L3TT3RS

Before you begin to read this story I want to encourage you to sit back, relax, and most importantly, put your thinking cap on. This story is not like most books. It is completely symbolic, and it tells a true story in a different type of way. I want to to understand that I, your author, am merely playing a symbol. In other words, my description and my personality are only to symbolize something greater than myself. You may think that this story has absolutely nothing to do with you and can therefore not inspire or encourage you. But soon enough you may come to realize that everyone has been through the same type of thing that these characters have--even you. And if you haven't, you will one day. You see, the lives of the three characters in this book are somewhat normal. They eat, they drink, they sleep, they talk. They live a life that most people live. They were born just like anybody else and raised like most kids are raised. But you will come to see that these three people are caught in a strange trap. This trap causes them to make difficult decisions, but the most important decisions of their lives.

As you have already begun to notice, this book is narrated by its author. This makes it even more evident that it is under complete control of yours truly. Does that mean that I can do whatever I want whenever I want to whomever I want? Yes, it does. I have created this book and this story all on my own. Eventually, the stories of these characters will end as soon as I deem necessary. I decided today that I would write about them and bring them to life (at least in most people's imaginations) and hopefully you are willing to read on.

Before we get to character introductions, I want to make something clear to you: I, your narrator, am planning on messing with their minds. I will send them each one letter and inside those letters they will see things that will trouble their minds, confuse them, and more than likely lead them on one of three paths. This book has a lot to do with a particular number that I believe is vitally important. I believe that in time you will realize what this number is.

I have one more thing to say. It is more like a favor, really. I want you to promise me that you will search for this number. I also want you to try and figure out which character has also found this number out. One will go too low. The other will be closer but still incorrect. Another will discover this special number and be victorious.

Now that I have made these imperative announcements, I can commence our story:

Let's begin with our youngest character, Pearl. She was just a young child and she was sweet and kind and loving. She was born in the United States of America and loved her country very much. Quite often she would play in her backyard with her dog Lucky, enjoying the sunlight and the exercise. Needless to say, she was an extremely active young tot, not surprising for most kids her age. She had just turned seven and was proud. Three years ago she told her mother that once she reached seven years old, she was going to be exactly the same. Her mother asked her why seven and not seventeen or seventy-seven. Pearl simply replied that seven was closer, and at that age she would think that in three more years, she would not be any different, and three years after that she would think the same. Then her mother would ask why she thought she would be the same forever. Pearl replied, every time, that staying innocent like a child was extremely important. Well, this wisdom, for lack of another word, thought her mother, was rather odd for such a young girl. But Pearl had always been surprisingly intelligent. I do not mean to give you such a beautiful picture of this girl without also telling you what she did that was naughty. Pearl was not very fond of obeying her mom and dad. She liked to do what she liked to do, like most little girls. She could be sweet at times, but not without a price. Her sweetness mainly came from her happiness. In other words, when Pearl was not happy, she acted up. She would scream and yell and fight. She would cry and beg for attention at times when she really did not need it. She would complain. She would have disgusting table manners and barely finish her meals before she cried some more. If I continued to go on about the bad things she did, you would be absolutely appalled. But, on the other hand, if I were to know as much as I do about Pearl about you, I could make you look so rotten and hideous, you would go to bed crying your eyes out and soaking your pillow until it becomes soggier than a kitchen sponge. We all have things we are ashamed of, and none of us can say we are completely perfect. We may appear so, as Pearl did at the beginning of this paragraph, but in the end we are all just about as perfect as shattered glass.

Then again, if I spoke only of the good things you or Pearl have done, you would appear as heavenly angels who want nothing more than to make peace with the world (if you, of course, have done enough good to appear that way...). So it all comes down to this: we can all go good, we can all act good, we can all smile and dance and act like all is well. But the truth of the matter is, there is no cover up for our true selves. We are all covered in dirt and no amount of rain could wash it all away, whether we stand in the middle of a pouring storm or not.

So now that all of that is out of the way, I will get to the part where Pearl got my letter. You must understand that I created Pearl, and so I can do whatever I want with her. I mean, you already know that she is spoiled rotten. She could even go against this very story and shout at me in the middle of a paragraph telling me she hated me. But even so, I will be gracious. I still have something to tell her before I end her story. I have decided to tell her something she had never thought about before. I wrote it out, clear and understandable, in my own words. All she had to do was open up the message I had sent to her to see the truth.

The letter was labeled with her name. Only this and nothing more. So, naturally, she opened the intriguing letter up and began to read:

"Dear Pearl,

I would like to first ask you a few questions:
1) Do you realize that the world around you is so incredible and so impossibly magnificent that there has to be a brilliant mind behind it?
2) Do you know that I know all about you, because I made you myself, and I made you for a purpose?
3) Are you willing to embark on the most important journey of your life? "

That was it. Just three questions, written out simply and plainly. Well, of course, these questions got Pearl thinking.

"Well, now that I think about it," She said, in her small, squeaky voice, "this world is spectacular. I believe that something must be under control of this whole place...and my whole life as well..." She looked back at the letter to question two, "I did not know that this person who wrote this letter knows all about me. Who is this mysterious being? Do I know this person? Can I?" Once again, she looked back at the letter, "Well, this has gotten me curious. I suppose that this journey will tell me who the person who wrote this letter is..."

Sneaky, aren't I? Not leaving a signature at the end was one of the most important parts. You see, I wanted Pearl to discover whether or not she trusted this unseen, unheard person who has spoken to her through nothing, so far, but a letter. It seems to me, and hopefully to you, that she was not afraid to believe my words. This is the first sign of an everlasting trust that she may or may not have towards me.

Before I get to the part where Pearl starts on her adventure, I am going to introduce to you two more characters, so that they can all be on the same page (pun definitely intended).

The next character I have created is named Ebony. She was stunningly beautiful and everyone knew it. She was popular at school and at work. She was thin and tall, with gorgeous blue sparkling eyes and an adorable little nose. She had plump pink lips and pearly white teeth. Her hair was shiny and dark, dark black. It reached her shoulders and then began to spiral a bit at the ends, reaching a little bit further down. She had an appearance any girl would die for. All the boys obsessed over Ebony. Once she turned seventeen, however, she decided to give up on dating and turn more towards the goals of her own life. She did not want to get married (because having kids would ruin her figure, of course). She wanted to perhaps pursue fashion and/or modeling. If that did not work out (which she could not imagine why it would not), she would work at a salon. It is not an exaggeration to say that Ebony was completely obsessed with herself. But, then again, what wasn't there to love?

However, just like Pearl, Ebony also had her flaws. She was stubborn, lazy, selfish and--just think of that girl at school that everyone is jealous of, but whose personality is so incredibly horrible that is hard (for you anyway) to understand why anyone would even step one toe near her.

Now now, don't get impatient. I already sent the letter and she already received it. It asked the same questions as the other one did to Pearl. Her answers were a bit similar, but they had a few differences. Let's see what she said, shall we?

"Ok, well I do realize that someone had to have made me so gorgeous, but I think I am just lucky like that." Her scratchy, high-pitched voice echoed a bit in her bathroom as she sat in front of the mirror, reading her letter. "Whoever wrote this note knows all about me? Must be some stalker boy from school. If its anyone else, I really don't care. I mean, there's no such thing as anyone better than me..." She snorted a bit at the idea. She scrunched up her nose, cutely, and read the last question. "A journey? Hey, why not? Maybe I'll find a beauty school on the way."

Notice anything? Well, if not I'll make it clearer for you. She was not curious at all. She was pretty much only thinking about herself the whole time. Are you wondering if her journey will be just like Pearl's, or perhaps different, due to her different attitude? You'll just have to wait and see, because there is one more character left to describe.

Jack was about the same age as Ebony, but they had never met of course. None of these characters have. He went to school, just like any other kid, and studied and did his homework and had friends and family. His life was actually not all that bad. He quite enjoyed it actually. Jack loved his life. His flaws were just like anyone else's. He had weaknesses, such as video games, skateboarding, etcetera. Sometimes, he could not help but just hop on the couch and shoot a few animated soldiers, or run to the skate park and roll around all day. One of his worst weaknesses was that he would sometimes swear. He had a hard time not doing so around his friends, because it made him look "lame" if he didn't. But other than that, he was a pretty good kid.There is one peculiar thing about Jack that you may not have guessed about any of them. He knows that I exist. He knows that I have created him inside this intricate story. He does not know, or believe, for that matter, that there are others that help me. I have not created them, nor have I made them up. They are in my world, which did not begin with a narration. It is a different world from theirs.

I know that I have not yet told you that with me, and in me, there are two others. My imagination, and, the me that has been placed into this story. It may be a little confusing at first, so I will explain it carefully. I am outside of this book, yet I am also within it. How else would I be able to access their mailboxes and give them those letters? Of course, since this story is written in the past tense, that has all ended. But I am still here, and so is the other me. The other me sits beside me, while my imagination is within me and will soon be within one of the characters in this book. Right now, none of them think the way I do, because their personalities are so different from mine. After they go on their journey, only one of them will chose to accept that they have been created by me, have been brought to where they arrived because of my messenger, who is also me, and will eventually begin to think like me. I will reward this person with my imagination, my thoughts, my ideas, my way of seeing the world and dealing with certain situations. It is unfortunate, however, that the other two characters will choose a different path. I had this huge plan, and I am under complete control of it for all of them. But I have done one thing that no other author has ever done before. I have given my characters something I like to call "free will".

Despite the fact that I have made these characters myself, they have made choices and will continue to make choices that I did not wish to occur. I have allowed these characters to live their lives freely and to make their choices by what they believe in their hearts is what they truly want. I will not, in this book, force any of these characters to go in a direction that I want the most. I am allowing them to tell me, their author, which way they truly wish to follow. This is called free will, and it is a privilege, not a curse. These characters will chose what they want. They were not forced nor bribed. Only convinced that one direction is what their hearts and souls truly desire most.