Light of the Soul

Author: Zhao Mei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-09-01
Features: A white gravestone engraved with an angel and the Virgin Mary, bearing the surname PRESCEY, which belonged to the Elvis family. The book about Elvis said that Elvis finally could rest beside his mother again. He was dead. He was laid to rest beside his mother. They were originally buried in a cemetery. At that time, many people did not believe Elvis was truly dead; they thought Elvis had faked his own death. So they wanted to exhume the grave to see if Elvis was really lying in eternal rest. As a result, Elvis's father decided to set aside a piece of land by the swimming pool and moved Elvis and his mother back home. Later, Elvis's father was also buried there. Black marble monuments engraved with the lives, experiences, and pursuits of the Elvis family, as well as their eternal love. The cemetery was filled with flowers. But people still refused to believe Elvis had truly passed away. Dozens of televisions were playing scenes of Elvis's youthful and handsome life, firmly etching his youth in people's memories. No one thought that if Elvis, born in 1935, had not died, he would be 60 years old today. Would a 60-year-old man still have so many fans? Thus, Elvis passed away hastily; he had long understood the bleak prospects of being forgotten by the world. In the Elvis family's burial ground, a small gravestone caught people's attention. The owner was a boy who died at birth. He was Elvis's older brother. They were twins. Their mother knew from the time of her pregnancy that she was carrying two lives. Even while they were still in her womb, she loved them very, very much, gave each of them names, and waited for them. She wanted to give them all the love of a mother. She was prepared, but she never expected that Elvis's younger brother stopped breathing the moment he entered the world. Elvis survived, living two lives, two intelligences, talents, and beauty. As a result, the mother gave all the love she had prepared for her two children to Elvis. She had only Elvis as her child. She loved him so much that she couldn't bear to have him out of her sight. And Elvis also repaid his love for his mother, along with the love he had for his younger brother in the grave. Then came Elvis's car museum and Elvis's airport. You only understand what true wealth is when you step inside here. Gradually, Elvis was overwhelmed by wealth. He bought Cadillac after Cadillac and gave them to his mother, wife, his little daughter, and his manager. Elvis was born into a religious family, and his mother was a devout Christian. She told Elvis from a young age to share what you have with your brothers and sisters. Thus, Elvis developed the habit of giving away his toys to others from a young age. He never hesitated. He always maintained this habit. When he grew up, he gave away Cadillacs as if they were the dolls he slept with. He loved giving away his things, liked throwing his finely crafted, jewel-encrusted stage costumes to his frenzied fans after performances, and liked giving his necklaces and rings to his friends. He never spared a penny. Therefore, those who had received gifts from Elvis were also willing to donate them to Graceland, so that more people could experience the love Elvis gave to others. Elvis's songs turned into a continuous flow of money. Thus, he used his money to buy Graceland. He bought his luxurious and extravagant lifestyle. His Boeing 737 might be the most expensive item he ever purchased. At that time, he had already found the plane he used for performances too small and uncomfortable. So he told his friend, "I'm going to buy a big plane." His friend then went around searching for one. Soon, the friend called Elvis from a place far from Memphis. He said, "I found one. Come take a look." Elvis asked over the phone, "What do you think?" The friend said, "It's perfect for you. Why not buy it?" Elvis replied without blinking, "I didn't even look at it, but I spent millions and spent money recklessly to buy that Boeing. Then I spent even more money to customize it." The plane had a studio, a bar, luxurious bedrooms, and all the knobs in the bathroom were made of 24K gold. All the sofas and chairs were genuine leather. At this point, Elvis had become all-powerful. He hired the best and most experienced pilots in the United States and named the plane after his daughter, Lisa. The TV beside the plane was playing a scene of Elvis's last ride on this plane. It was a night when he was about to climb the stairs. He was going to sing. His body had become fat, his youth was gone, and the muscles on his face were fallingly. But he said he refused to give up; he wanted to remain the King of Song. He didn't want to admit that he was truly old and outdated, so he dragged his exhaustion and fought to sing, using the remaining passion and blood in him. Almost all Americans knew about Elvis's spectacular and highly successful performance in Hawaii. Elvis, wearing a beautiful wreath, bid farewell to thousands of his fans. The movie theater showed a film documenting this moving scene. People's obsession brought Elvis, who had once been down on his luck, back to realize his position and value in people's hearts: he could never stay at the peak of the music industry forever, but he would never lose respect. After enduring life's failures and pains, Elvis became more mature, and his songs became deeper and more profound through his hardships. At the end of the film, Elvis was singing his song, "Love Me Tender," a song that was both true and sorrowful. Elvis sang the song with tears streaming down his face. The lyrics said, "Don't cry, my dear, don't cry, your father will die someday, he has done all that he was supposed to do." When the film ended here, both I and Elvis cried. I don't know if Elvis had a premonition of death at that moment; he was extremely sorrowful. He missed his wife and daughter, who had left him. He felt extremely lonely. He felt life was unfair to him. He left Graceland in a melancholic mood, feeling that he finally understood why so many people still cherished Elvis. It is said that many of Elvis's fans were women. They would go to great lengths, spending money recklessly, flying across the country to follow Elvis. They would attend his concerts again and again. They believed Elvis was the most handsome and sensual man in the world, their idol, and the lover of their dreams. They would go crazy for him, suffer for him, even throw their bras and shorts onto the stage during his performances. They would shout from the audience, hoping Elvis could hear their heartfelt calls. Elvis was such a whirlwind. Under this whirlwind, visitors to Graceland would go crazy buying memorabilia of Elvis. Everywhere were images of Elvis and his charming smile, making you feel as if you were still in his world. T-shirts, cups, porcelain plates, gift bags, and postcards—you saw him everywhere. Thus, no matter how expensive the gifts were, people would not hesitate to buy them because they wanted to get closer to the departed King of Song. Because the King of Song had become a hero in their hearts. I and Elvis also lingered in such a gift shop. I bought a small book about Elvis for my daughter. The book was hardcover and cost $5.50 after tax. The cover featured Elvis's portrait and his typical disdainful expression. When I bought the book, only two copies were left, one of which was torn, so I quickly grabbed the other. I thought that among all the gifts, perhaps only this small book was important to me, as it was the only way to tell my daughter about Elvis's story. And I believed that in a few years, my daughter would be able to read all the English in the book. I also specifically chose a postcard of the Elvis family's gate at Graceland and mailed it to my daughter at the Graceland post office. Many visitors did the same. In the postcard I wrote to my daughter: "Dear Ruo, look, this is Elvis's house. It has a piano as its gate. I bought a small book about Elvis here. It will tell you a touching story. All day long, my mind was filled with Elvis, with his last song, 'Love Me Tender.'" I thought the Elvis special had already ended, but in the evening, after having dinner at that famous restaurant in Memphis where people went to listen to music, I and Elvis sat there waiting for the blues performance to start at nine o'clock. There were still over two hours before the show. The restaurant was dimly lit, and at least two hundred guitars decorated the ceiling and walls, telling you that this was the charm of the South. Elvis said, "Let's take out that book and read about Elvis's story." I said, "Alright, maybe he used to sing here too." So, under the dim lights, Elvis read the book to me in a gentle voice. Outside the window was the night, and the room was a bit cold. Elvis had a poor childhood. When he was two years old, his father had to leave for a faraway place to work to support the family. So Elvis grew up with his mother, which is why he was so attached to his mother throughout his life and shared such a deep love with her. At the age of 11, Elvis began winning singing competitions at school. At that time, he was a very shy boy. Because of his family's poverty, Elvis started working after graduating from high school, with a job as a truck driver. Elvis always worked hard. One day, he went to Memphis's Sun Studio to record two songs for himself and gave the tapes as Christmas gifts to his beloved mother. At that time, as long as you paid, people could record their own songs freely. And Elvis's unique singing style was discovered by the owner of Sun Studio. From then on, he was constantly invited to record albums. Gradually, Elvis realized that he could actually make a living by singing. Later, a bigger record company, Colonel Parker, recognized his talent and paid a fortune to buy Elvis, the future King of Song, from Sun Studio. From then on, Parker became Elvis's manager and stayed with him for life. Under Parker's guidance, Elvis began to rise to fame and gradually became a sensation across the United States. His songs were considered sexy and seductive; his wild dance movements were seen as provocative and uncivilized. As a result, despite having thousands of fans, Elvis was not accepted by the mainstream entertainment industry and even faced social criticism. Many music critics wrote articles criticizing Elvis's songs, even smashing his records publicly and forbidding him from performing on television. Even after Elvis was allowed to sing on television, the camera was only allowed to focus on his upper body. Elvis was very hurt by this. He said he didn't understand why everything he did was considered wrong and why he had to take responsibility for all the bad things. Elvis asked how his actions could influence children to do bad things? No, because his parents never taught him those things. Elvis gradually gained acceptance from society. He held concerts constantly, filmed movies in Hollywood, and his fame continued to grow. At this time, according to national requirements, Elvis had to serve in the military. There were many ways for Elvis to avoid the draft, but Elvis chose to join the army. As a citizen, Elvis said, "I am willing to serve my country." He put on a military uniform and cut his hair, which many young Americans imitated. He went to Germany with his unit.