Doug, and well written as always.
I’m not sure I want to comment from a moralistic framework. The story speaks for itself and so clearly describes the thinking of the protagonist but did leave me wondering why he didn’t join Grace in the first place. I guess that an earlier version in which he did might have left you feeling there was more to explore
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Thanks, Brian. In earlier versions he always leaves because he wasn’t ready yet. He wasn’t ready when the Police got involved either but he obviously felt they left him with no choice if he wanted a quiet life/death.
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