AUTHOR: I must admit – I wasn’t sure if this would work, Damian, but I’m pleased you made the transition possible.
DAMIAN: Thank Loki – Reason knows I won’t – his magick made it possible. Extra clever since you haven’t summoned the pesky Trickster yet. Why is that?
AUTHOR: All in good time. Although, I find it rather disturbing that Loki knows what I want without me speaking it aloud. Abilities of deity, I assume. Anyway…a Reader requested your input… so, theoretically, maybe Loki is reading their mind instead of mine.
DAMIAN: Interesting. The Sheik would support it, but I can’t be bothered with Loki’s train of thought. I’m still bitter.
AUTHOR: Yes, well, we must sidestep such conflicts and focus on Vol.I, please. I believe the Reader finds you valuable because you know everything that happened at the manor proper. Could you share any secrets with us?
DAMIAN: I don’t believe I own much choice in the matter. Should I refuse, I already know you’ll publish my version of THE GREY CHRONICLES – taking credit for it, I’m sure. But, before I begin, I ask if you’ve noticed anything about our surroundings? Observation without direct influence holds much authority.
AUTHOR: Our surroundings? We are in my study – my Tiffany Blue room where I conjure realms. I am the only living human that enters…of course I know what resides here. Wait, what’s happened?
[Glancing around, I notice that we are not, in fact, in my study. Instead, we sit in lotus, floating above and beyond the material plane]
DAMIAN: …and there it is – welcome to the Astral, the Inner gateway unto universality.
DAMIAN: How else could you ever have met with me? Or…as only you and Hobie know at this moment, whatever other type of trick would possibly permit speech? There’s some wicked symbolism at play – a meaning which you haven’t bothered examining – which made you choose to silence the Writer. Perhaps you need meditate on such choices. 1. Why did you rob me of Voice? 2. How does my silence reflect in your own life? 3. What happens when truth remains hidden?
[I stutter, clearly at a loss for his loaded questions]
DAMIAN: Indeed. Meditate, process, then reply at a later date. Moving on…how does the Astral make you feel?
AUTHOR: Disconnected and in-sync all at the same time. Very strange. But, like I told Seymour and Numan, this isn’t about ‘me.’
DAMIAN: Ha! You don’t believe that, truly, do you? This is ALL about you, layers of yourself you may not yet be brave enough to examine. You use the curious ones for picking away at symbolism, while ignoring that ‘we’ are mere constructs of your own inner turmoil.
AUTHOR: I disagree. ‘You’ are not ‘me.’ I’ve never supported that concept of writing. The curious ones represent a collective mindset. A group that depends on a driving force; an unseen bond that moves many through sheer dependency on the group, typically, the strongest in the group. The strongest curious ones are Iris and Anton. Somewhere in my notes expounds on each persona our artistic creatures embody. For sure, I remember that Iris and Anton represent halves of the Individual – A.I. = artificial intelligence, in that they surpassed the human state…they are the Over(hu)man / I.D., Iris Dorum’s initials = the ID, from Freud / Technically, Iris is based on the very real Dame Iris Murdoch, who wrote philosophical novels in the 20th century. AESTHETIC CHARM, in its true form, related the burdens of overpopulation and danger found in scientific advancement.
DAMIAN: Stop. You’ll upset the balance – the Astral plane depends upon being grounded. Already, your image flickers. You cannot rely fully on empiricism when your truest self still wishes magick could be real. At least, not while we are here together. But I want you to think on these things, even if you must do so critically. Academia pickled your sense of adventure, but it doesn’t have to be that way – deep inside, you know such as truth.
[I take a deep breath, in and out through the nose, calming my nerves. He smiles, taking off his black lensed bottle rimmed glasses and blinking his pink eyes. The action is slightly disturbing]
AUTHOR: Please discuss the story?
DAMIAN: “As you wish…”
[We both smile at reference to “The Princess Bride”]
DAMIAN: My part of activating Tycho’s bipolar mind-fuck rested with altering his environment. For surreal purposes, I understand you couldn’t elaborate in-text. Every time he misplaced an item, heard a door open or close, or felt someone watching him – that was me. Oh! or the Staff. They’ve mastered observation even more-so than myself. The Sheik loves the concept – a quantum conundrum of action requiring an observer, which almost produces another dimension of contemplation. They work through stealth, also; as studies show, if one knows they are being observed, then actions alter. Observing humans / life “behind the scenes” provides for the purest understanding of motivation and intention. But you already know that – you play the Observer often, or at least you used to do so. We’ll thank Prof. Mary Stewart for your people-watching tactic. Such skills provided excellent data for your human nature studies.
AUTHOR: [smiling nostalgically] Yes, Prof. Stewart supplied much aide with narrative and descriptive writing. I’m still sore for her outcome at Fairmont State University, and – despite my respect for him – I haven’t forgiven Dr. Bobango for his part in her downfall. Back to task, though, when you used the Word to awaken Iris, coaxing the Nothing from her being, did she ever thank you appropriately?
DAMIAN: Sadly, no. You didn’t permit time for our reunion. Surviving the Ordeal should have been cause for valiant celebration. Iris and I should have spoke, finally, at length – I had much to tell her, but the story kept moving, faster at such a climatic point. I understand there wasn’t space for our rekindled exchange. Had it not been for Loki’s haste, we may have connected upon her return…
AUTHOR: Hold that, please, we cannot even think about CHAOTIC HEROISM, Vol.3, at this point of our endeavors. Go back, again, to after the curious ones defeated the Nothing.
DAMIAN: Well, Flynn’s havoc rather upset the celebration, not to mention Emil’s absurd confession. I’m glad the truth about Iris and Anton came out, though. Poor devil lived with such a drastic misconception for too long – surely, the “dark secret” had much to do with the streak of cruelty, abject desire for absence, and near violent attempt at love. Funny, isn’t it, how those two-halves of one-whole Individual did not experience the claim in the same way? They both knew, yet one saw through falsity, while the other concealed wisdom out of fear. Terribly interesting. The Celtic bits shook everything up – I’m so glad you went back and altered the Prologue, peppering in a shred of mythology. I wish the Staff had witnessed it all.
[We both darken and close our eyes out of sad respect]
DAMIAN: Motivating Tycho in the proper way posed so many problems. His scientific mindset created numerous challenges. I loathe that Seymour drugged him because Ty already endured a mental breakdown, but I understand you had to use such a device so the Audience could fathom the distance between worlds. Much like Lewis Carroll used “Eat me/Drink me” to signal to the audience that Alice changed…research shows, however, that it was her emotions swinging out of balance that caused growing/shrinking. But one cannot see an emotion in “story” but requires a visual clue… Well done, by the way, on that academic victory – clever of you for discovering Carroll’s motivation – you’re Master’s Thesis on Darwin and Carroll fascinates! You and I both know drugs are not necessary for tapping into the unseen – the best connection forms when one owns a clear head. But such requires adamant study, reflection, and sheer will power. Not everyone is willing to undergo such strenuous efforts. Drugs allowed a loop-hole, an easy-out (the coward’s way, in all honesty) for seeing the unseen. Too bad, really, that those who partake lack the ability for catching the meaning behind it all. All that wisdom lost on a quickly passing high – disgusting, isn’t it? [We both shudder in animosity] Seymour, especially, should be ashamed of himself, for he knows symbolism and tastes the abyss, yet still lessens his experiences with psychedelics. An embarrassment, really. But, back to Tycho… his mind created obstacles for persuasion two-fold. 1. Being a polymath, so difficult to manipulate a genius 2. Loki’s influence – how were any of us to know that the Trickster held ties with the Chemist? To be fair, I don’t think even you – the Author – knew until Vol.3…
AUTHOR: Right, which is why we cannot discuss such matters yet.
DAMIAN: Your rules make things difficult.
AUTHOR: [snorts] I’ve heard that many times. Yet, you won’t sway my methods. Shift gears, instead. What do you think of Tycho’s version of the Philosopher’s Stone?
DAMIAN: Dangerous. Tilting the scales of evolution results in certain horror. Had you not focused so heavily on myth aspects, you may have allowed room for examining Nature’s hand. In the original version of AESTHETIC CHARM, you depicted how the Earth overcame humanity – the plants releasing toxins, which eradicated most of the population. I thought it clever that you permitted the Aboriginals, Native Americans, and ancient African tribes a natural immunity to such gases – the causation being that civilization, like absolutism, corrupts, absolutely. Truly magnificent concept, Madame!
AUTHOR: Yes, well…while I prefer shrugging genre rules, the original version of the story would not have satisfied #ParanormalRomance Readers. Also, exterminating mass-society painted me into a bleak corner. How does one write a sequel when most of species faced extinction? All part of the writing process, though – I won’t let it bum me out too much. Had I not killed most of humanity in an early draft, I may not have come on the importance of Anton’s mother, Twilia Dae, or realized that myth could work wonders for the story. [I pause for a sip of coffee and a stog] Is there anything else you’d like to contribute? Time ticks away, dear Writer.
DAMIAN: I want to tell you, and the Readers, that human perception alters with intent. Should you ever feel lost or hopeless, please remember your choices matter – no matter your current place in life, you can always choose growth. Freedom. Learning. Adventure. If you feel such things aren’t possible at the moment, dabble in escapism – like J.R.R. Tolkien taught us, delving into “story” benefits one’s own creative involvement with reality. Let your mind flex in an unreal state…but then apply such values on your own life. Grant yourself room to grow, change, and enhance.
AUTHOR: Thank you, Damian. Very kind of you to offer encouragement. The rest of the curious ones can be brass and uncouth at times. I appreciate your…
[I look around, confusion setting in – I am alone, back in the study, typing this interview for all of you. I wonder if Damian really appeared? Did I project unto the Astral plane, or was such a figment…how true are figments? Can they help one understand the self?]
