"Do you remember the people from Savage Messages?" asked the voice, out of the blue.
"Just like yesterday," said Daniel. "Why?"
"They never really existed," said the voice. "I initially made about 10 people...soon they were joined in by some of my other creations, including Tiara...April was also a good writer. I first had you, Draken, as a vampire but after a while I decided not to. I had a real-life version of April born immediately - now you are replaced by someone named Darien, a creation of her own brain, and Savage Garden is now some band related to gravity."
"Will that be our fate?" asked Darren.
"That depends on April's brainpower," said the voice. "You see, everyone everywhere is a creator. Everyone has an imagination - even you. But only some people have enough power to bring their creation to life. You two were someone else's creation, but your life was mine."
"If everybody's life is just a dream image in someone else's brain, surely YOU'RE a dream too?" asked Daniel. "Maybe this is just someone's dream...the creator of Darren and Daniel talking to its subjects."
"That may be true, but that person surely has an exceptional imagination," said the voice. "For only those with superior brainpower and imagination can create creators." All this was getting into the guys' heads - it was very heady stuff, just like a tall glass of alcohol.
"Who created Draken and Darkiel then?" asked Darren.
"I have no clue," replied the voice. "Maybe you were something else totally - maybe you were twin sisters, maybe lovers, maybe not even human. Whoever created your original self must have given the opportunity to other creators to manipulate you. Maybe I created your original self, and you went through so many different changes that I didn't recognize you. Everything goes round in a circle."
"Past lives," said Darren. "Karma...circle of life...everything seems to make sense now!"
"Good, you have found some of the secret hints," said the voice. "I implanted the ideas of past lives and karma and the likes into many different religions and beliefs - maybe you have paid attention to those. But I also planted some normal hints - the fanfics and the disclaimer on the SGer."
"Savaged Gardener?" asked Daniel, referring to a magazine on the Internet.
"Close - the Savage Gardener actually," replied the voice. "I was Lauren, the editor. A while back I placed a disclaimer on the end of every issue saying all names have been changed to protect the innocent. This was true, as your names were never Darren or Daniel, and you were innocent in the sense that you didn't know anything about this change - until now."
"Great - we are now guilty of knowing," grumbled Darren.
"You know what? I just realized something," said the voice. "You guys may be acting as well...acted by another creator for another person's life!"
"We might be acting for YOU," said Darren. "Yeah...maybe we're someone else's creation sent to act in YOUR life, fooling you into thinking you created us!"
"Good thinking," said the voice. "Real good thinking. You might be right. But we'll never know until the ultimate creator steps up."
"You mean God?" asked Daniel.
"Probably - but then we are all gods in our own right," said the voice. "We are all creators, remember? We are all building imaginary worlds and imaginary lifeforms in our own mind...it has potential to be reality, yet we often call it fantasy."
"If there's a god who created us all," said Darren, "who created God?"
"Good question," said the voice. "Maybe that's the ultimate creator - the one who creates itself. We may never know for sure who that may be. I know it's not me - I didn't create everybody, and I'm sure I didn't create myself."
"Could it be possible for a creator's creation to create the creator?" asked Daniel. "For example, I create Darren, Darren creates me?"
"That would be a loop," said the voice. "But stranger things have happened in this world. Your example would be possible." Darren and Daniel started to feel weird, like they didn't belong to themselves anyone. They felt like they didn't belong to anyone, but didn't belong to no-one either. They weren't chained, but they weren't quite free either.
"Back to where we started - the truth of ourselves," said Darren. "Is it possible for us to know what will happen to us later?"
"It might, but I haven't made up my mind," said the voice. "I might kill you off. Or maybe kill you off, have a real-life version of one of my creations born, then create YOU to act for him or her. Or maybe I can get you back to your original life - Draken and Darkiel. I could even toy around with your Savage Garden life for much longer. Which do you choose?"
"I don't know," said Daniel. "I kinda like being myself NOW..."
"I agree," said Darren. "But if we have to change, we will."
"Good - I have made up my mind," said the voice. "I won't tell you what it is though. You will not remember a thing that happened. If you did, it will only be a dream."
"Before we go," said Daniel. "Who are you? You never said your name!"
"I am Lene, Leonie and Lauren," said the voice. "I am also Amila, Alkaff and Alina. Also Dan, J.A. and Jeremy. I am also Anna-Maria, Walter, Kent, Nicole, Steve, Nathan and Chris. I am also Robert, June, Tanya, Oliver and Jonathan. Also Klorgy, Danielle, Darrlina, Stanley, Rick, Bono, Anniken, Synne, Carmen and Chyna. I am everyone you have ever met and known. I am also everyone who has met and known you. Yet I am also someone else. Now go!" Darren and Daniel felt themselves fading away...to a past they've never known.
