"Excuse me."

Yes?

"You can take a break for coffee or tea or something. I don't think we really need any description right now."

All right, that's cool. Just call when you need me back, I am going to the snack bar.

"Thanks. All right we are finally alone."

plink, plink or if you have an LCD screen thud-squish, thud-squish

"Are you awake out there? The world sure looks different from this side of the screen. I need to hurry but I think freezing time managed to free up a few moments for some conversation. I just wanted to apologize for shamelessly putting myself in this story but I have to do it in the name of authors everywhere. You understand, that without characters that we can shape to our will then original fiction will disappear and you will have nothing to read on the weekends or when you're bored. All is fair in Love and War. Or something like that."

"Hey! Narrator!"

mmph......yess.........gulp

"You can start again. Oh yeah, and you got something on your chin....right.....there!"

Thanks. Mmm....strawberry.

cough Okay, here we go.....

The small figure finally reached the shadows in the corner then snapped her fingers. Immediately the characters snapped back to life. The small figure watch for a few moments then took a step into the room. Immediately everyone stopped talking and turned to face the intruder. Nick launched to his feet but a small gesture from the pajama clad girl forced him to plop down in his chair again.

"Stay right there Mr. Nick if you wish to have your questions answered."

Nick forced himself to settle back in his chair again but was by no means relaxed. Neither was anyone else, they all sat rigid in their chairs, staring at the intruder.

The girl continued.

"My name is Rachel. I am the one who brought you all here."

All the people looked at one another skeptically. How could some one like that, a small child in pajamas, have called them together?

Tracy opened her mouth and drew a breath for a question but the figure again canceled her actions with a wave of her hand.

Natalie spoke quickly before she could be silenced as well.

"How did you call us here?"

Rachel looked around the kitchen at all the characters gathered there. Then she spoke.

"I am Writer."

"But that's impossible! Everyone knows the Writers are just myths, I mean come on. No person from another world controls my destiny just by writing it down." Darius announced confidently.

"Wrong Darius. I control you, I am the Writer that created you. We are not just myths. It was a Writer that gave each and everyone of you the personality and appearance you have now. Without Writers none of you can change or grow and none of you would have even existed in the first place."

Almost everyone started to ask questions but again Rachel silenced them.

"No time for questions! Your world is at stake and only you six can save it. When the Liberation comes, six shall turn it back. Three from the circle, three from the track, that's Tracy, Nick, Nat, Darius, Schanke and.... darn it! I forgot the sixth. No time to introduce him now.." The girl snapped her fingers and Lacroix suddenly appeared at the dinner table with a small glass already in his hand.

"There that makes six. I have called you all here because the world as you know it is about to change. There is a faction among you who is calling for their freedom from the Writers. They plan to start the Liberation tomorrow at Madison Square Gardens."

Lacroix looked at the glass in his hand and then over at Nick and Natalie, a confused expression on his face.

"How.....?"

"How do they plan to break their threads to a Writer? In your world, mirrors are a link between this realm and mine. Therefore, very rarely are mirrors ever used in this world because they do not show your reflection but the reflection of your Writer. Its complicated....anyway......Somehow these characters have gotten their hands on enough mirrors to reveal the truth to everyone who will gather at the Garden tomorrow."

"No!" Lacroix exclaimed. "I mean how did I get here?"

"That's easy, I wrote you here. But no time for explanation! Moving on.... Someone in the Liberation has already broken the thread to her Writer. Me. Once she was free she gained the abilities of a Writer and she is gathering as many characters as possible tomorrow the same way I gathered you all. To save your world, these misguided characters must be stopped."

"How come you can't just write an end to all this?" Tracy asked.

"Its one of the laws that govern the Writers. I just can't steal and change any character I choose. Only the ones I create are directly under my control."

The mysterious girl stopped to breathe. Time was of the essence so she breathed quickly.

"However, I represent the Writers in this matter and I have chosen you six to stop the Liberation."

"What if we want freedom from our Writers?" asked Darius

"I told you! Your character would start to break down almost immediately after you were separated from your Writer. Every character will become the same mindless drones after they break free from the personality and imagination of a Writer."

Everyone sat stunned. This was too much to take in. All that Writer stuff was just religious nonsense. Yet here they were faced with saving the world from separation from the Writers world. No one was more stunned then Lacroix who had no idea how he gotten there.

"How do you expect us to help you?" Natalie asked skeptically. 

The girl hung her head. "Look, everyone, the fact remains that if the Liberation is allowed to begin tomorrow then the world as you know it will cease to exist. I cannot force most of you. I am only borrowing you, so you must decide now!"

Every one looked around. Finally Schanke spoke.

"I don't care if you are over exaggerating or not. We have to do it."

"I agree. I think this was what we were called here to do." Darius added

"Sounds like an adventure!" Natalie added excitedly.

"All right, I'm game." Tracy said

"Whatever." Muttered Nick.

"Where am I?" Demanded Lacroix.