The Actor Who Stole The Fire

       Preparing for the main role in the play, here is John in the old library. This library is ancient as life, and has millions of books. It survived both birth and death of nations and civilizations. People say that one of the tyrants tried once to burn it as it was a resort to the refugees from his dictatorship. Yet history fails to write how it survived and the link between his death and the survival of the library.  John is always obsessed with this gothic library, and feels as if there is a mysterious link between the past and the future of the earth in this small spot.

His main reason for going there is to find the play of Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus. He will play the main role as he is the most talented student in the whole school. His dream is to be the greatest actor of all time. He will pay any price to reach his dream. While he is reading, an old book with golden and navy blue cover catches his attention. Thunder is roaring and rain pouring down. He approaches the book as if he was under a hypnotic spell.

   To his surprise, the book has empty, yellowish pages, like the ones in the old manuscripts of famous poets in the 18^th century. He remembers Shakespeare’s quote “all that glitters is not gold.” He indifferently is about to put the book back to its place, yet he sees his picture in one of the pages. He is terribly shocked by this. How does his picture come here? How come? The pages were blank one moment ago! He tries in vain to fine a single explanation. Nothing.

After a while, he plucks up enough courage to open the book again. He opens another page. He will be on the stage wearing the outfit of Faustus and the audience will break into thunderous applause. He will see his parents burst into tears of joy. He turns the page over and he will be preforming Hamlet. He now has a sense of relief and feels that he will be the pride and joy of his school. He turns the page. He will be an engineer and graduate from the university after performing the masterpieces of English plays. He will work in the factory with his father. Fulfilling his father’s dream, he will work there for 2 years, yet he will be wasting his time and betraying his dream of being an actor. Losing passion in life is like losing one’s soul. To extinguish the fire of passion in life in a serious crime. He will argue with his father.

Hearing the conversation in his mind, he recalls some of the fights between him and his father. John angrily says “I don’t wanna be like you, burying myself in a job that I hate. I need to join the other half of the soul, acting is my air.”

“You’re young and life will teach you that people rarely achieve their dreams. Life tends to crush hopes and dreams.” said the father.

“At least, I’ll try myself. I’m broken and I need to be healed by acting” said John.

Then he will leave his home, ignoring his mother’s tears and his father’s broken heart. This is the first lesson of life: to gain is to lose. John stops for a moment. Can he alter these tears to be tears of happiness instead of these bitter tears? But what about his dreams? Sadly, he turns the page.

 The winter of his young life will come to an end when he, like Prometheus, will steal the fire of passion from life. He will decide to go to London to study acting there and pursue his dream. He will remember his mother’s words “practice makes perfect.” He will always want to be perfect, and failure to him does not exist in his dictionary. How naïve he is! He does not know that life is full of tone, the failing one and the raising one. Together, they compose the symphony of life.

Turning the page, he will faultlessly perform poorly written plays, full of great young talented, yet unknown actors. Not all talents are destined to see the light. He will be like a beggar and spend almost his money. However, destiny will give him a kiss of life: he will have an interview that will change his life dramatically. It will be his only chance to dance with the stars. While turning the page, he realizes that he has to go home, it is too late. But the book! He cannot resist the temptation of knowing his future, as if he read a fairy tale or saw a film. He steals the book.

Running beneath the silver moon, enchanted with the book, John hurries home to foretell the future. He goes like lightning to his room and closes the room gently in order to avoid any investigation. He eagerly opens the book. One of the directors will watch the show and admire his brilliant acting. He turns the page. He will sign a contract of $10,000 of the role of a medieval warrior. He will be showered with offers and he will become the cover of numerous magazines. He turns the page. He will play the leading role of a film based on the novel of Anna Karenina. His co-starring actress will be the great Fiora. John cannot believe himself, it is of one of his dreams to have her autograph, let alone acting with her.

He turns the page. He will fall in love with her and their love story will be in the front-page headlines.  They will get married and have a wonderful boy, Tom. Together, they will build their castle of wonderful, happy and successful life. Despite all of his success and happiness, he will want more and feel that a part of him will be eager to fulfill with unique achievements. His soul will long for greatness and pride to achieve the impossible. Life will give him a golden ticket to Hollywood. His films in Hollywood will be masterpieces. He will win the Oscar trice and The Golden Globe 10 times. He will be the greatest actor of all time. Overwhelmed by happiness, John cannot believe that his life is so faultless and perfect. His heart jumps with wonderful joy.

He turns the page. Because of his successful carreer life, he will not pay attention to his married life. Though he will greatly love his wife, his fame will be indispensable to him. His continuous absenteeism will be like the dying sun of his marriage. His wife will not bear his silence and long-term negligence. She will know about his affairs with other women who are more beautiful than her. She also will know about his gambling habits.   

“I can’t stand being alone. I need you thousands times and you’re not here. Where have you been when I was crying alone? Where have you been when I was facing everything alone? Where have you been when our son was an addict? Where have you been when I was in desperate need for you? Where have you been?” will say Fiora while her eyes will be with helpless tears.

“You need to support me, to be happy for me. Where is my Fiora, my greatest supporter?” said John emotionlessly.

“Really! You’re really selfish. You clearly see yourself, and hardly see others. You can sign a contract with the devil to achieve your dreams. You deceived me. You broke me. You killed me,” said Fiora.

“I’m tired now. I need to sleep to catch the next flight to America” said John.

This will mark the beginning of the long running flight that will end the 20-year marriage. He will not realize that she will leave him because of his cold manners. The warmth of their love is killed by the coldness of his ego. He will not realize that his divorce will divide his soul and he will be broken into two parts. His wife will take one of them away forever. No woman will complete his other half, as Fiora will be the only woman he will love. Fiora will take the better part of his soul and leave him with the evil one that will lead to his downfall.

    He will gamble more and date women more in vain attempts to compensate him for losing his soul mate. He will become an old man and his bad temper will unleash the monster in him. He will become narcissistic and abusive. He will angrily hit a waiter and break his nose. His temper outbursts will be the outcome of his choices of life. John sadly turns the page. His personality will change because of Alzheimer’s disease. His mood swings and irritability will make his outbursts more violent and hysterical. He will forget his works, his friends, his own son, etc. He will forget everything except for Fiora, only his beloved Fiora. He will all the time be asking about her. Then, she will die. Shortly after, he will die.  

     Then, John falls asleep. While dreaming, he looks at the book. Suddenly, the book opens its eyes. John is perplexed. Then, the book talks.

” How fool you are! You are emotionally blind to the people surrounding you. Can’t you see that everlasting happiness is fool’s gold?” said the book.

“It is not me. It is the future me. I will fix my mistakes. I know my future,” said John.

“Whom you are fooling, yourself or your destiny? Open your eyes. You can’t beat Zeus” said the book.

“I will prove to you that you are wrong, and I will be the only one to alter his future” said John.

“Alas! You didn’t learn the lesson,” said the wise book.