The Stanley Parable (Book edition)
This is the story of a woman named Mariella.
Mariella woke up on a day like any other. She arose, got dressed, gathered her belongings, and walked to her place of work. But on this particular day, her walk was interrupted by the body of a man who had stumbled through town talking and screaming to himself and then collapsed dead on the sidewalk.
And although she would soon turn to go call for an ambulance, for just a few, brief moments, she considered the strange man. He was obviously crazy; this much she knew. Everyone knows what crazy people look like. And in that moment, she thought to herself how lucky she was to be normal.
I am sane. I am in control of my mind. I know what is real, and what isn't. It was comforting to think this, and in a certain way, seeing this man made her feel better. But then she remembered the meeting she had scheduled for that day, the very important people whose impressions of her would affect her career, and, by extension, the rest of her life. She had no time for this, so it was only a moment that she stood there, staring down at the body.
And then she turned and ran.
Mariella woke up on a day like any other. She arose, got dressed, gathered her belongings, and walked to her place of work. But on this particular day, her walk was interrupted by the body of a man who had stumbled through town talking and screaming to himself and then collapsed dead on the sidewalk.
And although she would soon turn to go call for an ambulance, for just a few, brief moments, she considered the strange man. He was obviously crazy; this much she knew. Everyone knows what crazy people look like. And in that moment, she thought to herself how lucky she was to be normal.
I am sane. I am in control of my mind. I know what is real, and what isn't. It was comforting to think this, and in a certain way, seeing this man made her feel better. But then she remembered the meeting she had scheduled for that day, the very important people whose impressions of her would affect her career, and, by extension, the rest of her life. She had no time for this, so it was only a moment that she stood there, staring down at the body.
And then she turned and ran.