After I sat down across from Camp who was pawing his silly gadget we commented on the weather, the sorry state of the US body politic, the Russian aggression on the Ukrainian border and the ongoing crisis of the Covid pandemic. So many people dying prematurely and unnecessary and so much trouble in the world.

‘Are you afraid of death?’ I asked Camp, off the cuff, like asking him about what he had for dinner.

He gave me a funny look, took a sip and then said: ‘I’m not afraid of death, just of dying. Suffering and loss of physical functions and memory are what I’m scared about. Death itself, the grim reaper, could be a welcome sight, almost a relief I think.’

‘What about after death? Aren’t you afraid of what comes after?’

‘Like what? Heaven or hell? 

‘Or eternal darkness,’ I said. ‘Lights out, show over.’