PART ONE

    And now…
        …a story made up, completely on the spot:
 
 

It was a slow business day at Mike’s Mini Mart.  Jack was the only cashier on duty; it hadn’t been his day to work, but Meg had called off.  Mike, the owner, never worked – there were other employees, but they aren’t really important.

Standing outside Mike’s, leaning against the side of the building, were: Horace, the old guy who always hung around; Sam, a sixteen year-old skateboarder, who was skipping school - again; and Nero.  Nero wasn’t Nero’s real name, but that was what everyone called him.  Nero was a drug dealer.

Nearby, in a police cruiser, sat Officer Henry.  He was aware that Nero was a drug dealer but he was also aware – right then, anyhow – that Nero was nowhere to be seen.  Officer Henry was sitting the in the municipal park, eating a Subway sandwich.  To be fair, Officer Henry knew that Nero often hung around Mike’s Mini Mart; however, to be fairer still, Officer Henry was awfully hungry.

And really, to be completely honest, Nero wasn’t selling drugs at the moment, and even though he was holding a stash of more than thirty pills (thirty-four, actually), they were…uh…someone else’s.  Yeah, that’s it.  <cough>  He was…uh…holding them for someone.  And so, it would have been very unfair for Nero to be busted for holding pills that weren’t even his – I mean, wouldn’t it?

Well, Officer Henry would have thought so.  He believed in being fair.  That isn’t to say that Officer Henry didn’t ever bust criminals, because he did - just that, well, he was fair about it.  Actually, Officer Henry’s unique view on his position of authority had made great strides possible in the cop-community relationship - for those in the community who had contact with Officer Henry, anyway.  There would always people who hated and distrusted cops, just as there would always be certain cops who abused their power.  “Protect and Serve” – that was Officer Henry’s motto; and not, “Harass and Abuse”, like so many other cops.  Fucking cops.  Fucking power-hungry annoyers of the peace!  It’s like they enjoy harassing people just to satisfy their twisted, penis-envy power trips.  Live and let live, for christsakes.  I mean, really – I hate power-hungry, angry fucking gorilla cops!  I just wanna kill them all.  I fucking pay your fucking salaries – just remember that, you goddamned pigs.

Uh…<cough>…I mean uh…heh…thought Nero.
 

Spokesman for this story:  I would like to apologize for the blunt, anti-police rant that ended the preceding short.  The views expressed by the character Nero, do not represent the views of the rest of this story, the author, or the publisher.  Nero is a societal member of the lowest order: a dirty swine (no pun intended), who (along with all other drug dealers, pornographers, sodomites, atheists, and people who speak out against the government) is slowly destroying the morality of this god-blessed world, in which we live.  Again, on behalf of all concerned – we offer our sincerest apologies for the crude and tasteless opinion presented by Nero, the drug dealer.

Spokesman for Nero, the drug dealer:  Man, fuck you.
 
 
 
 

    An interview with Aazt’obin-de Cero
 
 

Interviewer:  Hello again, everyone – today, we have a special treat planned.  I have with me Aazt’obin-de Cero.  Hello, Aazt – thanks for taking the time.

Aazt:  It is no problem to appear, here.

Int:  Alright, for those who don’t know who you are, why don’t you tell us about yourself?

Aazt:  I am a being who resides on a higher plane of consciousness.  For those of you familiar with the Theosophists, it is similar to their Mental Plane.  A place of thoughtforms.  You may consider me a thoughtform, if that will help your primitive, physical minds to understand.

Int:  And what is it you do, Aazt?  How do you fit into all of this?

Aazt:  I am an actor.  This is not entirely accurate but the label will help to better express what it is that I do.  In that last story, there was a character named Nero, correct?

Int:  The drug dealer, yes.

Aazt:  Exactly.  What I do is very simple.  While reading that story, or any story, the readers will create in their minds a mental image of characters in the story.  This is where I enter the equation.  I am a being who portrays the mental image of literary characters, in the minds of the readers.  In this case, I was the ‘actor’ (Associative Image Portrayer, we call it) who played the part of Nero, in the minds of all that read the story.

Int:  But Aazt, doesn’t every reader have a different mental image of Nero?  The author gives us very little visual information about the character.  In fact, the only thing to go on is that Nero is a drug dealer.

Aazt:  You are correct.  You must understand, however, that I am a being from the Mental Plane.  I am much more complicated than a human could ever understand.  In short, yes – everyone does form a unique mental image of Nero; nonetheless, I portray every single one.  I appear different to all people.  I am unbound by space or time.  Every time someone reads about Nero and proceeds to form a mental picture of him – I am it.  No matter what that picture is - no matter how similar to a real person, no matter how clear or how vague – I am it.

Int:  That’s fascinating, Aazt.  Truly.  Tell me - have you done any other work our readers may be familiar with?

Aazt:  I was the collective image of the Tyrannosaurus Rex in Crichton’s, Jurassic Park.  I mean the book, of course – not the movie.

Int:  You do animals, as well?

Aazt:  Indeed.  What do you think human beings are, after all, but semi-intelligent animals confined, like all life they know, to the planet Earth?

Int:  I see.

Aazt:  Also, I was the collective image of Billy Pilgrim in Vonnegut’s, Slaughterhouse-Five; also, Heathcliff – in that Bronte woman’s, Wuthering Heights.

Int:  That’s amazing, Aazt.  Truly extraordinary.  Tell me-.

Aazt:  Oh, I assure you – it is completely ordinary.  It is only extraordinary to creatures such as yourself; a being, hopelessly lost on the physical planes.

Int:  I can only imagine how grand the universe, as you know it, is.

Aazt:  Indeed.

Int:  Tell me – what was your favorite mental image to be?

Aazt:  I cannot say, as the concept of ‘favorite’ is one I am not capable of forming.  All parts I portray are equally my favorite, just as they are equally fun, and equally challenging.  Or, equally easy, if you prefer.

Int:  Well, unfortunately, I have to end this now.  Aazt, I can’t tell you how lucky we’ve been to have this opportunity to speak with you.

Aazt:  Yes, thank you.  As I said, it is no problem for me to appear here.  I will return anytime you wish.

Int:  Thank you, Aazt, and good night.

Aazt:  If it were ever ‘good’ or ever ‘night’, thank you, yes.  Same to you, human.