8:30am
Sol cheated at lessons, using magic to bend the swords – then the teacher. Luckily Oldy was a healer. ‘Kindly stop breaking arms,’ he said.
6:30pm
‘Wanna be free?’ Li asked.
I said, ‘Sol already freed me.’
She hauled on a sail. ‘Do you really think that?’
I tied a knot. ‘Don’t you?’
____________________________________
Louise: This is going to be an interesting interview.
Oldy: Says the author.
Louise: Do you mind? It is interesting. . . because Oldy is a mixture of fiction and co-author. He’s based on Jesus (who I find as real as anyone else, and realer than anyone I meet online) – but he certainly isn’t Jesus. Partly because I don’t know Jesus all that well, and partly because it’s really annoying to have a flawless, omnipotent character.
Oldy: So you altered a few things. About me.
Louise: Yees. . . in consultation. Can we start now, or is this going to get into a wacky postmodern jumble?
Oldy: Let’s start.
Louise: What’s your real name?
Oldy: I have thousands.
Louise: Right. Moving on. . . since you’re co-author as well as character, why did you choose to be in the story?
Oldy: Sol. And Ulandin. And Li. And a few others, but mostly those three. I might not appear to change much actively, but their lives are all better for having me around.
Louise: Why pretend to be a beggar?
Oldy: At this stage, Sol is easily threatened – so it made a handy disguise.
Louise: What do you want?
Oldy: I want Ulandin to care for himself as much as he cares for Sol. I want Li to become herself again. I want Sol to stop killing people – for starters.
Louise: Why don’t you stop Sol? I know you have the power.
Oldy: Mostly, in this instance, because I’m fictional and you’re the author. Real life is what you really want to know about, isn’t it? Why the real Jesus lets bad things happen. The fact is***schhhhh****
***static***
***end interview***
Louise: *sigh* At least Sol is straightforward.