Spark of Brilliance (Fiction)

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Once there was a conductor and musician whose brilliance was known far and wide. His fame was so great that he had practically become a household name.

…But then one day, without warning or explanation, he suddenly vanished from the public eyes and after seven years of inactivity, was close to being forgotten.

Very few knew what had happened to him – why he stopped appearing in public – and why he stopped making music. And those who do know refused to say anything.

And just like that, the once brilliant musician was buried in obscurity, fated to appear only in conversations of those who still remembered his name.

…Or at least, that was what supposed to happen until one day; he once again appeared in public to conduct an orchestra at the largest concert hall in the country.

Shock, excitement, doubt, confusion… various emotions rises from the people’s hearts.

His biggest supporters were all shocked and excited while his critics and the rest of the public had their doubts, and/or were confused.

Suddenly, his name rung loud and clear again, and the media could not get enough of him – running stories of his rise to fame, his sudden disappearance and re-appearance, and the (possible) reasons behind it.

Mysteries abound and speculations run wild concerning his sudden disappearance from the public eyes. And yet despite the interest, the curiosity, the man in question remained tight lipped – not leaking a single clue as to the real reason.

As such, those who have questions can only wait patiently for the day of the concert.

Besides waiting so that they could see him again and infer from his appearance clues of his disappearance and reappearance; there were also those that wanted to know if he still possessed the genius he was known for.

Due to the mysteries surrounding the musician and the aforementioned reasons, the popularity of his concert exploded. Tickets sold like pancakes and were soon sold out.

Those who were not able to buy the tickets were left with two options: leave in disappointment or buy the tickets from other people at twice, thrice, and sometimes even ten times the price the tickets were originally sold at.

The rarity of the concert tickets boosted the reputation of the concert and raises the excitement even further.

Everyone could not wait for the concert to arrive but knew that they could only wait with bated breaths.

Mercifully, after days of waiting, the fated day finally arrived.


“Mr. Connor, it’s time,” said a female staff to a thin but tall man sitting comfortably on reclining chair while seemingly in a deep thoughts.

The thin but tall man, Richard Connor, give a start before turning his head and nodding at the female staff. He tried to stand up but stopped half-way with a deep frown on his forehead as if in pain.

He looked sickly pale.

The female staff was startled and quickly helped Connor stand.
“Sir, are you sure you want to conduct the orchestra in your condition?” She asked worryingly.

Connor gave the female staff a reassuring staff and spoke, “I’m fine. It’s just vertigo.”

The female staff still looked worried but did not stopped Connor. Many had tried to change the man’s mind not just her but all failed – Connor was determined to go through this concert no matter what.

“Does my hair look okay?” Connor suddenly asked.
The female staff was a little startled by the sudden question but quickly answered, “Yes.”

“I’m okay now. Thank you for your help.”

Connor thanked the female staff and fixed his suit before going up the stage. When he walked out the curtain to greet his audience, the noise that suffuses the venue suddenly died down.

“That’s Richard Connor? What happened to him? He looked ill,” someone from the audience finally asked, breaking the silence.
Once the silence was broken, everyone in the audience seats started talking and whispering to the person nearest them.

They could not help but be shocked.

Richard Connor looked incredibly thin, almost skin and bone. His skin is very pale, sickly even, as if he hasn’t seen the sun for a very long time. If one was to bump into him at night, people would surely scream at the sight of him.

Those who’ve seen Connor before were the most shocked at his current appearance. None of them could link the handsome and dashing musician to the thin and sickly-looking man before them.

Also…

“Is he wearing a wig?” questioned a middle-aged woman from one of the VIP seats. “I clearly remembered he use to have head full of lush black hair.”

“Indeed, I remembered it too. Why does he look so different now? Could it be…”

A sudden realization appeared in the mind to those who have seen Connor before. This realization was so terrifying and heartbreaking that many of them could not help but let out a gasp and look at the once famous musician with pity.

Connor heard the murmurs and whispers of the people inside the venue but was unperturbed. He knew that some of the people already had some inkling to his condition but he did not care nor do he want to give an explanation.

He’s here to conduct an orchestra and that’s exactly what he planned to do.

Connor stood at the podium and looked at the ensemble of musicians on the stage. Seeing that they’re ready, he gave a nod of satisfaction and brandished his conductor’s baton. With his direction, music coming out of various instruments filled the concert hall.

Everyone inside the concert hall was at awe of Connor’s graceful movement and the music that seemed to seep into their very souls. Various emotions filled their hearts and some could not help but shed tears. This was especially true for those that come to understand the reason for the concert.

Richard Connor did not hold the concert to announce his return to the music world.

No, the concert was his requiem.

Indeed, Connor was dying. He has leukemia in its late stage, and only has month left to live. In the seven years he was missing in the music scene, Connor and his family was trying to find cure to his illness to no avail.

After years of looking for a cure to his illness with little to no result, Connor decided that there’s no point in wasting more time and money finding a cure that doesn’t exist. He would rather use his remaining days doing what he loves most – writing compositions.

In the following years, Connor was like a madman, writing compositions after compositions. Tens of compositions were written and destroyed by Connor, until finally, only six remained.

These six compositions were the best music sheets that Connor had ever written in his life. The last spark of brilliance from a gifted but dying musician – his magnum opuses.

Still, no matter how great those six compositions were, they’re nothing but sheets of paper with music symbols on them without a proper stage.

As such, despite the opposition from his loved ones, Connor decided to hold a concert despite fully knowing that the concert would exhaust him – shortening his already short lifespan even further.

The concert lasted only for two hours, probably even less. But for everyone involved those two hours were among the best time of their lives.

Although it exhausted Connor so much to the point that he almost fainted several times during the concert, he had no regrets. Even if he died right then and there, it would still be worth it.

For Connor, leaving a legacy to the world was more important than his life…


The very next day, news of the concerts’ success became widespread. Those who were able to get their hand on a ticket were gleeful while those who were not able to attend were feeling regretful.

The success of the concert drew the attention of the public. The media, not wanting to waste such an opportunity to go to waste were quick to seek Connor – wanting an exclusive interview from him. To their dismay though, all requests of an interview were rejected.

Left with no choice, they could only seek some of the more personalities that attended the concert for interviews. Using various clues provided by the people who attended the concert, various stories about him came to be – most sensational being of him being ill and the six music compositions that were performed during the concert.

Stories about him run for about a month but as one would expect, the public’s interest could only last for so long, especially since the person in question refuses to appear in public after the concert.

Two months quickly passed by, and Connor was again, almost forgotten. But as the world was about to forget him again, an explosive news that shocked everyone was released.

…Richard Connor, after years of battling for his life, had succumbed to his illness and passed away.


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