I have always thought that there must be a way to write an epilogue to this story that is grounded (as much as possible) in reality, and still gives Oskar and Eli a happy ending. I have tried, without much success, defending such a position in various threads. I don’t think I convinced anyone that the artistic, fairytale quality of the story, so beautifully crafted by JAL and TA, wouldn’t be compromised by any finagling with such boring worn-out ideas as blood banks, voluntary donors, DNA replication, etc., but I just couldn’t shake the idea. Frankly, an unhappy ending for them is almost unimaginable to me, as they represent the ideal of perfect, innocent love – something in itself worth preserving at all costs. And anyway, isn’t truth suppose to be stranger than fiction? At any rate, here is my first attempt at it. Be gentle with me and keep in mind that I have NEVER written a piece of ‘narrative fiction’ in my life. I’ve only written technical instruction manuals, database how-tos, and marginally edited post-earthquake building surveillance manuals. I hope this attempt is at least a bit less dry and boring than my previous work (which I guarantee is uninspiring).
In the first chapter, I represent Eli as a girl, partly because of the contrast it allows, but also because I personally feel that Eli, having been castrated before puberty, retains identifiable mental characteristics of both sexes. If I’m not burned in effigy, later chapters will show the male side of her/his character.