The Greatest Showman #1087 – Stunned

Cecilia sat frozen, her eyes glued to the screen as the thirty-second video came to an abrupt end. She had replayed it—once, twice, then again, and again—trying to make sense of what she had just witnessed. Slowly, she began to process what had happened. The video, so brief, left her stunned and speechless. On impulse, she clicked to watch it again.

By the fourth viewing, she finally absorbed the gravity of the scene. The video began with Renly, standing in a sunny backyard, wearing a white shirt and light blue jeans. He was casually dressed in a way that seemed so uncharacteristic for a celebrity of his stature. But what truly caught her off guard was the red bucket beside him, filled to the brim with ice.

The Ice Bucket Challenge had very simple rules: participants had to upload a video of themselves getting drenched in ice water. They could either nominate others to take part within 24 hours or donate $100 to ALS-related charities. The catch? Participants could do both if they wished. Afterward, they would challenge three others to take the plunge.

Without hesitation, Renly raised the red bucket high above his head and poured the ice water down over himself. The ice cubes tumbled out, crashing down onto his head, soaking him in an instant. His usual dignified persona seemed to vanish as he stood there, drenched and laughing, wiping the water off his face. A burst of laughter and excited shouts filled the background, adding to the surprising visual.

Cecilia could hardly believe her eyes. Renly, the image of a gentleman in every public appearance, was now drenched in ice water, laughing with carefree joy. It was an image so opposite from the composed persona she had grown accustomed to. Yet there he stood, unbothered by his soaked appearance, smiling and brushing his wet hair back as if nothing were out of place.

After taking the challenge head-on, Renly nominated three others: Paul Walker, Ryan Gosling, and Jake Gyllenhaal. His last words, full of genuine excitement, were cut short by the brief thirty-second mark of the video.

It was a powerful mix of fun and philanthropy, all wrapped up in one lighthearted moment. The video may have been short, but it held so much emotion, and yet it only reached a mere fraction of the audience it could have. Cecilia was struck by how real Renly was in that moment.

It was well known that Renly didn't have any social media accounts—not official ones, at least. Fans had long speculated, even launched online investigations, but the truth was indisputable. Despite the millions of people around the world scouring the internet, Renly had remained elusive. His public appearances were mostly limited to press events, interviews, and rare glimpses shared by friends.

Now, Cecilia had stumbled upon his social media presence. His account, "Sisyphus," made perfect sense when she recalled an interview where Renly had described his view of himself as the Greek mythological figure. Sisyphus was condemned to roll a boulder up a hill, only for it to roll back down each time—a seemingly endless, futile task. Yet Renly had related to this character, finding meaning in the pursuit despite its apparent futility.

Cecilia clicked on Renly's "Sisyphus" profile and found only two tweets. One was the video of the Ice Bucket Challenge. The other was a text post explaining the rules of the challenge, along with the three names Renly had nominated.

The irony wasn't lost on her. Here was the Renly Hall—one of the biggest names in entertainment—barely making a ripple on social media. He had uploaded the video just 45 minutes ago, and it had barely been seen by anyone. His account had only six followers.

Cecilia quickly followed the account, eager to connect. She was aware that Renly's social media presence was likely to remain this quiet, far from the limelight, perhaps even intentionally so. But she couldn't resist the urge to show her support. Renly's modesty was refreshing—here was a man who didn't need to be constantly in the public eye to make an impact.

The thought crossed her mind that if not for the ALS awareness campaign, Renly might never have even bothered with social media at all. His presence on these platforms seemed almost accidental, a quiet rebellion against the noise of the online world.

After following the account, Cecilia was careful not to rush to retweet or spread the video right away. Instead, she picked up her colored pencils, inspired by Renly's spontaneity. The idea flowed out of her, and soon, she had a new drawing sketched out. It wasn't long before she had finished and uploaded the artwork, sharing it on Twitter and the photo wall.

She then made her way to the Yahoo community and Facebook groups where Renly's fans gathered. With a smile on her face, Cecilia posted articles to spread the word about Renly's Ice Bucket Challenge. She was contributing in her own small way to the cause.

With everything done, she took a deep breath and reached for her coffee cup. But as she lifted it, she realized it was empty. Despite that, her smile only grew. The day had been a good one, filled with small moments of joy, and Cecilia couldn't help but feel content. She loved afternoons like this.