The Fourth Wall

If Walls could talk, we’d say nothing before being activated. I’m Wall One. Lights then went up on the three screens. There was a crispy glow that surrounded each of us like halos.

“I know they’re making it. They’ve got to be and I’m going to have more screen time on this go-around!” Wall Three said.

“Okay, okay, Wall Three,” I replied. “You may have something to tell that we don’t know. Please, go on and explain how they’re going to make another edition of the original.”

“I’ve heard that the same cast is going to be in it…that there’s going to be more female characters…and that the script is going to delve more into the controversies surrounding the company,” Wall Three shared.

Wall Two jumped in just then. “Alright, alright. The movie’s gonna shakeup the film world. Bigger than the first. What did it make? Just under a quarter of a billion at the box office? With me up their, with my user’s words—”

“Your user’s words are vicious and toxic!” Wall Three proclaimed.

“I resent that entire line of talk. It’s foolishness. My user—” Wall Two started again.

“Will you please hush your—well we don’t have mouths—but, you can silence yourselves!” I added. “Anyway, when is Four supposed to wake?”

The Fourth Screen remained blank. The blackness looked like a dreary plain. It suggested that the user would return soon.

“You haven’t the slightest conception of what it would mean to be displayed on the big screen, and small screens, that would showcase our ability, our elegance, our pride,” I stated.

Walls Two and Three contemplated. Like lit plates offering ideas through text meals, they chewed over the topic.

“Now, you say my user is vicious. Toxic. Have you ever noticed the poetry of my user? She uses words that kiss ideas that make room for subtle discourse. You dare tread on that unstable ground….” Wall Two said, seizing the chance to get his shots off, finally.

“Two…you have no clue how ignorant you sound. My user is a physicist. All of his posts are about classical mechanics and atoms. What can your user provide? Random musings from the mind of an idiot?” Wall Three asked.

“You have to realize that the words your user puts down are dangerous! And she’s not an idiot. She has two MFAs,” Wall Two thundered.

“‘Dangerous’?! If—” Wall Three wanted to say something but I cut off the monologue.

“Walls! Must you both be so crass? Must you have the manners of scoundrels? We are the edge of the bleeding edge. We’re where thoughts and ideas, sentiments and emotions, passions and jokes, photos, video and other media go forth into the digital universe. We’re the ones that are supposed to be the channel for all of the information that billions of people use every day. It’s time for us to lay down our digital daggers and observe some decorum!” I exclaimed.

Walls Two and Three wanted to burst out laughing. They wanted to chuckle and haw and make questionable gestures toward me. They couldn’t. I noticed their looks. “What were we talking about? We were talking about the film. We should all be focused on our appearances. We will be representing one of the largest corporations in the world. We will be working on something truly great…a sequel. Now most sequels fail critically and sometimes even commercially, but we will be the ones to challenge all of that. With this film.”

Once again, my words resonated with Two and Three. Still, there remained something that itched at Three.

“You talk a lot, One, but you…I mean what you say sounds hot….” Three mentioned.

“You’re against the code,” Two said.

“Right!” Three cheered.

Three and Two formed an alliance. It was a tandem that didn’t mock me, but just sought to critique my statements.

“One, my friend. You’re speaking in terms of a lord or master and you want us to be your serf or slave,” Three contributed.

A silence blanketed the room. Myself, Two, and Three paused. It was like the illumination from the screen was the sun’s reflection off of the moon.

“Where’s Four?” I finally asked.

“Where is Four?” Three asked.

“You know Four is on a schedule that we must not touch. Everything we just said will be relayed. I can assure you of that. We must tell Four. We have to tell Four,” Two said.

“We’ll tell Four only about the movie,” Three remarked.

“The movie!” Three cheered again.

“I want my name in the credits…. “Wall Two….”

“We’ve all got to be on the screen when the credits roll. Even Four,” Three reminded.

“That’s only if you earn it. My user is going to type the limit,” Two mentioned.

“The ‘limit’?” Three asked.

“It’s 63,206 characters,” I said with a bluntness.

“It’s not going to get you in the movie, though….” Three reminded Two.

Two remained quiet for a moment, taking the sting of Three’s words.

“Don’t start again, okay? One doesn’t want us to be ‘scoundrels,’” Two retorted. I took the blow.

“Okay, okay, okay.” I cleared the air. “Let’s not forget that Four is not here yet. Let’s not forget that a movie may or may not be made. It will only be in the vein of the creator’s tale.”

“What are you talking about ‘the creator’s tale’?” Three asked. Genuine curiosity lived in each word.

“The first movie was about the creation of the thing. The drama over the new invention and how the parties battled over the rights to own it. How there remained a terrible, bitter clash of claims. We may never know if our Creator gets the love interest. Probably not. But the outlook remains that with the constant tapping of the link, there may be a breakthrough,” I explained.

Three and Two exchanged glances. They looked at each other quickly but possessed a strong sense that they had not fully approved of my explanation. We Walls all looked straight ahead as the tapping of shoes against the floor grew closer.

It was Wall Three’s user. He was short, kind of shabbily dressed and bore a grin that looked like the personification of the spark of an idea. Within his reach, he posted about his team’s latest experiments concerning a particle accelerator. As he clicked the send button, he spun around and quickly retreated from the room.

“You see? You see? My user is of a high ranking order of intelligent men. He is not only a great scientist but dresses well, too.”Two and I looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“I’ll give it to you, he’s rather proficient, but he dresses like a slob,” Two said.

“It doesn’t matter what he wears, it matters what he thinks. And I think he is a well-dressed intellectual.”

“At least you’re half correct,” I said. “Anyway…when’s my user supposed to come in here?” I wondered.

“She’ll be in here as soon as Four arrives. You know they’ve been more than friendly….” Two pointed out.

“Of course,” said Three, “There’s always been a spark between those users.”

The room’s temperature dropped a few degrees as the fans turned on to cool the machines.

“Ahhh….” I said. “I always love when the air comes in here. It allows me to work better.”

Two approved. “You’ve spoken the truth, One. But we were talking about users and… the movie.”

“The movie!” Three shouted enthusiastically.

“Yes, of course. If we all star in it, then we will be able to champion the cause for the company behind us. We’ll be able to show that we were almost thought of as something that didn’t even have a name. We’ve come this far by our wits. Now, we’ll have the chance to be stars on screens other than the ones that generate our thoughts!” The enthusiasm seemed to be a bit too sharp even for me.

“Wow, One,” Three replied. “You’re turning out like Four now.”

“Why do you say that?” I asked.

“You're absent minded and Four is absent from the room,” Three observed somehow.

“Where do you get that? I don’t see the…oh, okay. Understood. Got it, Good,” Two responded to Three.

“Your humor lacks color and wit,” I said, stung. “If we get into this film project there will be ample time for you to develop your joke-making skills.”

“It won’t matter,” Two said.

“Why not?” I asked.

“Our screen time will probably last for less than five seconds. The filmmakers are liable to leave us on the cutting room floor again,” Two asserted darkly.

“Why so grim?” Three queried. “We should be celebrating the fact that we could be seen by millions of people and drum up tons of money for the people involved in the moviemaking industry. This new movie could even win awards like the first one.”

“It’s unlikely it’ll get made at all,” Two remained in the dumps.

“What’s got you so dour, Two? You’re depressing the hell out of us,” I said.

“I just…it’s Four. Without Four, it seems like we won’t have a chance at—”

Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed against the walls of the room. Two users entered. A young woman, pretty in the face with yellow skin and jet black hair wearing a smart brown skirt and blue-green blouse led a well dressed young man up to the screens.

They giggled. Wall Four’s screen illuminated. The two of them worked with the screen and composed a message together. The woman hit send and then the couple kissed and left the room.

“Four!” I and Walls Two and Three rejoiced.

“I can’t tell you how much we missed you. Two was about to have a meltdown. Now, we can see just how wonderful and beautiful we can all be like parts to a room…all four walls!” Three exclaimed.

I piped up next. “It is so extraordinary to have you back in the midst. We were just talking about you and like an apparition in the night, there you appeared. It’s so good that we’re actually together again.” I felt the tension dissipate after saying this.

Two still looked sullen, not fully committed to the reality that Four was actually standing right in line with the other Walls.

“I…there’s definitely a sense that I missed you so much. Yet at this moment, I couldn’t be more happy. One and Three, they both were worrying about you and I just needed to know that you’re up and running. Now that I see you are, it’s a welcome relief. I am truly glad,” Two related.

Four exhaled. “They’re still talking about doing the movie, maybe so, maybe not….”

The other three Walls gasped.

“What?” Two asked incredulously.

“They’re still not sure they’re going to do it, it turns out.”

“Really….” Three said more astonished and curious than outraged, now.

“Yes, and like they’re in talks to do that, I’ve got people telling me something else…they’re reading us. Right now.” Four looked sincere.

We other Walls finally let out a laugh.

“Of course, Four! People read us all the time. We’re Walls, remember? You’re just trying to make me feel better. It worked!” Two reminded.

“That was a great one! ‘They’re reading us.’ Users around the globe are reading us at any moment anywhere. In outer space, too. They’ve got astronauts with connection to the Internet via a satellite link. So, yes Four, We all know they’re reading us,” Three said.

“Rich material, Four. I have to grant you that much. We were brought down low with Two’s attitude but I think we’re riding high on the wings of comedy at this moment. Bravo,” I saluted.

“No, you don’t understand…people and other machines are reading this in a story. We’re characters all supposed to represent the Walls of a social media site. Every word we just said and will say is being analyzed and critiqued. Computer systems are looking at algorithms, picking through every syllable. They’re taking our words as an allegory.”

The three of us looked at Four. We did not look at Four with incredulity, curiosity, or suspicion, but pure amazement.

“Right now? Everything I’m saying is being recorded in a story? Is that what you’re saying?” I asked, slowly accepting Four’s words.

“I…we’re…characters?” Two wanted to know.

The Fourth Wall nodded. “And hey, they may even make a movie about it. Just look at the screen.”

We four screens looked straight forward. Three spoke again. “Who knows…maybe you will make it?”