The Masses

By Al Horn

"Hey, am I glad I bumped into you."

"Me? Why? it's been ages since we've talked to each other"

"Yeah, I know. My creative juices have started flowing again."

"Okay, so what's that got to do with me?"

"You were the first one to see my last story after it was finished. You said you loved it."

"Of course. Everybody loved it. It was original. It made many cry at one moment and laugh the next. All my friends said you had a way with characters."

"Oh, really?  Thank them for me when you see them next," he beamed brightly. "You can also tell them to expect something new from me in the near future."

"That's great. So, are you going to give me any hints?"

"Well, I have had all these ideas in my head. You know, bold new characters, plot twist and an even better ending."

"A better ending? Oh, no, don't tell me..."

"Yes! A sequel!"

"Are you sure?" her radiance from previous excitement dimming slightly. "Sequels can be so tricky. Trying to keep your audience entertained with something they've seen before while trying to give it a fresh look. You realize what you intend to do has been done before. Sometimes with disastrous consequences."

"Oh, yes. Second rate minds trying to revive a success that was created by a miracle to begin with. In my case, it will be different. I will create a cast of momentous proportions. At the same time, there will be no two-bit players. They will all have a story to tell."

"Wow, that sounds like a lot of work."

"Oh, It's nothing we can't handle."

"We. You want me to get involved in this project?"

"Why, of course. You thought the original concept was so great. You even had some rather good suggestions as to how some of the first characters could have been done differently."

"If I recall correctly, you just brushed me off when I said those things."

"And for that I do apologize. I immediately saw that you were right and resented the fact that someone could have found a way to improve such a masterpiece."

"A masterpiece?"

"If you will recall, there were some who gave it just such a label."

"I suppose you're right. Honestly though, do you feel you need me because of all the work that will be involved?"

"Ridiculous, I respect your insight. You were the first to point out the only obvious weakness in the story."

"Oh, you mean that character at the beginning of the story whose name kept popping up over and over again."

"And his counter part that wouldn't go away either. You know how sometimes a character takes on a life of it's own. Any true artist lets the character run with the story. To eliminate him would have caused me so much trouble that I would have had to start over. Instead, I skillfully crafted the rest of the story around him while keeping his role to a minimum. Especially at the end."

"I have to admit, you did leave everyone hanging there at the end. Kind of leaving it to everyone's imagination as to what would happen next."

"Exactly!" His enthusiasm begins to grow. "Now it's time we gave it to them. We owe it to the masses."

"The masses?"

"Sure. You don't think everyone will come running to see this production?"

"Probably. Well, when did you want to get started?"

"Why not now? Do you have anything else going?"

"No. Can't say that I do. Let's get at it."

Both minds came together and looked in the primordial ooze that all life is created from. Appendages swept a mass of it together to form a ball of finite proportions. As the orb began to take on specific details:

"Hey. What do you intend to call this anyway?"

"Why, Earth II, of course."