As the grandfather clock struck noon countless times, threatening to have the neighbours knocking down the front door if the invasion did not cease any time soon, Belle found herself rolling off of her bed and into a crumpled heap on the carpet. Had she left it one minute later, she would have missed a phone call as it began to ring off the hook. Not really caring about her state of undress, she stumbled over to the bedside table and picked it up, releasing a drawn out yawn into the receiver, without giving a toss who was on the other end. Late nights made for unapologetic and unaware young ladies and she was certainly under that category this morning.
Ah, but as laughter erupted on the other end of the line and she focused her eyes enough to take in the time, she shrieked. It was already a little after twelve in the afternoon and half the day had practically gone already. No matter, though. The only thing she had planned was visiting her good friend Michael and spending the next several weeks with him at his Neverland Ranch. Being a little late would not matter, unless he happened to be in one of his moods. It was seldom she found him cranky, but there had been at least one or two times whereby she could recall him having locked himself away in his bedroom and refused to come out for hours on end. He could be such a brat here and there, a mister grumpy gills, though he did not appreciate the teasing.
Belle often refrained from taunting Michael as he always, without fail, found a way to get back at her for whatever she had said or done to him in his moments of sorrow or rage. Though, irritating him was a difficult task in itself and when it happened, she knew deep down what she had done must have been really quite awful, for him to snap at her for it. Alas, those times were few and far between. His most dominant of moods was one she adored him for and whenever she was around his happy, carefree self, her own mood mirrored his. It was a wonderful, life changing experience. And he had that manner about him every single day. It was present in his voice, his mannerisms, his mobility; everything.
There was not one thing about him she could deny being perfect. He made her feel at home no matter where they found themselves on the planet. When touring with him, he managed without any trouble at all, to make her feel comfortable. Simply being within his presence was more than enough, however. He was just a peaceful, angelic being and she, like many others, just couldn't get enough of being around him all the time; or whenever he wanted her around. He would tell her to see it as a short holiday from work, away from assisting him.
There were never arguments over that one. It normally took her all of a few hours to get ready, to pack some essentials and be on her way. This time was a little different, though. Belle had not been able to fall asleep properly the night before and for reasons unknown, had fleeting nightmares about losing her good friend, Michael. It seemed a daft idea for her brain to even conjure up in the first place, but it was better to be safe than sorry. If it continued, she would have to tell him all about it; maybe he had ideas as to why she was suddenly fearing for his life. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened, so there was no real reason for her to panic so suddenly. Either way, she would be keeping a close eye on him and those around him, just in case.
“Tired, huh? I was wondering why you hadn't arrived yet” Michael spoke up, finally, after his laughter had hit pause long enough for him to greet her. “I guess I'll be making supper for us then, instead of lunch?” again, he chuckled, but it was short lived when he heard the distinct sound of sniffling on the other end of the line. His best friend was upset, but he had no idea why.
Before he even had the chance to ask what was wrong, it all came pouring out in a bit of a hurry and most words were muffled as she held her sleeve over her mouth, trying to silence her cries. All he could make out was his name, death and love. They were the only three words he caught, but even they were sketchy, as he wasn't entirely sure.
“Wait, slow down, Belle. What's all this about death? Who is going to die?” he asked, his brow furrowed as concern flashed across his features, though only he could see his expression. There was a mirror hanging half way down the wall beside him and briefly, he gazed into it as she calmed her voice to understandable levels and repeated what she had just told him, in a much more controlled manner.
“You are, Michael — I keep having these horrible nightmares.. it's been happening for months now. I see your face and you're smiling, happy and filled with joy, but then everything goes dark all around you and your face contorts into something I can only describe as pain. I don't know what's happening. I don't know why I've been having such awful dreams.” Her voice trailed off into nothing as she fought to catch her breath and steady her racing heart.
“Belle, it's okay, I'm not going to be going anywhere any time soon” he soothed, straining to keep his own voice calm and clear after being given such news. It was just a bad dream, he had to remind himself of this, repeatedly.
Another sniffle sounded through her end of the line and his heart broke for how upset the nightmares had been making her feel. He could only just imagine what that might be like. Although, he himself had been having cruel nightmares since a very early age; he understood at least a little how she was feeling. But, he would make sure that when she arrived, he'd find a way to take her mind off of it before her sadness swept away every last bit of happiness she had. In the time he had known her, he found her to be a very intelligent, trustworthy and loving individual who he could rely on at all times, without question. Her busy little bee attitude when they were working together kept him entertained, though he would never inform her of that fact.
“I'm on my way over right now, Michael. You stay in the house and don't move until you hear the doorbell ring.. but, you know, check out the window to make sure it's me first..” her words came across as more of a demand than a suggestion and he was about to jump in to defend himself and remind her that he is a grown man who can take care of himself, but wasn't given the opportunity as he heard her shuffling around and the line went dead after a quiet bye from her.
Huffing in a childlike manner, he put the phone down and simply stood there for a few minutes, his eyes on his reflection in the mirror hanging over the phone table and searching for anything out of the ordinary; something he often did in his free time. There was another emotion present in his eyes now, though, and he began to really worry. Was it worth worrying over? Or was it simply the over active and overly concerned mind of his friend? He didn't know the answer to either one of those, but he would, if only for her, keep a close eye on himself from now on. The urgency in her voice and her words made it much easier for him to do so. Never would he want to cause her any kind of pain and if making sure he remained out of harms way benefited her in ways, he would be extra careful, especially when she was around, so she could see for herself.
A good half hour passed before he heard the doorbell chime throughout the house and as instructed by Belle earlier, he poked his head through the blinds and checked to see who was on his doorstep. Sure enough, there she was, looking delightful as always. A smile crept up on his lips, where before there had been an unattractive frown over all the thoughts floating around in his head. That was all gone now, though. His friend was here and the only thing on his mind was having fun and spending all afternoon wandering about the ranch, feeding the animals and taking turns on the rides until they hurled. Many times had they done it before, in the middle of summer and as it was now fast approaching, the day he had planned seemed most fitting.
“About time you got here — I could have resembled an undead mummy if you'd left it any later” he teased, sticking his tongue out and yanking her off the porch and into his home.
“Jeez.. calm down there, boy. It's not like you have anything better to do with your time while you're hanging around and waiting on your best friend” her voice was filled with jest as she spoke and that all too familiar twinkle followed in Michael's eyes, indicating she had better run. “Michael... Michael, no! I cannot run around in this skirt, Michael..!” she pleaded as he chased her in circles around the dining room table. Trying to make her way through the house and to safety was never an easy task when he was about and his mind was set on holding you captive.
And so began the chase that would last well over an hour, leaving the pair of them with grumbling stomachs and a lack of breath passing in and out of their lungs. Michael wound up holding her prisoner in his arms and refused to let her go, no matter the struggle. It was wildly amusing for him, but not so much for her. Breathing properly became even more difficult with all the laughter pouring from them both, but he eventually unwound his arms from around her waist, setting her free to wander about the place with him following close behind. This was a favourite past time of his – and of hers. After years of knowing one another and always being together for the most part, there were a number of things they could always find enjoyment doing; and one of those things was simply wandering around such a gigantic house and admiring the décor. Décor they both knew like the backs of their hands at this point, but regularities mattered very little.
It was like waking up every morning, afternoon or evening and knowing the day would never be the same as the one before. Time always had a way of altering things and Neverland Valley Ranch was ever-changing without fault. It was one of the most beautiful places on earth, or so Belle believed. It was always her favourite destination for a short break, away from the hassle of touring with such a world renowned pop star and being blinded constantly by flashing camera's. There were a select few things she missed about being on the road with Michael, however. Being given the chance to watch him perform from backstage was always high up on that list and it was a wonderful, magical experience. Nothing quite beat spending a number of weeks with him at his childlike getaway, though. There would never be a replacement for this kind of fun.
“I'm loving the new paintings you have up” she complimented, looking over her shoulder to toss him a little smile as he continued to follow. “They're so beautiful.. I can't imagine how long it takes to scan galleries for work so breathtaking. It's as though they are hand painted by angels; all God's handiwork, as we are – unique in ourselves and how we express our emotions.”
As she spoke, her fingers gently traced the frames of each painting and she sighed, longing to live in one of the many worlds displayed in each of them. Neverland was about as close to an otherworldly place as one could get and it was huge to boot. There was a zoo, fairground rides, a swimming pool, golf carts and goodness knows what else. The zoo was easily Belle's favourite, though. Animals were a wonderful creation and she adored the family of tigers he kept. Not one of them appeared the same as the other, each had their own individual personality and where most people would believe them to be vicious, flesh eating, overgrown cats, they were quite the opposite. Michael made sure that was so. Many times had he given children access to the zoo, which was situated at the far end of the ranch and each child would return in giggling glee, having been kissed by one of the tigers tongues. It really was the only Neverland she knew, now. The one in the books and films was just as magical, but Michael's was too, even more so.
Home
Search
Calendar
Login
Register