She studied her face in the mirror. She was tired and the annual Christmas party had been just the same as it always was. The usual drunken colleagues making fools of
An internet star and the Devil
It had been raining days and days , and a local river crested, flooding many houses. In the morning Lisa got up and found her basement was full of water. Lisa, as a rising internet star, of course, would not miss the chance to broadcast the views the flood caused.
Without having breakfast she grabbed her mobile phone and walked down to the basement, which was a real mess. Old clothes, abandoned toys, cigarettes ends and empty bottles of wine and beer were floating around on the surface of black water. For a moment she was hesitated and wondered that if it was a good idea to broadcast the messy and dirty things, as 90 percent of her Facebook fans were interested in her fancy lifestyle. Her posts about branded bags and food in five star hotels had got the most likes and paid her bills.
Then she saw an old bottle and it looked interesting. It looked like a beer bottle with a ceramic plug, and it seemed there was a shadow moving around inside. Without thinking she picked up the bottle and opened it immediately. Unexpectedly, a wisp of smoke emerged from the bottle, and drifted into the ceiling. In one second, the smoke turned into an ugly devil. He pointed to Lisa and screamed loudly.
‘Do yo know me? Do you know me? No? ‘
Lisa was shocked and scared. She couldn’t say a word but shook her head.
‘Unbelievable. What did you learn in school? Haven’t you heard the story about a fisherman and the Devil in One thousand and one nights? I know at every school in the world teachers tell it to their students. They have laughed at me over 1000 years. I’m not stupid. I will not give you a chance to cheat me back to the bottle. I will kill you. I will destroy the Earth.’
Before he finished screaming Lisa recalled the story about a fisherman and the devil, and she realised that she’s now in a big trouble.
Lisa took a deep breath and replied, ‘We all thought you were killed by the old fisherman. He sailed on the sea 7 days and nights to find you and baited you with his unique fish finger to get you out the bottle and burned you. ‘
The devil couldn’t believe what he has heard. He hit the ceiling and screamed again.
‘He was a liar. He cheated me. Now you are insulting me by telling me another lie. I want to kill you now.’
‘Let me google it for you,’ Lisa said and quickly opened the google webpage on her mobile.
‘Listen, here it’s said that after the Devil died the old fisherman and his three sons opened a fish finger shop called The Devil. The shop’s logo is a devil in a bottle with one hand out begging for a fish finger. Have a look, is this not you?’
The Devil looked down the screen of Lisa’s mobile and saw that was just like she said.
‘It’s a disgusting lie. I will let the world know I’m alive and I’m back.’
‘Nobody will believe you. The fisherman family’s business has been very successful and now it’s the biggest company in the world. One of his great great great great grandson was just elected to be our president. He can buy the press to say you are just another devil. He can send an army to kill you. ‘
‘How can they kill me? I can change to be smoke if necessary. ‘The Devil asked.
Lisa laughed loudly and said, ‘You’ve lived in a bottle too long. You don’t know there are many devils working for the government now. Some of them have super powers which can trace you anywhere and kill you.’
‘You don’t believe me? Ok, let me show you this book. Look, a boy named Harry Potter, you can count how many devils were killed by him. Do you think you are stronger than these dead devils? ‘
The Devil had gone silent for a while then asked Lisa, ‘what I can do? I don’t want to die.’
Lisa said, ‘You want people to believe you. You must let them like you first.You can’t live as a smoke. It’s easy to be targeted as a pollution. You can’t live like a Monster either. You look big but have no muscle and your skin is too pale. Of course it’s not your fault considering you were in a dark bottle most of your life. However we can make a story about you and me.’
‘You and me? How? I just met you and I even don’t know you. ‘The Devil said.
‘I’m not an ordinary young girl. I’m a famous internet celebrity. I have ten millions followers on Facebook and twitter. ‘
‘Ten millions followers? It’s about 100 times population of my country. How come you are so popular?’
‘It’s easy,’Lisa smiled and looked into the Devil’s eyes, ‘Because human beings are as curious as cats, and as stupid as sheep. If you make a story, but not like a story, they will believe in you. You pretend that you have the things they want in life then they will follow you. Once they follow you it’s a matter of time to let them do whatever you want them do. Brainwashing is the ultimate weapon to control the world.’
‘But how I can have so many followers and let them listen to me? ‘The Devil asked urgently.
‘It’s easy. I will open a Facebook and twitter account for you. Then I will take a video about your travel experience on the sea and post it on your Facebook and twitter. I mean this basement will be the sea. We will start from the moment you were inside the bottle and doing nothing. My mobile has a beauty function, that will make you look like the King of the sea. ‘
‘The King of the sea? It sounds good. No devil in the world has had such glories, right?’
‘Of course no devil is glorious as you. You are the smartest devil I have seen. I will repost your video on my Facebook and retweet your video and @ the fisherman great great great grandson too. You will be soon known around the world. Ready? Action!’
The Devil was vey happy and immediately changed into a plume of smoke and slowly got into the bottle.
Lisa quickly took out the plug from her pocket and put it back in the bottle tightly. Then she shook the bottle like her favourite perfume bottle, facing her mobile, starting to broadcast today’s her first live show.
Backseat Drivers
I love driving, especially alone late at night. It gives me a feeling of freedom. However, sometimes I feel a duty to go out with Talent and Dream, who both consider me their pal. Mostly I enjoy hanging out with them because Dream is a passionate and inspiring buddy and Talent is a humble and interesting young man. They both bring wonderfully real and rare moments to my life. Sometimes though they make me mad and upset when they have arguments, such as how I should drive, which turn I should take, where I should go, etc. In my heart I call Talent a little T as he always starts the argument and always loses. I call Dream a big D as he always proves he’s right. Maybe I shouldn’t have introduced little T to big D. Maybe big D is too good to be my friend as well as little T’s.
Tonight, no surprise, they are at each other again. Just because I mentioned my New Year’s Resolution they both got excited and wanted to persuade me to do in their way. Driving the car in the dark, and them sitting on the backseat, I wondered now where and when the wonderful time with them had gone to and on what it had been based.
‘Look’, Little T spoke loudly suddenly.
‘What’? I said impatiently.
‘A hitchhiker’, Big D answered excitingly.
‘So’?I replied emotionlessly. Then I noticed a short and slim young girl hitchhiking by the gas station just ahead.
‘Pull over’, Little T asked strongly.
‘Pick her up’, Big D ordered me almost at the same time.
‘Shut up you backseat drivers’, I turned my head back and shouted ‘I’m the driver’.
‘Please’, Little T and Big D both leaned toward me and begged me.
It’s a miracle. They actually agreed with each other now. I forced down my resentment and skidded to a halt. They jumped out and opened the door for her.
Looking over my shoulder I saw her sitting between little T and Big D and they winked at me. After I saw her face I suddenly realised why they were so happy to let her in. I have to say it’s a very beautiful face with a shining smile like an angel. It reminded me of someone but I couldn’t tell who.
Before I had time to introduce myself the girl spoke happily to me, ‘Hi Blossom, how are you? Long time no see’.
What did she mean long time no see. I was about to reply. Then she said ‘ You don’t remember me, do you? I’m Faith’.
Like a stormy light brightens the sky memories flashed across my mind. How I met Faith in youth and how we met Little T then Big D. We were like a gang hanging out together everywhere. Life was full of passions and surprises. No matter rain or shine we always believed that a better future was waiting for us. Then, I don’t know when or why I began to ignore her and keep her away from Little T, Big D and me. Until one day I lost her without noticing.I broke our promise of seeing the world together and lost the trust of Little T and Big D too. Now I saw them, my best friends, all siting back and smiling at me. I realised how important it was to keep Faith in my life. Faith is like the rainbow connecting Talent and Dream on each end. The three together can fly me higher and further happily.
Before I could say anything more they shouted loudly in one voice ‘ radio on, drive now’.
Oh, My God, another backseat driver. What a night.