The vehicle rolled to a stop just before the guard gates, stopping at a window where security stood waiting. The driver that had been sent to pick me up from the airport rolled down the window and reached out, taking a small collection of papers for me to sign. Confidentiality agreements. Everyone who entered was required to sign them. When all was signed, the car pressed on. Through hills and bends, we drove, until finally over the peak of one, the ranch came into view. My breath hitched as we were suddenly faced with this technicolor dream world, it almost seemed like I had stumbled into the land of Oz, swept away from reality and the limitations of imagination society trapped us in. A sign with a cherub frolicking before it read 'Welcome to Neverland'. All that stood between realms was this magnificently ornamented gate with a gold crest at the center and beautiful golden letters that curved like a banner above.
We parked in a lot just before the gates and they opened for us to enter. Crossing through the threshold, we were hit with a wave of music, welcoming us to his world. It was absolutely magical.
Just on the other side was a small train station with an electric train harbored inside that would take us around the grounds, but first I had to get settled in. Michael sat waiting in a golf cart with a broad smile plastered onto his face. The driver left me in his hands and went to park the car in the garages. I approached the cart and took a seat in the passenger side, strapping my bag down in the back. We followed the tracks for a while, eventually veering left towards the main residence and guest villas.
Michael barely gave me enough time to drop my bags off in one of the villas before he was ushering me out the door. We didn't have much sunlight left and there was something he wanted to show me before the sun set. I went to get back in the cart, but he shook his head. "We're walking. It's not far." he said... though about halfway there I was starting to question his judgement of far.
I was about to ask how much longer the walk was when our destination came into view. It was a massive brick train station with a great flower clock displayed in the front. I had to stop walking for a moment, completely entranced by its beauty. The fantastic look of it all was only enhanced by the sun setting slowly behind.
After what seemed an eternity, I managed to get my feet to move again and I walked over to the edge of the flower bed, gazing at the earthen clock before me. Written with hedges at the top was the name of the ranch. "So come with me where dreams are born and time is never planned..." I trailed, lost in a thought of the magical land of Peter Pan.
Michael's voice finished the phrase, startling me as he snuck up beside me. "Just think of happy things and your heart will fly on wings, forever in Never Never Land." he said with a smile. "Come on, I want to show you the train." He gestured for me to follow as he made his way up the stairs.
Sitting on the tracks was a fully functioning steam engine that traced up the west edge of the valley. He promised we would ride it at some point during my stay, but tonight we had other things to see.
Michael climbed up to the top of one of the train cars, reaching a hand down to help me up. The two of us sat there in silence, watching as the sun tucked behind the mountains that surrounded the valley. In turn, the moon ascended her nightly throne, painting the land in it's pale blue light. It was a cloudy night, so the stars were few, leaving us in a darkness rarely seen anymore. I turned to Michael who was staring up at the heavens above and began to speak.
"After spending so much time in the city, I almost forgot what the dark truly was. It's eery in some ways. The longer you stay in it, the more it seems like the light of day never existed. Your only reminder is the reflection of the sun's face that allows the moon to dance each night. When the sun finally does rise, your heart takes flight, watching as the world turns from shadows to a colorful mosaic that you failed to see before. We take light for granted when the sun is high in the sky and only miss it when the darkness is all that is left to consume us." I rambled on.
Michael's eyes had shifted focus to me and he responded. "Perhaps that is why each cycle begins and ends at night. To remind us each day of the beauty and power of light." he said, standing to leave.
I smiled, rising to my feet to follow. "Planet Earth; every rock, every canyon, every ocean, every cloud, all of them elaborate set pieces to an eternal show. Every person, every creature, every breath of life, all of us dancers in this magical act. The sun, the moon, the twinkling stars, each of them, Earth's greatest lighting crew."
"The dance of life." he finished, climbing back down to the ground, his head vanishing behind the edge of the car.
I landed beside him, sliding down from our post atop the train. We then made our way out of the station, heading back to the main residence. Crossing through the entrance, my eyes widened. Just as the sky had, Neverland transformed with the coming of the night. It looked as if hundreds of fairies had sprinkled pixie dust all over the trees and architecture; thousands of little lights blanketed the limbs of the oak trees that lined the road.
The only sound that accompanied our walk was the faint chirping of crickets and the soft, relaxing music that played from hidden speakers everywhere you went.
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...
