Big data in Marketing (not finished)

A few days ago I was asked to write a few ideas about “Big data” for a workshop our team had. I have to confess it was quite difficult to get use to the idea of writing a paper on a concept I always try to avoid mention it.

I would say it is not the fear of a new concept that force me to avoid mention the concept “Big data”, but is the fact that “Big data” has a different meaning for different people. I am afraid that talking about “Big data” in social science hides the fact that even with new technologies and data sets, we are still limited very limited in what we can conclude with these new data sets and technologies. I the this post (which I is not complete)I try to present a new definition of “Big data” that is more suitable for economics and marketing.

Does Big data really exist?

It is certainly true that with the Internet, new data sets are now available, and with them new computational costs have emerged. We can see these costs as the price to use these new data sets to test social hypothesis that were impossible to test before. Moreover, these data sets provide us with new information that was not known before.

According to Wikipedia “Big data” is the term for a collection of data sets so large and complex that it becomes difficult to process using on-hand database management tools or traditional data processing applications. This and any definition that defines “Big data” with the concept of supercomputers has the big disadvantage that it is time and spatial dependent. What is big data in 28-04-2014 in Zurich may not be “Big data” in two months, or in another latitude. Another disadvantage for marketers and economists is that we are not interested in computational problems, but we are interested on what the data can tell us. Therefore, we will stop the discussion of the idea “Big data” which is based on “computability” and we focus on the viability of the concept of “Big data” as a sort of data that allows you to make new conclusions. This does not mean that we neglect the computationally challenged that these data sets have. However, we think that in order to make the concept of “Big data” meaningful, we have to restrict the definition in a way that is useful for marketers, economists and policy makers.

If Big data exists, what is it?

The first words, or better say letters, that come to my mind when I see the word big are N and . The second thought that comes to my mind is “Determine the number of observations, N, (or iterations) needed to have an approximation …with an error term bounded by ”.  A simple example is to approximate the “approval rating of Barack Obama”. In this case we can ask a random number of individuals in the US and use their answers as an approximation of the “approval rating of Barack Obama”. If we could take a sample “large enough”, then we could “conclude” that our “approximation is good”.

Here “large enough” and “good approximation” are observer and question dependent, while “conclude” is also observer dependent.  For the sake of simplicity let us assume that we have agreed on what a good approximation is, i.e. our estimator and the parameter differ at most by . In this case, we are only concern with the meaning of “large enough”.

Clearly in our example, a large number, N, has to be defined as one that when we collect a sample with N or more observations our approximation will be no more than  close to the true value.

A problem that emerges in social sciences is that our conclusions are always surrounded by uncertainty.

Therefore, if we agree that “Big data” is “large number observations that allows us to make new social inference”, we also have to agree that “Big data” is observer and question dependent. Let us illustrate the problem dependency with the following question “What are the network structures emerge in online games platforms?”

In an hypothetical case where we collect the data from an online game platform with millions of users and billions of interactions, we could hypothetically know all the network structure in this platform (we only have computational limitations). Unfortunately, for many network structures we have only one observation even with the millions of observations we collected, and therefore the “Big data” is reduced to only one observation. For instance, there is only one biggest connected component, maximal clique, etc. in a network.

Another path that can be follow with new data sets, such as the one collected in online communities like Facebook or Twitter, is the emergence of asymptotic properties. There has been plenty research in this direction for random graph models. For instance, what is the size of the biggest connected component. However, we have to be aware that these models are not a good approximation for many social networks.

What are the “Big data” challenged for the coming years?

It is of course pedant to try to predict the new challenges for “Big data” in the coming years, but we think that there are a few challenges that have to be addressed if we want to exploit “Big data” as much as possible.

First, with the advent of the power of computer simulations and new data sets, the wording of conclusions has been put in the backyard. There has not been clear separations between what is being meant by shown, proved, conclude, and infer. This is understandable, since even in the statistical and logical community there has not been an agreement on how to best define those words.

There are a large number of physical models that have open their path in social science, but we see little penetration of other important ideas such as impossibility theorems, incompleteness theorems, the possibility of many logical systems, the disagreement in the statistical community of what can be conclude from the data, not even the new problem of what can be conclude from a computer simulation.

The number of research on social networks has grown exponentially in recent years; today we not only observe computer simulations but also empirical studies on social platforms like Twitter or Facebook. Unfortunately, many of those studies create arbitrary rules of inference that allow them to conclude astonishing claims, which are for others difficult to believe.

Thus we believe that in the future, new research on “Big data” will be more careful on “wording” their results.

La momia y Silvia

Parte 1.
La otra noche soñé con una momia…oh, pero que pena tuve al no poder imaginarme callejones donde, ni gente que asustar.  Una triste criatura envuelta en papel higiénico bajo la noche eterna de mi sueno de aquella noche. Que desgracia imaginarme tan triste criatura, desolada en un mundo iluminado solo por sus dos ojos rojos . Su largo sollozo era lo único que se escuchaba por horas en este vacío llamado sueño.

-Yo siendo príncipe en un cuentos de hadas, rey en poemas romanos y hasta un Dios en canciones aztecas. Vedme aquí,  engañado- sollozaba la momia- donde están las aventuras, los tesoros y la moral de esta historia. Yo que he reinado en la tierra donde los montes son panques de chocolate cubiertos con azúcar glas, donde los ríos son aguas de sandia, tamarindo y jamaica.  Yo que con mi dulce cantos logre vencer al Dios de la lluvia. Vedme aquí convertido en esta horrible criatura, llamada momia…

 Que inmensa pena tuve al ver a mi personaje sufrir por la falta de imaginación que tuve aquella noche. Terrible vergüenza me embriago al saber las sublimes hazañas que mi pobre momia tuvo en otras historias y yo sin nada que ofrecerle.

-Si tan solo arriba de mi hubiera una luna que me diera luz, una puerta con la que pudiera soñar salir de este terrible sueño,- se quejaba  la momia-soñar poder salir de este sueño, imaginarme que en mis manos esta el poder salir de esta horrible pesadilla. Imploro piedad al dueño de este sueño, misericordia a este humilde viajante de historias.

Pero que podía hacer yo, imaginarme una luna y una puerta tan solo para mentirle y hacerle creer que podría escapar de mi pobre sueño? Si hubiese sido tan fácil, lo hubiera hecho, pero no podía. No podía mentirle y hacerle creer que podía escapar. No podía darle una dulce mentira y hacerle creer que detrás de una puerta se encontraban los tesoros y las aventuras que tanto buscaba.  Por mas pobre que mi imaginación fuera, por mas dolor que este vacío le causara a mi momia, la mentira y la esperanza seria peor.

Horrible pesadilla de la que yo no podía despertar,  mis manos cubrían mi rostro lleno de vergüenza por la situación a la que yo había metido a mi momia. “Despiértate, despiértate esto no es mas que una horrible pesadilla” me murmuraba una y otra vez, pero mis ojos y mi cuerpo no me dejaban.

Mis pensamientos me impidieron darme cuenta como de la nada apareció un libro  en las manos de la momia. Curioso leía el titulo, Silvia. Una sonrisa se ilumino en su rostro al leer la primera pagina, una risa soltó al pasar a la segunda y una inmensa felicidad corrió por sus venas al pasar a la tercera pagina. “Dios mío!!” pensé, seria posible que mi propia momia tuviera en sus manos uno de mis mas grandes secretos.  Que en medio de mis preocupaciones haya puesto en sus manos un cuento incompleto que jamás debió leerse.

-Y sus ojos cafés de ratoncita coqueta bajan del Tram,-leía la momia- dos muchachos contemplaban su sonrisa que iluminaba Bucheggplatz.

-Que bonita-dijo uno de los muchachos al otro.

-Ojos tan bellos no había visto nunca en mi vida-replico el otro-esa mirada, esos labios color fresa, esos cabellos que juegan con esta brisa solo pueden ser de un angel.

-Sera este libro la salvación de este sueño?- se pregunto la momia en voz alta mientras leía.

-Y la gente se preguntaba si aquel rostro angelical era el de un ángel o una Diosa-continuo leyendo

Mis mas grandes secretos eran descubiertos por esta horrible creatura, por un pedazo de carne envuelto en papel higiénico que no era mas que un producto de mi imaginación,un títere de mis pensamientos que desaparecería que tan solo desearlo.

-Yo que he sido príncipe, rey y Dios en otras historias jamás creí que pudiera haber tanta felicidad en una tierra donde no hay nada, siendo  un personaje sin libreto y de horrible rostro. Pero he aquí, en este libro la razón por la que he sido creado. Que rey de cuento de hadas no daría su reino por ser un humilde personaje en un cuento para Silvia, y que no darían los Dioses por ser quien le cante a Silvia la historia escrita en este libro.

Yo quiero ser aquel héroe que todos envidian en los cuentos de hadas. Aquel que sin salir del cuento puede cambiar el mundo real, aquel que con sus palabras da felicidad y alegrías en el otro mundo.

“Que absurdas ideas tenia que escuchar” , pensé.

-No son ningunas tonterías las que digo,-exclamo la momia-piénsalo bien. Yo, que en otras historias fui poemas y cantos, tengo la experiencia para contar estos secretos. No necesito ser príncipe para decirle que no hay ojos mas lindos en la tierra linda que los ojos coquetos que tiene Silvia. Que en las noches que duerme las golondrinas vuelan  hacia el bacón de su casa a cantarle las mañanitas en las tibias mañanas. Y cuando abre su lindos ojitos el cielo suspira, las golondrinas cantan y el sol le sonríe…Deja que sea yo el que le de vida a estas bellas palabras, permíteme tener vida en un cuento de este sueño raro.  Que felicidad me daría poder decirle a la hermosa Silvia los secretos de este bello libro.

Jamás en toda mi vida había tenido un sueño tan singular, tampoco había escuchado de alguien que hubiese soñado algo como esto. Pero por mas locas que sonaran sus ideas, me resultaba imposible decirle que no. Como decirle que no un personaje de un sueño donde no he imaginado absolutamente nada? Y fue en esas dudas que un pensamiento se me resbalo de mi cabeza y fue cayendo como una pluma blanca por el obscuro sueño.

-Gracias, gracias-tartamudeo la momia al ver a la pluma caer en sus manos- gracias, por ofrecerme esta historia…


Parte 2
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Zürich nightmare

A storm causes a power cut. Your room is dark, and quiet. The scary silence in your house is broken when the cold wind lashes the window on your left. “My sons, my sons, all where my sons” a woman voice howls outside. You hear steps on the corridor; they stop behind the door. The door creaks and an uncontrollable dread shakes your body. You can hear the beats of your heart.
-”Who...who’s there?”, you stammer…
A lightning illuminates your room for an instance, and a women shadow stands behind you
-”my sons, my sons…”, the voice vanishes...

If you expect me to continue, I won’t. I refuse to write a scary story. This is intended to be a love story, and this is what it will be. I confess, I choose a misleading title. I’m really sorry, if you are in the mood for a condemned soul walking through the corridors of your house. I apologize for those who read my story in the middle of the night, believing they would have horrible nightmares. Laments won’t wake you up after reading my story, not even a skinny demon will haunt you in your dreams. This is one hundred percent a love story, full of joy, and feelings.  A rainbow will color the sky while you read this lovely story about a couple chattering on a bench at Zurichsee. A Mockingbird will fly through your dreams and sing this story just for you...
Well, this was my intention, but there is a little problem. Not only readers where confused with the title.  It turns out that a mummy thought this was a scary tale too. He came to main station at 11:15 a.m. and since then he's been walking through my imaginary streets, going to restaurants, and what is worse, he already ordered food. He graciously took his hat off before he entered in Nordsee restaurant.
-”Can I have a Viking baguette?,” he politely asked
The waitress glanced at him, she was petrified. Four woman eating and drinking screamed, they ran away, leaving a baby behind... A two meters tall man sitting alone cried like a baby. “I’m too young to die”, he stammered “I’m too young to die”.



 A child was picking his nose while he and his mother waited for the tram in Bellevue. “Stop it!”, his mother ordered.  A white fog bank came slowly from Zürich Lake. Minute by minute, everything was covered by a white darkness. A freezing breeze played with the fog forming imaginary creatures. Four white man rose and decayed from nowhere. The boy kept picking his nose, but the mother couldn't see him. He made faces to her mother, and stuck out his tongue. Two man wearing pinstripe suits hurried to their office and crashed, ouch :S. Horrible white darkness!!!
In the distance a bell tolled, the tram was coming.  The doors opened, and nobody got off.  The mother hesitated for seconds.
-”Get on”, she finally said.
A cold wind closed the door behind them.
-”Why is nobody in the tram, mommy?”, the boy asked
-”Sit here”, she stammered and the boy sat in the last row next to the window.
She held his cold left hand. They listened to voices. An old man laugh came from nowhere “Jajajaja”
-”Come and play with me”, a girl voice tempted the boy, “Come and play…”
They jumped from their seat when seven ravens appeared from nowhere and their big deadly beak hit the windows.
-”Close that window!!”, the boy screamed and pointed out to his left. She hurried before a black raven with red eyes got on.  The  stroke of the raven broke the window, and the red eyed raven felt down. The noise scared the other six.
The bank fog went slowly away while the tram arrived at Bürkliplatz. A dark shadow sitting four seats in front of them stood up, and looked at them.
-”BOO”
-”Aahhh!!!!!!!!!,” they got off the tram, they ran as fast as they could.
-”Mommy, mommy wait for me”, the kid cried :'(
  A deformed, cheerful mummy got off, too.  He was wrapped with old, yellow strips of linen. His nose and ears were completely covered. A narrow piece of flesh was all what maintained his left arm fasten to his body. You could even see a broken bone.  The mummy had a left red eye, and a hole instead of his right eye. Henry walked towards the Lake. In every move a gray dust emerged from his death body, flowers wither all around. Everything lost its color. Ravens flew, and perched on streetlamps.

Oh terrible muses tell me how can I write a love tale, when a mummy is scaring my imaginary folk?  Where does love goes in a world with a mummy roaming all around? Where is beauty when a child keeps picking his nose all the time?


Two lovebirds sitting on a bench looked at two swans swimming on Zürich Lake.
-”Wasn’t it lovely? Playing hide and seek in the white darkness. What a joy having you around, covered by a loving fog.”, he said and continued, “My darling, look at the small gray stone over there. I will pick it up, and climb the rainbow till I reach the sun. I will extend my hand to the ring of fire, five minutes my hand will burn, and at the end you will have a diamond. My left hand will catch fifteen stars, and I will make you a shiny collar. Nothing will be brighter, except your face. “
-”Oh my dear, if you knew what I’m thinking, you would explode in joy.“, she shyly said
-”Oh, but I know “
Marcus began to play with Adela's fingers, and her cheeks flushed. :o. Meanwhile a pretty young woman wearing blue jeans and a yellow blouse passed with her dog.
-”Come on boy”, the pretty girl ordered, but the disobedient Dalmatian ran towards Adela. Adela let Marcus' finger go, and she caresses the Dalmatian.
-”Ushh, ussh”, Marcus scared him away. The dog barked, and ran towards the pretty girl.
-”Come on boy”
-”Why don't we go a buy an ice cream?” Adela asked.
-”No I can't. You know I will catch a flue if I eat ice cream...”
“Why don't we go to the cinema? We could see Gone with the wind. ”
-”But it's too far and I don't know where the movie is exhibited”
-”We can go to Kino Arthouse Le Paris. It’s only five minutes walking.” She responded.
-”Mmmm...I don't really want to go. Why don't we stay here for a while...”
-”No!!!” “I don't want to stay here any longer. We came to see the rainbow, take some photos and then have dinner. We haven't done anything of that.”
-”So let's wait a little longer, maybe the rainbow will appear later.”
-”It won't!! It's not raining. ”
-”It doesn't matter we have to stay here. If we go, maybe we will miss something. I have the feeling that something great is going to happen here. ”
-”No, I don't want to wait any more. ”
She stood up, and he held her right arm.
-”Don’t go…”, he said and before he could continue talking the flowers around them wither; the two playful swans flew away and a Wind lifted her green dress :O. A scary woman ran as if the devil was behind her, and a crybaby ran after her.
-“Wait for me, mommy!!”, the crybaby screamed.
With confused eyes, both looked toward Bürkliplatz, and to the deformed creature that was coming closer to them. He stood up, and hesitated for a moment.
-”What is doing that thing in our love story?”, He murmured and rubbed his eyes.  Bemused by several seconds, he reacted after Henry stood one meter before him.
He tackled Henry, and both fell down. Marcus hit Henry on the stomach and he shouted of pain. Marcus hit one, two, three times on Henry's face and the defenseless Henry could only scream. :s

-“Stop right now, Marcus, you’re hurting him!!”  Adela demanded while Marcus punched Henry on the face for the last time.
-”I’m saving you from this creature…”
-”Stop it!! I tell you, you’re not saving me from him!!!”, she angrily interrupted him.
Marcus stood up, glanced at her and looked ashamed to the ground. She came close to Henry and gave him a hand.
-”You have to excuse us, we have never seemed someone like…em...em”
-”A mummy?” He said and took her hand “I’m so sorry to scary you…you are a strong guy, nobody had ever hit me so hard… by the way, my name is Henry…What’s your name?” Henry extended his hand to Marcus, but he kept his head down, confused on Adela's complain. Adela and Henry shook hands.
“My name is Adela!” she excitedly said “and he is my fiancé Marcus…sorry, it is a huge shock to see you...I don't know what...what to say…what brought you here?...”
-”I was looking for a job. I read the title of this story, and thought this might be a good scary story so I came here.... This is not a scary tale…is it?” Henry confusedly asked.
-”No, I suppose not...though, the red eyed ravens over there look kind of scary…or creepy? Anyway, I don’t know where they came from. Yesterday, white doves were flying and singing love songs…Today we came to the lake to see the huge rainbow imagined just for us…well, this was our intention, but then the fog came and we couldn’t see anything…I suppose you and the ravens came with the fog??”
- “I don’t know about the ravens, but I came by train.”
-“...of course” she laughed, ”how silly of mine to think that you came with the fog!”
-“tell me what is so special about the huge rainbow?” Henry curiously asked.
-“OOhh!! It’s our day!! Today, the author is writing our love story!! Haven’t you read the script Two love birds sat on a bench…?” He shook his head in denial “ahh…It’s a pity, the author is not really good, so our story is not popular…but I swear we are great lovers. You should have come yesterday, when the author imagined this world for us!! It was so great, imaginary people came from nowhere, doves sang loves songs all day long...Do you remember the white Unicorn, Marcus?” She waited for Marcus to answer, but he thoughtful kept looking to the ground. “Anyway, the problem was that the author didn’t know how to continue this love story with a unicorn, thus the unicorn stayed a few hours in this world and then the author decided that the unicorn was not going to be part of the story, so the unicorn disappeared...there was also a bad witch, but thankfully she disappeared before she knew how to use her powers. It was really funny to see her trying to use her powers, but nothing never happen… I think the whole problem is that the author began to write before thinking. I think I have talked to much about myself. Now, tell me about you. Who imagined you!? Have you been in many stories!?, Adela excitedly asked.
-“mm…uhh…I'm quite old as you can see, and I don't remember when or who imagined me. I have been in so many stories that I don't remember most of them. Tales, novels, movies...recently I have appeared in YouTube videos. There are so many people looking for mummies, and all kind of mythical creatures. Also for beautiful creatures, like you…” Adela flushed with embarrassment , but Henry continued as nothing “You wouldn’t guess how many offers I have had in the last couple of days. Unfortunately, most of the time there is no story behind those videos. There are just cover songs, filled with a bunch of pictures. It’s not the kind of job I like. I'm more the artistic guy, I mean I used to work in artistic movies. I played in Santos vs. Guanajuato’s movies...”

-”This is a love story, this is a love story...you are ruining everything” Marcus murmured,  clenched his fist and his angry face flushed “You don't have any right to be here, you don't belong in this story” Marcus raised his head and gave a menacing look. Adela crossed his way before he could hit Henry.
-”Stop being an arsehole!!” She screamed at Marcus and softly asked to Henry ”Why don’t we walk and leave some people behind?
-”Probably, that's the best idea you have had” Marcus angrily said.
 She took her orange purse and the cool breeze caresses her long green dress while they walked toward the tram station and Marcus stand beneath the lantern.

“Reloj deten tu camino, porque mi vida se apaga, ella es la estrella que alumbra mi ser” a voice coming from above sang “yo sin su amor no soy nada...”

-”I’m really sorry; I shouldn’t have come to your love story. Your fiancée is pretty angry at me and I ruined your love story…”
-”No, don't be sorry. I begin to believe this is not really a love story. I think the author hasn’t figured it out what this story is about.” Adela said “It's hard for me to accept this fact, but I don't think we were meant to each other. Yes, it's true I know him since the day I was created, but I was imagined two days ago!! Yes, he created me to live happy ever after besides him, but what if I don't do what he writes I have to do.”
-”Oh don't say that, I feel bad. Your are just saying that because you had a small fight with him, but you see that tomorrow everything will be okay...”
-”Don't you know!? “she surprisingly asked ”There is no tomorrow in this story, it will end tonight and what ever happens today...”
Henry looked at Adela's face and waited for her to finish, but she didn't know what to say.
-”Why don't you go back with him and pretend I'm not here?” he asked “I'm pretty sure he will forget everything and you will too. There was no reason to fight over me. I'm not a character of this story, in a way I don't even exist...and in fact I'm not even alive...I don't understand why are you here if this is supposed to be your love story...I mean this is your love!!” he corrected.
 -”Marcus has never had own ideas.” She responded “He’s just a copy of others. A repetition of every song, picture, movie, book the author has listened, watched and read. Which is quite narrow by the way. He has not a personality, he will never try something new, he always follows what the author demands to do. ”
-”Although, it’s true what you say. I don’t think you can blame him for being like that. I’ve got the impression ever since I came to this story that the author, as you said, has a narrow understanding of arts and science. He can’t have ideas of his own. He has never read the work of Paul Sartre, Luigi Pirandello, Arthur Miller or Luis Borges. How do you expect him to develop a complicated character? You can't blame Marcus for being the way he is, it's his fate to be like that.“
-”No, it's not true. We are independent from the author mind at the moment we refuse to say the lines he gives to us.  I know the author has not deep thoughts; however, we’re discussing the meaning of our existence, the essence of wisdom in this Fairyland. I am challenging the whole story by refusing to go back with Marcus...I rather spend the end of the story with you. I don't want to go back with him!!”  she angrily said.
-”It might sound silly, but do you know where we are?”  Henry asked trying to shift Adela's anger.
-”I don't know” she surprisingly said “I don't know”
-”I've been in many stories, but this is the first one where the author forgot to mention where we are. How is the reader supposed to know where we are? We've been walking for a while, don't we?” he laughed

Orange, red rays illuminated the sky for the last time, two lonely clouds burned in red. The sun disappeared in Uetliberg and warm breeze played with falling leafs and Adela's dress. Black birds sang melancholic love songs. Adela and Henry stopped nearby Coop City, in the lonely Bahnhofstrasse while they tried to figured out where they were.
-”I recognize here!! We are in Bahnhofstrasse!!” she excitedly said.

Adela shivered. Two black button eyes looked at her from inside a window shop. A sad rag doll with crystal tears glued on her cheeks glinted in the blue light.  Henry headed towards the window, and stopped before her. His cadaver was reflected on the window. Adela stood behind him, and embraces him.
“I talked to her yesterday, her name is Susanna. Lovely, she still has her lovely blue dress and black shoes. She was a good friend of mine until...you know ” she said with a broken voice “there was no place to her in the tale and became a doll...” she held tight Henry and continued”ooh, I shouldn’t be talking about sad thing. Let us enjoy the moment and let’s do something you have never done in another story. Let’s dance with the ravens' song”

“Amor amor nacio de ti, nacio de mi, de la esperanza.  Amor, amor, amor dulce amor. Nacio de Dios para los dos. ....” the ravens sang while they softly dance.
“Do you speak Spanish, Henry?”
-”Yes” he responded and tried not step on Adela's shoes  “why do you ask?”
-”It's just that I would like to know what the ravens sing, tell me what they sing, Henry…no…don’t tell me, don’t destroy the magic.
-“sentir que tus besos se anidaron en mi, igual que dos palomas mensajeras de luz…”
-  “I think this is night was created for us, don't you? Ravens are singing, your eyes are sparkling beneath the darkness sky. I would kiss you, but...I'm sorry...you smell ” she murmured in his left ear.
-”Sorry, this is the way I am”


-”I begin to think I was meant to meet you. Thanks”
-”Why?”
-”It really means a lot that you came to this silly story.” she smiled “now, everything makes more sense.”

-“...saber que mis labios se quearon en ti. Haciendo en tus labios la segnal de la cruz“

 “Come, follow me. Take my hand I will show you something” Henry said and she took his hand “I will take you to HB...by the way, you will have to describe what we see throughout the street, because the author won't do it.”
-”I see close shops, I see an empty tram coming in the opposite direction to us.” she laughed “don't go to fast, your arm is gonna break!!”
-”Don't worry, if it falls, just lift it up!!”
-”I see an old guy hiding behind the trash..hahaha!!, he seems afraid from you. Hi, old guy!!! Don't be afraid of him, he's my boyfriend” she laughed her head off.
-”oh...I see him” he whispered. “hello, old fellow. Don't worry I'm not gonna eat you, I have better things to do”
  “I see a close chocolate shop, damn!!... I see HB...wait, we have to stop, because we have red.” she ordered and then sweetly asked “where are we going?”





-“The story is coming to an end.”  He said “It has been a pleasure to meet you and I don’t want to go without you. Why don’t we take any train and leave? Choose any story you like and I will follow you. You will laugh at YouTube videos, at silly stories created by bored people. Would you like to appear in a video of calle 13 and be seen by million of people in YouTube? Become a cultural icon; don't let this story ruin your life. Take my hand, and let mess another story!!“

She took a deep breath and said  “I don't know what to say. I have enjoyed every minute I have spent with you...buuu but go going with youu” she stammered “ ...ssweet dreams are you drawing in my mind, but I can't go. This has been a big mmi mistake. I haven't thought clearly, you you were right. I have to go back with Marcus. Probably, he’s knocking at my apartment or walking somewhere looking for me. He has nobody in this world except me...”
-Will you stay in this world?” he interrupted “Look above. See the darkness, no stars, no moon, no ceiling, nothing. The author forgot to imagine them. The story is coming to an end, look around you everyone is leaving, there is not much left in this story. Do you know what will happen when the story finish?
-”No I don’t know what will happen afterwards. I only know I was only imagined to fall in love with a man I don’t love, to live happy ever after with that man. Don’t you get it? My only purpose in this tale consists in going to Marcus’ arms. “ her voice broke” Although, all I want to do is to travel with you. Disappear from this nonsense story and forget this freaking world, but I can’t!!… I must look like a fool, crying like a baby in the middle of Zürich.  Who cares? A horrible pain is destroying my heart. Trapped in this nightmare, the worst story a man has ever imagined.  Why did you come? Marcus was going to propose me…yes I will, I was going to say.  Go away, leave me alone. This is my city, my sky, this is all mine....I can’t think clearly, I have to go...I will go to my room, close the door the curtains, go to sleep and a horrible nightmare will wake me up at eight. I will drink a cup of coffee and read the newspaper. But all I will think is in you!!! I didn't love him, but this was our love story. I was happy until you came, I was so happy...”

They looked each other in the eyes, and a big silence prolonged for several minutes until he said “goodbye, I’m really sorry”
-”Don’t go”, she held his left shoulder and his arm broke and fell, both laughed. “I’m sorry” she said while she lifted his arm. “Marcus is a nice guy, I can’t leave him alone, but I can’t stand him anymore…stay…you don’t have to go…be part of this fairyland. I won’t stand this fairyland without you”

-“My darling, you will have to invent a lie and repeat it until it becomes real. Scream to hell what you don’t believe, and darling, I promise, one day it will be true until you need another lie to stand for…There is no truth in this world until you say it so, nothing is real until you think it exists. Don’t be a shame; every great story is a big lie. Look at me, I’m neither ugly nor handsome, but you see in me the man you want to spend your nights with, but the author and Marcus see in me a horrible creature. You can make this a love story or not, you can make the reader believe I’m worth to be loved,  it’s all up to you. Take the train or stay, let it be.  I have to go; I don't belong to this story, and neither do you… ”
-”Yes I do. I'm the Eve of this world, without me this love story wouldn't make any sense. I'm nothing more than Marcus' rib.”


-“What meaning will our feelings have if you stay? What will I be without you?  My darling, this will never be a love story!! You have to come with me, and get out of this silly story. If you stay, you will belong to this world forever; this love story will be horror tale. The readers will wake up at night screaming your name, crying for our destiny.  They will dream about you living in this lonely story, thinking about me. Horrible nightmares will wake them up every time they remember us…say yes…they could stop reading before you decide to come with me and what would be of us? Please my dear, you have to disdain Marcus, get out of this world and create our own story. Don't let the author take your last breath. You will regret to not have said yes…I know I will. I can feel my heart beating, my hand sakes. Adela, make this a love story.”

 -”Everyone in this story obeys his word. ”a voice coming from above said “ There is nothing, not even these words, out of his hands. Henry you know that without you there wouldn't be a story, I wouldn't be flying above you, Adela wouldn't be crying and Marcus wouldn't be in his room trying to figure it out what was wrong. Tell me Henry if this is not a love story, what do you think it is? If you know you are the monster, why did you come here? Why did you ask Adela to follow you?” the raven perching on the big clock asked. “You can't do any good, she can't love you. Not in this story...”
-”It's not true, we can change it, this are not words written by him. I'm not obeying him. I will go with Henry. Left this story and become whatever I want. I would be a princess in another story, or a warrior fighting for justices...I will be what ever I want!!!”
-”You don't know what you're saying.” the raven interrupted “Haven’t you realize yet? All this world will be Marcus' hell if you go away, he is the only one who will stay in this story. You will go, have the adventure you have ever dreamed, but he? Have you thought what will be of him? Tell me, what will be of him when this story finish? ”
-”I don't know!!” Adela covered her face with both hands
-”Of course, you don't know. You don't know which train you will take; you don't know where the train goes. What happen if there is no story waiting for you? What if Henry is just another character of this story and there is no train going to another story? Will you give up Marcus for the unknown?”
-”Why is the author putting those ideas in our head, why he couldn't imagine the rainbow, why did the unicorn disappeared. It's not too hard to imagine those things, isn't it?...No this is not only Marcus' hell, this is ours...” she took off her left shoe and threw it to the raven, but missed. “No, you won't make this our hell!! I refuse to take the blame for your mistakes. If you couldn't imagine a story for him...it's your problem not mine!! I have to go with Henry.”
-”There is nothing we can do...but to obey...” the raven laughed.
-”Henry tell him he is wrong, tell him...Henry tell him!!” but Henry kept quite afraid of the truth, she took her other shoe and threw it, and this time she hit the raven. “oops” Henry and Adela laughed.
-”...there is something we can do.” a smile drew across Adela's face “we can remind the author the truth. We can be more than simple spectators...we can tell the author, the reader  the reality of this world...Look inside your head, Henry, think on the beauties' idea you have in mind...now share to the reader. Say it before the author finish this horrible story...tell it before they stop reading”
-”It's too late; they already closed the book...” Henry said.
-”No, they haven't!! “she angrily said” They are reading us, our acts still have a meaning...If you don't do it...if you don't do it,  I will do it for you!! “Adela took a deep breath and added ”There is no beauty in this world until we say it so. I thank Henry for coming to this story. I know is hard to live knowing this is a tale, but nonetheless, I will take the train with you and build a real story. I don't love Marcus, but I mad about you.  We will live happy ever after when this story finishes...and Marcus. I'm sorry...I can't do anything for you. I 'm sorry... Henry and I will live happy ever after”
-”This story might be almost over, but our story begins now. Now, I thank you for coming with me. I thank you for those words” Henry thanked Adela.

-”Hurry up” a mother running yelled to his son “run faster or the train is gonna leave without us”
-”Look mommy the scary mummy is leaving too” the kid pointed to Henry
-”Do you know them?” Adela asked
-”Yes” he ashamedly responded “I scary them...sorry, I was joking.”

-“This was really a love story”, She took his hand, kiss him passionately, and they got in the train.



It was 2 am when Marcus turned the lights off. The long reading couldn’t distract him of his lost love.  He sat on his bed with his eyes open and with his book in his hands.  He thought on the long nights to come. Motionless, trying to figure it out what he did wrong.
“If this was neither a love story nor a scary story, what was it?” he kept repeating in his mind, “If this was neither a love story nor a scary story, what was it?”

On the darkest night a raven flied toward his balcony. Their two red eyes illuminated the room. The raven understood he was nothing more than a puppet in this hell.  A puppet incapable of escaping this world created just for him. There was no condemned soul, no death, and no killer to scare him to death, and still he was completely destroyed.
He stood up, walked towards the window and the raven flew away. He looked to the empty darkness sky, threw the book from the window and said
-”Will the sun ever rise again? Will I ever listen to her voice again? What will be of me after I finish speaking and the story is over? Why doesn’t the book answer those question?...”