Garth Rides For Hope

CHAPTER 1                                 A Prodigy By Any Other Name ...

Salzberg, Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation (Present Day Austria)

June 25 1763

   The stage hand just finished lighting the foot lights when the curtains slowly started to part, dramatically illuminating the small stage. The flickering light was focused on a large black Pianoforte and dimly lit the pastoral scene on the large tapestry serving as a backdrop for this evening's performance.

    The posters for tonight’s show proudly proclaimed a triumphant home coming for the Mozart Child Prodigies and for the small sum of a two Gulden, anyone could gain admittance. Salzburg's one and only privately owned concert house was sold out and a standing room only crowd anxiously awaited their local heroes.

    A hush fell over the excited spectators as a small boy with his long blond hair, parted down the middle, braided and coiled into a perfect bun over each of his ears, took one hesitant step forward, past the side curtains and onto the stage. There he paused and a look of absolute horror erupted from the heavily rouged lips on his angelic white powdered face. Eyes wide with terror, he immediately came to a complete stop.

    This adorable miniature gentlemen, was none other than seven year old, Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, a rather long and awkward name for such a small lad. So; his father shortened it for stage use and now he tours under, WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART.

    Wolfgang or Wolfie as his sister liked to call him, was dressed in a frilly white shirt over which he wore a 3/4 length bright blue jacket, decorated with heavy gold brocade, matching knee length pants, white hose and shiny black shoes topped with big brass buckles. Upon seeing the child genius appear, the audience broke out in a rousing round of applause. The ovation had the effect of startling the young prodigy even more, causing him to drop the large bundle of sheet music that he was carrying. Wolfie quickly realized his mistake and bent over and began picking up the scattered sheets.

    Maria Anna his 12 year old sister, who Wolfie has nicknamed Nannerl, didn't see her little brother crawling around the stage and in her haste to join her younger sibling, tripped ass over teakettle over him and fell in a jumble of skirts and petticoats.

    At first the crowd was shocked into silence but soon began to laugh at the spectacle unfolding before them. Seeing the disaster taking place on the stage, their father Leopold, hurried to join his children and as soon as he stepped onto the stage, he slipped on one of the sheets of music littering the floor. Now he was flying through the air and in an attempt to save the precious violin he was carrying and keep his balance, he accidentally threw his sheaf of sheet music high into the air. Leopold landed solidly on his butt inside a vortex of swirling papers. Muttering to himself, he slowly rose to his feet and joined his children in a hasty attempt to gather up all the scattered sheet music.

    The crowd was laughing so hard by now, that Leopold's muttering could barely be heard above the uproar. Just when the laughter started to subside, all three members of the Mozart family reached for one particular sheet of paper at the exact same time, banged heads and fell backwards landing on the arses in a thud. Momentarily stunned: Leopold, Wolfie and Nannerl, all sat there in a state of stupefied disbelief, rubbing their poor heads while the crowd laughed hysterically. Several of those in attendance were now laughing so hard, that they fell onto the floor, while holding their aching sides and tears of joy could be seen running down their powdered cheeks.

    Leopold quickly recovered his senses and hastily issued vague instructions to his children.

    “You two ... Run to the piano and play something ... Anything! ... After all, these kind people didn't pay their good money to watch us flop around on the stage ... Like ... Like ... Like a troupe of the Empire's worst acrobats.”

    Wolfie and Nannerl, apparently were fully recovered as they nimbly jumped to their feet and raced across the stage towards the waiting piano. Both arrived simultaneously and in an attempt to be the first to perform, launched themselves towards it. After a small tussle, the siblings ended up sharing the bench, with Wolfie occupying the side closest to the crowd. Both children grabbed on to each other firmly with their inside arm, insuring they wouldn't be pushed off the bench they were reluctantly sharing. Stuck together like this, both made faces at each other and continued to struggle until Wolfie reached out with his free right hand and started to play the piano. Not to be outdone by her younger brother, Nannerl used her free left hand and started to play the counterpoint on her half of the piano.

    Together they began to weave melodious magic and soon the audience sat in awe, marvelling at their combined genius. Most didn't even notice that Leopold had to put out a few small fires, from the sheet music that had landed in the open flames of the footlights and their reflectors. Suddenly, young Wolfie turned, looked out into the crowd and winked at them with theatrical exaggeration, then launched into a complicated piece with only his free hand. His older sister knew the piece well and was able to to play the bass part perfectly. The crowd applauded their effort and now with a mischievous grin, Wolfie began to play the piece faster and faster, Nannerl was able to match him note for note. Soon their hands were a blur and they even began to cross over and play each other's parts. The young musicians raced through the piece and with an exaggerated flourish, finished at the exact same time. They then jumped to their feet and together proudly faced the crowd. After only the slightest of hesitation they began humbly bowing and curtsying, acknowledging the audience's thunderous applause.

    In the meantime, Leopold had finished gathering together all of the sheet music, walked behind the children and placed the papers on the piano's music stand. All of this time he was thinking.

    “It works every time ... If you start off with a gag and get them to laugh. You will quickly gain the audiences trust and from that point onward, everything that you do seems somehow better to them. We've done this opening bit so many times and it never fails to get the audience in the mood. All those hours of rehearsal, attempting to perfect our comedic timing, really has paid off. Now we'll show them just how talented my children really are.”

    Throughout the rest of the performance, all three of the Mozart's took turns playing

both the piano and violin. Their Program also allowed each of them an opportunity to showcase their remarkable singing voices. At one point in the show, Nannerl even had the entire crowd singing in round and competing against each other, as to which section could be the loudest.

    At the end of the evening, the appreciative crowd gave the performers three encores and everyone left the building, with the impression that they had seen two incredibly talented children perform at a level they were indeed fortunate to have witnessed.

    Among those filing out of the concert hall, one man in particular seemed slightly out of place. He was freakishly tall and dressed in black from head to toe. His size and apparel, weren't the only thing that made him stand out from all of those that surrounded him. The huge beaming smile that exposed two perfect rows of brilliantly white teeth, somehow seemed to be at odds with this giant's somber appearance.

 

CHAPTER 2                                            Money Can't Buy Love

Ronde Island Grenada, February 12, 2077

   Gill Bates VI has been wandering aimlessly through the many rooms of his enormous villa on the Caribbean Island of Ronde. The 2,000 acre private Island paradise has been exclusively owned by his family since early in the new Century. A little over thirty years ago, his Father began construction on a seaside Manson but abandoned the project for reasons he has yet to disclose. It was a little over seven years ago, shortly after his eighteenth birthday when Gill came into his inheritance, that he decided it was time, to spend a small portion of his share of the 125 Trillion Dollars ($125,000,000,000,000.00) on finishing the Island Retreat to suit his taste and accommodate his reclusive lifestyle.

    Gill owned houses in many desirable locations all over the World and had headed to the privacy of the Island, after learning about the dissolution of his three year Cohabitation Agreement with tennis superstar Julia James. He hadn't seen the breakup coming and her surprise announcement, that she wouldn't automatically be renewing their contract, had the undesirable effect of completely devastating him. In order to avoid all of the scrutiny, questions and concerns from friends, family and the ever present Paparazzi. He took advantage of the first possible opportunity to hop in his Anti Gravity Vehicle (AGV) and vanish. Less than an hour later he arrived here, happy to find the sought after isolation and completely disappear from all of the unwanted attention.

    The Ronde Villa is a technological marvel. The Mansion's 60,000 square meters (646,000 sq ft), were built just beyond the tree line and situated parallel to a pristine white sandy beach. The entire structure isn't visible from either sea or air and designed in such a way as to be impregnable from any type of attack. In fact, the Security Computer guarding the Island from intruders, also has an incredibly powerful offensive capability, that would have been the envy of many small Nations. The Villa is energy self sufficient and features a Guest Wing, Servant's Quarters, large screen Movie Theatre and a Music Room\Recording Studio, equipped with a at least two of every type of musical instrument ever played by man.

    In times of emotional distress, Gill Bates VI or Jimi as his family and friends' like to call him, naturally gravitated towards the Music Room and today was no exception. Gill was gifted, a true genius when it came to anything to do with music. Playing, composing and theory came naturally to him and he only felt truly alive when he was performing.

    When he was very young, his natural talent couldn't be ignored by his loving parents and the best music teachers money could buy, were hired to cultivate their Son's musical obsession. It didn't take very long for his instructors to discover that their young student was a unique musical prodigy. One of the rare few whose instinctive raw talent, was combined with a staggering intelligence and an unparalleled desire for perfection. He also possessed a work ethic, the equal of his famously driven Great Grandfather's. All of this resulted in a student that performed far above the expectations of his age group. With their expert guidance, young Gill quickly adapted and thrived in both Classical and Contemporary Musical Training.

   As a precocious five year old, he prepared a little show for his Great Grandfather, Gill Bates III, the computer pioneer who revolutionized the Industry in the 1970's, thereby earning and establishing the family's vast fortune. At Great Granddad’s birthday party, young Gill performed a four song set of original songs and Great Grandpa was amazed by the talented youngster's performance, remarking that the miniature musician sang like Jim Morrison and played guitar in the style of Jimi Hendrix. In other words he was a double dose of Jimi. Somehow the nickname stuck and to family and friends, he has been called Jimi ever since.

    Immediately after entering the Music Room, Gill gravitated straight towards his favourite old battered guitar, the one and only thing that traveled with him wherever he went. He picked up old Esmeralda, placed her worn strap around his neck and took a seat on one of the high stools in-front of the studio's floor to ceiling mirror wall. Looking back at him was a handsome (All the tabloids said he was) blonde haired, 6ft 3in, lean and fit twenty-five year old, whose green eyes expressed the confused hurt feelings he was experiencing. Strumming a traditional blues progression he began to sing.

    “I threw up my breakfast baby

    And it landed all over you

    I threw up my dinner baby

    But that hit the cat instead of you.”

    Gill stopped singing only long enough to call for assistance.

    “Marilyn ... I need a little back up here ... Come and play a little Blues Harp for me.”

    Instantly, the air beside him started to shimmer and a dead ringer for Marilyn Monroe started to take shape and solidify immediately to his left. Marilyn was wearing one of the outrageous outfits from the movie, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and expertly holding a silver harmonica in her left hand. She instantly started to play and was so accomplished that even John Mayall would have been impressed. Marilyn is a hologram and represents the preferred method Gill uses to interact with his computer whenever he is alone.

    Gill and Marilyn jammed together like practiced professionals and even took turns at

performing extended solos. Eventually Gill continued singing his sad, sad song.

    “Why'd you have to leave me baby

    And make me feel so blue

    If you ever come round this way again baby

    I'll hit you with my shoe.”

    Together they continued to play. Human and Hologram performing the Blues until Gill felt that he had excised some small part of the hurt from his aching heart. Only then did he nod at Marilyn and with an exaggerated flourish, bring the song to an end.

    After sitting quietly for a few moments and gathering his confused thoughts, Gill turned towards Marilyn and asked.

    “You obviously have something to tell me ... So spit it out.”

    The hologram Marilyn, looked and sounded like a dumb blonde but was actually one of the Planet's most powerful computers and through the SuperWebs, has access to all of the World's combined knowledge. The Marilyn program acted as Gill's Personal Assistant and also worked a very effective buffer between him and the rest of the World. Over the years Marilyn has learned all of his peculiarities and preferences, seamlessly utilizing these with a combination of humour, sarcasm and even motherly scolding whenever it was deemed necessary. Today her voice oozed the original Marilyn's sweet sexuality when she responded.

    “I see that singing the Blues had lifted your spirits a little. I just have a few things to tell you about. What would you like to hear first darlin? ... The good or the bad news.”

Gill didn't hesitate an instant.

    “Just get it over with and hit me with the bad.”

    Marilyn looked at him with maternal compassion in her eyes.

    “Julia James is officially your Ex. This morning she invoked the Dissolution Clause of the Cohabitation Agreement and after acknowledging receipt of the required 20 million dollar severance payment, has moved out of your London property. So Studly, that means you're single, a free man once again. Do I need to corner the market on condoms like the last time you were unattached? Or merely find you a bigger stick to fight off all the ladies?”

    Marilyn's last comment brought a smile to Gill's face as he briefly reminisced.

    “I don't think either will be necessary ... So she really went through with it ... I think that I'm going to need a little time alone before getting back out there. You know, I really thought that Julia was the one. Oh well, what's that old saying? ... What doesn’t kill you can only make you stronger ... So now what's the good news?”

    Marilyn smiled mischievously.

    “That was the good news. Sadly, I have to inform you that your Mother's figured out you're here and she's coming for a visit the day after tomorrow.”

   Gill laughed.

    “Mom's not that bad ... You're just jealous because lately she's starting to look more like your namesake than you do.”

    Marilyn seductively shook her head.

    “That's really not true. After her last rejuvenation, when she acquired those extra large boobs, I'd say she looks more like Jayne Mansfield. You should know by now that I'm incapable of jealousy. I do however wish to inform you that I've notified Zack and Zoe about your arrival here and they've already packed up your stuff, bought some fresh supplies and should be arriving here within the hour.”

    Zack and Zoe were a childless married couple in their 70's, that initially were hired by Gill's parents to look after him while he went away to College. The three of them quickly established a special bond and Gill now thought of them as a second set of parents and friends. The couple had taken advantage of modern Medical Science's advances and appeared, for all intents and purposes, to be in their mid 20's and like the rest population of this day and age, happily had the ability to act as if they were.

    Gill thought over all of Marilyn's news for a few seconds before replying.

    “I guess I should have told Zack and Zoe what I was up to, but at the time all I could thing about was running away. Could you please make sure Mother's quarters are ready for her and order supplies for an extended stay. Also, when Mom's here, you be nice to her this time or do I have to turn off you sarcasm mode before she arrives?”

    Marilyn smiled, nodded and slowly started to disappear. Gill wasn't sure but he thought he saw a twinkle in her eye and a subtle wink just before she completely vanished from sight.