I walked through the streets of Rotterdam, the following of our destinations after Vienna. The pavement was rain soaked and gray clouds still lingered in the sky. A shadowed figure lurked behind me, keeping at a distance but following every turn I made. As I opened the door to the coffee shop I was headed to, I felt a hand grasp my shoulder. I spun suddenly, smacking the hand away from me and the man backed away, lifting his arms in surrender. "I mean you no harm, miss. I'm here to make you an offer." he claimed.
"Then you'll have no problem doing it inside." I responded, desperate to be in the company of other people. He did the honors of opening the door for me and followed me in. Multiple pairs of eyes in the room made me feel a little safer about the situation so I pressed on. "What kind of offer?" I asked, walking up to the counter.
"Intel tells me you work for a certain... celebrity, should I say. I work for a local news station around here and we're willing to pay big bucks for a picture. We'll provide the camera and everything. All you have to do is snap the photo." he declared.
"Small hot chocolate." I told the barista, pausing a moment before addressing the con. When I felt the moment was long enough I turned and blatantly said, "No." I couldn't betray Michael like that.
"Five thousand dollars." he prompted. My answer was the same. "Ten thousand."
"Get lost." I snapped, taking the hot chocolate from the barista. Luckily, he gave in, or I would have had to sacrifice my new drink to dump it on his head. I waited a few minutes, watching him walk away before I felt comfortable leaving.
Upon returning to the hotel, I went straight to Michael's room. He wouldn't be happy about what happened but I figured I should warn him in case somebody else accepted the deal. The amount of money was tempting and despite my own wishes, accepting crossed my mind. His door opened as I knocked and he ushered me in. "Michael." I started, unwarranted nerves creeping into my voice. "I was approached by a man on my way to the coffee shop... he wanted me to sell him a picture of you... I didn't take the offer... someone else might though and I just wanted to warn you... they offered ten grand." I blurted. He stood unphased.
"I know." he grinned. "I sent him."
"Oh." the stress in my features warped into confusion.
"It was the final test. I had to be sure I could trust you. People do horrible things to me for the sake of money. I hoped beyond anything that you wouldn't be one of those people. Now I know for sure. So thank you." he explained.
I stood there for a moment, unsure of how I wanted to feel. I wanted to be hurt that he didn't already trust me, but I also knew how many times he had been stabbed in the back. Michael looked down, fidgeting awkwardly in the silence. Finally he looked up "Wanna stick around for a bit?" he asked, motioning towards the four seats that sat around a small coffee table in the main room. I took a seat in one as my answer and he flopped into the one across from me, curiosity forming within his eyes. "I've been wondering," he started. "What's your life story? How did you end up here?"
A puff of air escaped my lips as I leaned back into the chair, bringing forth memories of a life long behind me. "I grew up small town out in the midwest, sort of like you I suppose. Had a normal life with average people, but that was never enough for me. I wanted individuality, I wanted uniqueness, but most of all, I wanted the people standing next to me to be extraordinary.
"My dad always pushed me to become something 'logical' like a teacher or a nurse, but I knew that would never make me happy. As a kid I fell in love with the theatre and growing up that passion shifted to lighting. My mom supported me through it all. She taught me through her little tales to never let doubt stand in my way. I try to honor that for her every day and I've found that the only reason people typically fail at something is because they give up, letting their doubts and fears keep them from success." I told him.
"Her stories mean a lot to you, don't they." His full attention was on me, soaking in every detail.
"Yeah. She got sick my senior year of highschool, diagnosed with cancer in the end. We lost her a few months later. In the hospital she handed me a notepad with each one of the stories she used to tell me written on the pages. She wanted to make sure I never forgot them... and I never did. They're what inspired me to move out here and test my luck at the dream."
"Can you tell me another one? The one about doubt you mentioned earlier." Michael asked, sitting on the edge of his chair now.
"Sure." I promised with a smile. Sharing these stories with him, someone with as much appreciation for them as I had myself, it almost felt like my mother was still there. "Deep inside the forest lies a boulder at the edge of the river." I began. "It's smooth face slopes steeply with only a few indents and crevices to scar its surface.For generations it has been rooted in this spot, challenging all who pass.
"Perched on the top of this boulder is Man and far below stands the child of Man. Man takes many forms upon this boulder; today he is in the form of Doubt. As the child nears the boulder, his eyes trace the daunting path up the front and his gaze meets the glaring eyes of Doubt that look down upon him. 'Foolish child,' Doubt brooded. 'you have not the strength to climb this.' And the child lowered his head in shame, but a voice called from the river, soft and gurgled it was.
"'Do not listen to Doubt, dear child.' said the Trout who swam upstream. 'It's merely a matter of mind. Anything is possible if you want it bad enough.' Determination flooded the child's heart. If the Trout could swim against the raging current of the river, he could ascend the rock. The child charged towards it, leaping as the Trout had and began to scale the red face that taunted him so. One step, two steps, three steps, four... the child's foot slipped and down he fell. Up above, Doubt transformed into Fear.
"'Foolish child,' Fear brooded. 'did you not hear me? The way is not safe.' Again, the child lowered his head in shame, but a voice called from the trees, high-pitched and squeaky it was.
"'Do not listen to Fear, dear child.' said the Squirrel who leaped between the branches. 'It is okay to fall sometimes, even I have fallen from the trees before. Quick, get up and try again.' Determination flooded the child's heart. If the Squirrel had fallen from so high yet still leaped fearlessly between trees, he could ascend the rock. The child rose to his feet and brushed the dirt from his clothing and once more, he charged towards it, leaping as the Squirrel had and began to scale the red face that taunted him so.
"With six great strides on all fours like the creatures of the forest, finally, the child reached the top. Up there, he was shocked to see that Doubt and Fear had vanished, perhaps they had never truly been there. Down below, timid as a stray cat, a second child approached. 'Doubt and Fear are gone, fellow child. Listen instead to the Trout in the river and the Squirrel in the trees and join me.' said the first, reaching out a hand with a welcoming smile to the one down below. 'How beautiful it is up here without Doubt and Fear blocking the way. Come share it with me.' he said and the one down below smiled back, determination seeping into her heart." Quinn concluded.
YOU ARE READING
One (A Michael Jackson Fan Fiction)
Fanfiction"It's an adventure, it's a great adventure. There's nothing to be nervous about. They just want wonderful experiences. We want to take them places that they've never been before. We want to show them talent like they've never seen before. We're putt...
