We could have spent the entire night out there, talking on the balcony about concepts unknown, but as the hour grew late, the party died down. Teagan slid open the glass door and joined us outside, looking between the two of us in search of something that may be there. I cleared my throat, breaking her from her concentration and her eyes focused on me. "You ready to go?" she asked. I nodded and bid Michael farewell. He stayed out there for a while longer as Teagan and I made our way through the room. I set my long emptied glass by the sink and we left, letting the music fade behind us.
Sleep came easy, waking up the next morning was something much harder. The telephone ring pierced through the air, jolting my body out of bed, desperate to stop it. Teagan glared at the phone as if it were her long lost enemy, rediscovered at last.
"Hello?" I mumbled.
"Morning, Quinn." came Michael's voice. I sat upright, forcing myself awake. "I'm heading to the aquarium in a few minutes, wanna come?" he wondered. I couldn't help but to laugh a little, looking at the clock that deemed it six in the morning. We had only gotten maybe three hours of sleep tops. "I had to go before it opened..." he said, reading my hesitation.
"I'll come." I assured. "Just give me a moment to get ready. I'll meet you out back."
His voice got louder with excitement. "Thanks Quinn! You're the ultimate!" he beamed. "I'll see you in a bit." Click.
I sighed, getting out of the tangle of sheets that held me captive in my bed... a place my body hoped I'd stay. It was far too early for this. Teagan made herself comfy, wrapping herself back in the covers. "That man can't get enough of you." she grumbled. "turn out the lights when you leave."
"I will." I promised, getting up to dress myself.
As was asked, I flicked off the lights before leaving the room. Teagan was already sound asleep. The door closed softly behind me and I wandered through the empty halls, eventually finding my way to the backlot where Michael waited, standing beside an opened car door. He smiled as I walked out, gesturing to the car to allow me in first. I thanked him and climbed inside. He followed close behind and before long we were off, moving through the streets unknown.
Great columns stood like sentries at the doors and the London Eye towered overhead. "Isn't it magnificent." His voice came out like a breath, astonished by its beauty. There was no need to respond, so I let the silence follow, using it to take in the scene. We pulled up to the front doors and filed out of the car.
"Welcome to the Sea Life London Aquarium, Mr. Jackson. It is an honor to have you here." The manager declared. Michael gave a nod of respect and thus we were led inside. His eyes glinted with wonder in the blue haze that washed over us and everything seemed at peace. Surrounded by the lull of water and all the deep sea creatures that cavorted around us. Michael approached one of the tanks, watching as an octopus scaled the side of the walls; its tentacles suctioned to the glass. It was a massive creature and nearly took up the entire tank window when spread out like it was. He marveled over it for a moment, then continued down the path.
I stopped at a tank, watching a Manta Ray soar through the water. It was stunning, great wings propelling it forward. "Hey Michael, check this out." I said, reading aloud the plaque by the tank. "Manta Rays each have a unique pattern on their underbellies much to the same effect of fingerprints to humans."
After not receiving a response, I turned to see what he was doing. He bounded down the hall, giggles erupting from his stomach as a manatee chased after him on the other side of the glass. Back and forth they went, flying, spinning, and jumping together. Such different creatures; one land based, the other sea based, yet they danced together now like the same being made up their souls.
He stopped finally, winded by the interaction and leaned against the wall beside the tank, catching his breath as he smiled at me. His eyes widened and I spun to see what had gotten his attention. Passing the tank window was a great green sea turtle, a small chunk missing from the tip of it's fin. It was beautiful; dark sea green against the blue sparkling water. They were the elephants of the sea, not in sheer size, but in wisdom and age. Turtles were among the ancient ones of the sea, wizened by their many years on this good earth.
I pressed my palm to the pane of glass, watching in awe as it circled back to me. It looked into my eyes as if it could read my soul. Animals had a funny way of doing that. You could see the reflection of your own soul staring back at you and feel the presence of theirs. My trance was broken by Michael's touch. He lay his hand on my shoulder, watching the beast that had captured my heart. "Want to keep going?" he asked, voice hushed so as not to disturb the moment.
"Sure." I replied and his arm fell back to his side. We continued onward, entering a tunnel beneath the water. My gaze fell upward as a shark passed overhead. A school of fish flashed by like a flock of birds in the sky and Michael stopped walking, his eyes fleeting from one fish to another.
"Have you ever heard the tale of the fish that was thirsty?" he questioned. The concept of the tale caught me off guard. How could a fish be thirsty?
"No." I finally answered, so he continued.
"There once was a fish in the sea who, in his sleep, came a vision of god... much like the way god appeared to Moses. This fish, curious, asked god what message he wanted him to spread to the other fish. God told the fish to tell the others that he... the fish... was thirsty. It seemed an odd request, but the fish did it anyway. He wandered to and fro, approaching a multitude of sea dwellers with this puzzling statement and all of them believed him mad.
"But one day, this fish brought god's message to an ancient blue whale with three harpoon scars on it's side. Upon hearing the fish's words, the whale replied; 'You've seen god, haven't you." The little fish looked relieved, finally somebody that understood. He asked the whale how he knew and the whale spoke once more, this time saying, 'I was thirsty too once.' The fish begged the whale to enlighten him on the meaning. It had all still puzzled him so. 'We often look for god but cannot find him anywhere so we accuse him for leaving us, wondering if he was ever truly there.'
"'How strange.' the fish thought. 'To miss something that is everywhere.'
"'Very strange, indeed.' said the whale. 'Doesn't it remind you of a fish that was thirsty?'"
This tale of his had numerous interpretations, but the final ideas were all the same. Whether it be the creator, a god, or something as simple as happiness. They were all things that surround us daily if we stopped looking for them and accepted the fact that they were already with us. Even in dark times, all we had to do was remember the happiness that swallowed the area around us, waiting to be rediscovered with a smile.
I realized then, watching Michael stand in the rippling blue light, eyes dissecting my response; that my happiness had been standing right in front of me.
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...
