Panos Karnezis

The stationmaster sat on the bench and took off his cap. He took a collapsed cigarette packet out from under the lining and offered one to the other man.
'What do you sell?' he asked, after lightning their cigarettes.
'Encyclopaedias.'
'What sort?'
'Medical.'
The stationmaster shook his head.
'People don't get sick much around here. Maybe it's the fresh air. Or maybe because they die young, while they're still healthy.'
'Why do they die, if they're so healthy?'
The stationmaster took a draw on his cigarette and swallowed the smoke. 'I haven't thought about it before.'