There was nothing. Nothing is a lot to deal with when you
thought that there should be something. Of course something is not
quite all that it appears to be either. I am getting ahead of myself
though. There was nothing, yes but before that there was something.
In fact, there was a great deal of something. The something could
have overpowered the nothing but then we would not have a story now
would we? Course not. So there was nothing in the something, or
rather something in the nothing. There was the end and with it came
the beginning. Which beginning you ask? That does not matter. They
were all pretty much the same. They all began with nothing cause that
is the only way that anything can begin. If you have something then
you have already started.

	Who am I you ask? That is not important. What is important
rather is what I was. I was everything that begins and everything
that ends. For the sake of this story, I will just say I am the only
one who knows what is going on. I will say this because it is true.
Not everything I say will be true or even relevant. I leave it up to
you to decide which, of what I say can be trusted. The general
consensus on this seems to be none of it.

	So now we are left with the second question of your identity.
Who are you? Not something most stories ask is it? Generally, it is
deemed unimportant to know to whom the storyteller speaks, but I am a
friendly type and enjoy knowing such things. So kindly speak your
name into the book and I will add it to my files. What was that? What
are the files for? A good question really. I am sure you will have
many good questions before my story is over. Shame most of them will
never be answered, including that one. 

	Anyway, where were we? Ah yes, nothing. I am sure you do not
even know what nothing is like. We all live in a world of something,
even our nothing has substance. True nothing is, well, truly nothing.
You could not exist in a universe of nothing but then nobody could,
except me well at least back then I could. Oh and him. Who is he you
ask? Oh, he is not important. Not yet anyways. After all, we are
still talking about me. Oh very well, I suppose it is time to meet
him. He is important in this story though I never liked him much. See
all the nothing? Well no, of course you do not. He is responsible for
all the nothing you cannot see. Lord Chaos, A self titled lord of
course. Most never lived long enough in his presence to call him
anything really. I did, of course but I was not about to call him
lord of anything. Chaos, a fitting name for something that never
really existed and never really will. We should begin our story I
think, with nothing and then work to something. I think that best, so
if your papers are in order and you have whispered your name, then
let us begin.

	There was nothing. In the nothing stood something, which
disturbed the nothing a great deal. However, the something was really
a piece of nothing, so it was not all that disturbing. Chaos stood
watching the nothing, waiting for something. And something came
quickly and violently, as all things tend to do when starting with
nothing. Chaos looked around for what he knew would come. Who he knew
would come. He was right, and I joined him in the wait. The downtime
was a hassle but necessary.

	“Any word?”, he asked.

	“You hear when I do.”, I replied gazing at the sudden
something.

	Chaos snorted with impatience. That had always been one of
his main problems of course. His constant need for instant
fulfillment. Never mind how it had gained him the upper hand in so
many instances. There were times when you needed to wait. Now, was
one of those times. Something was all well and good but it was
useless without people. People were the only things that could be
used for our purposes. I regarded him. He was, as always, dressed in
the form of one of them. His tangled brown hair falling annoyingly
into his blue eyes, he wore a suit of various colors. A badge of
office, he called it. A mark of bad fashion sense, I called it. I was
startled out of my thoughts by his voice, “You are to find a
replacement yes?”, he asked.

	“I will get to it soon enough. What is important cannot be
sacrificed for something so trivial.”, I said, slightly annoyed at
him for reminding me of my unpleasant task.

	“I have won too many times. You have been ordered to-”

	“I am quite aware of my duties, Chaos, thank you very much. A
replacement will be found. You worry about your own responsibilities
and leave me to mine.”

	Before Chaos could answer, word came of people. People had
arrived in all their confusing and frustrating glory. They had
arrived with pain and sorrow, with happiness and joy. People had
arrived bringing with them hope and despair. It was, as it always
was, a glorious moment. Chaos watched for a moment longer then turned
to regard me, his present companion, “I shall miss you.”, he said and
disappeared.

	This admittedly, startled me. However, I was not about to let
him get the upper hand so soon. No, replacement or not, this time I
would win. Win what, you ask? A question I can answer, at least in
part. I shall win the game. What game? Now that I cannot answer, but
it will be clearer to you later on.

	Every game needs its pieces and people are wonderful pieces.
Controllable enough to deal with easily and rebellious enough to keep
it all interesting. I tended, like many of those before me, to
concentrate on the younger groups. Younger minds have the tendency to
be more open to what I need. So, after dealing with some of the more
boring aspects of my job I searched amongst the new shiny people. 

	After a while of searching I found some. They were
supervised, a disadvantage to me, you can be sure. I quickly took
care of that. There were always ways around the obstacles that stood
in one’s way in all this. There were methods one could use to take
care of that which was not needed, thereby freeing up the space to
work your designs. To some my methods may seem crude and somewhat
immoral but I assure you that whatever it is I do it is very
necessary. Admittedly it is often messy and awkward for those that
have to deal more directly with it and I have no doubt that it would
never make one fond of me but you must understand, what I do is
necessary. What I do is always for the better of the world. No,
rather it was for the very universe itself. I do ask you to try to
understand that fact before you go too far, before you all become too
involved.  Well, this is really where it begins so here, we shall say
good bye for a time, and I will leave you to it.