The Neverland Inn

"This Is For Michael and I'd Do It for Free"

I threw the last duffle bag of cleaning supplies into the back of the SUV and shut the door hard.
"Do you think it's hot in Los Olivos?" I hear Faith say from behind me as she grabbed her purse from the apartment. I told her to check the weather and we all began to pile in.

"Are we ready Dee?" Faith calls from out from one of the windows. I checked my watch and leaned against the driver door. "Shania should be here any minute. That's all were waiting on."

As if on cue I see a car pull into the complex parking lot and Shania blew her horn smiling. I motioned her over excited and we hugged tight. She called shotgun and we all buckled in. I go to put the keys in the ignition but something stopped me and my hands began to shake. It was the nerves again. The three of us have never just straight out drove to Neverland. Even though we had gotten all the permission. Went through background check after background check and even had help from Janet Jackson herself.

I was almost scared still to actually do this. The bed and breakfast idea wasn't entirely mine. It was all of ours. We wanted to do this for the fans like us. I think if Michael were alive he'd maybe appreciate what were doing.

"Dee you okay?" I hear Shania ask and I nod.

"Yeah just zoned out. Put in some music. We'll be on the road a bit..."
Faith tossed up her CD billfold and we interchanged discs constantly as we drove.

When the music faded out sometimes We'd just talk about Michael. Something sad came up while we talked, I guess we all remembered where exactly we were going. I pulled into the dirt road path and Shan began to unfold the road map we picked up from a ratted old stand in Hollywood. She lead me along pointing to turns and spoon feeding me directions.

"We're close..." she says soft. We're all looking out the windows vigilantly at this point. The Neverland Gates were hard to miss but we didn't want to miss the smallest glimpse of it.

I turned onto a narrow dirt road and it's like the wavelengths changed. Our breath grew cold as we saw infront of us was the gates. Standing frozen in time it seemed. I removed my sunglasses and my eyes widened seeing them in full colorful hue. The golden letters at the top looked worn and tarnished, but it almost seemed to be more real that way. I pulled up close and brought the car to a park.

I swallowed hard to get rid of the lump in my throat and I held out my hand over my shoulder to Faith, "My backpack. The key.." I said hushed.

I hear her unzip a pocket then place the key in my hand. Attached the master key was a leather bonded keyring with the letters stitched in, 'MJJ' I opened my door and proceeded to approach and unlock the gates.

They were bound together with a bulky chain and a pad lock. I turned the key, dust escaping the lock's crevices and untangled the chains. Giving a gentle push to the metal gates, they glided open like something from a dream. Making an eerie screech as they swung, I went back to the car and drove slowly inside onto the gravel road. The property looked so haunted and faded. It had the atmosphere of a cemetery. The weeping willows that polka dotted the driveway were swaying in the wind. Getting close to the main building terrified me however. Neverland now had the presence of an abandoned theme park. I pulled out to the very front and turned off the car in front of Michael's bone dry, decorative fountain.

We all piled out, standing around to take it all in at once.
"This place is gonna be a doosie..."

Faith said and I agreed.
"But this is for Michael. And I'd do it for free..."
Shan grabbed her backpack and swung it over her shoulder, as did I. She points to the front step saying, "Hey what's that?"

I look over and see two boxes on the front step. I squint my eyes going over, "I dunno..."
We all huddle around and I open the lid off one blue cardboard box. Inside was a large yellow envelope which I proceeded to open. Inside was a small tape recorder with a yellow sticky note reading 'Play Me'

"Uh-uh....Dee that's some stalker dateline with Barbara Walters stuff." Faith says quickly and Shan's eyes bug out.

I looked around the recorder suspicious and winced pressing the play button. We heard white noise then a voice comes in shy and soft, "Hello my darlings. This is Janet speaking."

We all sighed in relief and listened to Janet continue, "I'm so happy that you've put my brother in your thoughts for so long. I know that he would be elated to know you're doing this. Neverland is the totality of Michael and she needs to be brought back to her former glory. I know that you three alone can't do all the work yourself, like the landscaping and repairing. In the second box on the step is..well you can call it, budge funds. A budge in the right direction."

I paused the tape and opened the second box. We all could have fainted when we saw just how much Janet had left us. We counted almost three million. In rubber bands and stacked so professionally. We cheered and high fived knowing we'd be very able to pay someone to come and help us out. I pressed play again and Janet started, "I must apologize for not being present to give you girls a grand tour but I'm currently out of town looking into some real estate for myself. But please know I'll be back to check on you as soon as I am able. Also inside the envelope are blueprints of the mansion incase one of you need a map."

I looked inside to confirm and put Faith in charge of our map.

As Janet went on I heard her voice change dramatically, "Now girls before you go inside I have to tell you something important. I'm not saying this to frighten you all. But my sister and I spent many nights in Neverland after Michael passed away. When we stayed, strange things began to happen. Unexplainable things. We'd find certain belongings in different rooms when we were certain they were elsewhere. We'd hear loud footsteps in hallways when we stood still in the same room. I believe with all my heart this is only the presence of my brother. It sounds silly but I really do believe it is. But I do promise that this presence will not harm you in anyway. It might frighten you but not anything further. I love you girls. I'll be seeing you soon. Best wishes. Jan Jackson.."

The tape reached an end and I placed it back into the box.
"Well atleast she told us.." Shania says.
Yeah a head's up was nice. I stood up and I sat the two boxes to the side. Infront of us stood the doors.

I reached back into my backpack for the keys and placed the brass master key into the lock. A loud clank rang in the metal and the door begins to open. Silently we all stepped inside the mansion. It was all so eerily beautiful.