International Legends

Chapter 50 - Jasper

There is no greater friendship than this. Now going on the 10 year anniversary of the time we all reunited in Hawaii, I can say that I still never tire of this place.

There is nothing more exciting than getting on the plane to your favorite destination. Carmen and I had done a lot of traveling over the course of our marriage. In spite of her love of the Underworld, I insisted that she keep track of her goals and vision. She agreed to this, and we had a lot of fun during our travels. We liked no area better, however, than Hawaii.

Hawaii is a lot like Florida. There's a lot not to like about it, such as all the persons of non-Hawaiian ancestry that have forcibly moved to Hawaii. However, I found that it was incredibly peaceful. The gardens of Kauai were a lush green, and the natives over a period of time had grown a ton of the ecology back. We love the emphasis on health, spirituality, and environmentalism from the locals that we get when we're here.

To go to Kauai, you have to reserve a lot of things ahead of time including the canoe ride, the gardens, and going into some of the many caves. You also have to fly in from Honolulu, which is plagued with overdevelopment. However, it was just enjoyable to drive around, and in a lot of ways that was such. There were other days however that Carmen and I lay out by the pool watching the kids.

Claire was reaching 10 years old now. Can you believe it? She was incredibly obsessed with ghost stories and would talk about finding ghosts all the time. I had to warn her to be aware of her surroundings and to exercise caution with all ghosts. You never knew what kind of ghost you could be running into.

I watch her now as she plays in the water. She dove down deep and got over 20 different fish, killing them instantly. It was kind of scary, but she learned from her siblings how to dive effectively.

"Claire," chastised Jaina, "You need to watch out for sharks. You can't just pick at your scabs and then go swimming around in the ocean like that."

"You're right," says Claire. "I just really wanted some sushi!"

Jaina and Adam were in college. The twins, inseparable since the day that they were born, and that wasn't different now. The two both decided to study the Quantum Computer. David and Dr. Jodie was all too happy to find them high-security jobs.

Adam practically glided out of the water, causing one girl watching him to practically fall over at the glimpse of him.

It seemed amazing to us that we all now had grown kids. Ever since our gathering back in Hawaii a near decade ago, we had all been committed to staying in touch. We cheered each other on in our kids' accomplishments, mourned the loss of our parents and other relatives, and tried to take some time out of our busy lives to make moments for ourselves to rest and relax.

Dr. Jodie and David were happy parents. Luna and Lux were both members of the Time-Traveling Agency, and were busy going off to various time-periods. They saw the American Revolution, the World Wars, and even the sinking of the Titanic (though they tried to rescue everyone on it - leading to June having a lengthy discussion with them about the Federal Reserve).

Dr. Jodie was somehow pregnant again with their 4th child - Liliana. The third daughter, Lisandra, was jumping around the waves with Claire pretending to be mermaids.

Dr. Jodie, in all her time of working for the CIA, had become head director. Often, you wouldn't see her on the news or in any public setting because she would be flooded with a ton of questions about aliens and other occult knowledge. Often she just lay low, hiding in her larger than life sunglasses.

David was finally able to get out of the military after so many years feeling conflicted about the choices he's had to make. He was inspired by Ozara to leave behind his military teaching to become a regular K-12 teacher in the public schools. The kids love him because he's a goofball and just as ADHD as they are. He still stood out wherever he goes, being the largest Nigerian-looking man that anyone has ever seen in their life.

Antonio was feeding Jackie sushi by hand at the nearby restaurant. Gross, but they still seem as in love with each other in their 40's as the two of them were in their 30's. In an effort to recover from everything that happened to them in Miami and beyond, the two of them had decided to open a successful counseling practice. They both specialize in attachment styles, gang involvement, hyper sexuality, and cult psychology.

The two of them also have a very popular YouTube channel where they give advice to couples all around the world who are looking for a Christian, New-Age, Secular, and humorous approach for keeping a relationship going in the modern world. Sometimes they have their son River on there to give advice to the younger kids about anger management issues by playing with little toy dolls.

Naomi and Leo had their boys here in Kauai with us - Levi and Luke. The two of them, having been inspired by their Dad, were training to become park rangers themselves. They didn't really know what to do with the ocean, and they stood by kind of awkwardly, accidentally sending tree magic into the ground. Tiny little trees sprouted from their fingertips turning into gnomes, which picked the two of them up and dragged them both into the water.

Naomi finished her prequel, which she called "Arkethia." The story is an imagining of what really happened in the life of Sophia the Nun, which none of us had ever seen since the Apocalypse incident. Using the records that Ozara and I had, we were able to make Naomi make a concise document that was able to help Naomi in writing her 4th book. Afterwards, Naomi never did write again. She was too busy teaching Creative Writing at the local college, enjoying her life with her husband, and busy raising her two boys.

Leo continued to hike the Tetons and give tours of the place all the time to unsuspecting visitors year after year. His Instagram and YouTube continued to be popular social media platforms where he shared with others how to have a sustainable, natural lifestyle. Leo loved to talk about the importance of getting out into nature. There were many people who left their corporate jobs to go follow in Leo's footsteps - going out into nature and finding their own ways of connecting with God.

The world became more accepting. Those in the Underworld, Atlantis, and even Valhalla introduced themselves to the humans of Earth over the next consecutive years. Billy ended up being a fashion model for New Navy . Loba ended up becoming one of the top singers on America's Top Idol.

Leo had stayed my friend all these years, as well as Ozara. The three of us were laughing just as we always have, thinking back to the times we met on the cruise for the first time.

"Claire dragged me out of the room!" exclaims Leo. "Me! A grown man! Carrying me all the way up the stairs all by herself."

"Remember how you switched bodies with Sol Jasper?" laughed Ozara. "Then Leo switched bodies with Jackie! She must have been crying so hard about that!"

"God," I remark. "We had some amazing times. Remember you went into that dolphin show to try to impress Axel? What were you thinking? You were obsessed."

"Me!" exclaims Ozara. "You were practically shaking in your boots whenever Carmen got mad at you!"

Ozara and Axel continue to have independent living situations. Somehow, they manage to stay being both friends and lovers. Their kids both insist that they get married someday. I have no doubt that at some point, they will.

Carmen. She looked at the three of us now conversing with each other, and she looked like she was looking at three kids laughing at their own personal jokes. It was true too. No matter how old we got, we still remained innocent at heart.

Carmen and I never had children. Instead, she and I raised my younger siblings - two babies that my parents had left behind for us to raise. I had found out just before we had left for the Underworld - where we had decided to raise our family. Exodus and Leviticus both look like my dad but don't let that fool you, they end up turning into Mom whenever they are angry. The two boys are fast on track to becoming the new Princes of the Underworld.

Laughing, crying, and patting each other on the back, we reminisced on how none of it had made sense to us before. Faced with imminent destruction, we managed to defy the odds by working together. We remembered our friendship - a friendship that continues to be strong to this day.

As the sun sets that night, we can only smile at each other, thinking about our beautiful lives. In spite of all our doubts and lack of guidance in life, the three of us found faith through Christ's love for us. He left us here, living our lives, growing in our faith. Through our communion, may we continue to inspire others to take the same walk in faith - knowing that no matter where they are in life, you're never so far away from hope as long as you have faith in God.

There is no greater friendship than this