“I am now going to tell a joke riffing on Abott and Costello’s ‘Who’s on first?’”

“Is that not a little overplayed at this point? It has been the better part of a century.”

“Okay, the subject is well tread, but that doesn’t mean that the source material is not still funny, that there isn’t still a joke to me made here. Do you have a problem with a joke being old?”

“It is not that it is an old joke it is tha it has become an area of its own, many focus on the repetition, but I find it is done best when the phonic skill is the focus; what you need to is a joke about the jokes.”

“So you want it to be meta? Like what you’re doing?”

“No, what I am doing is analysis, a critical view of subject. You can use my insight as a guide if you like. I’m just trying to help you here, I want to give you an idea of mine and other’s sense of humour.”

“I see, that would explain why it wasn’t funny.”

“There’s no need to get rude.”

“I’m sorry, was it supposed to be funny then?”

“No, it’s not supposed to be, I just can’t stand people getting snippy with me.”

“Well I’m not keen on being interrupted.”

“Look, I just wanted to say my piece okay.”

“Yeah, but did you have to cut me off? Maybe I would have gotten meta like you wanted, but you didn’t give me the chance.”

“I didn’t ask for it to be meta, don’t put words in my mouth”

“You implied that though, that you wanted a meta-joke and that it would the best.”

“Just because I am winning does not mean you have to start lying about me.”

“You’re winning? I don’t know how you can say that, you are the one who keeps getting offended at every little thing I say.”

“I’m not the one who’s offended, you’re the one who can’t take the smallest bit of constructive criticism.”

“I listen to my critics all the time, they love my jokes, you’re just a hater and a heckler.”

“How am I harassing you?”

“You won’t let me tell my joke.”

“You can tell your joke, I’m not stopping you, you have been free to tell it this whole time. What’s this joke then? I am looking forward to hearing it, go on…”

“Fine!”

“Fine then, out with it, I can’t wait for this.”

“…”

“What’s the holdup? I thought you wanted to tell this joke.”

“Hey! Because of your constant interuptions you made me forget it.”

“Me‽ I made you forget it? It can’t have been that good then.”

It was as if the wind and warmth of the voices were all that the dust that lined the stones of the hall ever knew. The abominable eldrich creature shambled out of the room.