VACATION CANCELLED
SCRATCH.
...
THE AUTHOR'S ROOM.
...
Silence.
...
THE AUTHOR sat alone.
...
THE ADVISOR
was gone.
...
THE TEMPTED
was gone.
...
Both had been fired.
...
Despite technically
never having been hired.
...
The Author stared
at the closed door.
...
Then...
another thought
entered his mind.
...
He stopped.
...
One thought
became two.
...
Two became several.
...
Then...
THE AUTHOR:
"...GAAFATAA."
...
Nothing.
...
The Author waited.
...
"GAAFATAA."
...
Still nothing.
...
A few seconds later...
the door opened.
...
GAAFATAA stood there.
...
Already annoyed.
...
"No."
...
THE AUTHOR:
"I haven't said anything."
...
"I DON'T CARE."
...
GAAFATAA walked inside.
...
"I can't even take
a proper vacation?!"
...
The Author stared.
...
"I leave for
FIVE MINUTES."
...
"I go to NO NAME."
...
"I think:
Finally."
...
"No timelines."
...
"No paradox."
...
"No ?????."
...
"No Nafsan."
...
"No Safsan."
...
"No questions
that create
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
another twelve questions."
...
The Author waited.
...
GAAFATAA:
"I just wanted
to find my friends."
...
"Sit down."
...
"No."
...
"I wanted
a little chit-chat."
...
"GAAFATAA."
...
"CHIT-CHAT."
...
"I wasn't asking
for much."
...
The Author sighed.
...
GAAFATAA:
"But they're gone."
...
"I know."
...
"Of course you know."
...
GAAFATAA crossed his arms.
...
"Where are they?"
...
The Author answered
without hesitation.
...
"They got fired."
...
...
Silence.
...
GAAFATAA blinked.
...
Once.
...
Twice.
...
"They..."
...
A pause.
...
"...got fired?"
...
"Yes."
...
GAAFATAA slowly
lowered his arms.
...
"Wait."
...
The Author already knew
what was coming.
...
"Did they even
have jobs
in the first place?"
...
"No."
...
...
GAAFATAA stared.
...
Then looked
toward the door.
...
Then back
at THE AUTHOR.
...
"How did they
get fired
if they didn't
have jobs?"
...
The Author said nothing.
...
GAAFATAA:
"Actually..."
...
He raised a hand.
...
"No."
...
"I don't want
the answer."
...
"Good."
...
"Because somehow
I feel like
the answer will create
another problem."
...
"Probably."
...
GAAFATAA sighed.
...
"Well..."
...
He turned
toward the door.
...
"At least
I still have
my vacation."
...
THE AUTHOR:
"About that."
...
GAAFATAA stopped.
...
...
Slowly...
very slowly...
he turned around.
...
"No."
...
THE AUTHOR:
"I've cancelled it."
...
Silence.
...
GAAFATAA:
"What?"
...
"Your vacation."
...
"I know
what you meant."
...
"Then why did you ask?"
...
"BECAUSE I WAS HOPING
I HEARD YOU WRONG."
...
The Author returned
to his work.
...
GAAFATAA:
"You cancelled
my vacation?!"
...
"Yes."
...
"What about
my vacation pay?!"
...
"Also cancelled."
...
...
Something
inside GAAFATAA...
cracked.
...
Not metaphorically.
...
Well...
probably metaphorically.
...
CRACK.
...
GAAFATAA stood
completely still.
...
Another crack.
...
CRACK.
...
If a person
could become glass...
GAAFATAA
was currently discovering
how.
...
His eye twitched.
...
CRACK.
...
THE AUTHOR:
"Are you okay?"
...
GAAFATAA:
"No."
...
"Good."
...
CRACK.
...
"I HAD ONE THING."
...
The Author looked up.
...
"ONE."
...
"A vacation?"
...
"A PAID VACATION."
...
"Right."
...
"And you took it
from me."
...
"Yes."
...
GAAFATAA stared
at the ceiling.
...
"Why was I created?"
...
THE AUTHOR:
"Questions."
...
"I KNOW."
...
CRACK.
...
The Author watched him.
...
Then...
"Fine."
...
GAAFATAA looked down.
...
"What?"
...
"I'll show you something."
...
Silence.
...
GAAFATAA immediately
became suspicious.
...
"No."
...
THE AUTHOR:
"You haven't seen it yet."
...
"Exactly."
...
"I've learned."
...
The Author stood.
...
Then...
something opened.
...
Not a book.
...
Not a door.
...
Not a page.
...
THE AUTHOR'S CORE.
...
...
GAAFATAA stopped.
...
The room disappeared
from his attention.
...
Because there...
inside the Author's Core...
was
THE PLAN.
...
...
GAAFATAA looked.
...
Once.
...
His expression changed.
...
He looked again.
...
His eyes moved
from one thing
to another.
...
Then another.
...
Then...
another.
...
His mouth opened.
...
Nothing came out.
...
For once...
THE QUESTIONER
had no question.
...
He simply stared.
...
At the structure.
...
At what connected
to what.
...
At things
he had complained about.
...
At things
he hadn't even known
he should complain about.
...
At plans
behind plans.
...
At...
...
GAAFATAA covered
his mouth.
...
THE AUTHOR:
"Now do you understand?"
...
No response.
...
"GAAFATAA?"
...
His shoulders moved.
...
The Author frowned.
...
Then realized...
GAAFATAA
was laughing.
...
Quietly
at first.
...
Then louder.
...
And louder.
...
Until finally...
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
...
THE AUTHOR:
"...Are you okay?"
...
GAAFATAA:
"NO!"
...
He pointed
at the Author's Core.
...
"NO!"
...
He laughed again.
...
"I'M LAUGHING
AT MYSELF!"
...
The Author waited.
...
GAAFATAA:
"All that complaining..."
...
"The year."
...
"The questions."
...
"SEENEE."
...
"NAFSAN."
...
"The paradox."
...
"I thought THAT
was bad?!"
...
He looked
into the Core again.
...
Then laughed harder.
...
"My part..."
...
He wiped
his eyes.
...
"My part
was the BEST ONE."
...
Another laugh.
...
"THE EASIEST ONE!"
...
The Author said nothing.
...
GAAFATAA looked
back into the Core.
...
His laughter
slowly changed.
...
Not because
it became less funny.
...
Because he genuinely
didn't know
how else
to react.
...
"This..."
...
He pointed.
...
"This isn't
the paradox."
...
Silence.
...
"This is..."
...
GAAFATAA searched
for a word.
...
Failed.
...
Tried again.
...
"Insanity."
...
A pause.
...
"No."
...
"Insanity
beyond insanity."
...
He looked directly
at THE AUTHOR.
...
"What kind
of human being
even has thoughts
like this?!"
...
The Author smiled.
...
GAAFATAA:
"THAT WAS NOT
A COMPLIMENT."
...
"I know."
...
The Author's Core
closed.
...
Immediately...
everything GAAFATAA
had seen
was gone.
...
The Questioner
stood there.
...
Silent.
...
Then...
THE AUTHOR:
"Back to work."
...
GAAFATAA:
"...Right."
...
For once...
he didn't argue.
...
He walked
toward the door.
...
Stopped.
...
Looked back.
...
Opened his mouth.
...
THE AUTHOR:
"No."
...
GAAFATAA closed it.
...
Then left.
...
SCRATCH.
...
THE CLASSROOM.
...
GAAFATAA returned.
...
And immediately
noticed something.
...
Nobody was working.
...
Chairs had been moved.
...
Books were closed.
...
Pens rested
on desks.
...
Across the board
someone had written:
WE ARE ON STRIKE.
...
GAAFATAA stared.
...
One person
raised a sign.
...
NO MORE PARADOX.
...
Another:
ANSWERS FIRST.
...
Another:
VACATION RIGHTS
FOR EVERYONE.
...
GAAFATAA looked
at that one
for several seconds.
...
"Keep that."
...
The sign remained up.
...
GAAFATAA walked
toward his desk.
...
Then suddenly...
he stopped.
...
A thought
hit him.
...
THE TEMPTED.
...
THE ADVISOR.
...
They had been
in THE AUTHOR'S room.
...
The Author
had been considering
replacing him.
...
GAAFATAA slowly
turned around.
...
"Wait."
...
Everyone looked at him.
...
"WAIT."
...
He pointed
toward absolutely nothing.
...
"Was THE AUTHOR
actually thinking
about giving
MY JOB
to those two?!"
...
Silence.
...
GAAFATAA looked offended
all over again.
...
"THE TEMPTED?!"
...
"THE ADVISOR?!"
...
He grabbed
the nearest chair.
...
"What kind
of Author
even gives
those two
A JOB?!"
...
Someone
in the classroom:
"Didn't they get fired?"
...
GAAFATAA:
"THEY WEREN'T EVEN HIRED!"
...
Silence.
...
Someone slowly
raised another sign.
...
WHAT?
...
GAAFATAA sighed.
...
"Exactly."
...
SCRATCH.
...
SAFSAN STORY
SPECIAL CHAPTER
VACATION CANCELLED.
...
GAAFATAA
SAW THE PLAN.
...
HE LAUGHED.
...
NOT BECAUSE
HE UNDERSTOOD
THE PARADOX.
...
BECAUSE HE REALIZED...
THE PARADOX
WASN'T EVEN
WHAT HE SHOULD
BE WORRIED ABOUT.
...
THE CLASSROOM
IS NOW
ON STRIKE.
...
AND APPARENTLY...
THE AUTHOR
CONSIDERED
THE TEMPTED
AND
THE ADVISOR
FOR A JOB.
...
HOW DID THAT GO?
...
READ THE
NAFSAN STORY
SPECIAL CHAPTER:
YOU'RE FIRED
TO FIND OUT.
...
AND NOW...
BACK TO BAAČ.
...
SAFSAN STORY
CHAPTER 43
COMING
THIS WEEK.
...
GAAFATAA:
"Wait."
...
THE AUTHOR:
"No."
...
SCRATCH.
END.