Hi! I recently picked up a Greatest Hits collection of Harlan Ellison's work and just finished reading "Chatting with Anubis". While I enjoyed it, I'm very confused with its ending, especially the last two lines.
The last two lines are: In the words of Amy Guiterman of New York City, spoken to a jackal headed deity, "I've got to tell you, Anubis, you are one tough grader." She was not smiling when she said it.
What exactly does this mean? Is the implication that our two main characters were subjected to a test by Anubis that they failed? If so, is that why Wang writes that both he and Amy will die soon, despite Anubis saying earlier that he wouldn't kill them?
If not that, is it simply the weight of this "great truth" about the gods that will drive them to death? Or is there some sort of cultural reference about mortals dealing with Anubis that I'm missing? From my limited knowledge, I know Anubis tests the dead by weighing their hearts on a scale to see if they can enter the afterlife. Is that what this refers to, and if so, why would the two characters be subjected to it if they aren't dead? Are they dead?
I find myself coming up with more questions as I write this out. Any insight on this would be very helpful for my understanding of the story. Thanks in advance! 🙂
by Guybrush17