THE SPOILERS YET TO BE SPOILERS
THE AUTHOR'S CORE
GAAFATAA — THE QUESTIONER
A hand rose.
A reader.
"I have a question."
I looked at him.
"What is THE AUTHOR'S CORE?"
...
I said nothing.
He waited.
So did I.
Finally, he frowned.
"You're THE QUESTIONER."
"Am I?"
"Yes."
"Then why are you asking me for an answer?"
...
Another hand rose.
A writer.
"Fine."
He looked at the reader.
"Ask a better question."
The reader thought.
Then looked back at me.
"Why is it called THE AUTHOR'S CORE?"
I asked:
"Which word interests you?"
"The Author."
"Why?"
"Because an author exists outside the story."
"Does he?"
The room became quiet.
...
Another writer raised her hand.
"That's dangerous wording."
"What is?"
"'The Author.'"
"Why?"
"Because now readers will assume there is someone above everything."
"Should they?"
"I don't know."
"Then why did you?"
...
Another hand.
"What about 'Core'?"
I turned.
"What about it?"
"A core is usually the center of something."
"Usually?"
"Yes."
"Must a core be a place?"
"No."
"Must it be an object?"
"No."
"Must it be alive?"
"No."
"Must it be physical?"
"No."
"Then what have you learned?"
...
"Nothing."
"Are you sure?"
...
Another reader raised her hand.
"We've heard another name before."
"What name?"
"Reality Book."
...
The room shifted.
Only slightly.
I asked:
"And what is it?"
Nobody answered.
"What have you actually been told?"
A writer answered:
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
"THE AUTHOR'S CORE."
"Anything else?"
...
"No."
"Then why do you believe you understand it?"
...
Silence.
Another reader raised her hand.
"Is it actually a book?"
I asked:
"What makes something a book?"
"Pages."
"Always?"
"Writing."
"Always?"
"A story."
"Always?"
He hesitated.
"Then why call it Reality Book?"
I asked:
"Who called it that?"
...
He stopped.
Another hand immediately rose.
"Wait."
I looked toward her.
"What?"
"That's a different question."
"Different from what?"
"Instead of asking what the Reality Book is..."
She paused.
"...we should ask why we know it by that name."
...
Interesting.
Another writer raised his hand.
"And whether that's its real name."
I asked:
"What is a real name?"
He sighed.
"Of course you'd ask that."
...
Another reader spoke.
"If THE AUTHOR'S CORE exists...
does the author need it?"
I looked at him.
"Need it for what?"
"I don't know."
"Then what are you asking?"
He slowly lowered his hand.
...
Another voice came from the back.
"Can an author lose his core?"
...
Nobody laughed.
I turned toward the voice.
"What would happen if he could?"
"I asked you."
"And I asked you."
...
The writer thought.
"If it's truly a core..."
He stopped.
"What?"
"Then losing it should matter."
"To whom?"
"The author."
"Only the author?"
...
He didn't answer.
Another hand.
"Could it matter to the story?"
I asked:
"Can something belonging to an author affect something inside a story?"
The writer answered:
"Normally?"
"Is that your answer?"
"No."
...
Another reader raised her hand.
"Can a character reach THE AUTHOR'S CORE?"
I looked at her.
"Why would a character want to?"
"Maybe they don't."
"Then why ask?"
"Because Reality Door exists."
...
Silence.
Another hand rose.
"Does Reality Door lead to THE AUTHOR'S CORE?"
I asked:
"Did anyone tell you that?"
"No."
"Did anyone show you that?"
"No."
"Then where did the connection come from?"
The reader pointed toward his head.
"Me."
...
I asked:
"Should you trust it?"
"I don't know."
"Should you remember it?"
...
He smiled.
"Maybe."
...
Another writer raised her hand.
"This is exactly how readers create theories."
"Is that bad?"
"No."
"Can theories become dangerous?"
"To whom?"
I smiled.
She shook her head.
"Don't."
...
Another hand.
"What happens if every theory is wrong?"
I asked:
"Did the questions become worthless?"
"No."
"What if one theory is right?"
"Then we've spoiled ourselves."
"Have you?"
...
The writer froze.
I asked:
"If you correctly guess an answer...
but don't know which future question it belongs to...
what exactly have you spoiled?"
...
No answer.
Another reader whispered:
"A spoiler yet to be a spoiler."
...
I looked toward him.
"Is it?"
...
He immediately regretted speaking.
Good.
Another writer raised his hand.
"Then THE AUTHOR'S CORE itself could be one."
"Could be what?"
"Something we've already seen..."
He stopped.
"...without understanding what we've seen."
I asked:
"Have you seen it?"
...
He looked confused.
"I don't know."
"Then why did you say you have?"
...
Another reader suddenly raised her hand.
"Have we?"
I looked at her.
"Have you what?"
"Seen THE AUTHOR'S CORE."
...
I said nothing.
She leaned forward.
"Have we already seen it?"
...
Another hand.
"Was it in Safsan Story?"
...
Another.
"Nafsan Story?"
...
Another.
"Was it mentioned by SEENEE?"
...
Another.
"Was it disguised as something else?"
...
Another.
"Was it a place?"
...
"A person?"
...
"An object?"
...
"A sentence?"
...
"A question?"
...
"A mistake?"
...
"A contradiction?"
...
"A death?"
...
"A birth?"
...
"A page?"
...
"A sound?"
...
"Something we ignored?"
...
The hands stopped.
Everyone looked at me.
I asked:
"Why are you looking at me?"
A reader answered:
"Because you know."
"Do I?"
...
Nobody knew.
Not even whether that question mattered.
...
Then something appeared.
Not in the room.
Not exactly.
A page.
White.
Completely white.
Nothing written on it.
It remained for less than a second.
Then vanished.
...
A writer stood.
"What was that?"
I asked:
"What did you see?"
"A blank page."
"Was it blank?"
"Yes."
"How do you know?"
"Because nothing was written on it."
"Does nothing written mean nothing was there?"
...
He stared at me.
Another reader raised her hand.
"Was THAT THE AUTHOR'S CORE?"
I asked:
"Why would you think that?"
"Because you showed it immediately after we asked."
"Did I show it?"
...
She stopped.
Another voice.
"Then who did?"
...
No answer.
Another.
"Was it even a page?"
...
Another.
"Was it the answer?"
...
Another.
"Or was it just there to make us THINK it was the answer?"
...
Another.
"If it's a fake clue...
does asking whether it's fake make it a real clue?"
...
The room became louder.
Questions overlapping.
"Who wrote the first word?"
"Who decided there would be a story?"
"Can a narrator exist before narration?"
"Can a character exist before being written?"
"Can something written remember being unwritten?"
"If a story knows it is a story...
what does the author become to it?"
"If the author enters his own story...
is he still the author?"
"If the author writes himself...
who wrote whom?"
"If THE AUTHOR'S CORE belongs to the author...
why can we name it from inside the story?"
...
That one stopped the room.
Nobody moved.
I looked toward the person who asked it.
"What made you think you're inside?"
...
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The reader slowly sat down.
...
Another hand rose.
Much slower this time.
"What happens if someone reaches THE AUTHOR'S CORE?"
I asked:
"Who?"
"A character."
"Which character?"
"I don't know."
"Then why do you believe someone will?"
"Because otherwise why introduce it?"
...
I looked at him.
"Must every door be opened?"
"No."
"Must every weapon be used?"
"No."
"Must every throne be occupied?"
...
He stopped.
Someone else looked at me.
"Why did you say throne?"
...
I said nothing.
The room changed.
For the briefest moment...
far behind the questions...
something enormous appeared.
Steps.
An empty seat.
A curve resembling...
?
Then nothing.
...
A reader whispered:
"Again."
I asked:
"Again?"
"We've seen that."
"Where?"
...
Nobody could answer.
Or perhaps they could.
Just not yet.
...
Another writer raised his hand.
"What does the throne have to do with THE AUTHOR'S CORE?"
I asked:
"Who said they were connected?"
"You mentioned it."
"Did I?"
...
He thought back.
Too late.
The words already existed.
...
Another reader asked:
"Is the throne the reward for reaching THE AUTHOR'S CORE?"
I asked:
"What makes you think it is a reward?"
"Then is it a price?"
"What makes you think those are opposites?"
...
Silence.
Another hand.
"Can the reward itself be the price?"
...
I looked toward him.
"What would something like that cost?"
"Everything?"
"Is everything a price?"
"I don't know."
"What would you refuse to give?"
...
The writer did not answer.
Another reader whispered:
"What would Safsan refuse?"
...
Another:
"What would Nafsan refuse?"
...
Another:
"What would SEENEE refuse?"
...
Then...
someone asked:
"What would the author refuse?"
...
Nothing moved.
Not me.
Not the writers.
Not the readers.
Nothing.
...
A question appeared.
No voice asked it.
No hand was raised.
It simply existed.
WHAT IS THE AUTHOR
WITHOUT THE AUTHOR'S CORE?
...
Nobody answered.
Then another.
WHAT IS THE CORE
WITHOUT THE AUTHOR?
...
Another.
WHO NEEDS WHOM?
...
Another.
IF THE ANSWER WAS SHOWN FIRST...
...
WHERE WAS IT SHOWN?
...
Another.
IF THE QUESTION HAS NOT BEEN BORN YET...
...
WHY ARE YOU READING IT NOW?
...
The questions disappeared.
One by one.
Until only one remained.
THE AUTHOR'S CORE
And beneath it:
?????
...
A reader finally raised his hand.
"Is that the spoiler?"
I asked:
"Which part?"
"The name."
"Perhaps."
"The questions?"
"Perhaps."
"The blank page?"
"Perhaps."
"The throne?"
"Perhaps."
"The fact they're connected?"
I looked at him.
"Are they?"
...
He lowered his hand.
Another reader laughed nervously.
"So we might have just been given several enormous spoilers..."
I asked:
"About what?"
...
"...and we don't even know what they spoiled."
I said nothing.
He stared at me.
Then understood.
Or thought he did.
...
THE ANSWER APPEARS.
THE CONTEXT IS MISSING.
THE QUESTION IS BORN.
THE MEANING CHANGES.
AND THEN...
?????
Do not memorize this chapter.
You do not need to.
Do not study every sentence.
You are not taking an exam.
If none of this matters...
the story should survive without it.
But if one day...
a character stands somewhere impossible...
and you see something you recognize...
a page...
a question...
a door...
an empty seat...
a word...
a silence...
or something you once thought meant nothing...
perhaps you will remember.
Not because I told you to.
Because the question finally arrived.
And when it does...
do not ask:
"When did the author reveal the answer?"
Ask:
"How long have I already known it?"
...
My name is GAAFATAA.
THE QUESTIONER.
THE AUTHOR'S CORE is...
?????
Did you expect me to answer?
No.
I have a better question.
What if I already did?
— GAAFATAA
THE QUESTIONER