Christopher Michaelson

Regarding Christopher Michaelson
The greatest joy I can remember from my time attending Pleasant Valley School was recess time. I eagerly awaited it because it was then that could pace about, lost in my thoughts, affectionately creating my own world and a salient character therein. This person would grow to become known as Christopher Michaelson and the world in which he lived as Pryna.

While others thrived on social interaction I was content to spend my time in a different world, enjoying Christopher Michaelson's adventures on the planet Pryna. It was my own secret society apart from the capricious and malevolent one set up by others. Yet I knew that there were teachers looking out for me. Indeed, there were some who taught me how to relate better with others. They tried to get me to stop flapping my hands, which at that time I was still doing outside. I learned the lesson well and took instead to pacing, which looked decidedly less suspicious to the outsider.

It is here that I will present Christopher Michaelson as I understand him now. He has grown over the years to become something quite unlike the man he was when I dreamt him up in primary school. Now he is a young man complete with demons and virtues. But it is on his youth that I now concentrate.

His Diaries
Unlike Sere Sothor, Michaelson kept a diary. It is considered to be an important part of the study of the Prynayan Civil war due to the import of its subject, but the writing itself isn't all that good, I must say. The young Michaelson enjoyed the company both of Sere Sothor and of Saiotas, an old professor at Minsone School, a major educational institution in the mid 42nd century Attrendian city of Cogton. In his diaries Michaelson showed an interest in discrediting the dominant ideal of the day, desoism, unmasking its solipsistic nature for the foolishness it was. I present here portions of the diary for the interested reader.

Translating Michaelson's diary, laced as it is with local slang, was a difficult task. I have done my best to preserve the spirit of the text here in its English equivalent.

Hase 22, 4262
I went and saw Saiotas again. The guy really likes talking to me even though he's a professor with the older career kids. He says he's used to talking about the stuff we talk about with kids who're ten years older than I am. I guess that's a good thing so I can't complain.
I usually meet Saiotas in the food court, where he's always drinking a “Wild Wilgar.” Today he'd finished his already when I sat down beside him.
'so what's new?'
Saiotas looked up since he was reading a textbook.
'same old' he said. 'I have to teach the course on intro to pshychotopology again this semester to the fellas upstairs.'
Psychotop's my favourite subject. They won't let me take it at my age because I haven't taken enough of the math for it yet. I think that's bullshit. I hear girls talking about it with their boyfriends all the time and it all makes sense. I know what a fucking transform is. I do them all the time. Like last night I was dreaming about the garden again. It's always the same dream. I'm there in a garden at night. There's a breeze and there's a fence all around me. It's not too spooky even though you can see the two moons covered over by the clouds so they look sort of green. And there's this cup on the ground. I reach down to pick it up and the minute my finger touches it it burns like a bitch.
When I heard about transforms I realized that my reading about Anon and Sere's revisions of Attrendian History already had my dream in them. There is a story of a prophesy of a man who will lead Attrendia to greatness. He takes up a cup in his hands. The cup represents his mission, I guess. And he drinks from it. So the transform is from him to me. But I'm still too young to lead Attrendia to greatness. But I have a dream.
'Hey man, how do you tell if a girl likes you?'
Ha ha Saiotas said. I was getting red and shit, worried that everybody around me'd hear that I'm into the first stages of my..you know..development as a man. It's so fucking embarrassing how everybody says this stuff is happening to me. I'm growing hair in places, talking lower, jacking off, good stuff like that.
'Wouldn't we all like to know!' Saiotas is a lot like me. He has a hard time with girls and he'd rather read a book. I think he just keeps his nose in his books so he doesn't have to worry about how he can't get laid. Still though if he has some knowledge I can use at my age, I'm down with that.
So Saiotas told me about how you have to look for dilations in the pupils, creases in the eyes, blushing of the cheeks, and toothy grins.
Anyway the reason I asked him was because I think Sere likes me. Actually Saiotas kind of knows I have a thing for her. He sees us hanging out all the time.

Hase 35, 4262
I talked with Sere again today. We talked desoism and how there's nobody really that believes in it any more.
'I want to write something about this some day,' she said.
'Do you always think about this kind of stuff?' I asked. She really does, I mean I've never seen anybody think about philosophy the way she does.
'Hey, it's pretty important. Do you want the government controlling what you can and can't think by telling you it's really you thinking the thoughts they're trying to get you to think?'
'You're paranoid.' I egg her on but actually I agree with her. Desoism is all bullshit. How can you really believe you're the only person who exists? I'm using the pronoun you here just to give big business the finger. Fuck you. That's right, fuck you. And it's all about trying to convince me that I know what's best for me and that what's best is what you tell me is best. So you're me and I'm you.
'No I'm not. Besides I'm not the only person who feels this way.' She's right. Most people don't talk in I's any more about other people the way they do in old novels and movies. Philosophers debate whether you exists but I don't care. It doesn't make any difference.