The classroom was louder than usual.
Readers filled the seats.
Writers sat among them.
Some had notebooks.
Some had unfinished stories.
Some had questions
they had clearly been waiting
far too long to ask.
And standing at the front...
was GAAFATAA.
THE QUESTIONER.
...
He looked at the room.
"All right."
"One question at a time."
Immediately...
six hands went up.
GAAFATAA sighed.
"I already regret this."
...
A reader stood.
"Can a character know
that they're inside a story?"
GAAFATAA:
"Yes."
Another hand.
"Can they know
who their author is?"
GAAFATAA:
"Different question."
A writer raised her hand.
"What happens
if a character knows
how their story ends?"
...
GAAFATAA paused.
"Interesting."
He wrote it on the board.
WHAT HAPPENS
WHEN A CHARACTER KNOWS
THE END?
...
Another reader:
"Can they change it?"
GAAFATAA:
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"Another good question."
...
SCRATCH.
CAN KNOWLEDGE
OF THE FUTURE
CHANGE THE FUTURE?
...
Someone at the back laughed.
"You're supposed
to answer questions."
GAAFATAA turned.
"No."
"I'm supposed
to ask better ones."
...
The class laughed.
...
Another writer raised her hand.
"If two stories
take place at different points
in time..."
"...can something
from the future
affect something
that hasn't happened yet?"
...
GAAFATAA looked at her.
Then at the board.
...
"Possibly."
...
A reader:
"What about Nafsan?"
...
The room became quieter.
GAAFATAA:
"What about him?"
...
"We already know things
about his future."
...
GAAFATAA nodded.
...
"We know he'll eventually
move through different universes."
"Yes."
"We know he'll search
for a specific Safsan."
"Yes."
"We know he'll appear
at the end of BAAČ."
"Yes."
...
Another reader added:
"But in the timeline
we're following..."
"...Nafsan hasn't even
been born yet."
...
GAAFATAA:
"Correct."
...
Someone else raised a hand.
"Then aren't we technically
learning the consequences
before we've even seen
the causes?"
...
GAAFATAA opened his mouth.
Stopped.
...
His eyes moved
toward the board.
FUTURE.
PAST.
NAFSAN.
SAFSAN.
BIRTH.
DEATH.
STORIES.
REALITY BOOK.
...
Something...
clicked.
...
GAAFATAA:
"Wait."
...
The room went silent.
...
He looked at the words again.
...
"Wait."
...
He stepped closer
to the board.
...
A writer frowned.
"What?"
...
GAAFATAA ignored her.
His eyes moved
from one question
to another.
...
Then he suddenly turned around.
"Wait, wait, wait."
...
Everyone stared at him.
...
GAAFATAA started pacing.
"No."
"No, no, no."
...
A reader:
"What did you realize?"
...
GAAFATAA stopped.
...
"I don't know
if I realized anything."
...
He looked toward the ceiling.
...
"But I just had
a very bad thought."
...
Someone laughed.
"About Nafsan?"
...
GAAFATAA didn't laugh.
...
"About THE AUTHOR."
...
Silence.
...
He grabbed his pen.
SCRATCH.
On the board
he wrote one word.
PARADOX.
...
The room changed.
Not physically.
Nothing moved.
Nothing broke.
But suddenly...
everyone was looking
at the same word.
...
One of the writers asked:
"What paradox?"
...
GAAFATAA:
"I don't know."
...
"Then why did you write it?"
...
"Because something
doesn't feel right."
...
He stared at it.
...
"Future events
being shown
before their causes."
"Different stories
moving toward
the same point."
"Nafsan's birth."
"Safsan."
"The Reality Book."
"Things happening
in different universes."
"Things SEENEE can see..."
"...without understanding
the whole story behind them."
...
GAAFATAA slowly lowered
the pen.
...
"No."
...
A reader leaned forward.
"No what?"
...
GAAFATAA:
"I need to ask him."
...
"Who?"
...
GAAFATAA looked directly
past the classroom.
Past the readers.
Past the writers.
Past the page.
...
"AUTHOR."
...
Nothing.
...
GAAFATAA:
"AUTHOR."
...
Still nothing.
...
He frowned.
"I know you're there."
...
SCRATCH.
...
A pen moved
somewhere
he could not see.
...
THE AUTHOR:
"What?"
...
GAAFATAA pointed
toward the board.
...
PARADOX.
...
For several seconds...
nothing happened.
...
GAAFATAA:
"I know you said
the Special Chapters
won't return
for a few months."
...
THE AUTHOR:
"Correct."
...
"And I don't know
how they'll return."
...
"No."
...
"Or what kind
of Special Chapters
they'll be."
...
"No."
...
GAAFATAA stared
at the word again.
...
Then asked:
"Are you planning
a paradox?"
...
...
...
The classroom
became completely silent.
...
Nobody moved.
...
The readers waited.
The writers waited.
GAAFATAA waited.
...
Even SEENEE
was nowhere to interrupt.
...
THE AUTHOR
said nothing.
...
GAAFATAA:
"Well?"
...
Silence.
...
Then...
the pen moved.
SCRATCH.
...
THE AUTHOR:
"Well..."
...
GAAFATAA froze.
...
The readers froze.
...
One writer slowly
closed her notebook.
...
GAAFATAA:
"...What does that mean?"
...
No answer.
...
"Author."
...
Nothing.
...
"AUTHOR."
...
Nothing.
...
GAAFATAA looked
at the word on the board.
PARADOX.
...
Then back
toward the place
where the voice
had disappeared.
...
"You could've just said no."
...
Nothing.
...
That...
was the problem.
...
SCRATCH.
...
NAFSAN STORY
SPECIAL CHAPTER
WAIT... WAIT... WAIT.
...
QUESTION:
IS THE AUTHOR
PLANNING A PARADOX?
...
ANSWER:
"WELL..."
...
SPECIAL CHAPTER CLOSED.