It is July 26th, at the Neuilly-sur-Seine, and Gertrude Stein was about to die. Many of her freinds are nearby, along with her partner & the french windows by her bed are wide open to let in the afternoon light.
“What is the answer?” she asks.
When no answer came she laughed and said, “Then, what is the question?”
Gertrude Stein lets out her last breath. But she is still interested in this line of questioning, even though she has died.
Her spirit floats near the ceiling, she's feeling better than she's ever felt in a long time. Gertrude is mildly amused for the fact that after dying, being dead and looking at your body does not elicit any strong emotional feelings of attachment. But now, what about the inquiry?
Just then, the bell rings, with supernatural sight Gertrude can see it is a semi-idiotic knife sharpener, itinerant peddler, and sporadic flasher Gilles de Staal -- she does not know him, but now she knows all kinds of things at a glance that she never imagined comprehending.
Someone has a pretty maid, who answers the door. When the maid tells Gilles that there is no need for anything to be sharpened, he exposes himself in a comically lewd way. The maid screams hysterically, slamming the door.
Ah! There! Question and answer all in one, for Gertrude Stein. Gratefully she dissolves into a perfect light.
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