Cooper: The Journey of a Congenial Neurotic — M. Louise Smith

What would you do if you were COOPER...?

What if...a dream seems to be a reality, you but you don't recognize the person conversing with you, and that person tells you something about yourself that you don't know but you accept as fact, until you wake up; and then it begins to haunt you. What if...you walk into a room and see someone who doesn't belong there, but is apparently awaiting your greeting; then closing your eyes and shaking your head, you look again, apprehensive, and chide yourself, seeing only an empty room? Perhaps words had been spoken, and they remain crystal clear...in your mind. What if...an old photograph is found among the detritus of past generations, and there you are, in 1903, in a formal portrait with the same low side-parting of the unruly mop of hair, the same high forehead, identical hard, cynical eyes...a dead ringer. What if...you completely forget where you are or where you have been or where you are supposed to be; and then suddenly recognize, just for a split-second, the slow and deliberate disbanding of your mind... What would you do...?