Fibble: The Fourth Circle of Heck (36 page)

I would like to acknowledge that I am confused by the fact that, despite honesty being supposedly so good, there are so many types of lies—everything from little-white to barefaced, which (one would assume) are in flagrant opposition to the fully-clothed-faced truth.

I would like to acknowledge that a little white lie isn’t
always
a bad thing, in that—while honesty may be a
delightful policy—without at least a few fibs, most family gatherings would probably end with police intervention.

I would like to acknowledge that, to this day, being consistently truthful is a challenge, and sometimes I fall prey to telling a lie, or—in some cases—writing a whole book of them.

I would like to acknowledge that, in closing, perhaps I missed the point of the “Acknowledgments” portion of this book.

DALE E. BASYE
(the “E” stands for “Eeeeeeeeee”) has written stories, screenplays, essays, reviews, and lies for many publications and organizations. He was—and still
is
when the price is right—an advertising copywriter, winning numerous awards for his campaigns, especially those that his clients initially feared. Dale E. Basye has also written a number of independent films, none of which you have seen. Heck,
he’s
barely seen them.

Here’s what Dale E. Basye has to say about his fourth book:

“The truth is like the dark. It can be really scary at first, but if you tread carefully and wave your arms in front of you, you actually come through it okay. Sure, sometimes you will stub your toe, but there’s a reason people say that something ‘smarts’: it’s a way—though a painful one—to learn and grow. Lies … not so much.

Lies are like a strobe light. They daze and disorient by omitting vital information but pretend not to. Heck is like that. And, no matter what anyone tells you, Heck is real. This story is real. Or as real as anything like this can be.”

Dale E. Basye lives in Portland, Oregon, in a small house that exists solely in the dream of a feral cat named Molly Ringworm that Dale is understandably wary about waking.