"Yes! I'm going to do laundry."
"Well, Amie didn't have time to do it today, so we swapped and she's making dinner."
A garbage truck passes, loud enough to render cell-phones momentarily useless.
"Sorry? - Oh, no. I'll be fine. And you know I don't even need the cane anymore."
"I don't!"
"I haven't fallen over in like… almost four days! And the last time didn't count."
"I'll be fine! I'm already there - I'll -"
"Excuse," says Gregor. "I am walk dog?"
"R-right," says Bina. "Right. Yeah, sorry, let me get out of the way."
"Wait… You are the girl?"
"From sidewalk? In summertime?"
"Yes, that was me."
A pause.
"Thank you. I think you saved my life."
"Ah! I am glad you are OK!"
Another pause.
"You… are ok, yes?"
"Yes!"
"Yes, still going to physiotherapy but yes. Getting better. Almost better. I had a brain aneurysm."
"Ah," says Gregor. "My uncle, he makes me go to therapy."
"He is very, uh, intense about it."
"Does it… help?"
"I think so. It is like… taking off coat."
"Like taking off coat you forget you are wearing," he says, trying to clarify.
"Ah," she says. "I… think I get it."
Piotyr, this Piotyr, who is just a dog, barks.
"Ah-" he says. "I must walk dog or she will have accident."
"R-right."
"Have good day."
"What? - Oh, sorry. Yeah - yeah I'm here."
"Sorry… just - ran into someone."
"I'll call you when I'm done OK?"
"OK, I love you."
Ka-thunk! Ka-thunk!
"You worried about me too?"
"It's fine. I'm fine. We're all fine."
Time passes in precisely the way it was intended to - one moment after the next.
Dogs are walked. Coffee is consumed. Clothes are cleaned.
"See? No trouble at all."
"Yeah, laundry's all done, I'm on my way home."
"Well, Amie didn't have time to do it today, so we swapped and she's making dinner."
A garbage truck passes, loud enough to render cell-phones momentarily useless.
"Sorry? - Oh, no. I'll be fine. And you know I don't even need the cane anymore."
"I don't!"
"I haven't fallen over in like… almost four days! And the last time didn't count."
"I'll be fine! I'm already there - I'll -"
"Excuse," says Gregor. "I am walk dog?"
"R-right," says Bina. "Right. Yeah, sorry, let me get out of the way."
"Wait… You are the girl?"
"From sidewalk? In summertime?"
"Yes, that was me."
A pause.
"Thank you. I think you saved my life."
"Ah! I am glad you are OK!"
Another pause.
"You… are ok, yes?"
"Yes!"
"Yes, still going to physiotherapy but yes. Getting better. Almost better. I had a brain aneurysm."
"Ah," says Gregor. "My uncle, he makes me go to therapy."
"He is very, uh, intense about it."
"Does it… help?"
"I think so. It is like… taking off coat."
"Like taking off coat you forget you are wearing," he says, trying to clarify.
"Ah," she says. "I… think I get it."
Piotyr, this Piotyr, who is just a dog, barks.
"Ah-" he says. "I must walk dog or she will have accident."
"R-right."
"Have good day."
"What? - Oh, sorry. Yeah - yeah I'm here."
"Sorry… just - ran into someone."
"I'll call you when I'm done OK?"
"OK, I love you."
Ka-thunk! Ka-thunk!
"You worried about me too?"
"It's fine. I'm fine. We're all fine."
Time passes in precisely the way it was intended to - one moment after the next.
Dogs are walked. Coffee is consumed. Clothes are cleaned.
"See? No trouble at all."
"Yeah, laundry's all done, I'm on my way home."
Notes
Holy heck.
I wasn't sure, during 2020, if we'd make it here, but we did.
That's it everyone. The end, for real this time (again).
Thank you so much for coming with me on this last mile of this journey. I am very glad to have come all this way with you.
Thank you. So much.
For those of you wondering what, if anything, is going to happen next - well, first I have some tidying up to do around here. There are a few software bugs that are mucking around with the formatting that I need to track down.
I also have several panels from the early retcon that I haven't completed, and there is that patch of pages without panels, from the period where I wasn't able to draw due to technical problems.
I'm going to be going back and completing those as well.
As for the future - I'm not sure yet. Completing these epilogues have loomed large over my creative endeavors and I have only the barest sketches of what I might do next.
It will probably be a video-game… but who knows! Things change.
If you're interested in finding out, the best place to keep track of that is over on twitter (@jackthequick).
I wish you all the best. May you and yours be happy, and healthy, and safe.
- Zach Hall
March 5th, 2021
I wasn't sure, during 2020, if we'd make it here, but we did.
That's it everyone. The end, for real this time (again).
Thank you so much for coming with me on this last mile of this journey. I am very glad to have come all this way with you.
Thank you. So much.
For those of you wondering what, if anything, is going to happen next - well, first I have some tidying up to do around here. There are a few software bugs that are mucking around with the formatting that I need to track down.
I also have several panels from the early retcon that I haven't completed, and there is that patch of pages without panels, from the period where I wasn't able to draw due to technical problems.
I'm going to be going back and completing those as well.
As for the future - I'm not sure yet. Completing these epilogues have loomed large over my creative endeavors and I have only the barest sketches of what I might do next.
It will probably be a video-game… but who knows! Things change.
If you're interested in finding out, the best place to keep track of that is over on twitter (@jackthequick).
I wish you all the best. May you and yours be happy, and healthy, and safe.
- Zach Hall
March 5th, 2021