Fame Isn't Everything [Elvis]

Chapter 2 - The Thorny Bush on the Side of the Shed

"I've never seen a more enchanting plant. Don't you agree?"

We both looked back at the flower. There was something about this flower... "I'll say." A petal suddenly dropped from it and was impaled by a long thorn. "Um, actually, I think I would rather this stay here. The whole thing. I mean, just leave it for now."

"Whatever you say, boss."

"You can pluck one of the roses to give to your wife. She's a nice gal who would love a flower from her man."

He grinned an attractive smile that probably won over his wife twenty years ago or so. "Thank you so much! Alright, then. In the meantime, I'm going to research this plant. I went to school for botany, but I haven't seen this before. I mean, I've seen thorny bushes, but none that produces such a beautiful peony." Be patted my shoulder. "Well, back to work. Have a good day, Mr. Presley."

"You, too."

He left me, and I stared at the flower. This was insane. That couldn't be the flower that Ignis was talking about, could it?

I spent the next few minutes counting up the petals, and when I stopped, I was dumbfounded. There were exactly the right number of petals that there were days until September 21st, and the petal that fell was today.

"This is real, isn't it?"

"It sure is," I heard from behind me, and I turned and saw Ignis standing there, leaning against the fence, picking at her nails. She looked the same as she did the last time I saw her, with all the black and outdated clothing. "I figured you would need another reminder."

"So, all that yesterday... It really happened?"

She leaned off the fence and let out a sigh. "I guess you need another reminder." She pointed to the flower. "I planted that. Or more, I made it appear there. You already noticed that it has the exact number of petals to equal the amount of time you have left. Once all the petals are gone, your fame vanishes, and you become a 'normal joe' as you put it. You'll look the same, but your fame won't be there. And you'll still have Graceland, you'll just need to find a way to pay for it."

This was making my head spin. I looked back at the beautiful flower. "I can't believe this. It's something from a fairytale."

She came and stood next to me and folded her arms. "Indeed, it is. I admit, I'm a fan of the fairytales. It's one of the reasons why I chose to learn magic."

I looked over at her as she gazed at the glittering pink flower. "You're really a witch? And magic is real? Not that hokey stuff like pullin' a rabbit out of a hat?"

"Again, I would prefer enchantress, and yes, magic is real. The tricks like pulling a rabbit out of a had and those card tricks... that's all fake magic. Watch this." She pointed finger with a long black nail on it to a spider that was crawling up the wall of the shed. She said nothing, and a little zing escaped her finger, like a mini lightning bolt, and the spider turned into a little blue butterfly and fluttered off. "That is real magic. As is this. It is very serious."

I was recovering from seeing a spider turn into a butterfly. I probably blinked yesterday when I saw that mouse turn into a bird, but I saw this without blinking. "Holy Lord..."

"I know. And I suggest you take this seriously. There are people out there who could love you for you, and you love them for them. You just need to find them."

"Do I really need to love this person in return? I hope you know that it would be strange if it's a guy."

"This love can be romantic or purely platonic. I know you guys say, 'Love ya, man,' and so on. If the person in question happens to be a man, and he really means it and is a true friend to you and is there for you as a person and not your fame, that counts. And as I said, this person can't be an existing friend or family member."