The last person in the world who understood the Eyak language died in January. Nobody else knew this, but the common cockroach had its precise, true name spoken in only that language. On that day, all of its other names perished in sympathy.
Householders around the world stared at the oval insects in their kitchens and murmured uncertainly, "What are those?"
The people who manufactured the sprays that are used to exterminate cockroaches woke in their beds and found that their purpose in life had been cosmically mislaid.
"What did we do with ourselves before today? Something, but what?" It was impossible to remember.
"What will we do now?"
"Poisoning ourselves seems somehow natural."
"What will we use?"
"I don't know."
They crawled under the sink and hid behind the oven.
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