Encore, Encore

(Originally Posted by Catfish)

Jason quickly came up with a big idea for his new powers, but it would require him to wait until his next gig. He looked back at the clock, as it happened to switch from 3:14 to 3:15, and wished it was already time for his encore that evening.

He suddenly found himself standing -- fully dressed, fortunately -- backstage at an arena, looking at a table piled with water bottles and towels. He realized he was sweating, and the high-pitched drone of thousands of shrieking girls reached his eardrums.

"You okay?" someone yelled at him.

He whirled around to see one of his regular roadies with a concerned expression on his face.

"I think so!" Jason responded, raising his voice to be heard over the screams, realizing his throat felt like he'd been singing for an hour. He grabbed a water bottle and took a big swig.

"Encore?" he asked the roadie.

"Uh, yeah, if you're up to it!"

"Why wouldn't I be?" He flashed the roadie his well-known grin. "Look, I'm gonna go out there alone first and talk to the crowd -- I'll signal when to send the band in."

"Ooookay," said the roadie, looking dubious at this change to the well-rehearsed, choreographed show, but he dutifully gave instructions to that effect into his headset as Jason ran off toward the stage.

Another roadie handed him a wireless microphone as he emerged in front of the crowd, a spotlight going on to follow him as he walked to the stage lip, live video of his visage appearing on the giant screens behind him. It didn't seem possible, but the screaming had gotten louder.

Jason merely raised one hand in the air, and kept it there.

The crowd eventually got the idea -- it probably helped that many of them had learned the "hand goes up, mouth goes closed" method of quieting a group in Girl Scouts -- and the screams faded into just a general dull din, probably the best one could hope for in an arena that size.

"Thank you," Jason said.

There were a few cheers here and there, as the crowd was primed to make noise for any utterance that came out of Jason's mouth, but they were quickly silenced. Something about the expression on Jason's face seemed to say this was serious business.

"Last night I had a dream," he said, "and in that dream, I saw God -- and he told me I would be his successor."

Most of the audience continued staring at Jason, hanging on his every word, although some -- mostly the parents and other adults who had been dragged to the show by their kids -- looked around nervously, wondering where he was going with this.

Where he was going, the idea he'd had, was...