Mike went through the motions of his day, unable to get his son's girlfriend out of his mind. She was far too young for him, but he envied his son nonetheless.
Putting any thoughts of lust out of his mind, he left the store and walked through the mall. Passing the music store, he heard an uncannily familiar guitar riff.
Walking in, he saw a teenager about Tyler's age trying out an Ibanez guitar.
An employee, a young college-aged girl, watched him like a hawk. When the kid was done, she took the guitar from him. "How many times you going to 'try it out' before you buy it, Jason?"
The kid sighed. "Hey, I'm almost there, just need another 200 bucks."
"Hope you don't mind my saying so, but you're pretty good, Jason was it?" Jason offered his hand.
The kid took it and they shook. "Hey thanks. No offense, not many guys your age seem into the music, yanno?"
Mike laughed. "I bet. But I played myself, once. That piece you just did, it sounded familiar, actually."
"Oh yeah, don't remember the exact song, but it's Grey Skies. Their guitarist rocked, too bad he dropped out."
On a whim, Mike took two one hundred dollar bills out of his wallet. "I think you and that guitar should get acquainted as soon as possible, you got talent."
"No way...dude, I can't take this..."
Mike grinned. "Go ahead, before I change my mind. If you want to pay me back, get me some tickets once you get a gig."
"Sure thing man, gimme your name and number."
So he did, and the kid's eyes widened. "Wait...you mean you're THAT Mike Carson?! Dude!!"
"Small world, huh? Good luck, Jason."
Leaving the store a few hundred poorer, Mike nonetheless felt pretty good about himself. As he walked along, he noticed a store he'd never seen before, wedged in between an Orange Julius and a novelty shop. The sign said...
(Who didn't see this coming?)
SPELLS 'R US
A magic shop? Well having just followed one whim, he decided to follow another, and walked in.
An older man wearing what looked like a bathrobe stood behind the counter. "Well well, if it isn't Mike Carson! Good to see you."
Mike blinked. He wasn't used to being recognized. "Do I know you?"
"Nope, first time we met. That was a pretty nice thing you did, buying that kid the Ibanez."
"Well he had most of the money and...wait a minute, how do you...?"
"Wizard!" the old man replied, doing a passable imitation of one Captain Jack Sparrow.
"Uh..right...well...maybe I should be going."
"One sec, can't let you go til I show you this."
The old man led him back into the store, where a candy apple red Gibson Les Paul Classic stood on display.
Mike couldn't help but whistle. "Now that's a sweet guitar...what's it doing in a magic store?"
The old guy grinned. "Magic guitar, of course."
Mike raised an eyebrow. "Magic? Come on.."
"Music and magic are closely related. The right song, played at the right time, can make all kinds of things happen. Make someone laugh when they're sad, cry when they're happy, start a revolution or end one. Music can change the world...and so can this baby, if played the right way."
Without thinking, Mike picked up the guitar. It felt right in his hands, it seemed to hum even though it wasn't plugged in.
"The right way?"
"Lots of people can play, but few can play from the heart. You gotta tell it what you want, by playing what you feel."
"Why don't you use it then?"
"Wish I could...I'm a damn good magician, but I can't carry a note in a bucket. But you did a good thing today...'cuz of you, that kid is going places. So I think I'll let you have this baby, I know you can use it."
"You're just giving it to me? Wait a second, why not give it to that kid then, it's worth more..."
The old man shook his head. "Thought about it, but he's not ready. Not yet. Oh yeah, one last thing. You can change anything, but once you change something, you can't change it back to the way it was. That's just how music is, you know?"