Jasper Smith - (Michael Jackson Fan Fiction)

Jasper Smith

Jasper was only five when he entered his first talent show. He went with his father Nathaniel, who was strict, but kind, and cared a lot for his only son Jasper. It was obvious from an early age Jasper was born to strive, and his father took every opportunity that came his way to make his son a superstar. Unfortunately, Jasper's mother Rachael died while giving birth to him, leaving Nathaniel to cope on his own. The pair lived in a rough area, on the outskirts of London, England, and to make matters worse Nathaniel had recently been let go from his job, forcing him to bring up Jasper with just Benefits. 

Life was hard for the pair, and it left Nathaniel depressed the majority of the time. Jasper being only young did not, of course, realise his surroundings were poor, as he had never been out of his local area, therefore had nothing to compare it to. Nathaniel liked to call himself an entrepreneur and always tried to find new ways to make money, or create an invention, without much luck. In a final bid of desperation Nathaniel signed Jasper up to the local talent show after he heard Jasper singing in his room one day, and immediately recognised the fact he was gifted. The talent show was to be held at the Town Hall. There was talk of around 500 people attending the show, and over 100 acts participating to win the prize of £500 - which to Nathaniel would be "heaven". 

The pair had to walk to the Town Hall, as they did not have enough money to afford a car at the time. As they entered, there was a nervous buzz in the room. The place was packed. Jasper stood on his tip-toes, attempting to see what was going on, without much luck. The show was about 30 acts in, and currently on stage was a woman, who appeared mid-thirties playing the violen. She was very good, and Nathaniel began to frown wondering if this was the place for his five year old son to make an impact. Jasper looked up at his father, and Nathaniel returned the look, and smiled. "C'mon Jasp'.". He picked Jasper up and placed him on his shoulders, this brought a smile to Jasper's face, not only due to the fact he could now see over the crowds, but the fact he was with his father who he loved so dearly.

Fourty minutes passed, and by this time, they had registered and been given their ticket number (62), and were simply waiting for their turn. "Act number 56....number 58....number 61," said the young man behind the speakerphone. Loud applauds were given after each act had finished, and it was clear the audience were pleased with what they had seen so far, putting a few worried thoughts into Nathaniel's mind, as he wondered again if this was right for Jasper. A woman got the pair's attention, beckoning them over to the curtains beside the stage. Nathaniel held Jasper's hand as they walked behind the curtain and into the dressing room. Some of the other acts were here already, preparing for the stage, in front of large mirrors.

"What's your name young man?" asked the woman, once they got into the dressing room. "J-Jasper," he replied in a timid voice. "What's that? I can't hear you." The noise in the room was loud, as some of the acts who were singing, practised, rather loudly. "His name's Jasper," intercepted Nathaniel, not wanting to waste any time. The woman leaned down to Jasper, and patted him on the side of the arm. "Good luck out there, Jasper," she said with a warm smile, and Jasper returned it, blushing a little.

"Number 62," was heard through the speakerphone, and the woman ushered them both out towards the stage. Nathaniel waited at the side, behind the curtain, while Jasper timidly waddled into the centre of the stage. Nathaniel nodded to the man behind him, who then entered the cassette into the slot, which started the instrumental to 'Ain't no sunshine' by Bill Withers. 

The crowd went silent, waiting for Jasper to begin. The pressure was heavy on Jasper's shoulders as he wanted to win it, not only for himself, but for his dad. Suddenly the sweetest music filled the air, and the crowd went into awe as they watched the child sing. Nathaniel's jaw even dropped, as he watched in amazement, as Jasper began to throw in some dance moves. The audience were surprised mostly at how Jasper would move around the stage, like he'd been a performer all his life. This was definitely not the performance to be expected from a five year old. It was just so much better.

The woman who had ushered them onto the stage, slowly walked up next to Nathaniel, her eyes glued on Jasper, watching his amazing performance. "Wow," she said, folding her arms. Nathaniel didn't say a word, and continued to watch Jasper hit every single note with such precision and accuracy. Jasper was finding it easy, and was in the full groove of the song, clicking his fingers to the rhythm. Once the song finally ended, there was an eruption of chanting, cheers, and a standing ovation. Jasper looked out at the crowd, surprised he had made them react like this. In fact, the audience liked the performance so much, some of them threw cash onto the stage, with Jasper collected and stuffed in his pocket, almost instinctively. Nathaniel's eyes began to tear up, as he watched his son walk towards him with a huge grin on his face. 

Nathaniel and Jasper stayed to watch the rest of the acts in respect, but none of them received the reception young Jasper got. It wasn't long before it was time to give out the results. "..And in third place: Mary Herbert for her violin piece," a large applaud was given, as she was handed £100 cash-in-hand. "In second place...Carlton and the Spiders with their cover of 'Baby Love' by the Supremes." Another loud applaud was given, as four children just a bit older than Jasper walked on the stage, wearing matching green jackets, with Spiders stitched onto the back. Carlton, who was instantly recognizable, as he was the only one wearing something different to the rest (red boots and scarf),  appeared to be frowning as he collected the £250 cash. "A shame for the group, as this would have been their fourth consecutive win." That explained it. 

The group walked off stage to their manager, and handed him the cash, which he stuffed in his pocket. Not saying a word, he walked towards the door, with his band looking at the floor in disappointment as they followed. "And finally, first place goes to..." The man opened the envelope, his eyes widening, as he read the name he hadn't seen before. He looked back out at the crowd, and grinned. "We have a new winner this year, ladies and gentlemen. Jasper Smith!" he shouted through the microphone, as the crowd once again erupted into applause, standing up from their seats. Jasper jumped up from his seat, with Nathaniel upon hearing his name, and cheered. Jasper jogged up the steps to the stage, and shook the man's hand ecstatically, unable to resist the temptation to jump in the air again. Nathaniel walked onto the stage, and stood next to Jasper, collecting the money from the man, as casual as he could be. He tucked it away, placing an arm around Jasper, and they walked off the stage, and out of the Town Hall. Applause could still be heard, as they stepped outside.

"You've done it, Jasp'. This could be it," Nathaniel said, beaming down at him. "Daddy, why were they so happy?" asked Jasper, a confused look on his face. "Because of you," Nathaniel replied, as he began to walk back to the flat with Jasper. "You made them happy, because of your singing. You're great." 

Jasper looked back forward, raising an eyebrow, still unsure how he made them that happy.

Once they entered their flat, the phone was ringing, and Nathaniel picked it up, putting it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Nathaniel Smith?"

There was a breif silence while Nathaniel wondered who on earth it could be. "Who's asking?"

"My name's Gary Simpson, from Steeltown Records, and I was at the Town Hall today. I'm wondering if I can speak to Nathaniel, regarding his son's future." 

"This is Nathaniel, but one question before we continue. How did you get my phone number?"

"I asked around. I know a few people, y'know. Anyways, Sir Bobby Johnson wishes to speak to you and your son as soon as possible, at Steeltown Records studio on Tower street, preferably next week."

"Urm, well. Su-..Sure, I guess," Nathaniel was lost for words, knowing this could be the opportunity he had been waiting for. "Could you do the 16th?" he asked politely, not wanting to offend the man who held the key to his son's future.

"We sure can. Make sure you and your son are here, by 4pm, no later. Have a nice day." The line went dead, and Nathaniel placed the dial phone back onto the latch. He turned around to Jasper, ignoring his question of "Who was it?", and immediately wrote down the date on the calendar not wanting to forget. 16th March 1974. 

He finally answered the question Jasper had asked. "We're going to meet a very special man next week," He slowly turned to Jasper, with a grin across his face. "We're gonna' be rich."