[ WP ] You 're friend keeps talking like he is breaking the `` Fourth Wall '' and you 're no longer sure he 's acting crazy .

`` I'm serious, you need to stop that now.'' 
 
 `` Good opening line. You went for the attention-grabber, I like that. Would've done it differently myself but hey, this is your story.'' 
 
 `` Who are you talking to?'' This was getting ridiculous. 
 
 He turned away from whomever he thought we was talking to and looked at me like one would look at a dumb child. I really wanted to wipe that condescending smile off of his face. Maybe a face full of hot soup would do the trick. 
 
 I knew Nate was a bit weird when I first met him, he had a reputation for talking to himself and just acting strangely in general, but I told myself I could overlook all that and make a good friend. I never thought it'd get to the point where I was just as convinced as everyone else that he was just plain fucking nuts. 
 
 `` Ouch, okay, that was a bit harsh dude. You've made it sound like you hate me, are n't you afraid the readers will get the wrong impression?'' 
 
 `` I do n't hate you. I just hate it when you do this.'' I also hated the way he seemed to read the thoughts right out of my mind. How did he pull it of? 
 
 `` Easy pal, I just read your thoughts. Also you have a typo right there, that last word is'off'. Thank me later.'' 
 
 I sighed and tried to get back to my lunch, not even trying to understand what he was going on about. 
 
 `` Do n't worry guys, this is just the mandatory denial stage. He'll be aware of the readers in a couple of lines.'' Nate said looking not quite at me, but rather somewhere just behind. 
 
 Out of bored curiosity I turned around to try and figure out where exactly he was looking at. Seeing nothing in particular I rolled my eyes and turned back to -- 
 
 There. 
 
 What was that? 
 
 I saw something, out of the corner of my eye. It looked like words. They were changing, appearing, disappearing, they kept moving. 
 
 `` Look closer,'' Nate leaned forward in his seat and almost whispered, `` and say hello.'' 
 
 I did look closer, and I recognised the words. I recognised my own thoughts just as I was thinking them. That's not all, I saw beyond the words, or rather, I saw where the words were coming from. It was n't like reading text from a screen, I was reading the reflection of text from somewhere. A deep dark hole, and beyond that a jagged surface, and beyond that a milk white sea. 
 
 Readers. 
 
 Nate smiled. I did n't see him smile, but I knew he was smiling. I could read the words describing his actions. I thought about talking to them, then realised I'd been doing it all along. This has been nothing but one big conversation with you, even if I was unaware of it, so let me start properly this time. 
 
 Hello readers, I'm sorry for thinking you were bullshit. Who would've thought the crazy kid was right in the end? I mean, you knew from the beginning, of course, but still... Ah, I can see the text ending, I'm rushing, sorry. My story is coming to an end, it's not like I have n't enjoyed narrating to you, but I kind of want to get it over with. Neither Nate nor me know what happens when it all ends, but our guess is that as long as there are readers like you we wo n't have to find out for a while. So, thanks for giving us a chance. 
 
 You can stop reading.
