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Monday failed to entice auxiliary buyers into 'short-squeeze' mode, which is understandable because: 1. Institutional buy side likely needs more economic data before piling in here. 2. Most retail investors have all gone broke and likely don't have any money to contribute anyway. Point number two makes me wonder why I'm even writing these updates – but perhaps it's to help the 'average Joe' take back some of what he lost to markets over the past year. But you can make money today by... More...

6/8/2009 7:13:00 PM

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Need Some Humor? Try Joel Stein!

Anyone out there looking for a little humor (and just good writing) will certainly want to check out Joel Stein...

HUMOR FROM JOEL STEIN

Rumor also has it, he'll stand in a phone booth and call celebrities too (that is- with a little incentive!)

Interviews with Joel Stein:

New York Times

Stanford magazine

Princeton Alumni Weekly

Zulkey.com

Blacktable.com

Chico State

usedwigs.com

likesbooks.com

spinfluencer

L.A. Weekly

L.A. Times Blog (Real Time)

Hugh Hewitt (radio)

John Williams (radio)

On The Media (radio)

Zocala (radio)

Will The U.S. Economy Recover in 2009?

Please contribute for an upcoming article-

There's plenty of buzz whether the economy will recover in 2009 - I'd like to poll readers as to their thoughts in insights....

I will use the discussion in an upcoming article- However, if I use an excerpt from you, I will email you for permission before publishing the comment. Or, if you would prefer for your comment to remain anonymous- Please simply add 'Anonymous' that the bottom of your post.

Thank you,

Mark Whistler



Please enter the discussion on Mark Whistler's Amazon.com Author Page:

Discussion - Will the Economy Recover in 2009?

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Chapter One - Iceberg Blue - 2034 The Corporation Post 2012 - The Novel

FROM THE NOVEL
2034 The Corporation Post 2012
by Mark Whistler

CHAPTER ONE
ICEBERG BLUE

Lying in the steel coffin, Franklin's neck ached as he craned his head to read the note from Haggai. The artificial florescence of the glowstick scarcely produced enough light to make out the words...

Franklin,

The masses who mindlessly allowed their opinions to form by the media, played directly into the blueprint of Tyranny that would soon rule their lives.

SEESOC had slowly been edging itself into the naive acceptance of the self-consumed public many years before the financial crisis and the razing of the U.S. Constitution. Corporate lobbyists were also significant 'men behind the curtain,' outnumbering every member of Congress by 30 to 1 in 2008. Falling into the financial crisis, many politicians professed great care for the economically destitute individuals of America, though really the elected officials (and lobbyists) were truly wolves in sheep's clothing.

Trillions of taxpayer dollars were allocated under the guise of economic stimulus, but the money never really landed in the hands of the people. Large Corporations were the true beneficiaries. The politicians figured that if the ship was sinking anyway, they might as well double down on their bets; hoping increased speculation would repair the hull's ruptures.

Inevitably, the Government folded when the dollar fell through the floor, as interest rates rocketed through the roof, all derived from the complete deterioration of the credit quality of U.S. Treasury Securities and by extension, the Government. Simply put, the national debt escalated to a point where even foreign investors would not buy into the gamble that had become America.

Sadly, the media played a starring role too, actively keeping the American public apart from reality, while The Corporation put its army of gluttonous political henchmen and lobbying opportunists to work...


Franklin leaned his head back on the makeshift pillow, letting the note fall to his chest.

Everything had changed in just two weeks; now lying in this metal casket, his destiny remained unknown. Thinking back over the events that led to now, Franklin concluded that even if he were to expire in the metal tomb, he'd lived his final days with hope, gratitude and freedom. Closing his eyes, Franklin listened to the air circulating in the cramped, sealed container. Even with grave implications in the current predicament, the outcome was not to be feared. If anything, Franklin would die knowing he'd awakened from the mindless slumber that had entranced so many others. As Franklin felt his body edge towards forty winks, his thoughts drifted back to the night only a few weeks ago - alone in his apartment - just before it all began.

II

Franklin gazed out the window; the sky was a translucent iceberg blue. There weren't too many winter days now when temperatures on the Northern seaboard were above freezing. At least, not since the Gulf Stream had almost completely slowed in 2015, just a few years after the U.S. Government stumbled into its final phase of existence.

Taking a mug from the cupboard, he slowly filled it with hot water from the kettle on the stove. Using an actual kettle to heat water was an archaic action, which no one really did anymore, except Franklin. There was just something about the simplicity of the kettle he'd come to love.
Perhaps heating water on the stove was merely an action in remembrance of a time when the world had been a quieter, softer place; before Capitalism and America had been scuttled. Prior to the reckless spending of the Federal Reserve and U.S. Treasury, which exposed excessive trillions of taxpayer money, even before the new President's stimulus plan and additional Treasury funds for the Term Asset Backed Facility went into effect in 2009. A time before the national debt topped $11 trillion that same year, which crushed the credit quality of U.S. Treasuries and forced the dollar facedown into the dirt. And certainly before private property was appropriated through the nationalization of U.S. mortgages markets. Ahead of when the Federal Reserve loaded its balance sheet with assets, including eighty percent ownership in AIG, the $27 billion acquisition of Bear Sterns and before the nation's central bank agreed to absorb 90 percent of any losses resulting in the guarantee of a pool of assets held by Bank of America and Citigroup. Before the U.S. Treasury acquired senior preferred equity shares and warrants of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Before the Government began acquiring positions in airlines, healthcare, and the automotive industry.

Before the Government's subjective support of Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, AIG and CITI - perhaps - partially because of a quiet organization founded in 1973.

Before the Opportunocrats, and before the Great Walls under the ruse of immigration.

Before average global temperatures unexpectedly spiked 1˚C from 2010 to 2012.

Before worldwide famine surged… And before the coasts flooded.

Before the West Coast rumbled and the black rocks appeared in the arctic.

Before the U.S. Government was forced to begin shutting down services, as the dollar became virtually worthless. Before the awful circumstances presented The Corporation with the opportunity to swoop in like a knight in shining armor; ever so gracefully offering to save the American people from pandemonium.

The deal with the devil promised Americans stable employment, a monthly dividend check for life, guaranteed retirement, healthcare, refuge and security - even profit sharing through ownership. The only action Americans were required to take - to save the country and themselves - was to simply accept The Corporation's proposition by voting to dissolve the U.S. Constitution and incorporate the United States into the first ever Socialist Enterprise Employee Stock Ownership Country. If the people did so, as they were told, they would save their nation - and the futures of their families. The Corporation's propaganda to win mass acceptance of the scheme was delivered through television, Internet, print ads, billboards, even tee shirts, all bearing the acronym: SEESOC.

Initially, The Corporation used terms like 'Worker's Cooperative', 'Employee Owned and Controlled Corporation' (EOCC), 'Cooperative Social Enterprise' (CSE) and 'Community Interest Country' (CIC), though in the end, SEESOC won out.

Through the media, The Corporation launched an all-consuming campaign, specifically targeting two core groups: Americans 18 to 30 and those in the 50 to 70 range. The Corporation knew if it were to mix a little Hollywood sex appeal with dash of American Idol together, while tossing in a pinch of 'progressiveness' into the campaign, a great majority of the 18 to 30 pigeons would eat the incognito Communist mendacity up faster than a toddler a dum-dum sucker. The youth bought the 'collective is progressive' ruse completely.

Sadly, the 50 to 70 group was a pushover too, though for two completely different reasons. First, the troop felt it had the most to lose, as failed markets shredded many baby boomers' retirement savings (with the bonus effect of stimulating virtual panic about their futures in the flailing healthcare system) and thus, were already psychologically primed to be on the lookout for a savior. Second, because The Corporation had become a master chameleon, it simply positioned SEESOC with supposed JFK era ideals and 'voila', out went the Constitution like skunked pooch in the house on a hot summer night.

Socialist intellectuals and politicians believed they had developed governance models more adequate for individuals, than what individuals could decide for themselves. Collectivists' prophesized 'social enterprise as a heterogeneous business movement', though Franklin felt the propaganda was nothing more than a manifesto for uniformity and mindlessness. Like military Drill Sergeants have known for years, good soldiers are completely broken down first, and then built back up. The financial crisis was extremely effective moment in time for disguised Socialists to 'break down' the working class, entrepreneurs and small businesses, thus creating a potential future environment of 'equitable distribution, and not accumulation, of social and economic capital.'

To ensure the final nail in the coffin of Capitalism, The Corporation even assured mortgage and credit card debt relief, in exchange for the public execution of the U.S. Constitution. Really, those manipulating the strings from behind the scenes knew the modified ESOP was the perfect plan to quietly assimilate assets the Federal Reserve had been nationalizing since the crisis began.

Behind the curtain though, the same old career politicians and greedy kings were at work doing the same old things...and would simply change the rules as they saw fit, after taking total control.
In the end, The Corporation succeeded in using the slippery slope of progressive Socialism to slither right on into a murky area somewhere between Tyranny and Communism. It didn't have to end up that way though and Franklin wished with all his heart he could go back in time and warn the people of what was happening around them. But he couldn't step back into history, and the reality of the situation was that the people had traded the Constitution for a little supposed income and security.

The bottom line, the capricious pander-poots soon found out, was their days of freedom were over. Like any good employer, The Corporation demanded uniformity and compliance while employees were on the clock. But the clock never stopped.

Franklin sighed, holding the warm mug up to his lips, gently blowing on the steam rising under his nose. Twitching his nose slightly, he thought about her; the only woman he had ever loved. It had been 29 years since he had seen her last, and even after all this time, he sometimes wondered why life made the erratic turns that it had. He had grown used to not knowing, though somewhere inside his soul, he felt like it must all mean something. Every year, he would wonder if the questions would go away, and every year he would realize that in one's lifetime, some questions are never answered. They fade over time, and we learn to live with not knowing, but all of the questions never completely disappear.

Suddenly, the monitor on Franklin's living room wall, just beyond the kitchenette separated by the little wooden dining table, burst with sound.

"Good evening colleagues; The Corporation announces energy cutbacks this evening, due to the increased efforts in the 66° PARTNER war. Energy will we be distributed via your Personnel Eminence Credit Kilojoules (PECK)."

"Here it comes," Franklin thought as he stared at his wrist where the invisible bar code had been tattooed.

"Distribution rationing will commence immediately, based on personal contribution to The Corporation. 'Accordingly, the individual producer receives back from society, after deductions have been made -- exactly what he gives to it.'"

At that moment, The Corporation's Logo on his blue middle management blazer caught the corner of his eye; looking down at the icon, Franklin briefly thought about spitting on it.
"It's probably not too respectable to spit on your own coat," he decided, "even if you are all alone in your own home."

Day in and day out, he wore the blazer with The Corporation's logo to his office pod in one of the city's skyscrapers. Walking to work, Franklin was a mere spec in a sea of blue blazers, all exactly the same, all with the same logo, all walking in a silent hush, routinely spaced, with heads bowed slightly, like quiet waves in a morbidly frightened sea of corporate commerce.
Occasionally, he would pass a blue pinstripe suit, with The Logo of course, and wondered whom that person knew? It had long since become an unspoken rule that the only way to move beyond middle management was to either be from a corporate family, or to know someone in one of the families.

The blue pinstripes were blessed with the opportunocratic possibility of becoming a vice president within The Corporation. Being an executive in The Corporation meant power...
The power to hurt.

Hardly anyone ever spotted black suit executives in public, especially on the streets. The executives held such isolated positions of elitism; even the thought of being near the nebbish proletariats was repulsive. If an executive class member needed an item from one of The Corporation's stores, there was always a junior executive to do the bidding for them.
Also on the streets were the attendants, all clothed in the same drab gray jumpsuits.

Of course, there was certainly no shortage of Security Services in The Corporation, all wearing the same pale blue fatigues, like the color of a human body that's been dead for a day or two.
Security Services were on every corner, in every window, in hydrogen and methane squad cars, walking behind you, in front of you, standing by doors, at attention in the hallways and in the elevators. Security Services often stood in stores, in your office and sometimes - for hours on end - behind your chair at work. It wasn't uncommon for Security Services to be standing in your kitchen, your closet, or in your shower when you returned home.

They just stood by - always watching - lifeless and mute, hoping for the slightest sign of nonconformity to appear.

The UAV's were always buzzing overhead too, perpetually watching everything, virtually everywhere. The little robotic surveillance drones had simply just become a part of day-to-day life the employees had come to accept. Even when one couldn't actually hear a drone overhead, the little spies were still there hovering at an inaudible altitude.

Franklin cursed at himself upon the realization that he'd been doing it again, thinking about The Corporation and the past. He was always thinking about both. Always living in his regrets and trying to figure out how the people let it happen? Franklin stood there in his kitchen shrugging his shoulders, realizing things were 'just the way they were', and there was nothing he could do about it.

Walking towards the small dining table in his cold, sparse little apartment, he opened his laptop briefly catching his reflection in the screen. His pale face hadn't seen actual sunshine in six months - he left for work in the darkness and he returned at twilight. He almost looked like a ghost…colorless, gaunt, with receding gray hair, although as neatly groomed as possible. As the laptop screen sputtered to life, he logged into The System. Franklin knew he had to be logged into The System promptly after returning home; Security Services frowned when one wasn't logged in.

Joy! His monthly dividend statement had arrived. The Corporation loved its employees so much; the Executives had decided to pay a special monthly half-amero dividend, on top of the normal one-amero per month dividend every employee had been guaranteed for life.
"That's how they did it," Franklin thought. "The sockdolager was the guaranteed monthly dividend check... If only the public would have known the dividend check was really just bait transforming the masses into nothing more than wage-hungry slaves." Franklin shook his head in disgust thinking, "The people thought The Corporation meant security, safety and an easier life. But we've been forced into nothing more than dogsbody supporting a small class of ecumenical opportunocratic elitists."

The monitor went on to inform Franklin that today's 'special dividend' was only because The Corporation had the best quarter in history, and wanted to share the wealth with its darling employees. The math wasn't too tough; Franklin had 10,000 shares, meaning he'd be able to afford one extra mush-meal every month.

Thinking about his shares for a moment, Franklin realized his 50th birthday was coming up in three weeks and he would be receiving a fifty percent increase in shares from The Corporation. They called it the 50/50 benefit. Employees who didn't miss a single day of work from the time they were forty, until they tipped a half century in age, received a fifty percent increase in their total shares. Franklin had a perfect record at work; he even showed up the morning after he had a heart attack.

He remembered the experience like it was yesterday. Stretched out in the Corporate Health Care (CHC) recovery room, the doctor asked him if, perhaps, Franklin needed to take a leave of absence, which really meant he would be moved to Recovery and Restructuring (R&R). Most people never returned from R&R, though if they did, they were usually different altogether.
Regardless, the extra §100 a month he would receive from the 50/50 dividend increase meant he would be able to finally buy a new pair of shoes.

Franklin's notebook began rattling off the day's news, with a streaming ticker running across the bottom and one at the top. The tickers always ran the same propaganda, with the upper containing pictures and slogans of The Corporation's various consumer products, while the bottom spouted news, weather, and corporate affirmations. On the right side of the screen, three small boxes were permanently present, each with their own robotic telecaster discharging updates like cow does manure.

Each night the monitors would present a detailed account of The Corporation's most recent act of generosity, which usually turned out to be the same blessed stability of their monthly one-amero dividend payment. There were always images of the starving around the world too. The famished of the world had become locked in frantic anarchy, living in societies of hunger-derived animalistic brutality.

The images mostly showed footage of barbaric heathens fighting on both sides of the Great Walls, which separated - rather, "protected" - The Corporation from Mexico and Canada.
Insurgency was commonplace on the other side of the two Great Walls - the Great Wall of Mexico and the Great Wall of Canada. Catching many nations by surprise, sudden climate changes from 2012 to 2015 took a devastating toll on global agriculture production.
As the monitors displayed nightly, multitudes of starving humans were constantly skirmishing at the Great Walls, seeking only to gain entrance to The Corporation, where the employees were fortunate enough to have mush on their plates daily.

The monitor began again, "The Corporation is the most prosperous place to live on earth. The starving are rioting at the borders, and attempting to cross into this incredible utopia." Right on cue, the monitor then flickered with an image of Security Services shooting the skull of a famished 'terrorist' about to throw a Molotov cocktail at one of The Great Walls.

There were also images of the old seaboard towns, which were mostly underwater now, the dustbowl that had become the old Southwest, the Midwest blizzards and of course, the frigid conditions that were continually persistent in the Northeast now. Franklin always got a chuckle out of the name of his home New Venice, which was once called New York City.

"Perhaps even The Corporation has a slight sense of humor," he wanted to believe.
Every hour, the monitors would begin reading 'breaking news' lists of employees who had just retired and the names of those who had gone beyond the expectations of The Corporation.
The news always ended with a story of an employee awarded a special dividend for turning in another employee; a terrorist in disguise posing eminent danger to the safety of The Corporation's employees.

Sometimes the monitor would show the insurgent's execution, though public thrashings were generally reserved for weekly teambuilding meetings. The Corporation (and one's peers) rained praise and applause for unswerving attendance at work and weekly teambuilding, torturing, and capital punishment.

The most loyal employees though, the ones The Corporation loved the most, were those who had embraced the heartless faculty of mind to inculpate family, friends or colleagues, who even remotely whiffed of potentially being an insurgent.

Without a doubt, every employee knew The Corporation cheerfully rewarded loyalty, ad infinitum.

CHAPTER 12 ONE NIGHT IN GRATITUDE From 2034 The Corporation Post 2012 The Novel - By Mark Whistler

From 2034 The Corporation Post 2012
The Novel - By Mark Whistler



CHAPTER 12
ONE NIGHT IN GRATITUDE

Walking up Dedication Street later that afternoon, Franklin couldn't help to think – again – of the reckless madness that had become his life over the past two weeks. Here he was, walking back to the junk shop after work, the second trip in one day. Insanity knows no boundaries, Franklin decided. The icing on the cake was that he was just moving along with all of the people on sidewalk as if nothing was happening. Except that he was carrying an actual copy of Orwell's 1984, the silver turtle from the junk shop and to top it all off, $100 of bona fide illegal cash too. He felt like smiling really. The problem was, most people never smiled anymore, so simply walking down the street smiling would likely raise suspicion.

Though Franklin had decided that he would not live his own life in fear, he had more on the line now, namely Sue. If it had just been Franklin's life on the line, he figured he'd just smile and smile and smile. The mere thought of Sue having to deal with Security Services brought Franklin immense pain. Unfortunately, if Franklin were hauled in on his own accord, post disappearance interviews with others (like Penn) would likely flush Sue out as well.

It took all of Franklin's consciousness to frown all the way Haggai's shop, even though he was beaming underneath the surface.

Nearing the street housing the junk shop's alley, Franklin realized he was ten minutes early. Standing in the street was not an option, as even in the darkness, another passing employee who possibly took notice would likely call Security Services. Franklin wondered if there was anything his fellow employees wouldn't call Security Services on one another for.

Examining his immediate options, Franklin concluded that he could either circle the block several times, or stand just slightly inside the alley, hopefully out of sight of those walking by on the street. His only other real option was to attempt to find a doorway off of the street that he might be able to hang out in; they called it loitering, really. As Franklin turned the corner to his destination, he realized he need not worry anyway, as Sue was walking just up ahead. Though it was dark out, he instantly made out her frame; she just had a certain swagger about her. Sue was walking abnormally slow though, almost like a robot with rusted out sockets. Most likely she had arrived early too and had come up with a more creative solution to the dilemma.

"Genius," thought Franklin, "I would have never even thought of that." He decided she must have experience in these matters and made a resolution to inquire later tonight, while they were talking perhaps.

As Franklin came within earshot of Sue, he let out a pseudo cough that actually probably sounded a little more like a paint bucket full of rocks. Really, there was nothing sexy about his incognito hack at all and he'd immediately hoped she wasn't feeling grossed out now.

Sue turned her head slightly as Franklin's cough-ploy had worked; with Franklin fifteen feet in tow, she turned left into the alley instead of continuing onward. As he rounded the corner behind her, Franklin realized she must have sped up, because she'd put a good thirty feet in-between them somehow.

Though it seemed as if he was only seconds behind Sue by the time he entered the junk shop, she was already seated at a tall rustic stool at the counter, with Haggai sitting on the opposite side. She was laughing and smiling almost embarrassingly, though in a brilliantly cute kind of way. The shopkeeper looked completely amused with himself, smiling in a friendly fashion as Franklin approached the counter. Franklin took the empty stool at the counter next to Sue. On the counter's glass top, Franklin immediately noticed three wine glasses and a bottle of what appeared to be the real thing… wine.

Franklin couldn't remember the last time he'd seen, or even tasted wine. Wine and other alcoholic beverages flowed freely for upper management, directors, and celebrities, but had seen a decade-long supply shortage for the dogsbody.

"Well hello young man," the keeper was evidently enjoying the moment, "I've just been spending a little time with your beautiful bride… Lovely. Just lovely." Both Sue and Franklin looked at each other, blushing and smiling all at the same time; Franklin hadn't said anything about marriage, but given the chance, he'd propose in a second. Time had slowed and at this moment, here in the peacefulness and goodness of Haggai's shop… Franklin wished the moment could last forever.

If ever Franklin could remember a time when it felt like he'd come home to his family at Christmas, this was it. In a weird way, he sensed Sue and the old shopkeeper had been his family all along.

"Come on then young chap, please have a seat. It's okay if you hold hands in the popcorn, I don't mind at all." Sue let out a little giggle and blushed again, as Franklin took a seat at the stool next to her. He was almost giggling himself, as he noticed his entire body, heart, mind, and soul were full of warmth right now.

"Well, I've been saving this for some time now; for a special occasion… Now here we've got two young kids in love, I'd just about say that's pretty special? Hmmm?" The keeper was reaching for the wine with one hand and an old bottle opener with the other.

Sue and Franklin simultaneously stole quick, blushing glances from one another.

'Ta-pop' the wine bottle opened, and all three of their glasses were nearly filled to the top. The keeper held up his glass and requested Franklin and Sue follow.

"Hear ye, hear ye!" The keeper announced in a majestic voice, as if he were talking to Sue, Franklin and all of the junk on the store's shelves. "As Willa Cather said, 'Where there is great love, there are always miracles.'"

Franklin smiled and nodded his head, "To love and gratitude."

"To love and gratitude," Sue also said with a smile.

When the wine hit Franklin's lips, a massive wave of hope flowed through him like a hot knife does butter. Remembering what it simply felt like to live as a normal human being - with simple pleasures - sipping wine with friends and loved ones, was a wonderful experience. And after only a few sips, Franklin realized that they'd begun chatting and laughing aloud, without any talk of The Corporation or their jobs. The keeper had been telling funny jokes in an Irish accent, while Sue giggled madly. The wine was warming Franklin all over and somewhere in the moments since he'd sat down and now, Sue's hand had fallen into his. Her fingers were soft and delicate and though at first he hadn't thought he could feel happier, simply holding hands with her now made his heart rocket even higher. Franklin couldn't think of anywhere else in the entire world he wanted to be, than right here at this moment, fully present, sharing life with beautiful, brilliant and amazing Sue and of course Haggai too.

At the end of one of the keeper's jokes, their laughter waned to a sigh, all three content to simply exist.

Franklin suddenly remembered a question he wanted to ask, "I just want to thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart…"

"No problem young man, not a problem at all, this after all, is what life is about."

"Yea…it is…" Franklin's tone was soft with gratitude, "Thank you again so much. Um, also, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a question."

"Fire away captain," The shopkeeper's voice was confident, but without any trace of ego.

"Well, I'm just wondering, and please know I mean no disrespect…"

The keeper raised a bushy eyebrow as Sue straightened slightly on her stool, "I guess, I'm just wondering, and please forgive me again, but how is it that Security Services allows you to exist here?"

The keeper's face suddenly changed, a serious and fierce look befell his aged features. Franklin's heart took a left turn, and he could almost feel Sue gasp; both preparing themselves for what might come next. Suddenly the keeper burst into laughter, almost rolling off the back of his tall stool, while attempting to keep his wine from spilling out of his glass.

"Had you going there for a moment!" Sue and Franklin were laughing, though both had just nearly had a heart attack. When the keeper regained his composure, he began, "Well first, I can't believe it took you this long to ask, but I'm glad you did."

Franklin and Sue were both smiling again. "See, Franklin and my dearest new friend Sue, the woman with more brilliant beauty than all of blue skies and oceans put together…" Sue was blushing as the keeper continued, "Reality is what we make it. I choose to not believe in The Corporation. The question is; can I escape Security Services arrival at my door by simply pretending The Corporation doesn't exist?"

Haggai looked at Franklin who just shrugged his shoulders.

"Well yes and no. Throughout history, time and time again, the perseverance of hope and human spirit always rises above greed, selfishness, money, and power. The darker the hearts of those in power, or with privileged lives, the more certain it is that society will topple. See, The Corporation is filled with some very, very dark souls. I'm talking about the kind of people who like to hurt others; they derive pleasure from knowing they have gained the upper hand. These people believe they are loved because of their money and prestige, but little do they know most of the people surrounding them actually despise them instead. The big egos often can't even recognize when they are degrading others and thus, have a long, long line of displaced co-workers, friends and sometimes even family who have been hurt in the past. Eventually, something in the universe dislodges and when the walls start crumbling, it's as if an earthquake were toppling the Eiffel Tower.

There are seven secrets to the universe that protect individuals from being unknowingly seduced into the state of selfishness and greed that eventually takes over the minds of almost all people. Historians will see that by the time Democracy (within Plato's cycle) began to fail, there was a global plague already in effect - and it wasn't the flu. The plague was a disease affecting the souls of people, moving individuals and societies into a place where they became selfish, apathetic, and cruel. Even the righteous had been infected and that's why the world had to change, why devastation had to ensue. Men began killing in the name of God, which was the final straw of individual righteousness, so God took back his name from all men. There was no other choice. Similar to how humans can become infected with disease and show no noticeable symptoms of such until a major medical emergency takes place, individual infection with selfishness, greed and apathy for human care were - and will - behave precisely the same way. Most people cannot recognize that they've been infected when they examine the surface. The only way to truly take note of infection is for one to honestly and thoroughly examine how they live their lives. However, once the soul-eating fungus has taken root, often there's no turning back. Long ago there was a book touting a lost 'secret of abundance', but unfortunately the supposed mystical clue to wealth was a sham. Why? Because the authors knew nothing of the underlying principals of prosperity that guide the universe. In their search for an easy ride in pursuit of abundance, the universe withheld the core components of its mysterious inner workings. Why again? Because one cannot profit from universal abundance if their motive or heart is not pure. The universe just doesn't work that way. Unfortunately, the secrets are always lost in the sands of time, the moment someone allows money, ego, or policy to supersede human care and kindness. When one learns the seven secrets, however, they become an alchemist of the universe, living in rhythm with God and The Form of the Good. When all hope is eventually lost in a society, it only takes one - literally one - of the secrets to appear and for humanity to right itself again with freedom, liberty, and compassion. The re-emergence of one of the secrets to save the masses does not mean the masses have all become alchemists though. The event simply helps steer humanity back to a place where it can continue evolving. The alchemists who uncover the seven secrets, however, mysteriously find each other throughout the years, but often not in this world. While they would love nothing more than to simply tell the masses about the seven secrets, unfortunately they are bound to secrecy with the universe. Within this universe all matter is set in motion, with even the smallest particles that you cannot see, or even feel reverberating about. All matter vibrates and it is the soul's ability to transform itself into the tonal tremor of matter, beyond matter… Matter beyond quarks, enabling the alchemists to slip into the universe un-noticed. Franklin and Sue, what is the fastest moving 'anything' in the universe?"

Franklin and Sue looked at each other, as Sue replied, "Light?!"

"Some would have you think that the speed of light is one of the fastest items in the universe. But that's why the scientists who've spent trillions of dollars on particle accelerators never succeeded; science cannot define what exists only in non-existence. The answer, my budding alchemists, is prayers… Prayers move faster than the speed of light. When one knows how to use what I have just told you, they uncover a sliver in time that leads to the invisible staircases of constituent relativity. One must have learned all seven secrets and possess all seven keys to unlock the mystery of the universe though. That's why too many can never learn the seven secrets, because eventually the keys would fall into the hands of one who cannot refuse the temptation of greed."

The keeper was quiet for a moment, as both Sue and Franklin leaned in desperately wanting to learn more about these secrets to the universe.

"At this moment, I am bound to confidentiality with the universe, in the case of the seven secrets, but I can tell you one reason most people never see the Law of Abundance create prosperity in their lives. Within the Law of Abundance, there are a few sub-components that one must first embrace. By the way, have you ever heard of the Law of Abundance?"

Both Sue and Franklin shook their heads no.

"The Law of Abundance basically means that if you think abundance, you will receive abundance. If you picture it in your mind, it will appear in reality. But again, when this information was presented to masses in the past, it was about as effective as using a shovel to peel potatoes. Within the Law of Abundance one sub-component is the Vacuum Law of Prosperity. The universal law I have just mentioned to you is this: The universe is comprised of matter; space, the ocean, your bodies, everything. If I were to remove a square mile of water from the ocean, what would happen to the area in the ocean that is now missing the water I have just removed?"

Franklin chimed, "Water would rush in to fill the hole."

"Exactly Franklin, you're right on the money. Air, space, souls, they are all the same, and anytime something is removed from a place of low density, that of higher density will rush in to fill the void. What I'm saying is (for example) you cannot create an eternal vacuum of air, as eventually the seal will break and when it does, air will rush in to fill the space that was devoid of air. Souls behave the exact same way. When you pack your soul with anger, greed, materialism, grudges, rigidity and no forgiveness, you have packed your soul with material - dark material - and no other light can enter your life. This is why the world spirals downward; people have packed their souls with wretchedness, even though they might profess faith to a God who gives grace. They have packed their souls with the opposite of goodness and thus, there is no room for actual goodness to enter their lives.

The Vacuum Law of Prosperity tells us that if we unconditionally forgive and release all negatives that have manifested within our souls, we will create a Vacuum. And the result will be new people, experiences, and prosperity that will flood into our lives, as goodness rushes in to fill the empty space we have created by removing the negatives. When we create a vacuum by releasing everything negative we've been holding so dear, we enable ourselves to prosper from the Law of Abundance.

Within every aspect of the universe there are opposites, however, such as darkness and light, warmth and cold, heavy and light, the yin and the yang… We live in a world that is fueled by shallowness. Many believe there must be lack, there must be suffering, and there must always be a hole in the hearts of some people, whereby they perceive that others will take what they have, if given the chance. The protectiveness of self is truly the manifestation of desire, driven by greed, with the true profiteers being those who need the rest of the people to remain locked in an untrusting, protective, materialistic society where people only want more, more and more. The outcome is anger and cruelty, propelled further by lack and fear of. Anger begets anger until one person breaks the chain.

Young alchemists, gratitude is the secret to releasing the negatives from your soul, thus creating the brilliant Vacuum of Prosperity I am talking about.

When one is simply grateful for all that is, including the things and people that are different, there is a deeply felt sense, or desire to want to help others. Conversely, false gratitude is conditional and no matter how one tries to justify their rhetoric, in the end, they become slaves to the lies they tell their own hearts.

As I mentioned earlier Franklin, the sun, a creation of God, warms unconditionally. Days, weeks, and seasons come and go, but the sun is always there and it does not judge. It does not ask men or women to live their lives in any way at all, except just to live.

The sun does not judge. People however do judge, and throughout history, have always lost sight of the one principal that is their key to freedom: gratitude.

In terms of The Corporation, it has no power over me, because I choose to live in gratitude. I consciously thank the world every day for all that I have, even if to some, what I have is nothing more than junk. I couldn't care who walks through that door. Black, white, female, male, gay, straight, smart or not, old or young, rich or poor, I am grateful for that person and offer what I can to help. In essence, because I live in gratitude, The Corporation cannot, nor has it ever, been able to see me or have power over me."

Sue and Franklin both looked at each other wondering whether the old man was for real, or slightly off his rocker.

"True gratitude knows no lack." The keeper had a very serious, though caring look on his face.

"With all of this in mind, the other key to abundance is this," he continued, "it is acceptance." Accepting that other people will live differently, that they have the same God given right to believe what they believe, live as they choose…that without condition they have the same right to enjoy the sunshine each and every day as does everyone else. See there's one thing that man cannot singlehandedly take from one another; the gift of sun and the warmth it provides.

There are those who will try to take the rays of sun from others and of course the argument will arise that when one inflicts harm on another, he or she should be punished. But it's a lie. Here's why…

God gave sunlight in abundance and no matter how one may try to take it from another, he cannot take it all; because it is pure and of God and the universe. When man comes to the understanding that there is enough sunlight – and always will be enough – he no longer needs to live with a competitive heart, with pangs of lack and suffering. When man understands that even when one has erred, the man that erred will STILL be given the same sunlight the next day, as the previous.

What I'm talking about is grace.

Those who understand these principals, learn to live with a creative heart, using the sunlight for what it was truly meant for; to give life and warm the hearts of people in the understanding that this universe was built on abundance, not lack.

Acceptance is living in gratitude side by side with one's neighbor in the sunlight that warms all, without man-made distractions that are really a ruse to mask the desire for power, money, and control.

See, there are two forms of acceptance. The first, the bad form, is the desire to be accepted, whereby one will forgo rational thought and human care, in order to gain acceptance of whatever group he or she so desperately needs the approval of. The second form of acceptance, the good form and the one I am speaking of here, is not the desire to be accepted, but the unconditional desire to accept, without any demands whatsoever.

In The Corporation, the true meaning of gratitude has been abolished by those in power, except for how they see fit to justify their actions. The indentured servants of The Corporation have endured the manipulation for so long; they have given up on gratitude and the only acceptance they embrace is that of their peers, who unfortunately are also locked in the negative chain and cannot enjoy the warmth of the sun.

Acceptance within The Corporation began to twist into the bad form several decades ago, before The Corporation was real. Post 2012, acceptance had dissolved into a scornful eye seeking out any who did not fit the mold of political, religious, economic, and social uniformity that gave the false air of safety and righteousness.

True acceptance and gratitude will come again though - when the time is right - and history will begin again when people learn to love and trust each other once more."

II

When Franklin and Sue arrived upstairs, both were slightly tipsy with the world; it had been a long time since either had sipped wine. Sue looked more beautiful than Franklin could ever remember in his short time knowing her.

Like a child at a carnival for the first time, she was taking in the surroundings of the room with sheer joy and amusement. Sue plopped down on the bed, looking up at the ceiling, giggling. Then, turning to her left, Sue suddenly noticed the fireplace and chair, which she was enjoying abundantly.

"It's so cozy!" Her voice was happy; Franklin was standing at the foot of the bed - frozen - in complete bliss watching Sue. "Franklin, can we live here forever?" Sue was focused on Franklin now, her smile melting his heart.

"Wouldn't that be great?" Franklin was now slowly moving towards the chair in the corner of the room.

"Oh Franklin, I've had such a nice time this evening, thank you so much. Your friend is so nice; what's his name again, by the way?"

"Haggai; He's pretty amazing isn't he?"

Sue smiled and nodded with her hair flopped over her face atop a large fluffy white pillow. "Yes! So amazing."

"Well you kids aren't too shabby either."

Sue let out a quick scream of surprise at the keeper's voice suddenly coming from the top of the stairway, at the entrance to the room. When Sue looked surprisingly back at Franklin, he was holding one hand over his heart, clearly startled as well.

"Sorry to scare you." Haggai held up his right hand, which was holding a large, attaché, "I think you might have forgotten this princess." The shopkeeper was smiling, which in turn re-sparked Sue's smile too.

"Oh!" Sitting up on the bed and reaching a hand over the footboard, Sue gently took her bag from the keeper, "Thank you so much."

"The pleasure is all mine…" Looking towards Franklin, "You kids okay? Do you need anything; water, wine?"

Franklin was standing, "I think we're okay; really though, I can't thank you enough for your kindness."

The shopkeeper looked very, very content. "Really Franklin, the pleasure's all mine. I will sleep easy tonight knowing there are two incredible people left in this world."

"We think you're the incredible one," Sue injected.

"Well thank you, but I'm just an old man who can't seem to let go of his junk."

"It's not junk." Franklin replied.

"Well, to some it is; though I guess beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder." The Shopkeeper began turning to descend the stairway.

"Um, excuse me…"

The shopkeeper stopped and turned towards Franklin, "Yes?"

"I'm so sorry; I really feel like I know you well enough now and even with all of your amazing hospitality, I don't how I can repay you for your kindness and generosity."

"No problem young man." The shopkeeper was still smiling, "I'm just glad you asked; most people forget that people are people these days and that even asking to help, or thank another has been forgotten. With a wink, the keeper was headed down the stairs, leaving Sue and Franklin to their first night of freedom in many years.

Sue gazed at Franklin, not saying a word, just simply looking at him as though she'd known him all her life. 'Funny,' she thought, 'I've barely even spoken to this man, but I feel like I've known him all of my life.'

Franklin was standing next to the bookshelf now, running his index finger along the spines of the books.

"Wow!" Sue remarked, "They must be a thousand years old; I didn't even know books existed anymore!"

"This may be the last filled bookshelf in the world," Franklin commented. Just then, a particular book caught his eye; it was a smaller book barely visible in-between two large encyclopedias. He had to wedge the two large books apart with one hand to pull the smallest of the three from the shelf with his other. Holding his discovery up so that the cover was flush to his line of sight Franklin blurted, "Miracle! This was one of my favorite books in the world when I was younger. I was actually just thinking about it the other day – after I met you – I'd almost forgotten."

Suddenly Sue jumped up from the bed, "Hold that thought; I almost forgot something too." With her bag in hand Sue asked, "Is there a bathroom here?"

Franklin looked a little bewildered, "You know, I don't know. I mean there's got to be right?"

"Downstairs maybe?" Sue's voice seemed at ease, even if she would have to make a trip down the squeaky stairs.

Tossing the book back on the old leather chair, Franklin began to follow Sue out the bedroom door.

"Wait, hold on there!" Franklin was moving backwards slightly at the door, just as Sue hit the first stair.

Contorting his body slightly to the side of the doorway, Franklin exclaimed, "I just caught it out of the corner of my eye, but I think there's another door over here, in the corner behind the door."

Sue popped back to the top of the landing, poking her head around the doorframe.

"Yea, it is," Franklin was pushing on a little latch in the only wooden wall in the room, opposite the old fireplace. The door was barely visible, as the skin was the same wood as the larger wall, sans trim.

Franklin pushed open the little door and peered into the darkness. The echoic cool feel of the dim room just felt like a bathroom. Of course the faint odor of old urine helped decipher the puzzle too.

"Sue, can you hand me the smaller of the two lamps from the mantle?" Franklin was investigating the darkness of the bathroom when Sue's arm reached around his head with the little light.

The bathroom was porcelain after all, white even, though after roughly 85 years, it had faded yellow pretty good. The tiles on the wall and floor were the little octagon tile kind, circa the 1940's, or 1950's that Franklin remembered from his grandmother's house when he was a child.

The bathroom was long and narrow and clean for the most part, save dust and the stinky pinky toilet on the far wall, just beyond the age-old claw foot tub.

"Hold on a sec," Franklin decided he'd investigate the odor, so Sue wouldn't have to brave the faint stink. "Looks like the water is on," Franklin stated as his eye caught a leak from the hot side of the two faucets in the old pedestal sink.

Approaching the toilet, reflexively cautious, Franklin pushed on the old wooden handle on the ceramic box above the bowl.

Never in his life had Franklin been so happy to see a toilet flush.

"I bet you you've never even seen one of these?" Franklin jabbed as he turned to Sue, who was still standing in the doorway holding the lamp.

Sue quickly got the joke smirking back, "I like older men, what can I say?"

"Was that plural?" Franklin joked.

Sue looked at Franklin with pursed lips highlighting the meanest face she could possible muster, though she wasn't doing a good job at hiding the fact that she was trying not to giggle. Then in her best theatric performance, she let her bag fall to the floor, as if she were upset.

"You're the most beautiful angry woman I've ever met."

Another giggle escaped from Sue, as she met Franklin at the sink in the middle of the bathroom, throwing both arms around his neck.

Franklin's arms naturally wrapped around her lower back as the two embraced for the first time. It had been so long since Franklin had held a woman, he'd forgotten how brilliantly soft, warm and overwhelming a woman can be. Sue suddenly grabbed Franklin tight, pulling her face to his neck; they simply stood there – in the middle of the old bathroom – holding each other tight, swaying ever so slightly for nearly fifteen minutes.

Though Franklin was pretty sure he was about to collapse, he wanted to hold Sue in his arms forever. During their long embrace, he concluded that an entire lifetime was worth the wait for this one moment. Though they had only hugged – albeit for a really, really long time – Franklin's heart told him the embrace packed enough adoration to last him the rest of his days.

III

Franklin had resumed sitting in the leather chair, reading the long lost book that spoke so dearly to his soul as a young man when Sue reappeared from the bathroom.

Franklin's heart seized.

There, standing – in the same room – was a beautiful woman wearing a long silk negligee, with a flowing white sheer robe hanging from her narrow shoulders. She looked different though; more beautiful than Franklin could ever remember. He realized that Sue was wearing makeup, something he'd not seen in over a decade. He didn't care whether she was wearing it, or not, the event simply through him off guard.

Sue smiled slightly and then with a giggle, "You look like you're seeing a ghost or something."

Snapping back to reality, Franklin could hardly believe the incredible feelings bursting through his soul.

"I…I, umm, well, I umm…" Regardless of The Corporation, as some things in this world never change, Gibberish is the first language of a man – awestruck – in the presence of the woman he loves…who's just appeared in a white silk gown.

Sue giggled as Franklin's face began turning redder than a rose.

Nervously, Franklin looked down at his old, worn shoes.

"Oh Franklin!" Sue began to move towards him, "What's wrong? I hope I haven't offended you, I can change if you like?" Sue crouched in front of Franklin putting both hands on his knees, blocking the line of sight to his shoes. He couldn't help but look sad and even though she was kneeling directly in front of him, Franklin attempted to look through her, still at his shoes.

Nudging his chin up with her right hand, her left still on his knee, while bobbing her head down slightly to break into his gaze, "Hey…Franklin…it's me…Sue. What's wrong? You look so sad…"

Franklin's eyes welled with tears, as the book he'd been reading dropped to the floor on the side of the chair. Looking Sue directly in the eyes, "Sue, I, um, I," The words just wouldn't come out, "You're so beautiful and I'm so…well, older and tattered."

Sue's mouth opened slightly with quiet heartfelt gasp as her eyes also filled with tears.

"You deserve so much and I can't give you anything." Franklin's words were sincere and from the depths of his heart.

Sue put both of her hands on his cheeks, guiding his head so he had to look her directly in the eyes. Franklin realized that she'd splashed on perfume too, which was making her even more beautiful in the warmth of the moment.

"Franklin, you are the most beautiful man I know. You're gentle, loving, caring, slightly dangerous…" As the last words came out of her beautiful ruby red lips, Sue smiled and winked with a steamy little grin, which made Franklin smile back and blush again too. "Franklin, I love that you're not cardboard, you're beautiful on the inside." Smoothing the gray hair on the left side of his head, while looking at his forehead, "But you are beautiful on the outside too."

Franklin rolled his eyes slightly.

"Don't roll your eyes at me mister!"

Both Sue and Franklin giggled for a moment, before she pulled him closer and their lips touched for the first time. Franklin had moved his hands to in-between her arms and was now gently touching her eloquent cheeks in his palms, with his fingertips at her earlobes.

The moment moved them closer and their lips touched again. Sue was holding Franklin's forearms and as she slid her palms to his hands, she stood up and began moving backwards towards the bed, gently pulling Franklin with her.

"Why do I feel so out of place?" Franklin wondered.

"You know Sue," Franklin was trying to be serious, but was smiling too much to be taken too intensely, "You're awfully amazing." In the back of his mind he knew he was about as suave as a sabot.

"I should have watched more James Bond films when I was younger," Franklin said remembering the Casanova skills of 007.

"Who?"

Franklin laughed nervously remembering he was older than Sue. "Um, just a guy who knew how to be romantic."

Sue had pulled Franklin to the bed, on which she fell back with Franklin landing to her side, slightly above her; he was looking into her big beautiful brown eyes. They were quiet for a moment as Franklin just smiled into her eyes, while running his thumb gently across her cheekbone.

"I think you're doing just fine," Sue said.

"Sure?"

"Yeaaaa…" Sue's voice had retreated to a whisper, "I really do love you."

Franklin beamed back in a whisper, "I love you too…always."

IV

When Franklin awoke late in the night, the large lamp in the bedroom had burned out, though an awkwardly dancing dim light still resonated from the bathroom. The little lamp Sue had used while changing was still burning, but Franklin couldn't figure out exactly how the light was dancing on the open door as it was. For a moment he was frozen thinking that someone was in the bathroom, but then came to the conclusion that perhaps it was just the flame waltzing to the wick and fuel.

The dim light, moving hypnotically, was a perfect setting for this beautiful moment. As he lay there under the large quilt, he couldn't help but feel at peace with the fluffy pillow under his head giving a musky scent of cedar. Sue's naked body was lying slightly offset to his own, skin to skin, wrapped around him with her head gently resting on his chest. Tears filled his eyes and he could hardly choke back his emotion realizing that he'd never been happier in his entire life.

He gazed at her sleeping so peacefully, so elegant and so innocent. While Franklin felt exhausted, he wanted to stay awake as long as possible to enjoy every passing second of this moment. He did love her so and at this very instant in heaven, laying here with Sue, he was grateful for Haggai and that this place had somehow been lost by the world.

He remembered a time way back in his younger days, before The Corporation, before materialism and greed overtook love and goodness in the masses. He remembered a time almost three decades earlier when he'd felt similar feelings of love for someone. He remembered waking in the morning, watching her sleep too, filled with deep love in his heart.

Like so many, she had fallen victim to materialism and forgot the meaning of true love. Franklin remembered one of their last conversations before she coldly thrust him out of her life saying, "I always loved you, I just want more." For a brief moment Franklin wondered what ever happened to her. For the first time in as long as he could remember though, he didn't care. This evening, he was lying with a woman who wanted to be with him. Franklin concluded that real love is being with someone who wanted to be with you too - just for you - and that the past could never cause his heart to misperceive Sue's love today, or ever in the future. He would embrace her for all of his days. If she ever decided that she no longer wanted to be with him, he promised himself, "I will let her go, like a dove into the wind."

His eyes filled with tears again as he thought, "I just want you to be happy, no matter what."

Sue murmured a little in her sleep and fidgeted slightly before moving her arm lying across his torso, so that her palm was resting flat on his chest.

Franklin beamed back in a whisper, "I love you too…always."

When Franklin woke again, he had no idea what time it was and for a moment, panic filled his heart, fearing that they'd slept late into the next day. Looking over at his handheld, he noticed it was 5:30 AM, which meant neither was late for work. He also realized that by not turning off his handheld, Security Services were not only able to track his movement, but were likely also listening and watching everything that had happened throughout the evening.

It dawned on him that Security Services had not broken down the door though, which meant either he (and Sue for that matter) weren't on their radar, or he'd been graced by another miracle. He decided the former was more likely the explanation. If they were watching, Franklin chuckled slightly while thinking he and Sue must have put on quite a show.

Turning his head back towards Sue, who was still laying on his chest, Franklin met her big brown eyes, open and alert, smiling intensely.

In a soft voice he whispered, "Hello beautiful."

"Hi…" Everything Sue did melted Franklin's heart and this moment, laying here with her, he wanted to last forever.

"Um, not to interrupt the moment with mundane details," Franklin asked, "I probably won't have problems for not going home last night, but don't you have a room-mate and a house mother to check in with every night?"

Sue smiled, "I told them I was leaving for another corporate team-building overnight event."

"Oh!" Franklin was quiet for a moment before adding, "So you were planning on staying the night?"

With a more devilish smile this time Sue replied, "I was hoping so. I wasn't sure what I would do if we didn't stay the night somewhere; I guess I just decided to take a blind chance that everything would work out."

"Hmmm…" Franklin looked at the old tin ceiling for a moment, before asking, "Well did it?"

"Did what?"

"Did everything work out?"

Another deviant smile, "What do you think?"

"Well, I guess so, if you like that kind of thing." Franklin was now yielding his own devilish grin.

"You're cute when you're trying to be bad," Sue added. "But you're really not that good at it." With a faux yawn, she pretended to go back to sleep.

Franklin suddenly laughed and though slightly muted, he couldn't help to wonder when the last time he'd really laughed was. And then suddenly, he realized that for the first time in many, many years, he felt happy.

"Do you need to go home this morning, before work, I mean?"

"Um, well," Franklin hadn't thought about it, really. "Well, I guess no; it wouldn't be the first time I've worn the same clothes to work twice in a row. I think they're kind of used to me that way. Really, it's all the same blue slacks and blazers anyway right?"

"Right," Sue said with a wink.

Franklin's face unexpectedly changed to a frown.

"What is it?" Sue asked.

"Well, when can I see you again? I mean I can't stand the thought of not being able to see you again right away?"

Sue's face looked a little dismayed now too. "Gosh, well, I guess it would have to be a week at least… My housemother and roommate are wretchedly awful and I probably shouldn't give them too much reason to suspect anything."

"A week is an incredibly long time," Franklin added. "For you though, I would wait an eternity."

Sue smirked, "Really, you'd wait for all of time?"

"I give you my word." Franklin then asked, "By the way, where do you live?"

"Oh - ha!" Sue was clearly playful again, "Why, are you going to stalk me? You know we're not supposed to let anyone know where we live, especially boys, because they are all stalkers."

"You've got me. Gosh you're quick and you've ruined my plan."

Sue nudged Franklin's chest with a finger, "Well mister, if you don't do a little stalking, I'd have to think you really didn't care. After all, I stalked you the day I followed you here from the office."

Franklin started laughing at Sue's last comment as he realized that it was kind of true. "And thank God you did."

"I know, right?" Sue was giggling too. "Anyway, I live on the corner of Acquisition and Gates Street, you know, by the corporate movie theater?"

"Oh yes, I do," Franklin responded. "I walk by sometimes when the weather is a bit nicer, for a longer stroll home. Which building is yours, the blue one, or the gray one?"

"I bet you 'just stroll by' Mr. Stalker," Sue leered, "it's the blue one; the ugly drabbest of the ugly drab two." Both started laughing again.

Sue suddenly sat up and asked, "Hey, I meant to ask you, what was that book you were reading last night, the one you said you liked so much from your younger days?"

"Oh right, I'd almost forgotten," Franklin moved a little and Sue shifted her weight away slightly. Pointing towards the chair, "I think it fell on the floor over there, when you came into the bedroom last night."

Sue leapt over Franklin and out of bed, walking naked towards the chair. Franklin couldn't help but feel totally aroused by her beauty. Retrieving the book, Sue skipped back to the bed, leaping right back in smack on top of Franklin, who let out an "ouch" sound.

Rolling off of Franklin, Sue held the book up, examining the cover.

"The Alchemist…hmmm. Sounds like weird, treasonous stuff to me; perhaps I will have to turn you in."

"Give me that you do-gooder." Franklin laughingly snatched the book from her hands and flipped through the pages, "Okay Ms. Tinker-Tattle, just listen for a minute, before you call the cops…"

"Better be good…" Sue's voice trailed off in an 'or else' kind of way.

Franklin stopped shuffling through the pages and prepared to read, clearing his throat with an imitation, "Ah hem…"

He began reading:

"'People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don't deserve them, or that they'll be unable to achieve them. We, their hearts, become fearful just thinking about loved ones who go away forever, or of moments that could have been good, but weren't, or treasures that might have been found but were hidden forever in the sands. Because, when these things happen, we suffer terribly.'

'My heart is still afraid it will have to suffer,' the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky.

'Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart that has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and eternity.'"[80]

Franklin looked at Sue, who was listening closely…

"'Every second of the search is an encounter with God,' the boy told his heart. 'When I have been truly searching for my treasure, every day has been luminous, because I've known that every hour was a part of the dream that I would find it.'"[81]

"Whoa, that is amazing; my heart tells me it is totally true." Sue was being serious, Franklin could tell. "You know, I think everyone has stopped dreaming these days, because clearly we live in a society where dreaming of anything other than what's expected of us, is considered treason."

"Yea, isn't this book amazing?" Franklin then added, included, "I was actually just thinking of this book the other day, when I was reading the copy of 1984 that I took from this room. Did I tell you about that?" Sue was looking at Franklin, obviously lost. "Um, never mind, anyway. What matters though, is that the other book and my earlier trip to this junk shop opened the door to me being here with you."

"What do you mean; I'm not sure I understand."

"Well, I think maybe I decided a long time ago that I was not happy with life and I wanted something different – I wanted freedom and love – and even though I had sort of resigned myself to the fact that I would never have either, I was still dreaming of finding both in my subconscious, or my soul I guess." While he was talking, he was flipping through the pages, searching for another passage. "On top of that, instead of feeling totally miserable, I guess I just kind of accepted my suffering, and in it, I think maybe I wasn't actually suffering as bad as I would have if I'd just tried to pretend that the whole thing wasn't really my life."

"Oh, I see…" Sue was sort of serious and yet, slightly joking at the same time.

"No really, listen to this," Franklin began reading from The Alchemist again:

"And, when you really want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it."

This time, when Franklin looked at Sue, her eyes had widened a little bit. "Whoa, I totally agree. Like when I skipped work to 'stalk' you and Penn covered for us both!"

Franklin replied, "Yea, you're right, I hadn't even thought about that, but come to think of it, the universe was trying to help us all along."

Both Franklin and Sue smiled at each other. Sue asked, "Do you know what time it is?"

"I think it's about 5:45, or 6:00 AM; I don't have to be at work for another two hours; how about you?"

Sue winked at Franklin, while making a little 'purring' sound. Franklin bit his lip slightly and then shrugged his shoulders, before giving his best romantic wink, though he wondered if his exaggerated theatrics looked more like he had something in his eye.

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