THE
SHUSHALI BEGINS
"Neri," Queen Shalamorn commanded,
"would you please go over and stand on the platform beside
Jason."
Moving over to where Jason was lying, Neri took
a position standing near his right arm and waited for her mother
to instruct her further.
"My daughter," Queen Shalamorn
continued, "As I said before, this will be a test not only
for Jason but for you as well. When I give the signal,
you will lower his head so it engages the device. At
that time, the platform will begin to sink beneath the water. Jason's
only task is to hold his breath for as long as he is able. If
it is enough, the great pyramid will remove the water from the
chamber when it is time. If he is unable to hold his
breath, he is free to lift his head and exit from the chamber at
any time."
Neri looked down at Jason with worry in her
eyes. 'Why they choose test like this?' she thought to
herself. 'He is not of Ocean Planet, he cannot hold
his breath that long'. Her thoughts were interrupted
as her mother continued to speak.
"Should Jason end the test before its
natural conclusion, he will forfeit and will not be allowed to
join with you," Queen Shalamorn said with unwavering
certainty. "Neri, your part will be to stay in the chamber
with Jason, and to keep your head & neck above water. You
may not swim or tread water, you must be standing still when the
test concludes, or else the joining will not be permitted."
Jason was beginning to get a bit confused. He
wasn't sure about this to begin with, but how did Neri fit into
this? Why would it be so hard for her stand still while he
underwent this test? It just didn't make any sense.
The Queen nodded to Neri, signaling that she
should begin the test. Moving to Jason's head, she
knelt down and pressed her hand onto his forehead, pressing it
downwards. As the final click was heard, the platform
began to steadily sink. Using the brief moment before
Jason was underwater, Neri stroked his cheek with her hand and
smiled at him longingly. At that moment, water began
to pour over the edges of the platform.
Jason had done his special breathing exercises
right up until Neri engaged the headpiece, so his blood was
richly oxygenated. The platform was sinking steadily,
and he could see Neri as she stood up to avoid being covered by
the rising waters.
As the water continued to rise, Neri started to
concern herself. She thought that she could stand
beside Jason and all would be well, but the water was quickly
approaching her chest. Looking around, she didn't know
what to do, until she started to realize what it was all about.
* * *
Winston, being the prepared fellow he was, had
started a timer and was watching it as the platform descended. He
knew that the human limit for staying underwater without
breathing was about 2 minutes, and that was in the best of
conditions.
As time passed Dianne continued to worry. Although
she had seen the release mechanism work, she couldn't help but
think that something might go wrong. She could only
watch and wait.
"Mera," Brett asked, "are you
sure you don't know long he has to stay under?"
"I'm sorry Brett," Mera replied,
"there is no set time. It depends on the person."
Winston looked down at his watch and saw the 25
second mark pass.
* * *
Neri was in trouble. She was up to
her shoulders in water and it was still rising. There
was only one thing she could do, and she knew she had to do it. Lifting
her right foot she placed it on Jason's waist, and then stepping
onto his body, she placed her left foot on his chest. She
was now safe from the rising water, but she had to use Jason's
body to do it.
Jason was unsure of what Neri was doing. He
couldn't figure out why she was stepping onto his body, since it
was hard to gauge how high the water was from his perspective. With
the water as high as it was there was very little direct weight
from Neri. However there must have been a reason for
this, so he shrugged it off and tried to concentrate on staying
relaxed.
The water level climbed until it reached Neri's
neck, and then it stopped. The platform was at the
bottom of the chamber and Neri was just barely above water. Now
it was a waiting game.
* * *
"How long?" Dianne asked as she
turned to Winston.
"Coming up on the one minute mark now,"
he replied, "This will certainly be a most difficult
endeavour for Jason if the test does not end with dispatch."
The pressure was starting to mount. Jason
could feel that he was nearing the limit for holding his breath. He
was unaware of exactly how long he had been underwater, but the
seconds seemed to pass like minutes. His heart beat
loudly, and he could hear the blood rushing through his ears.
Neri was beginning to worry. She
knew Opal Planet people were not like them; they could not hold
their breath as long. Would the test end soon?
* * *
Looking at his watch, Winston became concerned. They
had passed the 1 minute and 30 second mark, and it was fast
approaching 2 minutes. How long did they expect him to
hold out? He didn't want to mention the time to Dianne, as she
was intensely focused with watching the chamber, and Winston knew
if she were aware of the time she would only worry more.
Jason was beginning to feel tense, and he knew
he was at the end of his rope. He started to exhale
more air, hoping to stretch out what little oxygen he had left. He
could feel Neri as she continued to stand on his chest. Her
toes were clenching and releasing, so he knew she was worried too.
* * *
Winston turned to Brett with a worried look on
his face as he silently showed him his watch. Brett
looked at the time and stared in disbelief. The 2
minute mark had just passed and Jason was still underwater. He
wanted to scream, but he knew Jason could get out if he needed
too. Couldn't he?
* * *
Panic fell upon Jason as he examined his
limited options at light speed. He could lift his
head, which would release the restraints and then stand up and it
would be over. He could try and hold his breath longer
and risk drowning. 'What other choices do I have?' he
thought as critical seconds ticked by.
He wanted to join with Neri. He
wanted that more than anything else in the world. There
was no way he could concede, there was too much riding on this. With
a silent sigh he let out the last breath of air that remained in
his lungs. Instinctively he could not prevent himself
from trying to take a breath, and opening his mouth he let the
water rush into his lungs.
At that moment he felt an eerie calm wash over
him. Time seemed to slip away as he attempted to take
another breath, only to draw in more water. He no
longer felt the weight of Neri on his chest.
He was drowning!
Neri could tell something was wrong. She
knew he needed air, but she knew that he was in control of his
body. He could raise his head. That's all
he had to do. She could not deny him his chance to
prove himself to her. So as much as she wanted to free
him, she stood her ground, but began to weep silently.
Dianne was unaware of the time that had passed. If
she knew that over two and a half minutes had elapsed she would
have done something. However she was too caught up in
the moment to notice that there were no longer any bubbles rising
in the water.
Jason's eyes began to close, and his vision
became foggy. He was very near death when he came to
the realization that he would rather die than live without Neri
at his side. Conceding defeat, he allowed his eyes to
close and accepted his fate as he slipped into unconsciousness.
At that moment, the water rushed out of the
chamber and the restraints sprang open! "It is finished,"
Queen Shalamorn announced.
Neri dropped to her knees as she straddled
Jason's lifeless body. "Jason?" she called
to him, but he didn't answer. All of a sudden, a
bright light shone from the ceiling above and flooded Jason's
head and face. Neri watched with concern as Jason's
chest heaved, and she slipped off his chest and helped to roll
him onto his side as he expelled the water in his lungs.
After a few moments, Jason rolled back over and
looked up at Neri saying, "I thought I was dead. What
happened?"
"I do not know. All I know is
you pass test, you did it Jason!" Neri exclaimed as she bent
down and hugged him tightly.
* * *
"Jason?" Dianne called out, "Are
you alright?"
"I'll be alright Mom," Jason replied
as he stared into Neri's eyes.
Neri and Jason ascended from the water chamber
hand in hand, making their way over to where the Queen was
standing. "Jason," Queen Shalamorn said,
"it is important you understand why you were tested in this
fashion. We do not enjoy testing people this way, but
members of the Royal Family are sought after by those whose
motives are less than honourable. By making you risk
your life, you proved that you were sincere in your wish to join
with Neri for the right reasons."
Jason squeezed Neri's hand as he looked to her
and smiled.
"However, Jason," Queen Shalamorn
continued, "there was another reason for your test. As
you may recall, the females of the Ocean Planet are held in high
regard by the males. This is something that is not
always the same on the Opal Planet. By allowing Neri
to stand on your chest, you showed that you were willing to serve
Neri in any way possible."
Queen Shalamorn turned to Neri and said, "You,
my daughter, had a special task. Not only did it
facilitate to test Jason, but it also tested you. Many
times you have faced death and in turn risked yourself to save
others. This time you had to allow another person to
sacrifice himself on your behalf."
"So what happens now?" Jason asked.
"There are many preparations for the
joining of someone from the Royal Family," Queen Shalamorn
announced, "but it goes without saying that a ceremony of
this importance can only be carried out on the Ocean Planet. However,
it will be many months before the joining will take place, and
you will both have an opportunity to be involved in the planning."
"Mera," Neri said as she approached
and took her sister's hands in her own, "I would like you to
be my 'first one'."
"Oh Neri," Mera replied with pride,
"I would be honoured."
Taking a lead from Neri, Jason approached Brett
and offered his hand, "So what do you say Brett? Will you be
my best man?"
"Are you kidding?" Brett said while
shaking his brother's hand, "I wouldn't miss this for the
world!"
* * *
As those present in the chamber began to leave,
Brett found himself walking beside Mera. Gesturing to
Jason and Neri, Brett remarked "They make a good couple,
don't they?"
"I can't think of two people more suited
for one another," Mera replied with a smile.
This derivitive work is copyright to Jonathan M. Shiff Productions Pty. Ltd. and the author Savant, ©2001