Writing for Fun
February 2019
Mr Fix It - Bob Wendelkin
All his life Tony had problems, he was a late walker, late even potty trained. At school he was always the youngest in his class being born the wrong side of the school year. While he had just turned 5 many children were just about 6 years old. At this age a year is quite a percentage of a child’s development. Often he was the butt of the rest of the children for the things he said and did. Although he had some problems he was also given gifts, somehow if something was wrong he could see a way to fix it, be it Electrical, Mechanical or Personal he could see the way.
The years passed and gradually his early lack of years development faded into the past but it had left him with care and consideration of how young children may feel. As he reached the age of about 13 and puberty he felt his powers being to change. He found that not only could he see and solve problem but when he looked at a person he thought that he had knowledge of what they were thinking. As he grew a little older the noise of people thinking grew louder and more confusing, gradually he found that he could filter out the other voices and just hear the voice of the person he was looking at. When he at first started to hear all these other voices his parents thought that he was beginning to suffer from Schizophrenia because he could hear all these voices. It was only when he began to tell people what they were thinking that it became clear that the voices he heard were actually peoples thoughts and not some piece of a mental condition.
At school when the teacher would set the exams Tony used to ask questions of the teacher about the questions they had set in the exams. This ability to read the teachers’ minds enabled him to become top of his class and then top of the school. Eventually he took his exams that would gain him entry into the finest University in the land. It was here that he chose to study Politics not because he had any real interest in Politics it was because of his ability to read peoples minds that he found it amusing to compare what they were saying to what they really believed. He completed his studies and left University with the highest award they could give. He was now faced with how should he progress his life. His first concern was that he should ensure his future was on a sound financial footing, so he decided that he would deal in shares. He managed to get a foot in the door of a share Trading Company, once more using his ability to read peoples mind and from this information he was able to buy and sell shares at the most profitable time. Very soon he was the company’s top trader so much so he was offered a partnership in the company, which he refused as he was only there to fill his own bank account to give him the independence he sort.
His next step was to apply to the BBC to become an interviewer on one of the many talk shows. Finally he was offered an Interviewers job on a political show that happen on a Sunday Morning. As he could read the minds of the Politicians he was to interview he was able to ask questions of them and when they were lying he was able to go into their mind and extract their real thoughts. He gained such a reputation as an Interviewer that eventually Politicians who were invited to attend on the programme refused to come if they were to be interviewed by Tony. In the end the Producers of the shows refused to employ him and so the end of his career as a BBC interviewer came to an end.
He thought where should he go next, with his skills as an interviewer and his knowledge of how the media operated he thought it was time to go on the other side and become a politician, so he looked at the party that would be in power at the next election. He was able to use his ability to persuade the selectors to choose him as their candidate. He was elected and he went into Parliament. Although he was considered a very junior member of the party, once more his ability to read peoples thoughts enabled him to rapidly to progress though the party ranks and was quite soon sitting on the Front Bench close to the PM. Often when the Leader of the Opposition stood up to question the PM Tony would whisper in the PM’s ear and tell them what they were thinking, so that when the PM answered they could cause the Opposition Leader to become quite embarrassed.
The problem that Tony now started to have was although he could read people’s minds he didn’t necessarily find out the truth, only peoples thoughts about what is the truth. This confusion really hit him when on one occasion as a part of his political duties he had to attend a Religious Conference. At this conference there were leaders of most of the World’s faiths. Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews and many of the minor religions. When Tony entered the room where they were assembled Tony quickly became confused with all their various ideas about the divine. If this is what religions are about Tony for a laugh thought he would start his own.
The PM asked Tony if he would come with them to an International Conference on some matter. Tony could mind read that the PM was nervous about this conference as one of the world leaders would be there who the PM couldn’t really understand. Around the table the leaders sat, directly behind them sat their advisors. Tony was close to the PM but in the second row. In his hand he had a note pad so that he could write notes for the PM.
What Tony didn’t seem to realise that his ability to read minds was making him enemies. When he sometimes came into the room he could hear the thoughts of the people and how some were very hateful and wished to harm him in some way. Tony began to feel that it was time to get out of Politics as some of their thoughts were quite dangerous for him if they carried them out. He told the PM that he was going to quit but the PM persuaded him to support them at another upcoming International Conference in New York. As Tony had never been to this city he agreed but told the PM that it would be his last.
Once again he sat behind the PM giving them advice on what the other Leaders were thinking. As the PM knew what to say and what the others wanted the PM was able to control the conference and was seen to be a great success. The Conference over, Tony decided to go for walk but as he passed some members of one of the countries. He heard how much hostility he had produced in their minds towards him personally. Tony just shrugged his shoulders and smiled at them.
He walked into the street he thought to himself the ability to read other people’s minds is an ability that is two edged. Nothing is secret, nothing is a mystery, nothing is a pleasant surprise, nothing is unknown so nothing gives happiness. With these thoughts going on in his mind he didn’t see the car that was rushing towards him only at the last moment did he see it but was unable to avoid being thrown high into the air as the car sped off leaving Tony on the road. As his life began to ebb away he was able to read the mind of the Driver of the car. The driver, Mr Fix It, thought he had done his job and that he should be able to collect the rest of his money for dealing with Tony.