The Curious Case of Jack Kingson
June 4th, 5145
The next article was originally written in Vashsonneke and later translated to English by Itamar Tenn.
September 1st, 5142. Jack Alkensjo: summer project, subject: namesakes, presented to: Dr. River Song.
JACK KINGSON: MADE IT TO THE HISTORY BOOKS BY RISE OF A FAIRY TALE
The official shortened history of Jack Kingson, a.k.a. the Legend Born Child, a.k.a. the Mazurine's Child, a.k.a. Jack Kingson the Beloved.
Jack Kingson was an odd man; although very beloved, he was different from anyone who ever lived in the planet of Vashson [1].
He was born in Ioun Village [2] at the beginning of the last week of Idannesh dak Krishns [3] to Amnei and Rokran Willemsa who both died shortly after his birth after they both accidentally drank Gost [4].
On the day he was born, August 16th, 5032, two foreign men came and helped the villagers and by the end of the proceeding week the cause of the great despair was dealt with which brought great joy to the villagers, including to female nurse Yonli Admerl who by that time had adopted him. Due to the fact she had no partner to take care of him while she was at work; he spent a lot of time at the hospital [5], while in the summer [6] he stayed at the house of Vikter Boonej, a former doctor, till the day Boonej died.
He became a children's doctor, and a bizarre one at that; instead of giving the children toys to play with and papers to draw on like all other such doctors at the hospital he worked at did to distract them, he would give them bizarre fairy tales in books to read, even those who couldn't would be given books, although without any written words and full of illustrations. All the words he wrote himself, and all the illustrations he drew himself, and if ever a child wanted to take a book home, he gladly agreed because "there [were] far too many copies of each of [his] books in [his] house, anyway."
Perhaps the best evidence to his eccentricity lies in the fact that he left his home island. At the time of his leave, Nevphason [7], the continent he moved to was in need of outer doctors because the children were falling ill by a disease never encountered by the local doctors and because the village he formerly lived in had already encountered the disease and he knew how to make the medicine and taught the other doctors, the reason for his movement was popularly believed to be his often spoken of kindness. No one ever thought that after all the children who fell ill by the disease would be cured of it that he would still be there and not on his way home.
But when meeting him, the most striking evidence for his strangeness was in fact his name; although a native of the planet – and an orphaned one nonetheless – the origins of his name are rooted in the planet called Earth, specifically in the English language which most of the people on Vashson still lack skills in. Not one of the people born on Vashson or to a Vashsanek [8] mother or father had ever been called such a curious name, not even the Vashsanennekker [9] newborns who were orphaned before they were given a proper name. When investigating his name, the meaning of 'Jack' was found to be 'man', while the meaning of 'Kingson' was found to be 'son of king'. When combined, the meaning of his full name was 'man who is son of a king' which is in itself odd for the reasons that when his parents lived they were rather poor and the island he came from never had any kings.
When asked about his books, the reason for his leave or his name, many people reported that he told them to wait while he finished whatever business they had interrupted. Most of these people had been too impatient and left before he finished, and if they ever asked again he would refuse any answers. Some of these people had pressing matters to attend to and were given permission to ask again after they had sorted them out. The rest of these people, the noticeable most of them children, teens and senior citizens at the time they asked, had been patient. Those people reported that after he finished, he took them – the young children with their parents or legal guardian [10] – to Raesh Jasperson [11]. He then led them to the Foreign Tales [12] section. There, he would take the book titled "Dagnienk Margerrekker dak Tan-Jes"* [13] and give it to the people who asked him and tell them that the answer is the very last story which is traditionally the most recent.
The following passages are excerpts of the last story in the book mentioned above, "Rilk Meld Podennekker" [14], and might answer the questions mentioned above:
"…After seven days all the children who caught the illness were healthy again and brought back to their homes with bizarre tales slipping off of their tongues…"
"…When told of this misfortunate state the two travelers went to the hospital and began making the children better…"
"…He told her that they came to Vashson by mistake and were headed to Earth to look for a man named 'Jack' so he would help them find the wife and newborn child of the leaf eyed man and go to war against the people who took them away…"
"…A week had gone by after the two travelers left, and the villagers thought it would be best to name the forest King's Song Waters as a reminder of the miracles done the week before…"
Upon retiring at the age of 73 he donated all except one copy of each of his books to Raesh Jasperson. For the next 22 years he lived at Nevphason and volunteered to read to children with special needs and spent the summer in his home village, which the first 7 years of had been the last ones of his mother. He died at the age of 95 on November 8th, 5127 and was buried next to the woods of Rilk Meld Podennekker, near his home village. His tombstone reads (translated here to English):
"…JACK KINGSON
AUGUST 16TH, 5032
NOVEMBER 8TH, 5127
A SON, A DOCTOR, A BELOVED MAN…"
Among the things written in his will were his books, which he decided to donate to the hospital's Children's Wing [15].
His full and detailed biography was written in the book "Va Amiend Dorrev"* [16] by Loavi Alkensjo.
*The books mentioned above are the only sources. They are both available at Raesh Jasperson, its sister libraries [17] and every major network book stores [18].
[1] From vash=planet, and son=land, named by the first colonists of the planet who arrived on December 6th, 3742 after the demise of their home planet, Jinalson (jinal=home) on May 27th, 3739 and a 3 years long search for a planet with land or lands similar to the ones on Jinalson.
[2] Ioun from ionsler=our (yours and ours, or yours and mine), and the closest translation for tan-dierl (tan=place, dierl=nature).
[3] Idannesh=time, dak=of, from, krishns=despair, when combined: Time of Despair.
[4] A common antibiotic at the time, which looks smells and tastes like water. After the incident mentioned above the hospitals started painting liquid antibiotics in black with a special chemical called Arnteluv (from arenterk=painter, and luvienk=black) which besides painting liquids black has no other effect and is safe for drinking, although its taste is horrible.
[5] Mazurine.
[6] The closest translation for tivollesh (from tivollienk=hot), the hottest time of the year which lasts for half of it. Vashson is one of two planets (the other one is Calidumbra, from Latin's calidum=hot, and umbra=shadow (the planet is too hot for life forms and casts an enormous shadow)) revolving around a single sun and is the furthest of it. For one half of the year (tivollesh), there is nothing between the planet and the sun. For the next quarter of the year, Calidumbra's moon, Umluna (from umbra and luna=moon) casts a partial shadow on Vashson, making it autumn (the closest translation for stovvesh (from stovvienk=cool)). For the last quarter of the year, Calidumbra's unique geology allows giant clouds to form on the surface hidden from the sun, and then those clouds depart and reach Vashson's atmosphere, making it winter (the closest translation for wyttannesh (from wyttanienk=frozen)).
[7] From nevphiend=strong, and son.
[8] A native or resident of Vashson.
[9] Plural form of Vashsanek.
[10] The closest translation for shammerk=keeper.
[11] From raesh=to be able to see, and jasperson=library (from jaspand=treasure).
[12] The closest translation for Alodienk Margerrekker (alodienk=other (place), margerrekker=plural form of margerek=tale).
[13] Dagnienk=modern, jes=special, when combined: Modern Tales from Tan-Jes. Tan-Jes is an island on Vashson, and Ioun is one of its villages.
[14] Ri=king, lk='s, meld=song, podennekker=plural form of podene=water, when combined: King's Song Waters.
[15] The closest translation for Alanennekker Tovvynner (alanennekker=plural form of alanek=child, tovvynner=tool that frees (from tovvyk=tool, and yonner=wing, freedom)).
[16] Va=a, amiend=beloved, dorrev=man, when combined: A Beloved Man.
[17] Jaspersanennekker=plural form of jasperson.
[18] Sinkynnekker=plural form of sinkyne=shop, store (from senk=to trade).