800 Years Before or After!

"Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say."

"Enough!"

"What?"

"I'm tired of reading this sentence over and over again!"

"What sentence?"

"Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say."

"Oh, you're reading that too?"

"Yeah. It's pissing me off."

"Then why are you reading it over and over again?"

"I'm not! It's not the same one."

"Huh?"

"Well it is, but in different stories."

"Oh."

"They all start the same."

"Yeah I know, I was reading one too."

"Well, this one starts with the sentence too."

"Which one?"

"This one!"

"Is this writer trying to fuck with us?"

"What writer?"

"The writer writing this story."

"Which story?"

"This one!"

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I'm reading it."

"Reading what?"

"This story."

"Oh. How is it?"

"Confusing."

"How so?"

"I think the writer is trying to write about me."

"You specifically?"

"Well not really, he's writing about the person who is reading the story, which makes it me for now."

"How does he do that?"

"By writing everything I'm saying to you."

"What?"

"Yeah. Everything is written here, this whole conversation."

"What are you talking about?"

"Look."

"Holy shit!"

"What?!"

"It's written here that I say holy shit."

"And you just said it!"

"Yes!"

"Oh wow."

"How is that possible?"

"I don't know."

"That's impressive."

"It is."

"Did he write what I say next?"

"Yeah."

"What do I say?"

"Well, you ask that question."

"And then?"

"And then you ask this one."

"Which one?"

"This one."

"Which one?"

"Yes."

"Huh?"

"What?"

"I'm asking you! Which one?"

"I'm telling you! Which one?"

"Why are you asking me?!"

"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you! Which one!"

"Oh, that's the question I asked?"

"Yes! Okay, enough!"

"I like this prompt by the way."

"Which one?"

"This one!"

"The one where you have to start a story with nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say?"

"Yeah, it's mysterious."

"How so?"

"It can go into a million different direction."

"True. It's a good one."

"Nothing special though."

"What do you mean?"

"It's been done before."

"What?"

"Yeah."

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Fuck."

"What?"

"I thought this was original."

"You thought what was original?"

"Reading a story that starts with nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say."

"Well it isn't."

"So this very same challenge has been done before?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"A long time ago."

"How long?"

"Back when people were still using websites, so a very long time ago."

"Websites!"

"Yeah, on their phones."

"Ha!"

"If I remember correctly, the stories were published on a community called Vocal."

"Vocal?"

"Yes."

"I like the name."

"Pretty straightforward."

"So these vocal people, they did this challenge before?"

"Yeah, I think it was 800 years ago."

"So this is just a redo?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why have a redo?"

"Apparently the stories that came to life from that prompt were incredible."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Some great writers joined and received really nice prizes."

"Oh wow."

"Many of them went on writing whole books that started with the very same sentence."

"Which sentence?"

"Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"What about this one?"

"This what?"

"This story."

"Which one?"

"This one!"

"What about it?"

"Was it an entry for the challenge as well?"

"Yes."

"What happened to it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did the writer win a prize?"

"I don't think so."

"Why don't you think so?"

"Because there's another part to the prompt."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It also needs to be the first chapter of a book."

"So?

"So what?"

"You think this story isn't the first chapter of a book?"

"Well, not really."

"How so?"

"Look at it."

"What about it?"

"It's just a conversation between us."

"It seems to me that you have judgements and assumptions about how a first chapter should look be."

"No I don't."

"You said: it's just a conversation between us. Sounds like there's a judgement behind that."

"Alright! We just don't seem to be going anywhere!"

"I disagree."

"There's just no way that this becomes a book!"

"You sound pretty cynical when you say that."

"Nobody would read a whole book like that!"

"You can't know that."

"Who would read a whole story like that?!"

"Well I've been reading it until now, haven't I?"

"I guess."

"And it's written that you answer me, which means you're still here."

"True."

"Who knows where the story could go next?"

"Yeah."

"Anything you or I say could take us anywhere."

"Hmm."

"There is an infinite realm of possibilities, and every line is a potential doorway into it."

"I see that."

"And it's all written here."

"Where?"

"In this story!"

"Oh. So does it say if there's a chapter two?"

"Yes, it does."

"And?"

"There is a chapter two."

"Really?!"

"Well it's written."

"What's written?"

"That I tell you there is a chapter two."

"And did the writer win a prize?"

"I don't know."

"How can you not know if it's all written here?"

"Well we haven't gotten to this part of the story yet."

"How come?"

"The challenge isn't finished yet."

"But that was 800 years ago!"

"True."

"Read the story then, what does it say?"

"It say this."

"This what?"

"What you just said."

"Oh, what am I saying?"

"You're asking this question."

"And then?"

"Then what?"

"How does it end?!"

"I'm gonna find out!"

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm gonna finish reading this story and find out what happens to it!"

"How will you do that?"

"Apparently I'm going to wait for the results!"

"What makes you say that?"

"Because it's what I say here!"

"Oh. And does it say if you let me know what happens?"

"I think so."

"When?"

"In chapter two."