JB3 3: THE SUPRISE

March 1'st, (1969)

Mowgli's eyes shot open and he sat up, screaming and sweating. The 11 year old Indian boy breathed heavily with his brown eyes as big a saucers. He looked around and saw that he was inside his bedroom, laying inside his hamock. Mowgli got out of his hamock and walked over to the only window in his room and looked out to see the village. It was not on fire and it's people were not screaming and running, but were walking around, chatting with each other. He then gazed upon the Jungle and saw that it too was not being consumed by flames.

"(Sighs)." Mowgli sighed as he bowed his head. "It was just a dream."

Suddenly, there was a knock at Mowgli's bedroom door.

"Mowgli? Are you alright?" Came a voice on the other side of the door. "Mowgli?"

Mowgli walked up to the only door in his room and opened it, revealing Ranjan.

"Good morning, Ranjan." Said Mowgli.

"Good morning, Mowgli. Are you okay?" Asked Ranjan.

"Of course i am. Why wouldn't i be?" Asked Mowgli.

"My parents and i heard you screaming from down stairs, so they sent me up here to check on you. That, and i have a message to you from father." Said Ranjan.

"A message from Pop? What about?" Asked Mowgli.

"I didn't ask. All he said was that he wanted to see you right away. Something about a suprise." Said Ranjan.

"A suprise? I love suprises." Said Mowgli before he left out of his room with Ranjan.

Down stairs, Messua and her husband, the village leader, were sitting at the dinner table. Messua was peeling an grapefruit and the leader was eating a ham on a plate.

Mowgli and Ranjan then appeared at the cordoor.

"You, uh, you wanted to see me, sir?" Mowgli asked the leader.

The leader turned to see Mowgli and Ranjan standing at the cordoor and stood up. "Yes. Yes, i did. Come on in."

Mowgli and Ranjan entered into the room.

"What about?" Asked Mowgli.

"It's a suprise." Said the leader.

"That's what i told him earlier." Said Ranjan.

"I like suprises." Said Mowgli.

"Well, i'm glad to hear that you do, cause you're gonna love what i have to say next." Said the leader.

"Which is what, exactly?" Asked Mowgli.

"Come with me, Mowgli. Let us take a walk together and talk things out, man to man." Said the leader.

"Oh, uh...sure." Said Mowgli.

The leader led Mowgli out of the house and Messua got up from the table and she and Ranjan went to the door and they both watched as Mowgli and the leader walked through the village. Messua smiled at them as they continued onward.##################################################################################Mowgli and the leader now stood at the outskirts of the village, gazing upon it.

"Look, Mowgli. Every building that you see before you now is our village." Said the leader.

"Wow." Said Mowgli.

"A leader's time as ruler rises and falls like the sun. One day, Mowgli, the sun will set on my time here...and will rise with you as the new leader." Said the leader.

"This will all be mine?" Asked Mowgli.

"Everything." Said the leader.

"Every building i see before me. What about that big shadowy mountain?" Said Mowgli.

"That's the forbidden part of the Jungle. You must never go there, Mowgli." Said the leader.

"I thought a leader could do whatever he wants." Said Mowgli.

"Oh, there's more to being a leader than just getting your way all the time." Said the leader as he turned to walk off.

"There's more?" Asked Mowgli.

"Mowgli." Said the leader.

Later, Mowgli and the leader back in the village, walking through it.

"Everything you see exist together in delicate balance. As future leader, you need to understand that balance and respect all the animals of the Jungle. From the crawling ant to leeping Antilope." Said the leader.

"But don't we eat the Antilope?" Asked Mowgli.

"Yes, Mowgli, but let me explane. When we die, our bodies go into the ground. And the animals of the land walk upon the ground just as we humans do. And so...we are all connected...in the great circle of life." Said the leader. "That being said, i have one last thing i wish to share with you."

"You do? What?" Asked Mowgli.

"For the past 300 years...our village has lived by a certain ritual, that when a boy reaches the age of 12, he is no longer a boy...he is a man. And so when you, Mowgli, turn 12, you will step out of boyhood and transition over into manhood." The leader explained.

"You mean i'll be a man this year?" Asked Mowgli.

"Absolutely. And to congratulate you on your up-coming manhood, I thought i'd give you this." The village leader removed a necklace, with a long, sharp tooth, from around his neck and placed it around Mowgli's neck.

"Whoa. What is it?" Asked Mowgli, looking at the tooth necklace.

"It's a tooth necklace. It's been in my family for centuries. My father gave it to me as a gift when i was just about your age. He gave it to me to congratulate me on becoming a man and the village's new leader. He said that whenever i got married and had children, i should pass it down to my son when he reaches the age of 12. And even though we adopted you, and you've only been here with us for a year, and you're not 12 years old yet, i still consider you as a son." Said the leader.

"Wow." Mowgli then hugged his adoptive father. "Thanks, Pop."

"No need to thank me. It's a gift to congratulate you on a job well done." Said the leader.

"A job well done?" Mowgli asked.

"On becoming the village's new ruler." Said Mowgli.

"New ruler? But you said that i wouldn't lead the village until after the sun had set on your time here." Said Mowgli.

"I know, Mowgli, but when i reached the age of 12, my father made me the ruler of the land. To be honost with you, i was scared...afraid i would mess up. And i really didn't want to be a leader at such a young age. It meant that i wouldn't be able to do some of the things i use to as a boy and that i would have to grow up too fast. But not wanting to disappoint my father, i did what he wanted and asumed the role as leader of the village..even though, secretly, i really didn't want to." Said the leader.

"You mean you never told your father that you didn't want his job? Why?" Asked Mowgli.

"Because i didn't want to let him down and make him ashamed of me. I hated myself for lying to him, and i still do to this day, but i feared that if i didn't go through with the ritual, he would be disappointed in me...and that i would lose his love and respect forever." Said the leader. "But thank goodness you're not me and you don't feel that way, right?"

"Uh...right." Said Mowgli.

"Good. Now then," Began the leader. "you run along now and have fun."

"Thanks, Pop." Said Mowgli before running off.

"And be sure to be ready for tonight's cellebration!" Said the leader.

"Cellebration?" Mowgli stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"Yes! Tonight we are having a cellebration in honor of you becoming our new ruler! Be sure to be on time!" Said the leader.

"I'll be there!" Said Mowgli before resuming his run.

The leader just looked at Mowgli as the 11 year old ran off.

Meanwhile, outside the village, Ranjan was in the river, catching fish. He had a lot of trainning as the rest of last year went by when his father was teaching him how to hunt for food. Now that he was 5, he was now able to do some things on his own. The little indian boy then noticed Mowgli by the river.

"Hey, Mowgli!" Ranjan shouted, startling Mowgli, causing him to fall into the river.

"Ranjan, you made me jump a little." Said Mowgli.

"Sorry, Mowgli. Look, i caught a lot of fish." Said Ranjan, showing his friend the basket full of fish.

"That's great, Ranjan, you're getting better at hunting everyday." Said Mowgli. The 11 year old stood up, walked out of the river and walked up to the gates of the man village where Shanti was walking to see if he was back...and he was.

"Mowgli, i'm so glad you're back." Said Shanti.

"I'm glad to be home, Shanti." Said Mowgli.

But Shanti could tell just by looking at Mowgli's face that he wasn't so glad like he was saying. "What's wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing. Nothing's wrong. Ranjan's father had news for me today. He want's me to be the village's next leader when i turn 12." Said Mowgli.

"Really?! Oh, Mowgli, that's great! But, uh...why do you look so glum about it? Why aren't you exited, this is good news." Said Shanti.

"Yeah for him, maybe, but not for me. I mean what if i get the job and i mess it up? What if i stink at the job? What if i end get the job and i end up disappointing, everybody? What if..."

"Mowgli. That's enough with the what-if's." Said Shanti.

"Sorry, i'm just so nervous. I'm really afraid of being a leader. Being a good leader." Said Mowgli.

"Mowgli, you will be a good leader." Said Shanti.

"Yeah, but we don't know that. I mean i might mess up worse than i think i will. I only said yes to the job to spare the leader's feelings because i didn't wanna disappoint him. But what happens when i do get the job and stink at it? I'll just wind up letting him down more than i would've if i had turnned down the job. Forget that. I'm not gonna be the next leader." Said Mowgli.

"Mowgli, this is your big chance. If you don't become the next leader after Ranjan's father, then everyone will just do whatever they want." Said Shanti.

"Yeah, i know, but i'm nervous and i don't think i can do this. I need time to think this through. I'll see you later." Said Mowgli before walking off.

Shanti watched Mowgli cross the river, by jumping on the rocks, and head off into the jungle.
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