At the entrance, the glamour was so grand. She had never seen such an enticing thing before, and standing in front of it was a breath taking experience. The promise of infinity, of all one could ever want, all here in this place. The orgastic premise of doing it all, of seeing it all, of changing ones destiny. Everything everyone was talking about was right here in front of her.
“What is your name?”
“Charlotte.”
“How great, welcome Charlotte. Nice to meet you. Welcome, to Spectacle Park. My name is Alex and I will guide and help you with any requests you might have around here.”
It was still early, the park was just awaking, if you could call it that in a place that never closes and never sleeps. But at least for Charlotte it was early and she had the whole day to explore. To use the most talked about rides and in general have a jolly time. And best of all, no fee of admission. It is completely free.
“Charlotte, if you like certain things in particular, I can make a list of other attractions that might interest you. You will find what you most desire. Due to the time of day you are only allowed to access certain areas of the park.”
She was petrified for a brief moment, letting the first impressions wash over her. Main Street was already very busy, people streaming every which way, but of course the most famous attractions having the longest lines could be seen across the whole park. Shining mountains of fame in the far distances, almost out of reach for most. At least physical exhaustion was of no concern here.
“Lets start with something funny, something that makes me laugh.”
Hit by the full force of available option she lined up at the first attraction and kept going, one after another. These short harmless rides encouraged her to keep going. Over the following hours Charlotte gave it all. Having the time of her life and not spending a single cent, this was quality entertainment. But it should not just be all about fun. With the progression of the day Charlotte also progressed and became more sophisticated and mature. She wanted to take something away from her day here. To learn something and go home a better person, even if only a tiny bit. Anything can be found, any skill can be learned, any topic can be dived into infinite detail. There were courses on how to make the perfect bread, to fix an old-timey car, to fix a modern car, how to meditate and let go, to build a space ship, to grow potatoes, to learn to draw, to eat with dignity, to help other people, to bet for money. An infinite barrage of choice assaulted her senses and at first she had difficulty choosing.
Charlotte started with what she knew or rather wanted to know, how can I make my dreams of running a small store with a few employees a reality? There were plenty of courses and lesson on this topic. How to make a store more efficient, how to efficiently manage employees, a list of mistakes to avoid when starting out. All of it was very intriguing and all very promising. It felt almost too easy to do these things.
“You know Charlotte, all these courses and attractions here in our park have been created by people like you, all this great knowledge and advice comes from someone like you. I highly recommend you do the same, contribute your knowledge.”
“I’ll think about it Alex, maybe later. I don’t know anything yet.”
Shortly before noon she had to take a break. The mental exhaustion was just too much and a short pause would be a welcome opportunity to recharge her batteries. She knew plenty of restaurants and meals after they had been mentioned plenty of times during her binge riding in the morning. Again choice became a problem, but Charlotte knew what she liked. While sitting down and taking a deep breath with her eyes closed, her always present guide appeared. Alex was in a cheery mood.
“Looks like you are exhausted,” he proclaimed joyfully. “But don’t worry, sensory overload is something all first time visitors experience, it drains you, makes you feel so very tired but if you tried it, you could not sleep. I have just the things for you, we have single sense attractions that talk gently to you about topics that will relax you and fill you right up with all this precious energy.”
“What would you recommend,” Charlotte inquired.
“Let’s get you started with our calm voice experience, two of our most beloved entertainers just sit and talk about the simple things in life and how to appreciated them more. Their deep soothing voices never fail to draw you in, and the profound topics will bring you back to the basics in life.”
Charlotte jerked her eyes open having had the experience of falling. She had fallen asleep and now was confused to where she was. Confused. Spectacle Park she remembered. The warm sun and the soft grass underneath her had just been too much in combination with the reassuring voices she had fallen asleep almost as soon as she hit the grass. There was no way around closing her eyes for just a few seconds. Looking about, Charlotte noticed all the other people around her, also sleeping in the grass, with a smile on their faces and probably some deep, molasses thick voice in their heads drawing them into a deep rest.
“If you liked this experience, I also can provide the most beautiful texts ever written, or the most outrages and enraging ones, I can also provide you with experts on the matter that have a condensed and mature opinion on these things, which in turn makes you feel safer some time, or I can offer you unqualified rookies talking about deep societal issues with a sense of carelessness. Very popular at the moment,” Alex declared.
“Thanks, but I really want to keep learning.”
“Not a problem, here, let’s just pick up from where you left off last time.”
Charlotte jumped up. It was already past noon. The afternoon had begun and she could see the end of the day stretch in front of her in a small and unimportant line that was approaching rapidly. She had to see more, experience more and ride all the attractions she could. This was all the time she had left. She did not plan on coming back ever. But there was still so much. What to focus on? What to ignore? Everything seemed so interesting, maybe a completely random thing could give her the idea to turn her life around, to escape from the shackles of her reality, to become more fully formed or more enlightened.
“Alex,” she demanded.
“Yes, Charlotte?” he answered in a calm tone.
“All these attractions have been designed by people like me you said?”
“Yes Charlotte, just like you. You want to give it a try?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think I have anything of value to contribute.”
“Don’t say that, every person has something interesting. All these beautiful experiences would have never come to life had people like you not decided to make them, to share their points of view with all of us, this here would be a piece of deserted dirt and not this universe of infinite opportunities.”
“I suppose you are right, but. But there is everything about everything. Even the thing I know best in my life, people here seem to know so much more. I have learned from their experiences and taken some joy in seeing into how they think. But what I am saying is that: Why would anyone listen to me, when there are already expert designers out there that have a lot of fans that trust them with these experiences?”
“Oh Charlotte, this self-doubt is normal. Everyone has it, but you have to start somewhere. When designing your own attraction and you keep it always fresh, people will come, and the quality and hard work will show riders that you care, that you are the real thing you portray it to be, that you guard the vulnerabilities and fears of your visitors as your own. Persistence and perseverance are what will make you a success in the long run. If you want I can guide you to some lessons that teach you how to be more persistence and increase your perseverance with a few simple hacks?”
“I don’t even know what I want to do,” Charlotte surrendered sadly.
“Well, do anything you like, you can be anything you want,” Alex exclaimed enthusiastically.
“I want to do something that has meaning, not just entertain people but when they come off my ride or finish my course they take something away from it. Something that motivates them every day to get up and do something in the same way it should motivate me to do it in the first place.”
“If you are undecided Charlotte, I can recommend you some excellent advisors here in the park that can help you find your true calling, they have done many things and can tell you right away what it is that will give your life’s meaning.”
“All right, where can I find them,” Charlotte enquired.
“Here!”
She bursted out of the heavy draped tent and thick white smoke followed here to the outside. She had to take a deep breath and looked into the clear sunny afternoon sky.
“Too much Guru.”
“I thought you would like it, but okay. Maybe this one,” Alex suggested.
A nice modern mansion with floor to ceiling windows and a rich wooden interior. The vibes coming from this place seemed more to her liking.
“This was more like it Alex,” she proclaimed enthusiastically, “he really spoke truth to me, how it really works. How we are all just cogs in a big machine. That this all is just a way to keep your park running, you benefit the most from me when I contribute to the park, this is what makes this whole thing work in the first place.”
Alex grinned at her and clasped his hands.
“Perfect, if you think this is what you want to contribute, there are many people like it and some of them are very successful. Give it a try.”
Charlotte hesitated and avoided Alex’s gaze. She rather preferred looking around the park, searching for something more interesting. Maybe she wanted to go into a completely different direction or even just be a visitor to the attractions. Contributing nothing.
“To be honest, I don’t know if this is what I want to contribute. Maybe we keep looking?”
“Or, I could show you how you can make your own attraction first. This is the same for all and knowing it gives you the technical skill to do so. Then all we need is to find your passion and off you go. I can show you some of our most popular courses on these topics.”
Charlotte had slumped onto a bank and was looking into the sky, admiring the beautiful fading sun. Night was just around the corner and proclaimed his temporary reign with cold gusts of wind.
“Beautiful, isn’t it? When Spectacle Park was build this was the first attraction, representing the infinite possibilities in here with an overhead canvas of boundless beauty,” Alex mused philosophically.
Charlotte looked up at Alex sadly, who was standing next to her. She was very tired and felt like she could sleep a thousand years.
“I am afraid I have to go. The day is over and I am so very much tired.”
“But Charlotte, it would be a shame to go now, we were so close to turning you into a contributor who’s attraction is admired by millions of people.”
“I have to go and sleep, I am tired,” she whispered.
“This is not a problem, we have hotels here. We have even apartments here, many of our most beloved stars live right here in the happiest place on earth.”
All Charlotte could muster was a slow and tired smile that was not directed to anyone in particular.
“Thank you so much for guiding me Alex. I had a blast. I just realise that I should have focused on one kind of attraction from the beginning. All this switching and changing between different courses and rides wasted a lot of time, all this walking we had to do.”
“There is no need to go, we are always open, just stay a little longer. Just a little bit more. At night there is a whole new side to Spectacle Park. Some colourful and dreamy fireworks while you can see the stars, presenting new attractions. It will be magical and let you forget your troubles back home.”
“Thank you Alex, I am good from here on out. I can find the exit myself.”
Charlotte got up very slowly, this day had aged here and she was now an old woman that was barely able to walk. Gone had the agility and lightness she had possessed in the morning. She stumbled and made her way through the fast moving crowds that did not seem to notice or care about her at all. Alex remained and looked after her with a gloomy face.
All she wanted to do was to get out, to sleep a deep and never ending sleep that would refresh her and bring back the energy and enthusiasm she felt as a young girl before entering the park.
But where was the exit?