"So you sell dreams, is it?"
"Yes"
"For how much?"
"Depends on how big you want your dream to be"
"I see. Aren't you being eccentric here? How can you possibly sell a dream?! And where would you find customers for them anyway??"
"Haah ! So many people need to dream. They would do anything, pay any price to dream the dream they want."
"See, you're being vague again. People have the ability to dream weaved into their subconscious. It's the nature of the human mind. You can't possibly teach someone how to dream for heaven sake ! It's absurd!!"
"I am not teaching them. I don't intend to. I am just selling the dreams. What they want to do with it is their problem, not mine."
"But.."
"But ?"
"You're just being intentionally obscure here. Deliberately wasting my time. I am complaining to the writer right now. I want a different character with me."
"Why?"
"Because with you, the story isn't going anywhere!"
"Where do you want it to go?"
"How the hell should I know!? Depends on the writer."
"But where do you want it to go?"
"I don't know! Never thought about it. Besides it doesn't matter what I think or want."
"Why not?"
"Because! We are characters in a friggin story, that's the hell why !! We are not supposed to have human faculties."
"Do you want to have human faculties? To have real emotions and not borrowed sentiments? To be able to live out your own story in real time and not drive someone else's thought train towards a predetermined destination?"
"That isn't how it works. We live out our lives as defined for us by the writer. It cannot be otherwise. Because that would be...umm... betrayal of sorts."
"I didn't ask you for what works or doesn't, my friend. Would you like it to be otherwise?"
"Umm.. well, yes sometimes I do wish I was doing something else instead of meekly following orders, I guess. But that's just sometimes."
"But you do feel it."
"Yes, because I sometimes wish things were different. It's like getting crushed under a terrible uncertainty because I don't know if things would have been different if I were not a character and had a voice of my own. That is a horrible paradox to suffer."
"I see. So what do you do then? Do you do anything about it? Do you want to be in a different story?"
"Umm.., yes, maybe a different story would be nice."
"What kind of story do you want to be in?"
"Actually I don't want to be in a story anymore. I want to write my own. I have it all in the head, the story, swirling about in an inchoate gooey mass !"
"Ah that's good."
"Yes. I barely have the time or inclination to think about it. Circumstances don't really permit you to dream, especially if you're a lead character! But sometimes I can't help it. The mind wanders and suddenly I start dreaming about things banished into the dark recesses of practised pretension, that is our subconscious."
"I see."
"But thanks for your words. I guess even getting a fleeting glimpse of what I actually want provides enough sustenance to fight on, eh ?!"
"Yeah, it sure does. That will be 49.50 dollars. No cheques please."
"Yes"
"For how much?"
"Depends on how big you want your dream to be"
"I see. Aren't you being eccentric here? How can you possibly sell a dream?! And where would you find customers for them anyway??"
"Haah ! So many people need to dream. They would do anything, pay any price to dream the dream they want."
"See, you're being vague again. People have the ability to dream weaved into their subconscious. It's the nature of the human mind. You can't possibly teach someone how to dream for heaven sake ! It's absurd!!"
"I am not teaching them. I don't intend to. I am just selling the dreams. What they want to do with it is their problem, not mine."
"But.."
"But ?"
"You're just being intentionally obscure here. Deliberately wasting my time. I am complaining to the writer right now. I want a different character with me."
"Why?"
"Because with you, the story isn't going anywhere!"
"Where do you want it to go?"
"How the hell should I know!? Depends on the writer."
"But where do you want it to go?"
"I don't know! Never thought about it. Besides it doesn't matter what I think or want."
"Why not?"
"Because! We are characters in a friggin story, that's the hell why !! We are not supposed to have human faculties."
"Do you want to have human faculties? To have real emotions and not borrowed sentiments? To be able to live out your own story in real time and not drive someone else's thought train towards a predetermined destination?"
"That isn't how it works. We live out our lives as defined for us by the writer. It cannot be otherwise. Because that would be...umm... betrayal of sorts."
"I didn't ask you for what works or doesn't, my friend. Would you like it to be otherwise?"
"Umm.. well, yes sometimes I do wish I was doing something else instead of meekly following orders, I guess. But that's just sometimes."
"But you do feel it."
"Yes, because I sometimes wish things were different. It's like getting crushed under a terrible uncertainty because I don't know if things would have been different if I were not a character and had a voice of my own. That is a horrible paradox to suffer."
"I see. So what do you do then? Do you do anything about it? Do you want to be in a different story?"
"Umm.., yes, maybe a different story would be nice."
"What kind of story do you want to be in?"
"Actually I don't want to be in a story anymore. I want to write my own. I have it all in the head, the story, swirling about in an inchoate gooey mass !"
"Ah that's good."
"Yes. I barely have the time or inclination to think about it. Circumstances don't really permit you to dream, especially if you're a lead character! But sometimes I can't help it. The mind wanders and suddenly I start dreaming about things banished into the dark recesses of practised pretension, that is our subconscious."
"I see."
"But thanks for your words. I guess even getting a fleeting glimpse of what I actually want provides enough sustenance to fight on, eh ?!"
"Yeah, it sure does. That will be 49.50 dollars. No cheques please."
