"Dee! Dee! Dee please wake up!" Michaels echo groaned as his presecense makes her bedroom door swing open,
"Michael ?" She asks groggily and rises up from bed. Michael appears and immediately sprints over to her in his ghostly full apparition.
"Dee! Come see this!" She rubs her eyes and says,
"What time is it?"
Michael looks over and says,
"Its four a.m...."
Dee gives him a displeased look and says, "This better be good Mike..."
He nods his head zealous and blurts,
"Come on, follow me quick!, it'll only take a second!"
She gets outta bed and stretches, noticing the mansion to sound empty she asks,
"Are Shan and Faith still asleep?"
He nods and says,
"You went to bed the earliest, I figured you'd be the least grouchy..."
Michael leads the girl down into the basement and Dee remarks, "Michael we never come down here... Its all spider webby and kinda dark.."
Michael smiles, "I've done something incredible!"
Michael notices a lamp light on the wall and swishes his hand over the glass to illuminate it. Dee sees a tall, copper colored chamber. A small square window sat on the front and Michael whispers,
"Remember in Casper? The Lazarus machine?"
Dee shoots him a look and says, "Is that like a replica?"
Michael shakes his head, "This is Lazarus 2.0 and I'm gonna use it."
Dee gawks and says, "Michael the lazarus contraption in that movie was made up.. There's nothing like that in existence, its impossible."
Michael looks to her and says,
"I think it can work. I believe it can.."
Dee grows increasingly worried and says, "Michael, I don't want anything bad to happen. This sounds nuts...."
He shakes his head still brightly optimistic.
He goes over to the chamber and on its side was several eerie but iffy seeming switches. He flips them all on and a metallic whirring then proceeds from the tall device. Michael opens the door and Dee pleads once more, "Michael! I don't know about this!"
He steps inside and from its inside, he says muffled through the glass, "When I give the word, pull that lever Dee, believe in me..."
She looks to him still terrified and unsure. He looks around and in the clattering of the machines noise he gives her a thumbs up.
She widens her eyes and swallowing the lump in her throat, she goes over to the half thrown lever. She closes her eyes and squeezes its trigger to pull it towards her, it stops abruptly and something inside the machine begins to glow. The whirring and bustling comes to a surprising climax, now clanking and clattering. It shook and shuddered making Dee stand back now shielding her eyes from the brilliant glow. A ding comes to the air very gentle and soft but Dee doesn't calm herself, "Michael! Michael! Answer me!!" She throws her body weight into the small door and banged pleading for Michael to say anything. She's stopped by a small push to the door and Michael is seen standing with shoulders down in disbelief. She looks him up and down, unbelieving he's alright.
He sighs and says,
"That was silly. I'm really sorry I woke you. How could I be so foolish..."
Dee starts to feel a little bad and notices how disappointed he seemed.
"Michael..." she began,
"Its really okay...don't worry about it."
They began up the towards the basement door and the darkness still surrounded them from the almost abandoned basement. A loud thud is heard followed by Michael's groan from running straight into a beam from the ceiling and he says,
"Ah! Gonna feel that one tomorrow!"
Dee begins to laugh but she stops in abrupt cold tracks. Michael said 'ouch', but ghosts don't feel pain. They don't feel anything.
She spun around to him and said, "Michael....does it hurt?"
He holds his temple and he stands up straight realizing what just happened.
"Pain! .....this is pain!..I can feel..wait wait..." he traces his thumb across the part of his eyebrow that was struck by the board and noticed a scab with fresh, red blood.
"Ghosts don't bleed...."
He says lowly and Dee pulls him up from the basement and can already tell from his firm warm touch that something was very different. She looks into his eyes with the light of new day, and in his eyes, was no ghostly paranormal glow. Only beautiful dark color to his iris'. She smiles wide and Michael says,
"Dee...dee this isn't my illusion ...I'm not doing this..." he laughs and stands back. He spins around with swift feet just like on stage a thousand times and
Dee begins to laugh,
"Michael..."
He nods to her and she shrieks, "You're alive! Michael you're alive!!!!"
Michael darts for the nearest door and outside the morning sun began to rise. He looked over the ridge of Neverland to the beams of sun that were rising inbetween the mountains. Michael outstretched his arms and tilting his head back to the sky, he feels the sunlight touch his skin. He laughs and tears swell into his eyes, Dee watches from the door way and she smiles her widest. Michael always longed for the warmth of the sun when he was dead. To feel its warmth across his skin once more. He turns to her and says,
"I can feel it! The warmth! Its amazing!! Dee!!"
Dee runs to him and she hugs his waist. She laughs in joy and Michael holds her close, "
I haven't been this happy in so long!.."
The door is heard opening and Shan, is seen rubbing her eyes sticking her head out.
"What's going on?" She asks and Faith yawns behind her.
Faith puts on her glasses and peeks out the door. Her face changes as she sees Michael and she moves past Shan. Michael's breath hitches and she comes close, she analyzes him up and down and she says,
"Michael.. you're getting really good at that illusion. The sun isn't even passing through you..."
Michael smiles and faiths eyes widen. She pulls up her glasses and she squints to Michaels face.
"Wait...Michael..where's the glow around your eyes?"
Michael smiles and he takes her hand, Shan notices the same things and comes close to inspect. Michael places her hand to his beating heart and he tells her as gentle as possible,
"This isn't my trick. I'm alive...the machine I've been working on in the basement...it works..."
Faith has tears streaming already and she stammers,
"Oh Mike! Mike I love you!."
Shan wipes her face along with Dee and the group hug begins.
They pull away, all four smiling wide and Dee asks,
"Michael...do you need something for your head?"
He shakes his head no but continues, "But breakfast sounds good. I feel hunger for the first time..."
The girls obliged but the rest of the meal, they couldn't take their eyes away from Michael. He was here in the flesh. They couldn't believe a second but they didn't mind to not ask questions. Michael sipped tea and he never let the smile fall from his lips.
"Michael...you have to do everything manually now. Is it going to be strange?"
Faith asks and he disagrees.
"I prefer it that way.." he sets down his cup and saucer, "Dressing myself, opening doors, getting sleep. I'm so excited."
They all coo happy and Michael adds, "What do we want to do today girls?.. anything in the world. We could ride the Neverland train.. we could go on the merry go round. Anything.."
They all look and shrug deciding, "A quiet picnic sounds fine.."
Michael nods and says,
"It sounds perfect...I would love to spend the day outside. Its beautiful out today."
The girls smile seeing him so overjoyed and the picnic took place inmmediately after lunch.
They lied on the blanket just like before and silence turned into humming.
Michael hummed and a grin grew across each of their faces, "Michael..." Shan asks.
He looks over to her, answering, "Yes darling."
She sits up on her elbow and asks, "I think...well.. we want to ask you if you could sing for us. If you'd rather not its fine..."
Michael chuckles content and sighs,
"Boy...what can I sing...hm.."
Dee looks around and hums, "Lavenders green..dilly dilly.."
Michael looks to her smiling and he finishes in a melodic voice like velvet,
"Lavenders blue...if you love me dilly dilly..I will love you.."
They all sigh in love and Michael says.
"You guys are star struck yet."
Shan giggles, "Its not everyday we meet our idol in the flesh."
Michael finds his words and he hums,
"I don't want you to think of me like that. Don't idolize me when you're with me girls, be my friend. Not my follower."
They all nod and assure him they understand.
The picnic ended in music sung by Michael's raw vocals. They renetered the house and laughed along to simply being able to hug Michael for once. He was so energetic. With all the energy from finally being able to have energy, he tuckered himself out. After hours spent in the game room, the girls decided to end the evening with Michael as a movie night. They finished the movie, 'Pulp Fiction' and Shan nudges both Faith and Dee's arms. Michael sat with his head lied on the back of the sofa. His eyes closed and his breath steadying. He mumbled something is his drifting to sleep and Shan whispers, "Listen to him..whats he murmuring?"
Dee giggles soft and leans in to hear, "Dee...dee wake up.." he slurred. Dee looks confused and with a jolt she rises up.
She had fallen asleep. Dee squints her eyes around and notices Shan and Faith asleep next to her. Curled up.
Michael's figure loomed beside her and said, "You should get some rest Dee. You and the girls fell asleep during 'Casper'..."
Dee notices the movie still playing and her mood lightens. She chuckles to the silliness of her dream and she says,
"That was one wild dream.."
She begins to get up and with herself off guard Michael adds, "I love you Dee, you and your silly yet hopeful dreams..."
She blushes but then spits,
"Hey! Wait! You said you never use your omnipotence to read minds. Why'd you snoop through my dreams??"
Michael giggles with that beautiful ghostly glow, that Dee really did miss, returned to his eyes, "Pardon me..but when you're over there murmuring my name in your sleep, I get a little curious..."
She shakes her head and bids him, "Goodnight Michael..."
He rises up in his mist and comes close, his apparition kisses her head cold but sweet. His tone echoes and says,
"Goodnight my darling..."
She strolls up to her bed with a knitted shawl from the sofa still around her shoulders and she falls into bed exhausted. Although her mind couldn't leave be the haunting sound of Michaels raw vocals singing the lullaby she loved. In a moments quiet of her falling asleep, that familiar metallic click fills the air. The music box began to chime. Michael knew the dream was still on her mind and she smiled, finally getting some well needed sleep. Hoping she would somehow turn her dreams into a reality.