JASON'S
SPECIAL REQUEST
With
every passing day, Jason was more and more convinced that he
needed to do something. Something very special,
and something that would change his life forever.
Although his mom knew he was up to something,
he hadn't told anyone of his plans. It's not that he
was embarrassed, but he didn't want to feel like an idiot if it
didn't work out.
He went ahead and made plans to see Neri on the
island, picking a nice sunny day to do so. The water
was calm as the boat sliced across. Jason was staring
out ahead, not really looking at anything, but just thinking of
what he wanted to say to Neri. He had thought about it
a hundred times already, but he couldn't help it.
The controls on the ANT boat beeped as he
approached shallow water, signaling him to take over. He
slid the boat onto the sandy beach, leaving room to back out when
he left. Slipping over the stern, he jumped into the
shallow water and walked onto the beach
Taking the usual path from Charley's Cove,
as they had come to call it, he walked inland towards Neri's
place on the island. His heart was beating faster as
he approached the clearing, and he started to feel a little
queasy. Moving to the stream of fresh water, he
grabbed a handful and gave himself a splash in the face.
Hearing the noise, Neri called out "Jason,
is that you?"
"Yeah Neri, I'm just getting a drink."
said Jason as he quickly wiped the water from his face.
"Is good to see you" said Neri as she
gave Jason a gentle hug.
"It's good to see you too Neri. How
are you feeling?" Jason asked.
"Much better now. I sleep so
long today that I miss my swim with Charley, but he understands,"
then taking him by the hand she smiled and said "Come, eat."
As Neri pulled Jason along toward the camp, he
spoke up, "So how's Ilona settling in? Must be a lot
different from what she's used to."
Neri responded, "She seem to like it here. Back
when she was on Ocean Planet, there was much conflict, people all
angry. Here is quiet, clean water, and jalis swim in
the ocean."
Approaching camp, Neri released Jason's hand
and gestured for him to sit by the fire. She gathered
some food from the hut and returned, sitting down beside him
saying "Ilona is gone for swim now, she be back later. So
what bring you to island today?"
"We need to talk Neri," Jason began,
"there are some things I need to tell you, and I don't know
where to start."
"Perhaps you start at beginning,"
Neri said, pointing out the obvious.
Jason smiled, "Yeah, I guess the beginning
is a good place to start. Neri, do you remember when
we first met?"
"Of course," Neri replied, "it
was time you were on boat following Charley."
"Well, ever since I saw you that first
time, I haven't been able to get you out of my mind." Jason
continued, "I thought that you were just another girl, but I
have these... feelings... I can't explain
it. When we rescued you from P.R.A.X.I.S and you died,
I thought my life was over. I felt so empty inside. Then
when the Great Pyramid brought you back to life it was like I was
alive again. Then the other day when you were hurt, I
was so worried, I just don't know what I would do if I lost you
Neri."
As Jason spoke, Neri smiled. Inside
she also felt the same way towards Jason. She never
told him though, since she did not know how to say it.
"Neri," Jason announced, "I
don't want to take that chance again. You mean more to
me than just a friend, and I want us to become 'closer'."
Taking Neri's hand, Jason continued, "I guess what I'm
saying, is that I want to know if you will marry me."
Neri paused for a moment, and then asked,
"What is marry?"
Jason felt his stomach drop! Already filled
with worry, he was beginning to feel sick. Now Neri
doesn't even know what he is talking about. Part of
him wanted to back out, but he decided to continue, "Well on
Earth, when two people love one another they get married. Like
your mother and father."
"You mean you wish to join with me?"
Neri asked.
"Well, I don't know what they call it on
the Ocean Planet," Jason replied while squeezing Neri's hand
gently, "but as long as it means I get to spend the rest of
my life with you, then yes that is what I want to do."
"Oh Jason," Neri responded sadly,
"I don't know how to say. I want to join with you
too, but I cannot."
"I don't understand," Jason replied
anxiously.
"On Ocean Planet," Neri explained,
"I am considered member of Royal Family, I cannot choose to
be joined unless they say is OK. You talk with Mera,
she know more about this than I do."
Although crestfallen, Jason tried not to let it
show. He smiled at her and said, "OK, I'll have a
talk with Mera."
Neri then passed Jason some food and they began
to eat.
* * *
The next day Jason used a special transmitter
to contact Mera on the Ocean Planet. Although a little
embarrassed about needing to ask her about this, he did anyway. He
explained what Neri said to him and waited for her response.
"In our language it is called the
'Shushali'," Mera replied, "to you, I guess you could
call it a 'test'."
"What do you mean 'a test'?" asked
Jason.
"Since the dawn of the Ancient Ones,"
she continued, "any male who wished the hand of a female
from the Royal blood was required to prove himself worthy. I
must warn you Jason, this test was meant for people from my
planet, I do not know if you will be able to complete it."
Jason thought to himself 'it couldn't be
that bad', then speaking aloud replied, "So what kind of
test is it anyway?"
"We have no way to know ahead of time,"
Mera said, "the Great Pyramid will decide the test based on
the person who takes it."
"What does that mean?" he asked.
"It's hard to describe," she replied,
"basically the Great Pyramid will decide on a test that is
difficult and challenging for the individual to complete. All
I know is that of all the males who have taken the test, only a
handful have passed in all of time."
This last statement shocked Jason. Here
he was, ready to ask for Neri's hand in marriage, only to find
that he had to do this 'test' first. A million
thoughts raced through his mind. 'What was the test?'
'Was it as hard as Mera said?' 'Could I pass it?'
As he continued drifting, Mera interrupted him,
"Jason?"
"Yeah, sorry," he apologized, "I
was just thinking about some things. So what do I do
now if I want to do the test?"
"If you are certain you are willing to go
through with it," Mera said in a serious tone, "then I
will make the necessary preparations. You will need to
meet us at the Great Pyramid. I will contact you when
it is time."
Jason was trying to think of how he was going
to tell everyone, especially his mother. He decided it
was best to wait until his father came by, since he had said he
was coming over on the weekend.
* * *
Saturday had arrived and Jason's father had
just arrived at the station. Calling everyone together
in their living quarters, Jason waited for his father to enter. Winston
seated himself on the couch beside Brett, while Dianne took a
chair to Winston's right.
The door slid open and Paul Bates stepped
through. Turning to the group he said "Hi
everyone," then turned to Jason and said, "so what's
this all about son?"
Jason moved to a position in front of the
group, and began to speak, "I don't know where to begin."
Taking a deep breath, he continued, "the reason I called you
here is because I want to tell you about something that is
important to me. Over the past five years we've all
gone through a lot. I still remember the first time I
saw Neri and how nobody believed me."
Brett made a bit of a face, as he remembered
the teasing he gave his brother at that time.
Jason went on to say, "Then after Neri and
I became friends I began to care for her more and more. It
was two years ago that Neri almost died, and it was then that I
realized how important she was to me."
"She's important to all of us Jason"
Dianne added.
"I know Mom," Jason continued, "but
in my case it's more than that. I have been seeing
more and more of Neri, and although we really haven't 'dated' the
way we think about it, we've become very close. This
past week, I asked Neri to marry me."
"Congratulations son," Paul responded
with a smile.
"Well," Jason replied hesitantly,
"there's a bit of a hitch. Neri can't marry me,
what they call 'be joined', until I do some form of 'test' or
something."
"What sort of test?" asked Winston.
"That's the problem," Jason replied,
"I don't know what the test will be until I am ready to take
it. Mera said they normally only allow people from the
Ocean Planet to do the test, but that I could take it. She
also said that very few have passed it."
"I hope it's not dangerous," Dianne
replied voicing her concern.
"I don't know Mom," Jason responded,
"I won't know until I do it. Mera said she would
contact me when it is time. You are all welcome to
come with me if you like."
Everyone agreed to go, except Paul, who added
"Well son, I'd love to go, but since you don't know when it
is, I likely won't be able to get away from the office. You
know how it is. I'm sure you'll fill me in on all the
details when you get back though, right?"
"Sure thing Dad," Jason replied.
This derivitive work is copyright to Jonathan M. Shiff Productions Pty. Ltd. and the author Savant, ©2001