Hey there! Here's a new oneshot I cooked up one day while listening to the song Where are You, Christmas by Faith Hill. It's from the soundtrack to the 2000 live-action film How the Grinch Stole Christmas. In my opinion, I think it's a good song to listen to, of course. As I listened to the song, I imagined the late, great King of Pop, Michael Jackson, listening to the song as well. So, this is what I came up with.
Disclaimer: I own the songfics, oneshots, stories and poems. The lyrics to Gone Too Soon by Michael Jackson and Where are You, Christmas by Faith Hill belong to their respective owners.
Where are You, Christmas
Like A Comet
Blazing 'Cross The Evening Sky
Gone Too Soon
Like A Rainbow
Fading In The Twinkling Of An Eye
Gone Too Soon
Shiny And Sparkly
And Splendidly Bright
Here One Day
Gone One Night
Like The Loss Of Sunlight
On A Cloudy Afternoon
Gone Too Soon
Like A Castle
Built Upon A Sandy Beach
Gone Too Soon
Like A Perfect Flower
That Is Just Beyond Your Reach
Gone Too Soon
Born To Amuse, To Inspire, To Delight
Here One Day
Gone One Night
Like A Sunset
Dying With The Rising Of The Moon
Gone Too Soon
Gone Too Soon
-Michael Jackson, Gone Too Soon
It was December 6, 2000. Outside, snow was falling from the sky, and turning the grass from green to white. Inside Neverland Ranch, Michael Joseph Jackson, who was 42 years old, sat silently at the piano, looking out the window at the snow. His chocolate eyes, set in a face many women would call "handsome", were full of sadness and tears.
The reason why was because he was missing a very special friend of his – one that meant so much to him. His friend's name was Ryan White.
Michael sighed. It had been 10 years since Ryan had left his suffering body for a strong new life in Heaven on April 8, 1990. Now, he remembered sharing Thanksgiving and Christmas with Ryan the year before Ryan had passed away, and felt a deep twinge of sadness. He then turned and looked at the seat at the table where Ryan had sat. Only it was now empty, as Ryan would never sit there again.
Michael then lowered his head out of respect for Ryan, knowing that inside Ryan was the heart of a warrior who had seen, and heard of, so many battles that bravery had become commonplace.
He then looked up at the picture of himself and Ryan sitting on the mantel of the fireplace, and remembered the words Ryan had told him – that he didn't want people to feel sorry for him; Ryan disliked that with a passion. Michael remembered being impressed with Ryan's bravery and spirit.
He then looked over at the tree, which was beautifully decorated, and smiled as he remembered sitting with Ryan while they looked up at the tree, Michael's arm around Ryan's shoulders.
"Hey, just so you know, Ryan, even if they – the haters – dislike you or turn your back on you," Michael remembered telling Ryan one day, "I will always be your friend until the very bitter end."
Ryan had smiled upon hearing Michael's words, and that smile – which Michael would remember forever – had lit up Ryan's face.
Michael knew he would never forget that smile. He would have that memory for as long as he lived.
With that he then turned back to the window and resumed looking out at the snow.
"Ryan," he said to himself, as though Ryan could hear, "I really was a great friend to you, and I've often kept in touch with your mother, as she not only saw me as a great friend, but also a great, positive influence on you and your life. No matter how short your life was, you always took great time to teach me some great lessons about life. It has its ups and downs, but we stuck through them all. And I've also learned what it means to be a friend and to be there for someone who is the outcast, the outsider, and the one who is treated badly simply because of their skin color, their religion or their personality."
He paused for a moment, and then added,
"Thanks, Ryan. You gave me the courage to fight the many battles that everyone faces in life. You are a true friend."
He then picked up the remote, and pointed it at the stereo system. Instantly, the song "Where are You, Christmas" by Faith Hill began to play, and Michael began to remember his friends, past and present.
Where are you, Christmas
Why can't I find you
Why have you gone away
Where is the laughter
You used to bring me
Why can't I hear music play
My world is changing,
I'm rearranging
Does that mean Christmas changes, too
Where are you, Christmas
Do you remember
The one you used to know
I'm not the same one
See what the time's done
Is that why you have let me go
Christmas is here
Everywhere, oh
Christmas is here
If you care, oh
If there is love in your heart and your mind
You will feel like Christmas all the time
I feel you, Christmas
I know I've found you
You never fade away
The joy of Christmas
Stays here inside us
Fills each and every heart with love
Where are you, Christmas
Fill your heart with love
As the last notes of the song faded into the silence, Michael sat there for a while, remembering Ryan White.
"Friends forever. Merry Christmas, Ryan," he whispered to himself, and smiled. "And, thanks."