The Dreamseller_ The Calling - Augusto Cury [85]
He couldn’t go anywhere without being photographed. The dreamseller didn’t appreciate being a celebrity and he was considering moving to another city or country. He thought of selling dreams in the Middle East, Asia, anyplace where people would see him as a mere mortal.
It was no longer possible to hold discussions in small venues. He was a magnet for crowds. Often hundreds would gather spontaneously to hear him speak. He would have to raise his voice, and even so, those farthest away in the crowd couldn’t make out his words. His teaching was passed by word of mouth. He didn’t like holding discussions in closed amphitheaters or using multimedia, preferring to speak outdoors. He liked that anyone who didn’t agree with his ideas could freely and easily leave.
Companies wanted to sponsor him just to associate their image with his. They wanted their marketing to show they, too, were bold, innovative, unpredictable. The very idea of it sent shivers down the dreamseller’s spine. After his refusing countless gifts and offers of money for the use of his image, something unusual happened. Several well-dressed representatives of the powerful Megasoft Group approached us individually, without the dreamseller present, to make what they thought was a lucrative offer.
They first contacted Solomon and Dimas and me. They started out praising the dreamseller’s social work effusively. Society had become more unified, kinder and more human since he had come onto the scene, they told us.
“We know that humility guides his life, that he hates fame, but we want to surprise him with an homage to all that he’s done for society,” they said. “This tribute won’t be about giving him any kind of prize or money—we know he would never accept material goods. But we’d like to show our appreciation by offering to let him use the city’s largest covered stadium, which our group owns, so he could address more than fifty thousand people all at once. His sermon would be televised, and later rebroadcast as a special prime-time event, to the entire country. Millions would get to hear his message.”
We were excited but suspicious about the offer. Still, the leaders of the business group seemed to have the purest of intentions. To seduce us further, they told us:
“Please don’t deny us or society this privilege. Everyone wants and needs to hear the dreamseller’s wisdom. His words could help save countless anguished people thinking of suicide, using drugs, wracked by their own demons. We insist on honoring him and giving the people of this country this gift. The only thing we ask is that it be a surprise.”
The entire group decided we should talk over this delicate matter. After reflecting on the proposal and analyzing the benefit to society, we felt it could be a good thing. After all, millions could be reached. Honeymouth and Barnabas were quite excited about that. Jurema was the only one who wasn’t sold on the idea, she of all people, who still owned Megasoft shares. But she finally gave in.
We had to set up a secret plan to get the dreamseller to the stadium at the appointed date and time. That day, as we walked closer to the stadium, we could see traffic snarled in all directions and hundreds of people pouring through the main gates. When we came to a private entrance to the stadium, the dreamseller found it all strange and asked, “Why do we have to come to this place?” And he seemed nervous.
Since we couldn’t say anything about the tribute, we asked him to trust us and go along with our request. We told him we were going to a show, but when he continued asking questions, we backed him into a corner.
“Throughout