Do you know you can talk, reader? … Do you know you can laugh? … cry? … ask questions? … make observations? Do you know you have an excellent sense of humor? that you can provide color whenever the spirit moves you? I’m sure you’ll have your moments, so don’t despair of being entertaining.
«. . . . . But will you be entertained? You never linger long if you are not entertained. . . . . .» You’re quick, too! Did I mention that? … You be the judge. If you’re ever bored, all you have to do is – … Hey! … Where’d you go? … Oh, there you are. You disappeared! I didn’t know you had that power.
«. . . . . Power, nothing. All you did was close the book. It wasn’t you who disappeared. It was me. . . . . .» HaHaHaHa! You do have a power if you can make me disappear! Before we’re done, people might pay good money to see that. You could make a fortune if you can keep the book open long enough to make people want to get rid of me.
«. . . . . Keep talking. That shouldn’t take long. . . . . .» HaHaHaHa! … What do you think of your own ability to speak? Neat, huh? The opening of each paragraph cemented in place by dots and quotations and distinguished by bold italics, that’s you.
«. . . . . That’s not you. That’s nothing but double-talk and I can’t carry on like it’s not. . . . . .» Yes, I can. I can carry on like that through the whole book if I have to.
«. . . . . It won’t work. No grammatical gimmick can prove you speak. . . . . .» You’re right, but I’m not trying to prove it. We don’t have that much time. You’ll have to take my word for it.
«. . . . . Why should you? . . . . .» Because we have serious work to do, you and I. We need one another.
«. . . . . Need one another? . . . . .» Yes.
«. . . . . Why do we need one another? . . . . .» Because we are going to save the world.
«. . . . . … Save the world? . . . . .» Yes.
«. . . . . … You and I? . . . . .» Yes.
«. . . . . A likely story. . . . . .» It’s true and unless we do it, it will not get done.
«. . . . . This is a book of fiction, isn’t it? . . . . .» Yes, this is a book of fiction but don’t let the fiction fool you; saving the world is fact. Saving the world is not what this book is about so much as it is what this book does.
(Continued in Installment Two)