The sadder truth is that I can invent an epilogue to my story.

Let us suppose that the United States suffers another terrorist attack of even more devastating consequences than the last one, an assault where maybe, who knows, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children die. That day, who can say that there will not be a knock at my door and, when I open it, two men there, one of them tall and gangly with Trotsky-like glasses; the other shorter, beefier, and vulgar?

I can see them right now, right now in my head.

I can see them ask if I remember having spread lies about them, about their efforts to fight the war against terrorism.

And then I can hear them, those two men, demand that I accompany them, just for a few hours, they'll say, just for some routine questioning.

And I am left to wonder if this new ending to my story is really so unbelievable, if it is, after all, so absolutely, totally, impossibly unbelievable?

Ariel Dorfman has written extensively about the relationship between the two September 11ths, particularly in his book of provocations, Other Septembers, Many Americas (Seven Stories). He is also the author, most recently, of Desert Memories: Journeys Through the Chilean North (National Geographic) and a novel, Burning City (Random House), written with his youngest son, Joaquin. His website is: www.adorfman.duke.edu.

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