A man came and went. He was here before and now isn’t. How briefly the moment of is before the endless was. He was not a serious man, but then this is not a serious life. We all heard him speak, did we not? We still do. He is speaking still, even though he is not anything else at all. How comforting the continuation of communication past that point. He was our tour guide through the cosmos, he would say, and then apologize for saying it. He was not a serious man. But then, this is not a serious life. A man came and went. He was here before, and now isn’t. We miss him.

(Night Vale)