RinthCon Day 4 - Morning Staff Meeting

Paul surveyed his staff heads. They had looked bad on day two, but now they had bags under their eyes and they were slumped in their chairs. He was afraid that if he blinked they would all be asleep when he opened his eyes. “We seem to be struggling this year,” said Paul.

No one responded.

Paul felt totally alert. He had gotten plenty of rest, which depressed him. He was so consumed with this year’s problems that he was not enjoying himself at all. And that resulted in a full night’s sleep.

“Jair, did you sort out the issue with that Harry Dresden lookalike guy?”

The chief of security shook his head. “We were too busy. The Asimov panel couldn’t start because a group of weirdos in robes had taken it over and were chanting “ph'nglui mglw'nafh something-something-something. That was the only time I saw Dresden. The weirdos wouldn’t leave, but he showed up and they ran away.”

“Dresden lookalike,” said Paul, “The real Harry Dresden is fictional, as in not real and not here.”

“Whatever,” said Jair.

Finn, decked out in an elaborate light-blue dress with a matching lacy parasol, took a deep breath before speaking. “I had a long argument with a man named Carter about what it’s like to live on Mars. I told him Mars had settlements for over a century and that there were no alien races with sophisticated empires and he got very angry with me.”

“What do you think is wrong with all these cosplayers?”

“What if there is no problem with them?” asked Fin.

“Meaning what?”

“Maybe something is warping reality in some way. What then?”

Paul’s eyes unfocused as his mind raced. That would explain all their problems.

“What then?” he asked, “Then this would be the best damn sci-fi con in history!” Paul could feel the excitement building in him. Tonight he would get no sleep at all.