Idle Mist: Beneath the Surface

In Idle Mist, Ciro is the author of the Vana Espuma comicbook, and that reality is intruding into his waking life. I used a different language, exploiting the power of the static comicbook image, to develop a story that wasn't exactly parallel, but rather a twisting thread that intersected and eventually collided with the main plot line. These two are the first of at least four layers of reality addressed in the story. As reflections multiply and one world breaks into another, the rift causes the characters to question the nature of their own reality, and a chain reaction is possible but the last two layers of reality depend heavily on audience participation. As fictional characters arrive at the end of their universe and stare into the abyss, they get a chance to awaken to a reality beyond their previously limited perception, and their answer is a question directed at you: Is there a fourth wall for you to break?

The end is an existential affirmation. The characters we've gotten to know don't cease to exist, they awaken. They are forever transformed. They are like the philosopher who steps out of Plato's cave and is momentarily blinded by the brightness of the truth.

But none of this is obvious, because my story about parallel worlds and multiple perspectives wasn't meant to have one answer. Slight variations in the interpretations of particular events have led some in the audience to come up with other, perfectly valid interpretations. Most are within the realm of what I wanted to say, and it's satisfying to see the variety and cunning of some of these approaches. Even though, I feel mystery is fertile ground for discovery, I wasn't worried at the time about how implicit or explicit these ideas were on the page. I was basically enjoying myself. I enjoy being a participant in the stories I read or watch and derived enormous pleasure the works of Borges, Cortazar, Bioy Caseres, Joyce, Ionesco, Fellini, or Bergman who allow me to read between the lines, and plunge beneath the surface.