Borges loathed mirrors for their ability to reproduce realities. The puzzle I dreamed last night expanded on that idea. In the dream, a man was being interrogated for treason under a false name. The narrater spelled out the dilemma: If the man told the truth, there would remain two realities, the reality of the man and the reality of his alter ego, Nicolaus Krazinksy. And if he denied the truth, he would multiply the number of possible realities. My waking mind had to write it all down to decipher.
The conclusion I finally came to: If he lied, the realities number four. The reality of the man, the reality of Nicolaus, the reality of the man who lied about who he was, the reality of Nicolaus Krazinsky lying about who he is.
