Central Park

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The boat sailed farther and farther away from the harbour. Mark saw the love of his life sailing away forever. He saw her waving to him for the last time. Mark sat down and began to cry. Tears streamed out of his eyes. He didn’t know what to do any more. The best thing to ever happen to him was gone and not coming back. “Brandy, please come back” yelled out Mark. He tried to yell as loud as he could so Brandy could hear him. The boat was too far away to hear Mark’s yells. The boat faded off in the distance and into the sunset. Mark sat on the dock and watched the sunset in front of him. As Mark was watching the sunset, he began to remember all the good times he had with Brandy. “I can’t believe that she is really gone. I wish she would come back.” said Mark softly. Mark sat there quietly and continued to remember the good times he had with Brandy. It was a bright sunny New York day. Every body was doing something. Mark’s alarm beside his bed went off. He woke up from a well rested sleep. He looked at his alarm clock and saw that it was 7:30 am. So Mark got out of bed and got dressed. He walked into his apartment’s living room. He turned on the TV and walked into the kitchen, where he grabbed an orange. He walked passed the front door. While passing the front door, Mark picked up the newspaper. Then he walked out onto his apartment’s balcony and looked out to the world below him. His apartment over looked Central Park. He could see people playing, jogging, sitting on benches in Central Park. Then Mark turned around and sat down in a chair. He read the newspaper while he ate his orange. About 30 minutes passed and Mark was finished reading his newspaper and eating his orange. He went back into his apartment and turned off the TV. Then Mark picked up his briefcase and keys. He walked out of this apartment’s front door and locked it. He walked out of the apartment building and started to head for work. Mark did not need to drive or take a taxi to work because his office was on the other side of Central Park. Mark would walk to work everyday. His apartment was on the north side of Central Park and his office was on the south side of Central Park. He would walk straight across Central Park every day. He enjoyed the exercise he got from walking to and from work every day. Mark loved listening to the birds singing in the trees. The birds were singing a beautiful song. The trees slowly swayed in the gentle breeze like a dance. While walking through the Park, Mark could see people jogging and other talking to each other. They all looked so peaceful. As Mark was walking, he looked at his watch and noticed that he was going to be early for work. So he deicide to sit down and rest awhile. Mark saw a bench just of in the distance. He began to walk closer and closer to the bench. As he got closer and closer to the bench, he saw a Woman sitting on the bench. The Woman was sitting on the bench, reading a book. “Is anyone sitting there?” asked Mark. The Woman looked up at Mark and began to speak. “Nobody is sitting there”

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said the Woman. “May I sit there?” wondered Mark. “Yes” answered the Woman. Mark sat down on the bench beside the Woman. He put his briefcase down beside the bench. After putting his briefcase beside the bench, Mark glanced over at the Woman sitting next to him. The Woman was beautiful. She was thin but not too thin. She had long brown hair that went down her back. She also wore glasses. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life. “What book are you reading?” asked Mark. “The Knowledge Web by James Burke.” said the Woman. “That is a very interesting book.” said Mark. “I’m enjoying the book very much.” said the Woman. Mark finally introduced himself to the Woman. “My name is Mark, what’s your name?” asked Mark. “My name is Brandy.” said the Woman. “Brandy is a lovely name.” said Mark. “Thank you.” said Brandy. Mark and Brandy continued to talk and talk as time marched on. They talked about everything. A little while later, Mark looked at his watch and noticed that he was late for work. “What’s wrong?” wondered Brandy. “I am late for work.” said Mark. “You better get to work then.” said Brandy. “Will I ever see you again?” asked Mark. “I will be here when you get off work.” said Brandy. Then they both said their goodbyes and Mark headed off for work. Mark sat at his desk staring at his computer screen. All he could think about was Brandy. He couldn’t wait to see her again. He was worried that she wouldn’t be there at the bench in Central Park, but he reminded himself that Brandy said that she would be there after he finished work. So Mark continued to do his work on his computer but he couldn’t concentrate because Brandy was on his mind. The minutes and hours of the day past on and on. He worked and worked at his desk. People came in and out of his office but no matter what happened Brandy was on his mind the whole time. Then Mark looked at the clock that was on the wall across from his desk. He saw that it was time to go. Mark quickly cleaned up his work and grabbed his briefcase and locked his office. Mark was very happy because he was on his way to see Brandy. He walked as fast as he could over to the elevators. He continually pressed the down button for the elevator. About a minute went by and Mark couldn’t wait any longer for the elevator so he decided to take the stairs. Mark walked down the hallway and saw the door for the stairs. He opened the door for the stairs and started to walk down the stairs. He began to notice that every time he passed a floor, more and more people were walking down the stairs. “Why is everybody taking the stairs?” Mark asked one of the people walking down the stairs. “There is something wrong with the elevators.” said one of the people who was walking down the stairs. Mark started to walk faster and faster down the stairs. He weaved his way in and out of the crowd of people who were walking down the stairs. Finally, Mark reached the lobby and he headed out of the building. He walked across the street and entered Central Park.

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The sun was slowly going down behind the trees of Central Park. The sky was turning a pinkish red. Mark was walking towards the bench that he met Brandy at earlier in the day. Mark saw the bench come closer and closer to him with every step he took. He could wait to see Brandy again. A big huge smile came over Mark’s face. The bench finally came into view. He walked faster and faster towards the bench. The bench was now right in front of him. Mark’s smile disappeared very fast and it became a frown. The bench was empty and this made Mark very unhappy. Brand wasn’t there. So Mark sat down on the bench and was very upset because Brandy wasn’t there with him. The sun finally went down and the pinkish red sky was black. The Park lights came on and Mark was still sitting on the bench alone. Mark heard a strange sound. He looked around and saw nothing. Then Mark turned his head to the right and was startled. Mark became very happy in a second. There she was, it was Brandy. Brandy was completely dressed all in white. “I am very sorry for being late, things came up.” said Brandy. “I have been waiting here for about an hour.” said Mark. “I couldn’t get out of them.” said Brandy. “It’s ok, the good news is that you are here how.” said Mark. Then they both just looked at each other in silence. They looked into each other eyes. Mark noticed that Brandy had the most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen. Just then, Mark began to speak. “Brandy would you like to go for a walk?” asked Mark. “I would love too.” said Brandy happily. So they both got up from their seats on the bench and began to walk together. As the time passed, they walked and talked. They talked about everything and anything. Then Mark stopped and stood right in front of Brandy. They were both now standing on the Central Park Bridge. Mark looked deeply into Brandy’s eyes. A big smile came over her face. “I might do something foolish right now.” said Mark. After Mark finished talking, he leaned in very close to Brandy and began to kiss her. While Mark was kissing Brandy, Brandy closed her eyes and began to kiss Mark back. Now they were both kissing each other on the lips passionately. The kiss felt like it went on forever and ever.

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The alarm clock was buzzing very loudly. Mark rolled over in his bed and turned off the buzzing alarm clock. Then he rolled back over and noticed that he was in his bed. Mark sat up in his bed and began to wonder what he was doing there. The last thing he could remember was that he was in Central Park kissing a woman in white. At this point, Mark was still wondering about what happened. He started to wonder if the whole thing was a dream. “It was too real to be a dream.” quietly said Mark. Mark could still taste the kiss from the woman in white on his lips. He was so confused and didn’t know what to do. So Mark got out of bed and put some clothes on. He walked over to his bathroom and looked in the mirror. Then he turned on the taps and splashed some water on his face. Then Mark looked back in the mirror and saw a different face. He saw the face of the woman in white. Then he splashed some more water on his face and then looked back in the mirror. This time he saw his own face. Mark then wiped off his face with a towel and walked into the kitchen. He grabbed a small glass and opened the fridge. Mark pulled out a container of orange juice and closed the fridge. He poured himself some orange juice. He drank it all in one gulp and poured some more. While drinking his second glass of orange juice, he looked at the clock on the kitchen wall. Mark saw that he was late for work. So Mark put down his glass and went back into his bedroom and grabbed his briefcase. He quickly locked his apartment door and walked down the stairs and out of the building. Mark walked quickly past the cubicles and over to his office with out being seen. When he finally got over to his office, he was greeted by his boss, Mr. Stevens. “You are late again Mark.” said Mr. Stevens. “I am sorry for being late.” said Mark. “You have been late yesterday and today.” said Mr. Stevens. “Things happen and people are late.” said Mark. “Things happen is not an excuse and if you are late once more, there will be a big problem.” said Mr. Stevens loudly. Then Mr. Stevens walked away from Mark and back to his office. Then Mark opened his office door and walked in and sat down at his desk. Mark was still wondering if the kiss from the woman in white was real. Mark started to do the days work. About twenty minutes went bye and Mark stop working on his computer. Mark leaned back in his chair and started to think again about the woman in white. Then it came to him like a bolt of lightening. Mark remembered something that the woman in white said. He remembered that she said that she would be there after he was finished work. Now Mark finally figured out that the whole thing was real. He still had a problem; he couldn’t remember the woman in whites’ name. Mark got out of his chair and started to pace back and forth in his office. He tried to figure out what the woman in whites’ name was. “Julie no, Stacey no, Lisa no.” said Mark. Mark continued to list off female names but none were the right one. Then Mark heard a knock on his office door. Mark walked over to his office door and opened it. Mark noticed that it was Randy, one of his co-workers. “Mark, are you ok?” said Randy. “I’m just trying to figure out the McJohnson account.” said Mark. “We are all worried about you. None of us have seen you like this. You also have been late for the last two days.” said Randy. “I know this

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account is really getting to me.” said Mark. It wasn’t the account that was getting to him, it was that the fact that he couldn’t figure out the name of the woman in white. “We are all here for you if you need us.” said Randy. “Thanks, I’ll remember that.” said Mark. Then Randy walked away from Mark’s office. Mark closed his office door and continued to pace back and forth. “I never liked Randy.” said Mark. Then Mark stopped pacing back and forth. Then it just hit him. Mark figured out the woman in whites’ name. “It’s Brandy.” yelled Mark. Some of the people in their cubicles got up and looked over at Mark’s office. Mark looked out his office at the cubicles and began to wave. “Sorry about that.” said Mark. The people standing in their cubicles, looking at Mark’s office sat down and continued to work. Mark grabbed a pen and paper and wrote down the name Brandy. Mark was very happy now. Now, all he had to was wait until it was time to go home. So Mark sat back down in his chair that was behind his desk and just looked at the clock that was on the wall across from his desk. For the rest of the day, Mark couldn’t keep his eyes off the clock. Then Mark noticed that it was time for him to go. “Its time.” said Mark quietly to himself. Mark got up from his chair and walked out of his office. He walked over to the elevators and pressed the button for down. About a minute later the elevator came. The elevator doors opened and Mark walked inside. The doors closed behind him and the elevator started to go down. Ever few floors, the elevator would stop and more and more people would get on. Then something strange happened. Mark noticed that the elevator was not going down any more, it was going back up. One of the people, who got on the elevator, pushed one of the buttons button to make the elevator go up. This made Mark every upset because he was in a hurry. Then the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. Mark walked out the opened elevator and looked around. Mark was looking around for the stairs. He found the stairs and ran as fast as he could down the stairs. Mark finally reached the lobby of the building. He quickly looked at his watch and noticed that it was twenty minutes after five. He walked out of the building and across the street. Now, Mark was finally in Central Park. He ran and ran towards the bench where he thought that Brandy would be sitting at. Every time he felt that he was getting closer, something would go wrong. People wouldn’t get out of Mark’s way. Mark was running towards the bench and then stopped. He stopped because he got behind a group of thirty school kids and their teacher. The kids were walking all over the place. Every time Mark tried to get around the group of school kids, one or two kids got in his way. Mark tried to go around the right side of the group and one of the kids got in his way. Mark gentle picked up the kid and moved the kid aside. After he put the kid down, he continued to run towards the bench. Mark finally reached the bench. He saw that the bench was empty. Mark thought to himself that he was late and missed Brandy. Then as he was about to sit down, he saw a book on the bench. Mark noticed that it was the book that Brandy was reading the first time he met her. He picked up the book and leafed through it. While leafing through the book, something caught his eye. There was some blue writing on one of the pages in

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the book. So Mark stopped leafing through the book and looked at the page with the blue writing on it. “Saturday 11am, Central Park.” read Mark quietly to himself. Now Mark started to think that he was meant to find the book and that Brandy left it for him with the date and time inside. Then he shook his head no and closed the book. Then Mark just sat there on the bench as it got darker and darker. Then the park lights came on and Mark decided to go back to his apartment. Mark got home to his apartment. He opened the door and walked in. He walked into his living room. He threw the book down onto the coffee table and looked at his phone. Mark saw that he had no messages on his phone. He walked over to the couch in the living room and sat down. He grabbed the book that he threw on the coffee table and looked through it again. Mark found the page with the day and time on it. He quietly repeated the date and time over and over again so he wouldn’t forget it. A few minutes went by and Mark walked out onto his balcony and looked out over Central Park. He looked straight out into the park and stared at the people below him. Mark was thinking of Brandy. He started to think to himself that finding the book with the writing was a sign. He didn’t know what kind of sign but he knew that he had to be in Central Park on Saturday at 11am. Mark looked up at the stars wondering if he could see Brandy’s face among them. Them Mark walked back into his apartment. He walked into his bedroom and started to get undressed. He put his pyjamas on and got into bed. Mark pulled the covers close to him and drifted off to sleep. All he could dream about was Brandy and the kiss. In the dream, they were both sitting at the bench kissing. Then while Mark was kissing Brandy, Brandy slowly started to disappear. Mark would reach out to her but she would reach back. In bed, Mark rolled over and few time and was lying on his back. When he was lying on his back, he woke up. He missed Brandy so much. He tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t. So Mark just lay there, staring at the ceiling. He tried to fall asleep but he couldn’t. Then just for a second, Mark thought he saw Brandy’s face. Then Brandy’s face was gone. He was now hoping more then ever that Brandy would be there tomorrow. He wanted to see her so badly. About twenty minutes went by and Mark drifted off to sleep again. While sleeping, Mark kept saying Brandy’s name over and over again. The night slowly turned into day. Mark woke up and stretched his arms. He looked over at his clock on his bed side table. He saw that it was about 10:45am. He quickly got out of bed and put some clothes on. He grabbed the book off his coffee table and ran out of his apartment as fast as he could. He didn’t stop running until he was out of the building. While he was running out of the building, Mark continued to get dressed. He ran across the street and into Central Park. Mark ran as fast as he could through Central Park towards the bench. He weaved his way in and out passed the many different people in Central Park. Mark looked at his watch and noticed that it

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was almost 11am. Then suddenly, Mark ran into a jogger and the book flew out of his hands and hit the ground. “Sorry, my fault.” said Mark to the jogger. Mark helped jogger up to his feet. After he helped the jogger up, Mark picked the book off the ground and began to run towards the bench again. Mark finally reached the bench and he saw that there was nobody at the bench. He started to think to himself that he missed Brandy again. Then Mark sat down on the bench and began to feel sad. Then about a minute when by and Mark felt something on his shoulder. He turned around and there she was. There was Brandy standing right behind him. Brandy was dressed all in white, just like the last time Mark saw her. Mark saw so happy to see her. Brandy sat down on the bench and began to speak. “I see that you got the note I left you.” said Brandy. “Yes I did.” said Mark. Mark shows Brandy the book and gave it to her. Then they just looked at each other with smiles on their faces. “I was here last night and you were not.” said Mark. “Something came up with my boss.” said Brandy. “It’s cool, I understand. My boss works me harder and harder everyday.” said Mark. “Speaking of work, you never told me what you do for a living.” said Brandy. “Well, I am a lawyer and what do you do?” asked Mark. “I work for the biggest boss of them all.” said Brandy. “Bill Gates?” guessed Mark. “Nope, my boss is bigger then that. My boss controls it all.” said Brandy. “George W Bush?” guessed Mark again. “My boss can’t be seen or heard by humans.” said Brandy. “I am totally lost.” said Mark. “Then let me show you my boss.” said Brandy. “I thought you said that humans can’t see or hear him.” said Mark. “I’m not human.” said Brandy. Before Mark could say anything, Brandy grabbed Mark’s hand and pulled him along the park’s path. Brandy continued to pull Mark’s hand a little while longer. Then Mark pulled his hand out of Brandy’s hand and stopped walking. “Ok, this isn’t fun anymore. If this is a joke, it isn’t funny.” said Mark. “We are almost there.” said Brandy with a happy smile on her face. So Brandy grabbed Mark’s hand again and continued to pull him along. Then about a minute later, Brandy let go of Mark’s hand and stopped walking. “We are here.” said Brandy. Mark walked over to Brandy and stood beside her. Now they were standing on the Central Park Bridge. “So, where is your boss?” asked Mark. “He will be here any second.” said Brandy. So Mark and Brandy just stood there for a few seconds. Then Brandy felt a tap on her shoulder. Brandy and Mark both turned around and saw a man dressed in white with a white beard on his face.

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Everybody just stood there looking at each other not saying a word. The wind blew softly and slowly through the trees. The moment of silence felt like it went on forever. Then Brandy started to speak. “Mark, this is my boss.” said Brandy. “Boss is a strong word.” said the man in white. “So you’re not her boss.” said Mark. “She is my helper.” said the man in white. “Brandy said that humans can’t see or hear her boss.” said Mark. “That is true but humans know I exist.” said the man in white. “You lost me.” said Mark. Now Mark was really confused about what’s been going on. “I made the trees, the wind, the grass. I made everything that humans touch, see taste, hear, and smell.” said the man in white. “Sure, you did.” said Mark while laughing. “I am the one who gave life.” said the man in white. “So, if you gave life, then what does she do?” said Mark. “She is my helper.” said the man in white. “That’s the second time you have said that. A person’s definition of helper is different from another’s.” said Mark. “She is an angel.” said the man in white. Right after the man in white said that, Mark started to laugh. “If she is an angel, then I’m God.” said Mark jokingly. “You can’t be God because I’m God.” said the man in white. “Sure, prove it.” said Mark while still laughing. “Ok, I will.” said the man in white. The man in white looked down towards the far end of the bridge and began to speak. “I will tell you what’s going to happen in the next minute. First, a woman and her dog will walk by us.” said the man in white. Just then, a woman and her dog walked by the three of them. “Lucky guess.” said Mark. “Next, the wind will blow slowly through the trees.” said the man in white. Then Mark looked over at the closest group of tree and saw the trees slowly move. “I don’t believe you.” said Mark. While talking, Mark started to walk away from Brandy and the man in white. Mark walked away as fast as he could. He couldn’t believe what was just said to him about Brandy. He didn’t understand. This whole thing was a shock to him. So, for the next few days, Mark didn’t walk passed the bench where he met Brandy. He would walk a different way to and from work every day. All Mark wanted to do was not to think about Brandy any more. Mark went on with his daily routine. So, one day while walking to work, Mark noticed that his new route was blocked. It was blocked because a movie was shooting there. Then Mark realized that the only other way to get to work was to walk passed the bench. He knew that it was the only way to get to work. So, time came and went and Mark saw that the bench was coming closer and closer to him. So, Mark decided to walk very fast passed the bench so nobody would notice him. Just as Mark was walking passed the bench, a sweet voice called out to him. Mark turned around and noticed that it was the man in white with the white beard from a few days ago. “Oh, its you, Mr. high and mighty.” said Mark. “Why are you being like this? All me and Brandy did was tell the truth about us.” said the man in white. Mark just stood there staring at the man in white. Then a few second went by and mark sits down on the bench. “The reason I am being like that is because how would you feel if you were told that your true love didn’t exist.” said Mark. “My true love does

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exist and that is everything and everyone on earth. I love you all.” said the man in white. “That’s all well and good for you but what about me?” said Mark. “Maybe, it wasn’t meant to be.” said the man in white. “What do you mean it wasn’t meant to be? Me and Brandy are made for each other.” said Mark. “Brandy was only sent on earth to watch over people.” said the man in white. “So, she is my guardian angel.” said Mark. ”Yes, she is Mark.” said the man in white. “I still don’t believe you.” said Mark. Then Mark got up from the bench and turned away from the man in white. “I know that this is a little hard to believe but you’ve got to trust me about this.” said the man in white. “People can only trust someone and believe something so much.” said Mark. “I am asking you to go beyond that right now.” said the man in white. “Why should I?” asked Mark. “There is something important I need to tell you. It’s about Brandy.” said the man in white. Then Mark turned back around and was facing the man in white. “What is it?” asked Mark. “You better sit down Mark.” said the man in white. So Mark sat back down on the bench and just looked at the man in white. “Angels are not here for a long time on earth.” said the man in white. “What does that mean?” asked Mark. “It means that Brandy won’t be on earth for very much longer.” said the man in white. “How much longer does she have on earth?” asked Mark. “She only has a little while.” said the man in white. “How much is a little while?” asked Mark. “You will know when her time is up.” said the man in white. “When will that be?” asked Mark. After Mark finished speaking, the man in white vanished right before Mark’s eyes. Then Mark just sat there on the bench thinking about what he had just been told. The day turned into night and all was quite. Mark continued to sit on the bench. He couldn’t believe that brandy didn’t have much time left on earth. Then Mark noticed that it was getting cold. So, Mark started to walk back to his apartment. As Mark was walking home, the light of Central Park started to come on. Then Mark stood still and began to cry and fall to his knees. Then Mark began to scream out loud. Mark was sobbing and screaming out loud. He was very upset about Brandy. Mark didn’t know what to do. Mark started to think to himself that the only thing he could do right now was to go home and drown his sadness in alcohol. So Mark got off his knees, wiped his face and headed home to his apartment. A few minutes later, Mark finally reached his apartment. After entering his apartment, Mark went into the living room and went for the liquor cabinet. He opened the liquor cabinet and pulled out a glass and a bottle. Mark pulled out a bottle of jack daniels and began to pour himself a drink. Then Mark took hold of the glass and drank everything that was in the glass. Then Mark walked over to the couch with his glass in one hand and the bottle in the other hand. Mark poured himself a drink and raised the glass up high. “This one is for Brandy. I hope her time on earth is a long time on earth.” said Mark. As the night went on and on, Mark poured himself more and more drinks and drank more and more. Then just after his ninth drink, Mark passed out on the couch and fell asleep for the rest of the night.

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The sun came streaming through the windows of the apartment. Mark was still passed out on the couch. The birds were singing just outside the windows. Then Mark finally woke up and rubbed his eyes with both of his hands. Mark saw that there was a half empty bottle of jack daniels, so he poured himself another glass. After drinking the drink, Mark reached for his television remote that was on his coffee table. He turned on the TV and saw that the cartoon “Timon and Pumbaa” was on. At this point, Mark was still drunk from last night. Mark started to sing along with the shows theme song, “Hakuna Matata.” Then Mark looked at his watch and noticed that he was very late for work. Mark grabbed the bottle of jack daniels, with the cap and ran out of his apartment. Then he quickly ran across the street and into Central Park, still singing the theme song. Mark was running passed people trying not to run into them. Just then, Mark fell down and rolled down a small hill. He got himself back up and picked up the bottle of jack daniels. He continued to sing while he was running to work. Mark ran into the lobby and pushed the button for the elevators. People were staring at him. He continued to song the theme song of the “Timon and Pumbaa” cartoon show. There were other people waiting for the elevator as well. About a minute passed and the elevator finally arrived. The elevator doors opened and Mark got on. Nobody else got on the elevator with Mark. While in the elevator, Mark took the cap off the bottle of jack daniels and drank from it. Then the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Mark walked out of the elevator and yelled “Hakuna Matata” to every one in the office. People just looked and stared at Mark in silence. They were all shocked by what just happened. Then Randy quickly walked over to Mark and started to take him to Mark’s office. “What’s wrong with you?” asked Randy, while taking Mark to his office. Then as Randy and Mark were walking into Mark’s office, Mark turned around to the rest of the office and yelled out “Hakuna Matata” again. Then Randy pulled Mark into Mark’s office and closed the door behind him. “What’s wrong with you?” asked Randy again. “Nothing’s wrong. No worries man.” said Mark. “Well, it looks like there is something wrong. What happened to you last night?” asked Randy. “Hakuna Matata and jack daniels is what happened to me last night.” said Mark. “You got drunk last night and then come to work and act like an idiot.” said Randy. “There’s no problem.” said Mark. “There will be a problem when the boss gets here.” said Randy. “I am not worried.” said Mark. “You should be worried Mark. Once the boss finds out what you did, you will be fired.” said Randy. “So, what if I get fired, there is no more meaning in my life. Nothing matters anymore.” said Mark. Randy just looked at Mark in confusion. “What does that mean?” asked Randy. Before Mark could give Randy an answer, one of the other co-workers ran over to Mark’s office door and said “The boss is here.” Then Randy tried as quickly as he could to make Mark look better but it was too late. There was a knock on the office door and it was their boss, Mr. Stevens. Randy opened the door and let Mr. Stevens in. Mr. Stevens walked into Mark’s office and stood in front of Mark’s desk, while Mark sat on the couch across the room. “So, what is this I

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hear about Mark coming off the elevator and quoting from the movie, the Lion King?” asked Mr. Stevens. Randy began to tell what happened but was interrupted by Mr. Stevens. “Randy, do you have anything to do with this?” asked Mr. Stevens. “No, this doesn’t.” said Randy. “So, Randy, if this has nothing to do with you, then why don’t you leave.” said Mr. Stevens. So, Randy got up from his seat on the couch and walked out of Mark’s office. So, now it was just Mark and Mr. Stevens in Mark’s office. Mark felt a little worried and scared about what was going to happen next. “How could you have done that? You’re our top lawyer. You are setting a bad example for the firm. You have been late 4 times this week. You’re not getting work done and now you come to work drunk. I can’t stand this. I don’t want this kind of behaviour at my firm. Mark, I am sorry to say but you are fired. So, please leave quietly and please don’t cause any more problems.” said Mr. Stevens. So Mark got up from his seat on the couch and began to speak. “I am sorry and it was stupid of me to do what I did. So, I will just leave. I’m sorry.” said Mark apologetically. Mark walked out of his office for the last time. Mark walked over to the elevators, while Mr. Steven was following behind him. Before Mark pushed for the down button at the elevators, Mark turned around and looked straight at his former co-workers. “Good bye everybody, it’s has been fun working with all of you. Hope to see all of you around.” said Mark, while waving to his former coworker. While Mark was speaking, Mr. Stevens pressed the down button on the elevator. While Mark was still waving, the elevator finally arrived. As Mark turned around, the elevator doors opened. Mark entered the elevator and gave one finally wave as the elevator doors were closing. The day wasn’t going well for Mark at all. Mark walked into his apartment and put his keys on the coffee table in the living room. Then Mark took off his jacket as he was walking into his bedroom. After he took off his jacket, Mark fell face first on to his bed and rolled over on to his back. Mark was now looking up at the ceiling and started to wonder if the day would ever end. Also, Mark was beginning to hate himself for what he did last night and what he did at work. He couldn’t believe that he did all of that stuff. Now his world was turned upside down and he was solely to blame for it. Mark wished that he could go back and change what happened. Mark knew that it wasn’t going to happen. What was done was done. So, Mark decided to get some sleep. Mark rolled over on to his side and started to fall asleep. He was now asleep and now dreaming. In his dream, Mark was watching himself act like an idiot at work. Mark tried to stop himself from becoming a spectacle but he couldn’t do anything. Then Mark walked over to himself and turned him around and he saw that it wasn’t him. Mark saw that it was Brandy. Mark tried to hug Brandy but, Brandy disappeared right before his eyes. Now Mark was alone and feeling cold. Then Mark began to scream out loud. The screams began to echo back at him. The echoes became louder and louder. Mark covered his ears but that didn’t do anything. Then out of nowhere, the echoes stopped and Mark disappeared into thin air.

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The sun was shinning directly onto Mark’s face as he was waking up. Mark rolled over on his side to look at his alarm clock. He saw that it was about 11am. Mark quickly wondered to himself the idea that Brandy might be at the bench in Central Park. So, he got out of bed and headed into the bathroom. Mark took off all his clothes and had a shower. If he was going to go to the bench, he didn’t want looking like a slob. A little while later, Mark got out of the shower and got dressed. He put on his best suit and walked out of his bed room. Mark walked passed his living room towards the front door of his apartment. Before reaching the front door, he turned around and looked at his coffee table in his living room. Mark noticed the empty bottle of jack daniels sitting there. He walked over to it and picked it up. He looked straight at the bottle. The more and more he looked at the bottle, more and more anger showed on his face. “I hate you.” yelled Mark, while looking at the bottle. After Mark yelled, he threw the bottle across the living room. The bottle hit the wall across from Mark. The bottle shattered into a million pieces just like the world around him. Mark looked down and saw tiny pieces of glass everywhere. Then Mark walked over to coffee table again and grabbed his keys and walked out of his apartment, locking the door behind him. Mark ran as fast as his over-tired body could run. He finally reached the bench and sat down. He was very tired from the last few days. Mark turned around to look behind him and there she was. It was Brandy, all dressed in white. “You have been avoiding me. Haven’t you?” asked Brandy. “No, I haven’t been avoiding you.” said Mark. Then Brandy sat down on the bench. “Don’t lie to me Mark. Remember who I work for.” said Brandy. “I’m not lying.” said Mark. Brandy looked at Mark with dismay. “I know you’re lying, so, give it up.” said Brandy. “I had a good reason too.” said Mark. “And the reason is?” asked Brandy. “I can’t tell you.” said Mark. “Ok, be that way. I’m just glad that you’re not avoiding me anymore.” said Brandy. “When you talked to your boss, what did he tell you?” asked Mark. “He told me that you both talked and that you got fired for coming to work drunk.” said Brandy. “Did he tell you what we talked about?” asked Mark. No, he didn’t tell me.” said Brandy. Mark looked at Brandy and quietly says to himself “good.” What did you just say?” asked Brandy. “Oh, um, nothing.” said Mark. “Ok, they are showing some old movies down in the center of Central Park. Wanna go watch?” asked Brandy. “I would love too.” said Mark. So, Mark and Brandy got up from the bench and headed for the movies. A little while later, Mark and Brandy finally reached the center of Central Park. The movie was about to start. “So, what movie are they playing?” asked Mark. “They are playing the movie, Love Story.” said Brandy. “If I start to cry, please don’t laugh.” said Mark. “I would never laugh at you. I would only laugh with you.” said Brandy. “Ok, good.” said Mark. The movie was starting. Mark and Brandy were sitting every close to each other while watching the movie. Mark put his hand around Brandy and pulled her close to himself. Brandy rested her head upon Mark’s

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shoulder and continued to watch the movie. Time passed and the movie continued to play. Mark noticed that there was a man walking around selling popcorn. Mark asked Brandy if she wanted any popcorn and she said yes. So, Mark signalled for the man selling the popcorn. “One, bag of popcorn please.” said Mark. “That will be $3.75 please.” said the man selling the popcorn. Mark reached in his pocket and paid for the popcorn. Then the man took the money from Mark and gave Mark a bag of popcorn. Mark gave the bag of popcorn to Brandy, so she could hold on to it. Then the man selling the popcorn walked away and Mark and Brandy continued to watch the rest of the movie. About two hours later, the movie finished. Mark and Brandy walked back to the bench. They were holding each other’s hand while walking. Before they got to the bench, Mark stopped walking and just looked at Brandy. “What’s the matter?” asked Brandy. Mark continued to look at Brandy for a few more seconds then began to speak. “There is something I have to tell you about. When me and your boss were talking, he told me something about you. He told me that you are not here for much longer on earth. Angels don’t spend too much time on earth.” said Mark. “So, what you are saying is that, my time on earth is coming to an end.” said Brandy. “Not in some many words.” said Mark. “Oh my.” said Brandy. “I thought angels knew about this.” said Mark. “Yes, but I didn’t know. I was never told about this. What am I going to do?” asked Brandy. “There isn’t much you can do about this.” said Mark. Then Brandy just looked at Mark with a blank look on her face. There was a moment of silence now and nobody moved. Then Brandy began to speak again. “I need some time alone Mark so I can think about this.” said Brandy. “I totally understand. I am here if you need me.” said Mark. Days came and went as they always did. Every day, Mark would go to the bench to see if Brandy was there and every time he went, she wasn’t there. He was getting worried about her. Mark hoped that nothing bad happened to Brandy. He cared a lot about her. Mark wanted only the best for Brandy. He got to the bench and was hoping that she would there. Mark saw that the bench was empty again, just like the last few days. Then out of nowhere, the man in white appeared. Mark wanted it to be Brandy but it wasn’t. “What are you doing here?” asked Mark. “I have something important to tell you.” said the man in white. “Is it about Brandy?” asked Mark. “Yes, it is about Brandy.” Is she ok? Please tell that she is ok.” asked Mark. “She has gone away and the last place she was seen was at the New York City harbour.” said the man in white. “How long ago was that?” asked Mark. “That was about ten minute’s ago. You better hurry, if you are going to catch her.” said the man in white. So Mark ran as fast as he could towards the harbour.

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The day slowly turned into night and Mark finally reached the New York City harbour. He looked around all over the place for Brandy but he couldn’t find her. Then Mark saw someone getting a boat. He ran over to the boat and saw that it was Brandy. Mark yelled out to her but she couldn’t hear him. By the time Mark got over to the boat, it was leaving its docking station. Brandy looked back at the dock and saw Mark standing there. They couldn’t do anything. The boat sailed farther and farther away from the harbour. Mark saw the love of his life sailing away forever. He saw her waving to him for the last time. Mark sat down and began to cry. Tears streamed out of his eyes. He didn’t know what to do any more. The best thing to ever happen to him was gone and not coming back. “Brandy, please come back” yelled out Mark. He tried to yell as loud as he could so Brandy could hear him. The boat was too far away to hear Mark’s yells. The boat faded off in the distance and into the sunset. Mark sat on the dock and watched the sunset in front of him. As Mark was watching the sunset, he began to remember all the good times he had with Brandy. “I can’t believe that she is really gone. I wish she would come back.” said Mark softly. Mark sat there quietly and continued to remember the good times he had with Brandy. Now the moon shined bright in the dark sky. Mark stood there all alone on the docks by himself. He now felt so alone in his heart. He didn’t know what to do any more. Mark missed Brandy so much. He couldn’t do anything now that she was gone. The world around him finally crashed. The tears continued to stream down his face. Mark couldn’t handle the pain of it all. Then he started to walk away from the harbour and back to his apartment. All he could thing about was Brandy. He kept wishing to himself that there was something that he could have done to stop Brandy from leaving. There was nothing that could be done. Brandy was gone and gone for good. Now Mark was walking through Central Park. He saw the bench come closer and closer to him. As the bench was coming closer and to him, Mark started to remember all the wonderful conversation he had with Brandy while sitting at the bench. A few moments later, the bench was right in front of him. Mark just stood there looking at the bench. Then Mark saw two ghost like people sitting on the bench chatting. It was himself and Brandy. Mark was replaying all wonderful times he had with Brandy at the bench. Mark began to cry again as the memories played out in front of him. Mark tried to reach for Brandy, but both the vision of Brandy and Mark disappeared like a candle in the wind. Then Mark sat down on the bench and continued to cry. He was now letting the out all the pain he was feeling. Then Mark heard his name being said. Mark looked around and saw that the man in white was sitting right beside him. “Brandy is now gone and we all must accept that. It was her time to go Mark. I totally understand how you feel. She was my best angel. I know how much you loved her. People come and go and we all must walk with our heads held high and move on. I know you will find another.” said the man in white. “Brandy was

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my true love and there will be nobody else like her.” said Mark. “Yes, that is true, but you must not give up on love. Love is a powerful thing. Love is the universal language, everybody understands it. Through pain, we become stronger. We make ourselves do better and better each time. Pain shared is loves lost.” said the man in white. “You’re right. I must not let this get me down. Even though Brandy is gone, I must get back on my feet and not let the pain of her leaving weight me down. Brandy was very special to me and I will always have the memories of all the good times we had together. There were so many good times together.” said Mark. “Now it is time to start a new with your life. Don’t let the pain you are feeling take over your life. Just remember that you and Brandy both brought joy into each others lives. I think that Brandy wouldn’t want to be sad about her leaving. I think she would have wanted you to know that you were some one special to her and loved you very much.” said the man in white. “That is so true. I shouldn’t and won’t give up on love. I know that Brandy wouldn’t want me to give up. Thank you for the chat.” said Mark. Then Mark got up from his seat and waved good bye to the man in white. Then the man I white vanished right in front of Mark. Mark walked back to his apartment with a better understanding about love and the pain that comes with it. He opened the door to his apartment and walked in. He put his keys on the coffee table and walked into his bed room. Mark got undress and got into bed and turned out the light. As Mark was turning off the light, He said “Life goes on because tomorrow is another day.” Then the light went out and Mark went to bed. The End.