In M.P. Shiel’s The Purple Cloud, all of humanity is killed off and he is the sole survivor.  Eventually he finds the courage to return to London, to see what has become of the world he knows.  He goes off to the Turkish embassy to rifle it for clothing, as he likes the fashions.  He fashions himself a monarch. He is not the most likeable of chaps, but it is an interesting read. What would you do if you were the only person left living on earth?

Reading Philip Ball’s Invisible, he asks the question of what you would do if invisible, that usually one desires invisibility for some particular motive, as he says, that likely has to do with sex, power, or money.

The Ball reminds me of the Shiel, as when I first imaged being alone on the planet, my initial desire was not to steal from the Turkish Embassy, but to go to the British Museum. I’ve always wanted to hug the Rosetta Stone.  I can’t actually think of much reason to be invisible, unless it also let me fly, which seems like a separate skilll. Does invisibility not make me lighter than air? Well then, I don’t know.

What would you do, if you were last, or invisible?