The Touchstone - Part two

By mcscraic

Sat, 18 Nov 2017
  • 952 reads
3 comments
 

 

The Touchstone by Paul McCann

Continued

Part 2

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The man in the suit smiled and then he looked at the stone .

”How much do you want for that stone in front of you ?”

The Tramp replied .

“Well the thing is sir , it’s a magic stone and I wasn’t going to sell it .

“I’ll give you a hundred dollars for it .‘“

Said the man in the suit who took some notes out from his wallet and reached them out to the
tramp who immediately handed over the stone .The man put the stone into his brief case and walked away . The tramp got up and went off to buy himself a hot breakfast in town .   

 

A short time later the man who had the stone walked in through the front door of the Air Square building where he took the lift to the top floor . He opened the door to his  office and was greeted by
his secretary .

“Good morning Mr Taylor. I thought you were leaving for China this morning .“

She said and he replied

“Good morning Deirdre , you know we can take so much for granted in life . “

“How do you mean ?” She asked 

“Well this morning I just stopped for some reason and spoke to a homeless man who  told me he was hungry and I thought to myself , What if he was my son . “

The secretary smiled and said

“How nice of you to think like that Mr Taylor .“

The business man opened up his briefcase and took out the touchstone and said.

“The thing is Deirdre , all that this homeless man had in his possession was this here  stone . I opened my wallet and offered him a hundred dollars for it . “

His secretary seemed a little puzzled and said .

“How generous of you Mr Taylor . What a wonderful thing to do .”

“Thank you Deirdre . I have lots of money but all he had was a stone that he gave to me for a hundred dollars . I might use it as a paper weigh or something and he might get a decent breakfast for a change . Oh Deirdre , can you confirm my appointment in Beijing tomorrow morning . Tell them I’ll be on the midday flight . I just need to pick up a few files that I forget to take last night.”

“Yes Mr Taylor . Are there any changes to your schedule  since yesterday ?”

He replied

“That’s another reason I am here this morning . There is one change that you need to slot in . After the two day conference on Happiness in Beijing , I am going to Bhutan .  This morning I was informed that I am the person that will represent and present the Air Square project at
the gathering of Global   Corporations network '

 

“Congratulations Mr Taylor . That’s wonderful news .”

“Yes , so after I present our project on creating a dementia friendly environment 

I am staying at the Bhutan Suites until the decision is made on which of the 20 projects
will be funded . Following that I will text you a day before my return .“

She gave him the thumbs up as the phone telephone rang .

He  walked away into his office sat behind his desk . He put the stone on his desk . and opened up a drawer taking out some files he put them inside his briefcase  He thought for a moment and placed the stone back in his briefcase . As he closed the door of his office, Deirdre hung up the phone and stood up . She extended her hand . Mr Taylor reached out and with a soft handshake she smiled and
said .,

“Best of luck with the project . How do you think it will go Mr Taylor “?

He replied,

“It’s about love and respect for old people who have dementia . It’s a global condition that needs to be addressed . So I’m sure we have a great chance of getting the green light to go ahead .“

She sat down and said .

“We are all with you Mr Taylor .”

 He replied

“I know that and thank you . See you in a week Deirdre . Look after the Fort while I’m gone .“

“
Never fear , Deirdre is here . By the way Mr Taylor , how is your fear of flying going these days ?”

He put on a brave face and said ,

“Well of course I’m worried but not in a frantic panic as I used to be .“

With that he quickly left and took  a taxi to the airport .

Later that morning he took a window seat on the plane and started doing some deep breathing . As the plane engines warmed up he started fumbling and fidgeting . He thought of the stone and immediately he opened his briefcase . The moment he touched the stone his heart rate fell to a resting pace and his breathing was much slower . He felt relaxed and at peace .

The plane soon was on the runway then up and away on its  way to China  .

 

During the flight he read over the notes for his presentation on a dementia friendly society and he wasn’t confident or happy abou presentation .

He opened his notebook and started to compose a new document entitled ,

Help For The Hungry And Homeless .

He stared to write sentence after sentence without stopping . Ideas were popping into his head . From time to time he reached out and lifted the stone and new ideas came to him . He finished the
document and looked at what he had written . He could not believe that it had come from him .

It was a brilliant piece of work and he knew that this was going to be the project that he would present at the Global Corporations Event .

Suddenly the aeroplane seemed to fall very fast .

Some of the passengers screamed but he reached out and held the stone and as he did he felt composed and at ease . The plane dropped again . The fasten your seat belt sign came on and a voice softly spoke through the overhead audio system . 

“This is Roger Malone your Captain speaking , please don’t be alarmed .   We are currently experiencing some turbulence
. Please stay in your seat and remain calm . It will soon clear . Thank you .“

Mr Taylor sat there with the stone in his hand , he was untroubled by all the events and was thinking about the new project he would be presenting in Bhutan
.

Now he was a man with a mission and for some unknown reason it was a project he believed
in and it was something he felt passionate about .

After the plane cleared the turbulence it wasn’t long until it landed at the airport Beijing

 

It was a damp Thursday morning and My Taylor was met by a small welcome party and a driver was organised to bring him to his hotel near the conference centre . The room was comfortable and after unpacking he checked all of the text messages on his mobile phone .
 
One message from Deirdre told he story of a lucky homeless man who had won first prize in the lottery last night . In the story it mentioned the homeless man said he was given a hundred dollars by a business man who bought a stone he had found in a rubbish bin . Mr Taylor couldn’t believe it . This incident now confirmed to him that his mission to help the hungry and homeless people was more than a dream . Inside Mr Taylor felt so happy and couldn’t wait for the conference on Happiness to begin in Beijing the next morning . That afternoon Mr Taylor had lunch with the some of the other representatives who would be in Bhutan to present their company’s projects .
Mr Taylor ate and enjoyed the company of those who were there and made friends with an gentleman by the name of Digby Maximillion who was representing a large Italian Corporation . Mr Taylor shared what he would be presenting with Digby who loved the concept of helping homeless and hungry people . When he asked if he could read through Mr Taylors presentation he agreed and went back to his hotel room to get it for him . When he returned he gave the document over for a deeper appraisal . Digby was very grateful and said he would return it later than evening .
They both agreed to meet later at the gym and discussed playing a game of squash bdoefore dinner. They parted company and Mr Taylor remained there in the dining room for a little while as he had a sudden chest pain .
He sat there for a moment and felt a sharp pain shooting up his right arm . Immediately he thought about the touchstone , but he realised it was back in his hotel room . He got up quickly and hurriedly rushed along to the lifts but collapsed on the way . One of the hotel rushed to his aid and another called an ambulance . Mr Taylor was rushed to the hospital but had died on the way in the ambulance .
 
That evening Digby waited for My Taylor who never showed . So he went to the room number he was given and found the door was open but after knocking no one answered so he went to reception as asked if Mr Taylor had left any messages for him . The hotel staff there informed Digby of his friends death .
 
In shock he returned to the room where Mr Taylor had been staying and went inside the room with the presentation he had read . He sat for a little while and saw the touchstone on the table and lifted it up .Then he whispered
 
“After the conference is over I will take your work on homelessness and present it to the panel in Bhutan my friend . I feel your passion and will do all I can to share that with others . I am sure you wouldn’t mind if I was to take this stone of yours along for good luck . “
 
It was Friday and Digby decided to leave for Bhutan instead of attending the conference . He wasn’t in the mood to be part of the Happiness concept .
Digby arrived in Bhutan and after leaving his belongings in his hotel he went for a walk . He thought about Mr Taylor who had made a big impression on him and couldn’t believe he had died so suddenly . He walked a while and sat in silence .
An old man approached with a prayer wheel and asked
“What makes you so sad. “
Digby relied ,
‘I had just made a friend yesterday and he died the same day .“
The old man replied ,
“You were destined to meet him . His journey is over now . Just be happy for him and know that he had chosen you to be the last person in his life he would be with .“
Digby took out the stone and said ,
“I took this from his room to remember him by . I know its just a stone but somehow I felt he wanted me to take it .”
The old man smiled and took the stone from Digby and said .
“Ah now I understand . My name is Tinley, I am a Tibetan monk from Lhasa and I often escape into the West with some of my touchstones and give then people I think need them . This one in your possession is one of my touchstones .”
Digby smiled ,
“Maybe then the stone has fulfilled its destiny and has come back to you . Please take it and share it with another who needs it . I know my friend would want that “
The old monk took the stone and said ,
“You have a purpose to be here in Bhutan . Whatever that is will be achieved.”
Then the old man walked away holding the stone .
 
After the weekend Digby Maximillion stood there before a large group of people about to present Mr Taylor’s project . He knew what he was doing was the right thing .
He started to speak ,
“On behalf of my late friend Mr Taylor from Air Square I would like to present his project on how to alleviate the hungry and the homeless of the world .
I had my own presentation prepared as he had . We both were to represent the corporation who we worked for however this projects I am presenting is something that was chosen to be here because it is a worthy cause . I knew Mr Taylor for just a very short time but I could see the passion that he had for this project and he had put his whole career on the line in order that it could be heard . I would like you all to welcome the written words of the late Mr Taylor “
After the applause Digby explained the plight of millions of hungry and homeless In the world and how they can be assisted . Digby spoke confidently and with conviction . People saw there was purpose and appreciated the strength of belief in every thing that was said . Digby’s voice was hypnotic . Everyone in the building sat in silence . There was a feeling of mutual love and respect and it moved like a wave on the ocean touching the heart of everyone that was there . When Digby had finished the presentation there was a rapturous applause . Digby returned to his seat and waited until everyone had presented their projects . After a brief judgement the panel made their decision . The selected project to be funded was Air Squares Helo for the hungry and homeless . Digby on their behalf went to receive the award and again received a thunderous applause . As he returned back to his seat , he saw Tinley standing there at the back of the auditorium room applauding . The old Monk held up the stone before walking out the door .
The Air Squares project made world headlines and within three years the number of people who were hungry and homeless were reduced by three million .
 
The End

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Certificate PG
Story
Tales About Mystery And Imagination
Other Fiction

Comments

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Some really good ideas in this story - I love the way the stone was passed from person to person. I didn't really understand the final sentence though. Is there something missing after the 'three'?

 

Submitted by mcscraic on

I appreciate the time you took to read and for leaving a comment .

i amended the last sentence .

thank you 

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

aha - that makes much more sense now!