Chapter 12

"The End of the Story"

In the days following the massacre at their treehouse, the bodies of Tarzan and Jane were taken back to the Wazari village and were cleaned of their wounds. Once the wounds were cleaned, they were then embalmed in embalming fluid and spices were placed on their bodies for preservation.

Next, they were dressed in the clothes that Jane wanted her and Tarzan to be buried in: Tarzan in his father's suit with a silk cravat tie and shiny black shoes and spats; Jane in her beautiful yellow dress with her petticoat and bustle, her purple stockings and boots, her long brown hair done up in its elegant bun and her hands adorned with her white gloves. In addition, Jane's makeup was done in her eyeshadow and eyeliner makeup that the Wazari's had managed to recover from the treehouse. Jane had always wanted to be buried in the dress she wore the day that she came to the jungle for the first time and the Wazari's were eager to carry out her final wishes.

News of Tarzan and Jane's death spread throughout England and once word of Jane and Tarzan's death were heard, her three friends from England were immediately brought down to England to pay their final respects. On the day of the funeral, with a heavy rainfall descending on the jungle, the wooden caskets bearing Tarzan and Jane's bodies were lowered into the Earth as the human and animal friends and families of the dead watched. Everyone had to cry and not a single eye was dry. Their two separate tombstones read:

Tarzan, lord of the apes and his wife, Jane Elizabeth Victoria Porter, may they rest in peace.

"My friends," said Keewazi, as Basuli and Naoh stood next to him holding Korak in their arms. "We commit the bodies of Tarzan and Jane to the Earth and look to the day when we will see them again in eternal paradise. Let us now praise God for the strength that we desire for our departed friends."

The congregation gathered round the gravesite and began to cry out:

God of love,

we thank you that Tarzan and Jane are in your gentle and loving hands,

far from the cruelty, violence and pain of our world.

When the trouble was near,

we could not understand how you seemed

to remain far away.

And yet it is to you we turn;

for in life and death

it is you alone whom we can trust,

and yours alone is the love that holds us fast.

We find it hard to forgive the deed

that has brought us so much grief.

But we know that, if life is soured by bitterness,

an unforgiving spirit brings no peace.

Lord, save us and help us.

Strengthen in us the faith and hope that Tarzan and Jane

are freed from the past with all its hurt,

and rests forever in the calm security of your love,

in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Meanwhile, Tarzan and Jane opened their eyes to discover that they were no longer in the treehouse, but in a place that was all white and there were people clothed in white and had wings and halos on their heads.

"Jane, where are we?" wondered Tarzan as he tried to make sense of the place that they were now in. "We need to get back to the treehouse."

It took a moment for Jane to find her bearings and realize where she was. But, after a moment, she realized that where they were was a place that she heard of many times before.

"Tarzan, do you know where we are?" she gasped, amazed at where she was. "We are in God's kingdom."

Tarzan was amazed by this although he was still slightly confused that this was really what Jane was talking to him about before the battle with the Germans. However, the matter of his son was still on his mind and he tried to call out to him, but it was no use.

"He won't hear you, Tarzan," said Jane, trying to calm Tarzan down. "But, you still can see him."

Tarzan was now starting to grow even more confused; however his confusion didn't last long as he saw what appeared to be an all too familiar face standing right in front of him and Jane with a woman that looked just like Jane standing next to him. When Jane saw these figures, her eyes began to form tears of joy as she ran over to them.

"Mother, Daddy!" she sobbed, running over and hugging them tightly. Knowing it was really Archimedes in front of him, Tarzan ran over to him and joined Jane in hugging him, much to his wife's displeasure. "I'm so happy to see you again!"

"So are we, Janey," replied Archimedes, gripping his daughter tightly. "So are we."

"I say, Jane," remarked her mother. "Who is this creature? Is he your husband?"

"It's a long story, mother," laughed Jane, who was now fully caught up in the moment. "It's a long story. We have so much to catch up on, don't we?"

"Indeed, we do," said Archimedes as they all broke up. "There is a cup of Earl Grey that is waiting for me and I'm pretty sure that there is English tea waiting for you as well, Jane."

Just then, Tarzan saw what appeared to be another familiar face and he looked over to see a silverback ape that was all too familiar to Tarzan.

"Kerchak," whispered Tarzan, as the silverback ape walked over to Tarzan. The silverback ape didn't say anything, but Tarzan could see that Kerchak was proud of what Tarzan had done for his family. Finally, after a few moments, Kerchak spoke to him.

"You have done me proud, Tarzan," he said. "I was wrong that you were never meant to be one of us. But, you have proved me wrong, my son."

Tarzan could see that he was fully forgiven for being something that he wasn't. However, he was still anxious to get back to his gorilla family, but it was not going to be possible.

"You cannot go back to them, Tarzan," said Kerchak. "I tried to go back, but it just wasn't possible. But, I will say this: you and Jane have inspired our family to look to the humans as one of us. Your child will one day, when he reaches his time, lead our family."

Tarzan felt a sense of reassurance that his legacy would go on and that he could only watch as his son grew in spirit and wisdom as the years passed. At the same time, Jane knew that she too was going to watch her son grow as well, but with her father and mother by her side.

Meanwhile, as the years passed, Korak grew in the Wazari village and as soon as he came of age, he returned to the treehouse and walked through the still ruined remains that had never been repaired since that dark night. He then walked over to the graves of his parents and grandfather's and looked down at them.

"I will honor your legacy mother and father," he said as he placed a bouquet of flowers and a spear at the gravesite. "And I will defend this jungle and this family that you have tasked me to protect."

And at that moment, a strong gust of wind blew as he climbed into a tree and began to cry out a yell that the jungle had not heard since Tarzan had been slain. As the all too familiar yell was heard, it became clear that the torch had indeed been passed from father to son and with the end of one era, would come the rise of another.

Yes, it has been many years since the age of Jane and Tarzan. Many stories have been told of how the young Englishwoman had met the savage jungle man that she had tamed and married. The legacies and stories of Jane Porter, Tarzan and her father, Archimedes, will continue to live on thanks to the stories that have passed down from generation to generation.

THE END