Here are the links to the first 2 parts:
http://writingforums.com/showthread.php?t=77701 - Part 1
http://writingforums.com/showthread.php?t=77839 - Part 2
Any help/comments would be greatly appreciated. Here's part 3:
The next morning, Robert woke up early. The clock read 5:45, normally an hour or two before he woke up, but he felt wide awake today. His wife didn’t even stir as he crept out of bed and got dressed. Last night, he received a call from his boss, Stan Veidt. He said that a man named Richard Hill wanted to meet with him. When Robert asked if he was interested in the island, Stan said that he wanted to hear about it personally from Robert.
Robert was going to meet him at 9:30 at a local coffee shop. Until then, Robert tried to kill time. He turned on the TV. CNN was still displaying news about his and Maynard’s discovery. After they held the press conference the day before, Maynard and Robert went on to give several interviews with all kinds of media companies, from CNN to Discover Magazine.
At around 7:30, Robert called Maynard.
“Hey hey, what’s going on?”
“I’m surprised you’re up so early, especially since we don’t have work.”
“I’ve got a meeting with someone this morning. He wants to talk about the island.”
“Oh yeah, who is it, media?”
“I don’t think so, Stan set me up with him.”
“Heh, ole Stan, probably taking a fee for the referral. So you don’t even know this guy?”
“I think it’ll be OK. He’ll probably just ask me some questions. Anyways, what are you up to today?”
“Packing stuff up, like you should be doing.”
“Done and done, my friend. Me and Martha have already packed.”
“Speaking of Stan, I just talked to him, he wants us to come in and help him sort out some stuff about our clients. You know how it is, it’s always business with him.”
“Yeah, he’s a good man, though. Maybe we should invite him to the island sometime.”
“I don’t know, he’d wanna turn it into a resort.”
“I’d like my own resort, though.”
“Heh. Keep dreaming, buddy.”
“Maybe I’ll put the resort on my side of the island.”
“Oh, so now we’re dividing it in two?” Maynard joked. “Is that it?”
“My resort’ll be making all the money, where you’ll just have your solemn jungle abode.”
“Well, now you can do it if you want.”
“That’s the beauty of it all, Maynard. Isn’t it terrific?”
“Yeah, man, it is.”
“Listen, I gotta run, Martha’s getting up. Let’s get some lunch later, okay?”
A man sitting in the corner of Lava Latte rose as Robert walked in at 9:30. The man was tall, in his mid-fifties and was wearing a black overcoat.
“Mr. West?”
“Ah, you must be Richard Hill.”
“Very nice to meet you. Would you like something?”
“Oh no, I’m fine, thanks.”
“You are very kind to allow Mr. Veidt to set up a meeting for us, I have to say I’ve been anxious to meet you.”
“Well, anything for Stan. He’s been good to me.”
“You know, Mr. Veidt and I used to work together at Cheblet back in the ‘90s.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes, he was one of the most dedicated men I’ve ever worked with. So, how does it feel to be the most popular face in America right now?”
“Heh, well it’s not that big of a deal. Me and Maynard didn’t go crazy at the bars, ya know. But there’s definitely a rush, like a deep sense of inner pride. All of a sudden the entire country is looking at us, but to me it’s not about fame, I just care about the island and what it means for me. So, what is it you wanted to talk about, Mr. Hill?”
“I wanted to talk about your island. Do you realize what kind of a discovery this is? Forget about Lucy or the dinosaurs, this is something new, something nobody was even looking for. But who knows how long that island has been out there, floating, just waiting for someone to come and make it their own.” Robert listened intently, unsure of what to say. Hill continued. “You know what I do, Mr. West? I’m a consultant. But don’t confuse me for one of those desk jockeys who pushes papers around all day. I travel the world working on projects with and for my clients. I build relationships, some of which have lasted for over ten years. I enjoy what I do. But I don’t do it because I get paid, I do it because I enjoy it.”
“Are you saying that you want to be my consultant for affairs regarding the island?” Hill pondered this question for a few seconds, then cast a friendly smile to Robert.
“After I finish a job, I go home and rest. I don’t talk to my boss, or any of my co-workers. I go home and wait, until I learn what I am to do next. I never know how I will know, sometime I learn about a job by hearing from an old friend out of the blue, or something I see on TV, but I will know it when I see it. You could say that I’m a freelance consultant, working on my schedule, when, where and with whom I want to work.” Hill took another long pause while he sipped his latte. “Two nights ago, I had a dream. I hope this doesn’t sound too crazy, but just listen. Anyway, this dream was about Atlantis. I’ve had recurring dreams about it, it all started after I watched a PBS special last week. In the dreams, I was living on Atlantis, along with others, most of them acquaintances or people I had seen before. Mind you, Atlantis was underwater in my dream. I don’t know how we were breathing, I guess it was just part of the dream. Anyway, in this particular dream, we all wake up one day to find that the island is moving upwards, out of the water. Like it was shot out of a cannon or something. All of a sudden we explode out of the water, and after a lot of tossing and shaking, we eventually stablize on the surface. After a few other strange events, I woke up the next morning and turned on the TV. And what did I see? Two explorers from Los Angeles accidentally discover a new island out in the Pacific.”
They sat in silence for a moment. Robert wanted to ask whether Hill knew that Atlantis was supposedly located in the Atlantic, but he knew this wasn’t a time for jokes. Robert was intrigued by this story, it had a definite purpose and applied directly to what was going on in his life. He couldn’t describe how he felt about Hill or what the feeling was, but it felt right. Robert had felt the same way after discovering the island, he felt like whatever was happening, was most definitely, undeniably, right. Was Hill supposed to help Robert in some kind of way?
“Are you a believer in fate, Mr. West?”
“Yes I am.”
“I knew when I first heard about you, I knew that my dream was about you and your island. Our destinies have intertwined, I believe. This is what I wanted to ask you: will you allow me to see your island? Just a little tour, nothing major. I’d just like to see it.”
“Yes, by all means. And call me Robert.”
On the ride home, Robert’s head was spinning from all the thoughts going through it. His conversation with Hill had him wondering about many things. But one thing was for sure, he was definitely on the right path. No longer was it just his fate, but someone had come along to affirm his belief that his path was right. He felt a surge of energy flowing through him, he was completely carefree. He took in all of his surroundings, things he never noticed before. Tucked between the dense apartment buildings, there were trees growing. Robert noticed the beautifal foliage of the Wilshire Country Club, one of his favorite places to be with Maynard and the rest of his friends.
A knot suddenly formed in his stomach. Robert realized that leaving Los Angeles for the island would mean leaving the Club behind. His current, rather former life and its wonderful amenities would no longer be available to him. Even though Robert had made up his mind, he realized that leaving his luxurious life behind wouldn’t be easy. As he sat at a stoplight, the joy he felt a moment ago after talking with Hill was fading a bit. He stopped to think that maybe he had gotten too worked up over meeting someone like Hill. Maybe he was just trying to get on Robert’s good side, appealing to his strong faith in destiny. Then again, how could Hill have known Robert was a religious man who believed in destiny?
On his right was one of the largest churches in the city. Like many modern churches, it had a huge scrolling marquee on its sign. The marquee was displaying information about this Sunday’s sermon, followed by: “Put your trust in the Lord your God and you will be established. Put your trust in His prophets and succeed. – 2 Chronicles 20:20”
