The Fountain of Youth

"I found it! I found it!" exclaimed an excited old man as he burst through the door of a local newstation. His thinning white hair was disheveled and his piercing blue eyes were lit by an unrecognizable flame.1

The secretary behind the desk lofted a dark brow, tossing her head to clear her vision of hair as she smacked loudly on a piece of red gum. She wasn't young. Middle-aged, perhaps. "Found what?" she inquired.2

A grin spread across the man's papery lips. When he answered, his voice held no little amount of awe. "The Fountain of Youth," he breathed, exhilarated.3

"Ha! And I'm an actress in disguise!" snorted the woman behind the desk. She was becoming quickly annoyed. Her green eyes slid about the room, as if searcing for someone or something. This man was crazy; that was the only explanation. "Please take your leave."4

"No! I have to share this with the world. It's a great and wonderful find. Everyone's been searching for it and I, a mere old man with nothing to call his own, have found it! I must have this broadcasted." His hand came down on the woman's desk. Not angrily, but excitedly.5

"Sir, please remove yourself from this building or security will be called." Her smacking on her gum had halted sometime before and she had straightened herself in her chair. One hand was sliding ever so slowly towards the white button on an intercom face to further her intent.6

"You think I'm an old nut! I know your kind; but I'm serious. Please!" Vexation flickered through his eyes as his lips lowered to a frown. It was too late; she had already depressed the button.7

"Security, we got an old man causing a bit of trouble up here," buzzed her voice. Only one had come, a young man of no more than five and twenty years. 8

"I really--" the old man had begun again, his words shortened as the security guard gently took his arm.9

"Sir, I'm going to have to escort you out of this building," he stated simply before leading the somewhat reluctant old man out of the newstation. Standing outside, the old man turned to look straight at the guard as he released him. "Please, don't come back," the boy said, something akin to annoyance also flickering through his eyes.10

"Fine, but will you listen to my discovery first?" the old man inquired, trying his best to keep exasperation from his voice.11

It couldn't hurt, the security guard decided as he eyed the old man. At least it'd make the guy's day. "Just hurry up, I need to get back inside."12

Once again, a grin flickered into life on the old man's lip and, lifting a thin, bony finger, he tapped it lightly against the security guard's chest, just over his heart. "The Fountain of Youth is there, boy. Don't you ever forget that."13