7:22
Ah, intermission. Or … Well, what do they call it in books? An interruptus? Interlingua? Intertexuality? Maybe a caesura … no, that just sounds awful. Narrative delay? No, that’s just pretentious and annoying. Let’s see, how about … yes … a Dramatic Pause!

So, shall we pause dramatically? Shall we interrupt the flow of narrative once more and examine our reasons for this grand project? Shall we recap and review, retake and reconsider? Shall we? Shall we?

Ah, such is the role and glory of the narrator: to create such moments and gather the collective breaths of readers one and all in the palm of my hand and to slowly, so slowly, allow them to exhale; to breathe at my will for the very soul of the story’s flow, for the fleeting, momentary, exquisite pleasure that comes from a well-paced narrative. Yes, such is the great burden that I bear for the sake of you, my readers.

And I remember. I too was once a mere reader, caught up in the web of some author’s whim. I too experienced the rhapsody of intricate pacing and methodically played-out moments. I remember and thus I bring to you all the joy and wonder that is in my grasp to give, and I bid you take in my tale and experience the sweetness of the wind that I evoke from the plain and simple words before you.

Breathe!