An Illusion

There are illusions everywhere, created as an entertainment or a natural occurrence.

AN ILLUSION

 

Francis was travelling with a group of tourists in a four-wheel-drive in the Sahara desert. He wasn’t the leader of the group, that was Ronald, who had organized the travel some months before, when he had nothing better to do, due to the fact that he was out of work and on benefits. Ronald was a man of ideas and at times strange beliefs. He had a computer where he was able to see the most interesting places on the planet. Some days he visited the public library to check out what other intrepid travellers had done, where they had been, and what they had seen. The films and photos he had seen of the Sahara during the miserable months when all it did was rain, convinced him to make an effort to organize a journey to Africa. Ronald was in his mid-forties and with hair that was noticeably thinner every year. He had never had a good relationship with women because he was too involved with himself, and now being out of work his emotional situation was even more tenuous. He enjoyed open spaces, hence the idea of a desert to wander around in.

As soon as Ronald had the time, place, where to stay, and the cost, he advertised the travel. It was, of course, an adventure type trip, instead of staying in fancy hotels all the time, they would get around by four-wheel-drive, and some nights sleep in tents. During the planning of his big idea, Ronald did harbour a few doubts as to whether he was suffering from a great illusion, that might fall apart in his hands or result in a huge success.

After announcing the travel online, Ronald didn’t have to wait all that long for enquiries to come through. He knew he’d have to be careful as to the people he wanted with him on the trip, so he had to use his brains about selecting his fellow travellers. Ronald knew what sort he didn’t want and those he did. People with problems or running away from tempestuous relationships were not of any interest to him. The only ones he really wanted were people without problems. It was only after careful selection, Ronald had his tourists lined up. The first one was Francis, who was older than him and retired. He lived with his mother and therefore would not bore anyone with marital woes. The second one was Daniel, who was getting over a bout of bad health, and the doctor had recommended a holiday to have a good dose of sunshine and dry weather. Daniel was out of work because of his bad health, and when he was told his application had been accepted, his wife and children were happy for him. The third man was Callum, a rather odd character. Ronald had not wanted any women on the trip because he was afraid of emotional scenes which could take place when the going got tough.

 

 

  

‘Cut Diamond’ was Denny’s stage name that his wife had given him when he had started out on his magician’s career. He and Vanda were in their early fifties and had been together for most of the time. His stage life took place from March through December and the first fortnight of January. Denny was a good magician, but there was always another better and younger. His illusions were all right, but the younger ones did things that were not for the fainthearted. Vanda was always telling him to calm down, and accept that he was no longer a youngster capable of doing dangerous tricks. Still young enough to get the crowds to applaud him, Denny, who was also a terrible flirt, got the ladies and young girls to participate in some of his more delusional tricks. One young woman who went up on stage to disappear, actually did disappear. When she returned she didn’t have a clue as to where she had been. Denny created illusions with curtains that seemed black but were really a very dark aubergine colour. He did that with sparkling cloth and clever lighting. Denny had another trick up his sleeve, he used holograms. When things in the trade were getting hard and it was difficult to find a job that paid well, Denny had posters put up all round several towns announcing that he’d be crossing the chasm by high wire. Where there wasn’t a chasm, he’d use a waterfall or caves, whatever would catch the public’s eye and bring him in money.

To create a bigger and better illusion, Vanda had a hologram machine that projected images wherever you wanted them to show up. Denny dressed up in his ‘Cut Diamond’ finery, would then make an appearance and standing on the high wire would hold a long thin pole in his hands and begin to cross over. The illusion was that everyone wanted to believe Denny was actually crossing over the deep chasm, whereas he was already over the other side with Vanda, who was operating the machine. It was so well done that everyone was taken in. There were sceptics that aired their opinions every so often, but were shouted down by ‘Cut Diamond’s magical illusions. Both Denny and Vanda were getting ready for retirement, but in the meantime they were keeping the world of the magical illusion going.

 

Brian was a property dealer who was afraid of nothing and nobody, as long as he made a killing. Making money was the essence of his life, even his wife Valerie and his son Sebastian didn’t count for much, only as assets. Brian’s latest plan was to buy up a large swathe of land known as the dust-bowl of the town.

During his life as a constructor, Brian had built many houses and blocks of flats wherever he found an empty plot of land. He was successful because he always cut corners. There were others with as much interest as Brian in acquiring the land, however dusty it was. A rumour had been circulating for months, that a new main road which would become a part of the artery of the main circulation of the town, was going to pass slightly beyond the dust-bowl, therefore giving to those who might live there an easy approach to the town centre, the airport, the railway station, and shopping centres. The local council only needed to give the word, and the road would be built and any properties in the vicinity of the new road, would rocket in price. Brian wanted to be in on the action before anything to do with the new road became public knowledge. He wanted to control everything in the area, and if there was to be a new road, he wanted to control that too.

Brian lived in a world of illusions as regards properties. He believed that if he gave those who were willing to buy his properties a decent home, they would be happy and grateful to him for the time it would take them to pay off their mortgages. When he saw the names of lottery winners announced in the newspapers, he immediately sent them a congratulatory letter and announcements of his new building projects. Many of his competitors saw him as living in a dreamland and not in reality. Brian’s property sellers went out from morning to night under his orders, to sell properties or land. Many of his workers were extraordinarily successful. He acknowledged the fact in their salaries, which meant they were loyal to him, in spite of his not being very sociable. He paid them well in order to keep them close to him. If Brian lived in an illusion, the purchasers did so even more. Brian’s properties looked fantastic, but a little out of this world. The whole idea was to create an illusion that something was something that it wasn’t. The fireplaces in the living-rooms were made of poor quality brick and without chimneys, the plumbing left a lot to be desired, and the roofs for one reason or other leaked. Nobody realized any of those defects until the winter arrived, and then they had to call in workmen of their own to repair the damage. On the other hand, if they moved in during the summer, everything was in working order, and as it was too hot to light a fire the problems when they occurred, were put down to bad weather. The houses were Brian’s illusion and people bought into them.

 

However, the dust-bowl was bought up by another company, and Brian felt frustrated down to his feet, because he could have built many more of his cheap houses on it. He sincerely hoped that the new road would not be constructed near the dust-bowl, because, if so, the houses would increase in value, making even more money for the constructor - and that wouldn’t be him. Every night after he had received the bad news that his proposal had been turned down by the owners of the dust-bowl, Brian went to bed with a glass of water and a pain killer. Valerie and Sebastian crept around the house on tiptoes, and did the best they could to keep out of his way. A shattered illusion is one of the worst things that can happen to any one person, but in the case of Brian it was as if an explosion had gone off in dreamland.

“I’ll show him. I’ll have to find another plot of land to build on,” he said to Valerie and Sebastian, when he knew who had got the contract for building up the dust-bowl.

“What do you think you’re going to show him?” Sebastian asked his father.

“I’ll show them that they made a mistake in their choice of company. Sebastian, now that some of my team have gone and abandoned me, I want you to get to know the business, so that in time you’ll be able to run it. Tomorrow you’ll come in with me and get down to work.”

Sebastian was a typical young man who had received a beautiful education, but was a worse case than his father of living in dreamland. Sebastian had a life full of illusions and he was frankly petrified at the idea of having to go and work for his father.

“Dad, I’ve never worked before, and having just finished a course on marketing, I don’t think I’m quite ready for a post at your company yet.”

“You’re a twenty-five year old man, who’s spent the last seven years preparing yourself for the post of managing director. One day all of it will be yours, so the sooner the better, for you to get down there to work, and get to know the ropes.”

Sebastian sighed, and inside him the illusion of his cosy life he had been living till then, evaporated with his father’s words. Poor Sebastian! Little did he know the price he’d paid by living under an illusion! He had always assumed that his father would support him in his courses, until the moment came when he’d simply walk into the company, and let the employees bow down to him as the new boss.

That night Sebastian had great difficulty in getting to sleep. Brian had an outsized headache and was also awake with painkillers and a bottle of water on the bedside table within easy reach, just in case. Valerie was busy sitting in the living-room, happy knowing that the two men in her life from then on would be away from the house all day long. She opened a box of her favourite chocolates, switched on her mobile, and rang up all her friends. Valerie didn’t suffer illusions, she was only worried about money, and what might happen if there was a sudden lack of it.

 

 

  

Ronald’s group had met up in a café, not long after they had said they would definitely be going with him on the tour of the Sahara. They were a mixed bunch. Francis was the man of middle age who, besides being older than the rest of the group seemed to be the most inoffensive, in that he would never use his age as a weapon to get his own way. Daniel was a bit of a worry, due to his having had a lot of ill health. The doctor had recommended a trip to a dry area, and dryer than a desert you can’t get. Callum was a secretive kind of person, but Ronald was under the impression he was just shy.

Now they were in a four-wheel-drive and the desert looked more like rocks and stones than the golden sand of the photos. The sand dunes didn’t go over the horizon, they went along the side of the road, which at times had little markings of sand, to remind the unwary of the winds that occurred unexpectedly, blowing the sand across the tarmac surface making driving any vehicle have the sensation of going over a carpet.

On one particularly hot day, the four men were going along when they saw the heat shimmering on the surface of the sand like waves on the sea, in the background there were swaying palm trees. On another occasion, they saw a horseman riding towards them. All of them sat up and stared, and then, as they got nearer, it all disappeared, and the sand around them was flat. It was an out-of-this-world experience.

They continued on their way till they got to the night-over stay. After they had showered and were all together in the hotel restaurant, they stared at each other in turn.

“What did you think of the mirage we saw this afternoon?” Ronald asked.

“I ask myself, how many more are we to see before this trip is up.” Francis asked them, as if he were talking to himself.

“Yes, it’s something to think about. The illusion, honestly, I found it quite unsettling, never having experienced anything remotely like it,” Daniel responded.

“What about you, Callum, what’s your opinion of the mirage?”

“Well, it wasn’t such a surprise. In fact, it would have been rather strange if we hadn’t met up with one.”

The other three were open mouthed by his reaction. They hadn’t heard him say so many words together since they had been on the trip.

“What do you think of staying in an hotel for the night instead of a tent?” Ronald asked his companions.

“Fine by me,” Francis said.

The others agreed, and so they began to think of how they would continue the rest of the trip.

Ronald, as the head of the desert trip, said, “I propose that we stay in an hotel whenever we aren’t happy with the tents. We haven’t got much time left, so, shall we carry on with the tour or call the rest of it off now?”

There was a pause, and then they all said they would wait and see what the next day would bring.

 

‘Cut Diamond’ was on stage. He was in the centre of it when it collapsed. He broke a leg and his illusions for a few more years as a magician. There could be no more holograms, because his accident had hit the front pages of the variety magazines and some of the national newspapers. While he was laid up in hospital, he tried to find a reason why the stage had collapsed. His worst fear was that he had never risen above the mediocre, after all the illusions he had dreamed of since first embarking on a life of illusion. During his stay in hospital ‘Cut Diamond’ was aware that his whole life had been one grand illusion - and now it was over. He wondered how he would live without his illusion, and if he’d ever have another. Vanda never knew of his doubts, she spent her time with him in the hospital, stroking his hand and telling him how everything would be all right. ‘Cut Diamond’ knew then, that with Vanda by his side, she would keep his illusions alive.

 

Suddenly, Brian felt all was well again, after being informed by a contact on the local council, that an enormous commercial centre was going to be constructed alongside the motorway. That meant those driving past would see it, and drop in to discover for themselves what it was all about, and buy something. Brian had only ever been interested in acquiring land and building cheap properties at high prices, thus making a fortune for himself and those who worked for him. However, a commercial centre was the biggest illusion for many promoters, due to its permanent source of a high income. Brian was more than delighted at the new illusion in his life. The acquiring of the land helped towards getting him to forget the disillusionment on losing the dust-bowl. He applied for the licence to buy the land, which was extremely extensive.

Once that first hurdle was over, Brian began the planning. He got his planners to make up a model of what the commercial centre could look like. Every possibility was taken into account. The general consensus was, that it should cater for everyone. Anyone who stepped into the centre should be able to purchase whatever they wanted, nobody should walk away empty-handed or disappointed in any way. There was a main shopping centre, with all kinds of shops, a sports centre plus gymnasiums and swimming pools, and a restaurant area with all the most popular eateries and better class restaurants. There was a block of cinemas, with more restaurants and bars underneath. Last but not least, there was a factory outlet, selling the best makes in all different kinds of clothing, from sports clothes to underwear, at the lowest prices.

One of the designers of the centre was a woman called Louise, who was always chosen to decide where to place the gardens, fountains, statues, and benches. Louise was also the decorator for Christmas and Easter. Brian used Louise’s decorative sense, which went a long way to maintaining the illusion of everything being bright and beautiful. Never mind the cracks.

Brian was so involved with his commercial centre, that he was never aware of the cracks in his marriage to Valerie. Sebastian was floundering in his job, and Brian kept on giving him more and more work, convinced that it would smarten him up work-wise. Valerie gave up the chocolates and went to the gym. She had the illusion of being tight-muscled and slim again. The punishing regime of diet and exercise was anathema to Valerie, but she kept at it. Brian and Sebastian didn’t notice, they were both involved in their own illusions. The father, whose grand illusion was to create the best commercial centre, and the son, whose only illusion was, never to work but live off his father’s money.

 

Ronald and his group were once more sleeping in tents under a desert moon. He reasoned that was what they had gone there for, to taste the illusion of feeling free and unfettered by timetables and any other responsibilities other than those they imposed upon themselves. During the days following the sighting of the first mirage they saw others, some better and some more romantic than others. Horsemen riding towards them on camels resulted in nothing but the wind on the sand. They had tried driving up to them, but it was all in vain. The mirage disappeared in the same way the previous ones had done.

Francis had asked Ronald, “Ronald, are we going to ‘see things’ when we’re back home?”

Ronald laughed, and replied, “Only if you’re drunk.”

The illusion of running away to the desert had been the best idea Ronald had ever had. The other three said the trip had not disappointed them for one minute.

After landing at Heathrow they all went their separate ways, but living inside some of the desert illusion. Its disappearance would come later, with the onset of work and the daily grind, till they had another illusion.

 

‘Cut Diamond’, who since his accident was used to hearing his original name, Denny, was lying back on the sofa, his legs covered by a light blanket. The television was on with the sound off, Vanda was in the kitchen talking to her sister on the telephone. “He’s lost his illusions. I don’t know what to do about it.”

What Vanda didn’t know or suspect, was that Denny’s mind while watching a soundless television, was being fertilized with more and newer illusions. He stayed on the sofa, supine, thinking of the many ways illusions function. Denny thought it might not be a bad idea to open up courses of illusions. He had been in the business for so long, it was the only thing he knew about.

Vanda spent one morning a week at a beauty salon. When Denny’s leg was strong enough for him to walk on with crutches, he went with her. As far as Denny was concerned, the beauty salon lacked illusion. When Vanda was having her hair done, Denny spoke to the owner, Leonard. “You know, you’d get more clients if this place were more magical, with an air of illusion that would make the ladies feel more beautiful.”

“Perhaps they already feel that way when they leave here after getting the works,” Leonard said.

“Well, I’d appreciate it if you could try out my idea, as you can see, I shan’t be getting up to much physically from now on, so I need to help my illusions going in some way or other.”

 

Leonard took advantage of Denny’s idea, and changed some of the colours and ornamentation in his salon. His usual ladies stared in surprise when they saw the new style salon for the first time, and they all said, “It’s all so lovely and relaxing now, Leonard.”

Denny smiled when he heard the news from Leonard. He knew he was back inside the world of illusion.

 

When the new commercial centre was inaugurated, Brian stood on a podium, and after declaring it open to a large crowd standing around him, he spoke about himself, and wound up by saying:

 

“Life is like a piñata. We don’t know what it contains until we whack it.”