date: 2005-11-10 19:36 subject: fourth wall: prologue security: Public tags: fourth wall

There are many worlds out there.

(Qualified experts maintain that most of them are still in what appears to be a period of development vaguely reminiscent of the Middle Ages, though nearly all seem to have developed advanced forms of telekinesis, referred to as "magic" by the gifted.)

There are many tales of those worlds.

(Though most of them sound the same to pretty much everyone, leading to the natural conclusion that the same deity - or deities, if you prefer - must have created all of them, since everyone knows that most deities have little to no imagination when it comes to creation.)

In each tale, a hero.

(Who is invariably strong, intelligent, talented, and good-looking.)

In each tale, a quest.

(Which is always completed, with anywhere from many harrowing near-failures to little or no trouble at all, and perhaps the deaths of one or two main characters, as it’s more dramatic that way.)

In each tale, tiny hints about a majestic and glorious past, a confident and hopeful present, and a bright and prosperous future.

(All of which are always incredibly complicated, and must have taken the deity or deities an incredibly long time to come up with, which probably explains the reason why the worlds are all the same, as most deities are lazy at best.)

And yet...there are a few worlds out there which have nothing. No past, barely a present, and certainly no future.

(This, in case you haven't guessed, is the tale of one of them.)

Pan across the universe, allow your eyes to adjust to the light of countless stars illuminating their respective corners of the void, and take a deep breath.

Now – see that world over there? No, not that one, the one two billion light-years away from that one (it’s only about the length of your little finger, two billion light-years) and to the left a little, oh, maybe to the left three million light-years or so? See it? Yes, that one.

No, that’s not it, that’s Earth.

Turn your eyes up a little, then right four billion light-years. Do you see that star? It looks rather like our own sun, doesn’t it?

Well, it isn’t.

Now if you’ll take another deep breath – why? Well, I’m not sure. A calming effect, I suppose – we’ll dare to venture closer. Don’t let that red dwarf singe your eyebrows as we go by – duck now, that’s the ticket – good, good. There we are.

Focus.

If you will look a little closer, you will see a small, rather plain world orbiting that star.

What’s that, you say? It hasn’t got much on it? Well, you’re right.

For the moment, anyway.

And now…if you’re ready…we can begin.