Jeannie-Centristasis: Critical Fusion, #1

Critical Fusion

By

Everette O Lemons

THE WRITING OF THIS BOOK WAS INSPIRED BY

THE INTREPID AND INDOMITABLE SPIRIT

OF

BARBARA EDEN

Other Book Titles by Everette O Lemons

The Third Reich, A Revolution of Ideological Inhumanity – The Power of Perception,  ISBN 1-4116-1932-3  (2005)

The Third Reich, A Revolution of Ideological Inhumanity – Death Mask of Humanity,  ISBN 978-1-84728-835-6  (2006)

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The original character Jeannie as depicted in this book is a creation of Sidney Sheldon circa 1964 and Sidney Sheldon Productions in association with Screen Gems, and first portrayed onscreen by the actress Barbara Eden. The original theme script of the character ran as an American television sitcom between 1965 and 1970. Producers of the Jeannie sitcom were Sidney Sheldon (1965 – 1967) and Claudio Guzman (1967 – 1970). Directors included Claudio Guzman, Gene Nelson, Hal Cooper, Larry Hagman, Oscar Rudolph, Jon Anderson, Joseph Goodson, Bruce Kessler, Michael Ansara, Russ Mayberry, and Leo Garen. Notable actors appearing in the sitcom consistently, and whose characters are depicted within this book were Larry Hagman, Bill Daily, Hayden Rorke, Emmaline Henry, Barton McLane, and Vinton Hayworth. Notable celebrity guest appearances included Paul Lynde, Harold Gould, Groucho Marx, Bob Denver, Farrah Fawcett, Woodrow Parfrey, Michael Ansara, Judy Carne, Arte Johnson, Gary Owens, George H Schlatter, Sid Melton, Hilarie Thompson, Marvin Kaplan, Ned Wertimer, Sammy Davis Jr, Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart, Phil Spector, Jim Backus, Gabriel Dell, Carl Ballantine, The Lewis and Clark Expedition, and George Furth. I Dream of Jeannie theme music was created by Hugo Montenegro. Motion Picture and Screen Rights to the character Jeannie currently belong to Sony Pictures Entertainment and Columbia Pictures Television, all rights reserved.

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The author of this literary fictional work has taken considerable time and energy in acquainting himself with, and studying the primary and general dispositions of the main character as well as those characters associated with the main character in order to ensure that those characters remain consistent with their original creation. This is a purely fictional work, and thereby no part of this book should be considered factual or in any fashion or manner regarded as revealing any type of past event in reality. Any persons, places, or events, to include those associated with any law enforcement agencies, federal and/or state government agencies to include military organizations and/or facilities of reality that are depicted in a similar fashion within this book has been done so inadvertently and is purely coincidental.

© Copyright 2011, Everette O Lemons, all rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the author.

Permanent address of copyright holder, Everette O Lemons, 7211 Haven Avenue, E-216, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91701 – evlemons@gmail.com.

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Flesch Reading Ease:  65.4

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level:  8.6

ISBN  978-1466295124

notice

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Certain sections of this book contain graphical literary depictions of a mature or adult nature, and thereby may be inappropriate for children or minors. The following types of mature content are depicted within this book.

Explicit sexual situations and/or inferences.

Vernacular jargon that may include swearing or profanities.

Literary descriptions of violence and/or death.

Philosophical and/or Metaphysical discussions.

This book is intended for mature readers only.

It is absurd to reason that ends are not present(In Nature) because we do not see an agent deliberating.

____Aristotle

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Introduction

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I will say from the very outset that this is my first attempt at writing fiction. The motivation of such an attempt indelibly attributable to my love for the main mythical character that I am prepared to write about, and perhaps to an even greater extent, my love and admiration for the beautiful lady who portrayed that character. However, it is my estimation that along with a motive to write such fiction, that quest likewise requires two very important things. One must first have an idea and secondly, a creative manner in which to present the primary theme. The first requirement of course has already been presented to me, and hence the only task that remains really is to find a creative manner in which to present my version of it. Therefore, you the reader must consider this literary work by the author as merely an assay in recreativeness.

Though the idea and hence the focal character of this fictional work was created more than 40 years ago, I do find it very compelling to present a story that is consistent with the true nature of that character. That is to say that I haven't the slightest ambition to alter the persona of the main character, rather to present her genuine nature in a fashion that can not only be understood in modern terms, but that likewise is an entertaining version of that true nature. After all, it was and still is the original manifestation of this character in terms of appearance, demeanor, personality, and general conduct that people all over the world have adored for years. Hence, in the process of presenting a story in terms of a previously created character while maintaining the integrity of that creation, I give my own veritable version of it here in that context.

That version of this fictional character and that of those characters whom have always been associated with her transcends time in such a fashion so as to equate two separate time periods within a common precedent. So yes, from within the deepest depths of creative astuteness my mind can muster, there actually is a pronounced precept within the fictional story. In fact, there are several messages that are implied that directly involve modern society. Naturally, the socioeconomic environment in which we live is somewhat different than that of the 1960s, however society, and specifically human interactions beyond the practical manners in which we interact within that society have changed very little, if at all. Hence, though the perceptive elements of one time period are much different than that of another, the combination of mind and spirit that was, and still is the epitome of the character called Jeannie remains intact in this particular version. 

That combination of mind and spirit in many ways reflects the very nature of human behavior and interaction. For in many ways Jeannie typifies the human desire for contentment among options that are available to her. She strives to please herself and to fulfill desires that evolve within her as she learns more of a modernized world of which she has very little knowledge. Yet as it happens, such a quest for contentment via perceived desires that are learned from her environment very often create instances of pandemonium for those around her, and such a constantly occurring circumstance is what has become the endearing and enduring theme of the original fictional plot. But alas, as Jeannie has the power to create such chaos, she likewise has the power to correct it, which she perpetually does upon becoming convinced per her own contentment that such correction is necessary. A never-ending quantitative and qualitative measure of achieving her own desires at a carefully measured expense to the desires of others.

For all intents and purposes, Jeannie defines her own meanings of right and wrong, and eloquently evolves her own standards and morals as her knowledge of the modern world progresses. She learns very quickly that what is right to some is wrong for others, and what is good to some is evil to others. In essence, she understands that good and evil nor right and wrong are universally defined; rather they are defined per learned desires, and it is upon this concept wherewith she uses her immense power. Power that is invoked and revoked not per the absolute commands of her master, but per her own desires completely encompassed within the eternal goal of pleasing that master. As a genie, she desires to serve her master, yet as a woman she desires to love him. A somewhat dysfunctional relationship created via the mythical incarnation of a supernatural spirit into the body of a lovely woman.   

But of all the desires Jeannie had accumulated throughout the years of her modern existence, none was greater than the desire for her master. A desire so strong that even given the knowledge that was shared among them both, that being that she had become a mortally speaking quixotic entity could not prevent the two from finally engaging in the commitment of marriage. Whatever Jeannie thought she was, such a marriage became the happiest moment of her mortal womanhood existence, yet it ultimately swept away her supernatural powers. To many this would be an uneven tradeoff, yet to Jeannie it was a carefully measured assessment of what she desired most. She traded virtual immortality for mortality, and magic for love, and all in the name of contentment. For to Jeannie such love was magic, and her promise to Major Anthony Nelson to love, honor, and respect until death parted them would in the end prove to be immortal itself. For in the world of genies, only those that had shown incomparable devotion to the laws of the Great Djinn were granted the ultimate power to overcome death itself. In fact, only one other genie had ever been granted the power of life regeneration, that being the great uncle of the mystical Djinn Punjab, the Great Djinn Ghul. But it would not be merely one person Jeannie would attain the power to regenerate, but in the end much more. But before any of this could occur, and before Jeannie could regain her former power and wear the crown of the Great Djinn, she would have to make a deal with the Elders that she would bear the responsibility of the Centristasis. Moreover, it would become necessary to pledge the sacrifice of her own son should she fail in that responsibility. She would need to demonstrate her mettle for this assignment before the Elders who would present to her everything of good, evil, and their beholder, and moreover a coalescence of all of these things which would define to her the ultimate meaning of centripetal.

As it was, upon being formally married to a mortal for a certain period of time a genie loses all of his or her magical powers, at least until the marriage ends in some fashion. The supernatural part of a genie’s parallel existence with natural beings temporarily disposed into limbo. The permitting of such a marriage was a solemn affirmation of sorts from the supernatural world concerning the somewhat diluted attempt at eternal commitment declared by mere mortals. Thus the pandemonium that Jeannie had caused by the use of her powers over the years and that moreover had sustained the curiosity of Dr Alfred Bellows now ceased to exist. The termination of such bedlam creating a serene circumstance that had finally allowed Dr Bellows to peacefully retire from the Air Force in 1972. But for Jeannie the decision to forsake her own powers for what she determined to be magical matrimony had been absolutely no dilemma at all, for 20 years before it had been all that she had ever dreamed about. Even now as she thinks back from time to time, that decision had been the correct one.

But exactly who and what is Jeannie? Jeannie was actually born a mortal on April 1, 64 BC in the Southern Mesopotamia region of the former Parthian Empire. A richly historical area located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that was once ruled by both the Babylonians and Assyrians, and that today is part of modern Iraq. She became a Persian by consequence of the location of her birth; however, she never conciliated herself with, and thereby never strictly adhered to the Muslim, Jewish, or Christian faiths. Yet she could not be considered a pagan or heathen either, rather more accurately a henotheist in the sense of being monolatrous. Jeannie did in fact believe in the existence of a higher divine being, the attempt at interpreting that existence via religious doctrines is what she had difficulty reconciling. The Christian faith itself had more schisms than anyone cared to remember she perpetually thought, the massive Catholic Reformation ushering in the western defined Protestant denominations not the least of which. Then there were the differences within the Muslim faith between Sunnah and Shia, each side agreeing with the other in doctrine up to the point of the last prophet Muhammad, much in the same way that Christians and Jews agreed with one another up to the point of Jesus. To Jeannie, all of this merely amounted to people attempting to interpret and thereby to twist and turn religious doctrines to suit their own desires, and she would have no part of it. But she knew that her own powers came from somewhere, but as much as she knew such powers came from the Elders as Arishophoenes had always described it to her.

Though born in ancient times, she constantly strived to emancipate herself from the traditional constrictions of her societal origins. She was naïve yet headstrong, inspired by monogamy yet refused to admonish promiscuity. She was naturally submissive, yet implicitly domineering. The essence of her supernatural being forced upon her an immense affinity for receiving and conveying thoughts and emotions through physical contact. She was beautiful and endearing to the eyes, and had, nor made any caveats regarding her desire to display her luscious physical nature. Jeannie was Eurasian having acquired blonde hair from her European father and Asiatic eyes from her East Asian mother. Her father had worked as a local camel and horse trader while her mother was a typical homebody. By the time she was merely 13 years of age her beauty had by no means went unnoticed. With her long flowing European blonde hair that moreover had been very rare in the region, sculpted face and seductive Asiatic eyes, everyone knew that she was destined to be something special. Yet along with that beauty she had demonstrated a keen sense of mature charm that even matched that of people many times her age.

Jeannie was born into a time of high tension between the Parthian Kingdom and the Roman Empire, and a period of time wherein the Elders were again assigning ascensions to positions of both sub deities and demons. Thus, in 48 BC the Elders had sent the Wizard Arishophoenes (Air i sa´ fi nees) to place upon her the ability to call magical powers whenever she so desired within stipulated reason. But the Elders had deferred the decision to the old wizard as to what form of sub deity she would become. Arishophoenes had eventually decided that her incredible charm and beauty would be best illustrated as a Jinni. Hence, with his magic cane Arishophoenes ascended the mortal aspects of Jeannie and turned her into a genie, correlating the nature of the new Djinn spirit with that of her human spirit. She was explained the primary purpose of a genie thoroughly, and that her primary goal was to be of great service someday to a mortal. Yet she would have no choice in whom that mortal would be, if indeed she were ever called at all. With that, Arishophoenes produced her magical bottle, which she continues to maintain to this day. He explained to her that whomever releases her from this bottle, or at any time commands the bottle, that is whom she would serve.

She served an elderly man for two years until the old man died, and subsequently hid herself away in the comforts and solitude of her uncorked bottle, positioning the bottle along the Tigris River in hopes that someone would find it and command it. An entire year had passed before another genie known as the sub demon Blue Djinn found her bottle. However, since genies were not allowed to serve one another, the Blue Djinn desired to marry her, and of course she promptly refused. Becoming frustrated and angry at her constant rejections of marriage, the more powerful Blue Djinn placed her back into her bottle and corked it. There was no escape for Jeannie as her bottle ended up on a wooden ship and was eventually displaced on a deserted island in the South Pacific. It was there, nearly 2,000 years later that an American astronaut Captain Anthony Nelson would find her, and hence become her new master.  

The essence of Jeannie is a story of two existences compiled within one being. On the one hand there is the spiritual essence of the woman known as Jeannie, and on the other the spiritual essence of the supernatural Djinn. Such an existence is one that cannot be viewed in a practical or perceptive manner; rather it is a conceptual or idealistic existence. A dual existence that for all intents and purposes is essentially impractical within a mortal world of practicality. The Djinn spirit that is contrived via the Elders has been correlated to acquire the character nature of the human spirit, at least in a general sense. The differences between the Djinn and human spirits being primarily in the form of ultimate goals or causes. While the Djinn spirit desires to serve its master, the human spirit desires to love and marry him. An idealistic existential conflict that carries with it a multitude of contradictions, and contradictions that require constant compromise between the two spirits in terms of what each desires most. To a nearly perfect degree, the Elders thus created a consummate embodiment of the great entity’s conceptual nature.

As the legend is conceived, a spirit Djinn is created by a higher order of beings, such as angels, and is created with nothing more than the essence of a smokeless flame, or as many religious texts put it "The Fire of a Scorching Wind". A Djinn spirit can take on any incarnated physical form as prescribed by higher beings who create the Djinn, and most often this is in the form of a mortal human. Though the human physical being is its primary method by which the Djinn spirit interacts with the mortal world, the Djinn spirit is actually created with magical or mystical powers, allowing the spirit to assume any form at any time. The most natural physical form for the Djinn spirit to take outside of its primary intended form is that of smoke, and normally smoke that gives off a distinct color, normally pink or blue depending on the created intended gender of the spirit. Pink smoke for female Djinn, and blue smoke emanated by male Djinn spirits. Though it is never necessary, most Djinn spirits prefer to appear, disappear, and transport themselves magically behind or within their smoke signatures. This is a spiritually inclined programmatic affinity for Djinn spirits, though such smoke can take on different colors depending upon the spirit’s mood or feelings. Though a magical being, the Djinn spirit can only express and consume feelings and emotions upon taking on a physical form equipped to perceive and conceive or learn of things in the natural world capable of enticing such emotions. Hence, though a Djinn spirit gives off a moody sort of colorful smoke, the spirit actually has no sense of emotions while in the form of smoke. The spirit in most cases must first magically transform itself back to its original physical form to again be conscious of feelings and emotions. But even then, many times the desires and emotions contrived by the Djinn spirit within a mortal human conflict with those of the human spirit.

A Djinn spirit can learn to be good or evil, evil or good, but its primary purpose is to assist the mortal world in some fashion, and most often by rendering its magical abilities to aid certain individuals. Hence, perceived as good or bad, the Djinn spirit is one of service, and seeks to consume and convey its emotions either in the dominant or submissive sense, whereas the human spirit seeks to convey such emotions through measures of equal renditions. This was somewhat of a tricky dilemma for the creators of such Djinn spirits, and such creators ultimately decided to correlate to a certain extent the initial demeanor and disposition of the Djinn spirit with that of the human spirit it would accompany within the same mortal human. Such a dilemma ultimately created the very instance of conflict and contradiction that would ultimately require compromise between the two spirits, and a circumstance such creators desired from the very beginning. In other words, desires and emotions of the Djinn spirit would be learned from the human spirit and vice versa, and each would at times implore the other to act in a particular fashion. Hence, though a particular human spirit would not act in a particular way, attempting to appease the desires of the Djinn spirit could ultimately force it to. The coexistence of a magical Djinn spirit and a non-magical human spirit is thus what Jeannie ultimately became.

Though the Djinn spirit within her brought Jeannie a whole new way of life, there were in fact rules by which the new magical Jeannie had to abide by. Though she had the ability to revisit historical people and places, these perceived to be reproductions were never actually real, rather they were copied productions of an earlier time track. As the myth is conceived, there are many galaxies and solar systems, and within each galaxy living beings go through nearly precisely the same experiences, regardless of what planet they reside on, and do so only at different universal times. Hence, as a genie and having the ability to traverse such galactic tracks freely, Jeannie could in fact take anyone to any previous time in history by simply producing a carbon copy of particular events as the events were actually taking place and so to speak, relive the moment. While she or anyone that she allowed to experience a part of history in such a fashion could have their lives altered, for example by becoming injured or killed, such historical rendezvous could never alter the course of real history. Moreover, she could extract carbon copies of actual living beings of the past from another galactic track and again regardless of what planet they resided on. The only limitations to this magical ability was that she was not allowed to at any time interrupt the normal course of history in any galactic time track, nor visit any replication of a future time track or extract a carbon copy of anyone within a future time track. Thus, if she brought a carbon copy of William Shakespeare to this galactic time track say in 1967, the carbon copy would emulate Shakespeare exactly in the absence of the real Shakespeare and thus without interrupting Shakespeare’s intended life within the time track from which his copy was extracted. In essence, none of these historical figures that Jeannie either visited or extracted from the past were actually resurrected or regenerated, rather these were merely copies of each either visited within or extracted from their original time track, so long as that time track trailed her current track in respect to time. Thus, contrary to popular mythical belief, Jeannie could not do just anything, for she was not yet a Great Djinn and certainly was not by any means a prophet or fortuneteller, nor to this point a regenerator of life.

Genies that had become incarnated within mortal humans were under the overall watch of the chief of all genies, the Great Djinn Persian known as Haji Baba. Haji answered directly to the Elders, though he had never actually come into direct contact with the entity. But likewise every other supernatural being with any sort of authority over others with similar powers within the mortal world, to include Magi, Witches, Wizards, and Sorcerers also answered to the Elders. As legend has it, the Elders is an entity composed of a conglomeration of powerful spirits that answer directly to either God or Satan, and to variable degrees of allegiance, and moreover are believed to have powers that nearly emulate those of both. Depending upon how one believes, genies, as well as other magical figures are themselves sub-angels, but sub-angels of either God or of Satan, or they are considered good or evil, evil or good. Just as there are genies that are able to alter the course of events within the natural world, either in a perceived to be good way or a bad way within their own time track, there are likewise sorcerers, wizards, magi, and witches who are likewise capable of such a feat.

Since the Elders were the longstanding timekeepers, and thereby the earned name Elders, who watched over all galactic time tracks, any supernatural being violating magical time maneuver rules were dealt with harshly, such as being turned to stone or dust in an instant. Good or evil, those who broke a solemn oath or promise were likewise dealt with harshly. The Elders, much like our conception of God, were in fact ubiquitous in respect to all galactic time tracks, and another attribute that gracefully earned them the said name Elders. But to the Elders, each time track was akin to you or I watching a favorite rerun over and over, always knowing every part from beginning to end, and knowing that those characters in the parts were characterized as not knowing the events to occur each time we watched it. Hence, the Elders knew exactly what was to occur next in the life of Jeannie, simply because it had occurred hundreds of times before. But the great entity likewise dictated and enforced the rules by which all supernatural beings, to include Djinn were to interact with the mortal world when called to do so.

But Jeannie would soon learn what it was like to be nearly as powerful and omnipresent as the Elders, for in time she would greatly enhance the ability of her current spirit’s powers, and thanks no less of course to the Elders who would declare her a Great Djinn. This would only occur however until after she dealt with personal tragedy in her own life, for without such tragedy the opportunity to acquire the powers she would soon assume would not have been granted. Certain limitations to her current power would be lifted, such as the constriction of her powers within enclosed areas. However, she would retain such powers as the ability to change time, stop time, relive a segment of time for herself or others, and even instantly cure the most heinous diseases known to mankind to include cancer. But as the old song goes Everything that glitters is not gold, and Jeannie will quickly realize that things do not get any simpler with the acquisition of greater power, they merely get more complicated and complex, and a predicament her inferior enemies will attempt to exploit.

For instance, she could implore her Djinn spirit to change the time back to a point before her personal tragedy, but that would only necessitate living through it again and being none the wiser in the process, for she was not allowed to alter the course of history by revisiting a trailing time track. She would be able to cure kids who were sick with cancer, but she could not cure them all, and to claim that one should live and the other should die would be akin to playing God, which she was not. She could continue to make every day Sunday until her master was properly rested without altering the natural course of history, yet what about the group of kids who were planning to go on that camping trip on Monday and who had been looking forward to the trip all week, only to have to wait until 4 or 5 Sundays passed in the process. She could still control the weather by vanquishing hurricanes and raining on drought stricken regions, yet what effects to the environment would occur if she created the necessary natural conditions that would eliminate hurricanes altogether? Moreover, how much flood damage would be imposed on a drought stricken area when the natural rains added to the amount she had already produced? She could end wars, yet in the process might create three others. In essence, she would acquire the power to do many great things for humanity, yet at the very same time such admirable efforts could in the end cause greater hardship to humanity.

But such recklessness was in fact the manner in which the old Jeannie operated; however the Elders would not allow the new Jeannie to do likewise. Thus, she would be granted and thereby trusted with a broader range of judgment in respect to the use of her powers, and a judgment that would be constantly tested and tempted. Through it all, her duties as a genie in service to her master would be obliged completely, as well as the protection and preservation of her inner circle she would be obliged to defend. Moreover, her newly acquired powers would insist that she become a philosopher of life, which was to serve as an instructional cognition for using such powers. All of which in the end would be used to keenly educate the human race regarding the necessary conditions of peace. She would have to learn to use her powers in a manner of impartiality, for the Elders would not grant to nor sustain such power within one who lacked such wisdom. But the fact of the matter was and is that Jeannie had already shown an incredible inclination for using her powers in an ingenuousness fashion. The evidence of this could be seen by the many times she had pushed her master to the edge of delirium in a quest to fulfill her own partial desires, yet in the end had shown the mettle of dispositive candor by correcting the mistakes made by such pursuits. In words, her natural inclination was to desire that everyone had an equal opportunity to fulfill their desires as she did, which in the end made her the perfect embodiment of an equalizer. Such a trait of counterpoise, even in the face of the most polarizing positions and situations is what the Elders had intended for Jeannie to be. She was to be a paragon of candidness, yet she would become as such only by revealing the hypostatized reality of her centripetal nature. Along with her unending service to her master and her inner circle known as the Centristasis, this is what she would become.

Preface

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The year was 1991, and both Colonels Anthony Nelson and Roger Healey were in their 28th year as United States Air Force and Army Officers respectively. As pioneering astronauts in their younger years, they had taken the risks involved with tethering into space and flying and testing the most technologically advanced aircraft the Air Force could provide. As such, they along with Psychiatrist Dr Alfred Bellows had literally spent their entire careers at Cape Canaveral, FL, even when the historic area was referred to as Cape Kennedy. Though Dr Bellows had only spent the last 8 years of his career at Cape Kennedy, the years between 1965 and 1970 by far was the most intriguing period he had experienced during his long military tenure. Moreover, the peculiar events that would occur in and around Cape Kennedy involving Dr Bellows and his constant pursuit regarding the bizarre nature of both Majors Nelson and Healey would eventually become listed by the federal government as top secret.

Cape Canaveral is actually a city in Florida with an adjacent Air Force Base located on the east coast of Florida facing the Atlantic Ocean likewise named Canaveral, within which rests the Kennedy Space Center. Following the assassination of President John F Kennedy in 1963, his widow Jacqueline Kennedy then requested of President Lyndon Johnson to rename the space center on Cape Canaveral to the ‘Kennedy Space Center’ as a memorial to the former president who had challenged America to put a man on the moon before the decade of the 1960s ended. This of course was in fact achieved in 1969 when Astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man on the moon. Though Jacqueline Kennedy had only requested that the space center be renamed in honor of her husband, Johnson had gotten the entire cape renamed to Kennedy in 1964. This happening one year before Nelson’s first attempted space shot malfunctioned and landed him on a deserted island in the South Pacific, and wherein he had found Jeannie. However, after numerous protests by citizens of the town of Cape Canaveral, in 1973 the Florida State Legislature passed a law renaming the cape again to ‘Canaveral’, which remains the name of the cape today. Thus, throughout Jeannie’s first tenure as a genie in America during the 1960s, and during the time she first met Anthony Nelson the cape was in fact called Kennedy.

But satisfying careers indeed for Nelson and Healey, both of whom had earned the respect of not only their peers and relatives, but of people around the world. Yet they each held a secret that dated back over 27 years, and a secret the two were determined to keep a secret in the interest of their own careers. Yet people had always assumed that there was indeed something peculiar certainly about Nelson during his first five years in the space program, and perhaps to a lesser degree Healey as well. None had been so eager however to find out what that secret was, than base Psychiatrist Dr Alfred Bellows.

By 1972 it had become clear to Dr Bellows that it had been quite some time since Colonel Nelson had demonstrated his peculiar and often times unexplainable behavior, yet he was sure that it was only a matter of time before such bizarre events reemerged. A matter of time when someone would witness Colonel Nelson flying through the air with no aircraft, or mysteriously being seen in two different parts of the world at the same time, or somehow displacing an apple tree into his living room; ostensibly talking to a wall or vacuum cleaner or reciting love poetry to a steel safe in some sort of demented fashion, or making it snow on his house, and only on his house in Florida in the middle of July, with or without a horse, elephant, tiger, grizzly bear, or sailboat in the middle of his living room. All along the way Dr Bellows was determined to get to the bottom of this mystery that surrounded Colonel Nelson. After all he had postponed his retirement in 1965 for several years just to analyze Nelson’s every move practically. An enigmatic period of time for Dr Bellows as he attempted voraciously to explain the constantly inexplicable behavior and circumstances that Nelson seemed to perpetually operate on and within. That was until the summer of 1972, two years passed upon the marriage of Anthony Nelson to this girl named Jeannie. Suddenly and equally mysteriously, everything that seemed peculiar about Tony Nelson had simply vanished.

It had been in the year 1972 wherein Jeannie’s Djinn spirit had finally vanished into limbo, leaving her again as a mere mortal. The two-year delay between the time that she had married Major Anthony Nelson and this event had been established by the Elders in order so that Jeannie may use the time to determine if her decision to marry the astronaut and rescind all of her magic powers was the correct decision. Since Jeannie at no time during this two-year period neither had nor showed any inclination to divorce from the wedding and retain her magic Djinn spirit, the Elders had instructed Haji Baba to revoke her powers and place her Djinn spirit in limbo for the duration of the marriage. This was followed in the autumn of 1972 with the announced retirement of Dr Alfred Bellows after more than 30 years of military service. Four years later in 1976, Jeannie and Nelson had a son they named Anthony Nelson Jr, or Tony Jr for short. This childbirth occurring approximately one year after Nelson’s promotion to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

The short flight Nelson, Healy, and Dr Bellows were about to take was in essence intended to be the last for both Nelson and Healey as United States Military Officers, for it was a flight to a pre-retirement honorary ball given just for them. A short, simple flight to Miami from Cocoa Beach, FL of about 200 miles, and a flight they and Dr Bellows had taken numerous times over the course of their careers. As fate would have it on this fateful day in January 1991, both Jeannie and the wife of Dr Bellows, Amanda Bellows were both sick in bed and unable to attend the function. A nasty bug that had been floating around that had resulted in preventing the two people who most urgently wanted to attend the ball from doing so. For in many ways the peculiar nature of Nelson many years ago had intrigued and baffled Amanda as much as Dr Bellows himself. Amanda was as curious about things as Alfred, and in many ways much more so. Via her unending curiosity regarding Nelson, and her friendship with both he and Jeannie over the years, Amanda now felt as awful emotionally as she did physically for not being able to attend a function she knew meant so much to both Nelson and Healey.

As he sat in the somewhat private plane, Colonel Roger Healey began contemplating this day as it had now arrived. As he looked through the window of the plane onto the tarmac through the misty drizzle that fell on this chilly day in Florida, he perhaps more than anyone still could not understand why he was not married himself. He questioned the fact that he had never been able to settle down with the right girl; rather he seemed to rely on his little black book over the course of his career, never being satisfied with just one. A mistake perhaps he thought to himself, but just then a small grin gripped his lips as he recalled the whimsical times that had consumed him over the years. But just as quickly, and in an eerily fashion Healey began to think somewhat negatively as his forehead crunched with concern, as it seemed as though such thoughts and remembrances was a signal of goodbye not only to the army, but likewise to the world. Little did Roger Healey know, but such a signal would prove to be prophetic on both fronts.

For Jeannie, she had always had a strange ability to foresee trouble coming in many instances, and today was no different. An inauspicious feeling as Tony Nelson kissed her goodbye on the way to the landing strip, and a feeling that perhaps was enveloped in part by how miserable she felt physically and by how much she really wanted to accompany him and could not. Yet it likewise seemed that her very physically ill state was becoming sort of a mental anxiolytic ironically, and hence she was reluctant to press on concerning the restive fear she now had for her husband’s safety. A fear she convinced herself that had as much to do with not being able to go with him as it did with genuine fear itself. Hence, she informed him that Tony Jr would remain behind to look after her. After bidding him farewell as he walked out the door she calmly faded into a deep sleep. The television had remained on as she dozed off, and when she would awaken hours later it would give her the most horrible news of both her existential lives.

Roger Healey was abruptly brought back to reality by both Dr Bellows and Colonel Nelson as they boarded the plane, that after being consumed by the past in his own mind, wishing in some ways that he could relive it and change certain things about it. A prophetic day indeed for Roger Healey, as he delightfully greeted the two men and in true Roger Healey fashion could not help noticing the lovely civilian airline stewardess who had been assigned to just the three of them on this somewhat historical trip. But he quickly thought of an appropriate line that at least mirrored some form of compassion toward both Nelson and Dr Bellows, stating how regretful he felt that their wives were both sick and unable to attend. The compassionate concern of Healey was readily accepted by the two men, and just as quickly all three began to settle into their seats for the short flight. Both Nelson and Healey were scheduled to give a short speech at the gathering, and Dr Bellows could not help but feel that he should be prepared to as well, just in case he was called upon. Hence, upon being served coffee and bagels by the attractive brunette stewardess, the three men casually reviewed their personal notes and attended to their own comforts as their final flight raced down the runway.

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....... a-–gain, repeating our top story. A plane carrying former Astronauts Colonel Anthony Nelson and Roger Healey crashed early this afternoon just north of Miami, FL. According to investigators the exact cause is yet to be determined, however it is believed that the pilot may have become ill during the flight. The pilot and all four passengers to include Nelson, Healey, long-time retired Air Force Psychiatrist Dr Alfred Bellows, and a flight stewardess by the name of Cindy Morehead are said to have all perished.

Jeannie slowly sat up in bed characteristically with her mouth wide open, yet still drowsy and feeling somewhat woozy from her recent spate of illness. Now however, she was attempting to convince herself that what she thought she just heard the newsman say was really just part of a nightmare as the newscast quickly switched over to a commercial. Staring directly through the television screen somewhat delusional and trembling, Jeannie quickly realized that there was in fact one way to know for sure. Though the Elders mandated a two-year waiting period to revoke the magical spirit from a mortal who entered into marriage with a mortal voluntarily, there was no such waiting period to reinstate the magical powers once the marriage ended, voluntarily or otherwise. Jeannie was well aware of this and hence, taking a deep breath and refocusing her attention on the television set as it continued to sing out commercial announcements, Jeannie quickly blinked, and much to her dismay the television set began to magically rise. As she blinked again to slowly lower the set back down upon its supports, she turned and looked in the mirror. Right before her very eyes she witnessed the last few wrinkles fade from her lovely face. At that very moment she realized that her former master, husband, and the center of her life was now gone, her Djinn spirit had returned, and that her mortal existence had been rescinded.

As Jeannie continued to stare into the mirror with vacant eyes, she suddenly realized the phone was ringing. Undoubtedly the caller was someone either with more news concerning the plane crash or someone with more questions, or both. On the other end of the line was a hysterical Amanda Bellows who promptly inquired as to whether or not Jeannie had heard the news of the crash. In light of Mrs. Bellows hysteria, Jeannie quickly attempted to compose herself so as to not agitate the moment. Yet as she attempted to calm Mrs Bellows and simultaneously issue her own condolences for the loss of her husband, Jeannie likewise suddenly realized that they both were very fortunate in that they were not on the plane as well. A small consolation Jeannie truly felt, and a thought she dared not relay to Mrs Bellows who by now had gathered a whole host of current and former Air Force members who were quite close to Dr Bellows along with many of their immediate families within her home. So upon reassuring Mrs Bellows that she was fine and likewise fibbing about having guests of her own, Jeannie quickly hung up the phone, for she had much bigger problems. One of which involved someone who she suddenly realized had appeared behind her.

The Great Djinn Haji Baba had been the Chief of all Genies as far back as Jeannie could recall, and she likewise knew exactly why he was paying her a visit now. As Jeannie turned to greet him he came toward her with outstretched arms as Jeannie simultaneously blinked in her official harem wardrobe.

I am so deeply sorry Jeannie, he compassionately spoke and clasped his hands in front of his chest in typical Arab solemnity. I cannot begin to fully understand the profound depths of thy loss, for I know that thou had great respect, admiration, and love for a man that hath been violently and swiftly taken from thee.

I thank thee Haji, Jeannie replied, innocently smiling in her typical elegant, yet saddened fashion. I thank thee also for coming Haji, she continued, but of course I did expect thou would as an official visit.

Quite right, Haji agreed nodding, so then I take it that thou art fully aware that thou art once again a genie officially. Jeannie sadly nodded as she lowered her head in despair.

Please, do not allow thy heart to be filled with resignation Jeannie, Haji softly said. On this day I do have a bit of good news for thee, even within this morbid atmosphere. Curiously, Jeannie perked her head up in an obvious display of hopeful curiosity, slightly tilting her head to the right characteristically. Haji concertedly smiled sincerely and compassionately as he explained to Jeannie that due to this rather uncommon circumstance that had been thrust upon her, she would not only have the opportunity of becoming a Great Djinn, but likewise be granted the power of life regeneration. However, this could only occur per the agreed upon precognition that she would be bound to accepting a role the Elders had never imposed upon anyone before. Moreover, as assurance to her compliance of fulfilling this role, she would have to pledge the life of one of her relatives, which meant her son Tony Junior.

Why, doest thou realize what thou art asking me Haji? Why this is absurd. I shall pledge myself, she added quickly.

I am sorry my dear, however thou cannot pledge thyself. The young man shall remain free to live his own life, even during the application of thy responsibility, Haji replied.

Jeannie sighed deeply and thought for a moment about what Haji had just explained to her, for she already had a conceptual idea of the manner in which the composite of the entity existed including its complex system of interrelations that perpetually kept the component parts of the entity in perfect balance. She likewise knew what this conceptual secret was in terms of maintaining such balance between deeply contrasting beings with diametrical desires and emotions pertaining to everything. That secret was that anything was fair game, meaning there were no written or unwritten rules in terms of morality or in the consideration of one’s ways. Yet she likewise knew that while beings within the entity were many times in constant conflict, there was always sufficient compromise, which inherently meant that none of such beings existed without any morals. Hence, what Jeannie could only conclude from what Haji had explained to her was that somehow she was to conceptually represent to the human species this secret to harmony, which indelibly excluded the propositions of both absolutism and nihilism.

She turned to Haji and asked, And what shall become of my son if I commit and am unable to accomplish this trust?

Haji looked at her with a serious expression and said, Then thy son shall die.

"Life regeneration," Jeannie pondered mentally.

My, life-regeneration, that is power presumably only reserved for the divine. Why the Great Djinn Ghul hath been the only Djinn to ever acquire such power, she added with contemplation.

Yes my dear, Haji replied, however thou must in return assume an abstract role that is highly complex, and moreover the concept of which shall be explained further to thee in due time. If thou wishes to accept this role unconditionally, then thou shall initially be granted the power to regenerate the lives of four individuals of thy choosing, and moreover restore them to a time period likewise of thy choosing. However, thou must wait 20 years, five years for each, and during that time thou shall prepare thyself to meet the Elders and to assume this role. Thou shall use this time Jeannie to learn and educate thyself philosophically and morally for this role. A role moreover, that thy son’s life shall depend upon.

Jeannie further pondered what Haji had just explained to her. She had no idea what such a role would entail entirely regardless of the fact that she had the gist of the proposition being proposed. However, she likewise knew that she would do practically anything to again have Nelson by her side, yet she could not fathom gambling the life of her own son. She then looked again at Haji with a serious and confident expression.

Is there anymore that thou might be able to divulge about this responsibility? she asked.

Only a few requirements that I have knowledge of Jeannie. One, thou art not permitted to regain thy mortal status nor to remarry thy master, or any other mortal as thou did in the past. Moreover, thou shall eventually surround thyself with certain mortals who have become accomplished within their respective chosen fields. Accomplished not necessarily due to any special talents, but more so to their perpetual persistence, durability, and hard work. Attributes that clearly describe thee Jeannie.

Jeannie smiled slightly and said, I thank thee.

Haji then continued as he paced a bit, Yet this group shall be of a diverse nature in terms of common beliefs, associations, and personal philosophies. In other words Jeannie, thou shall be the center point of a coalescence of highly productive people, and a fusion of sorts that the Elders believe to be at this point highly urgent and critical. Thou may prematurely come across those who shall eventually become a part of this team, however likewise thou shall know that such individuals are not yet prepared to accept the responsibility of such membership and association with thee. Though thou shall not initially know exactly everyone whom shall become a part of this team, thou shall have knowledge of this upon the appropriate time. But I beg thee Jeannie, please consider the consequences of failure. But Jeannie had already considered that as she looked at him squarely in the eyes.

With a serious expression she said, "I am hereafter my own keeper, and it is I who hath bore the child and giveth him life. The boy is part of me, and part of my existence, thus to wager his life is to wager my own. No one inherits a greater wager than that of a mother sacrificing her own child, and thereby herself." She paused a moment and lowered her head as Haji listened intently. She then looked at him again with her customary glazed look as tears formed in her eyes. Suddenly she appeared before him in a black gown that stretched from her shoulders to the tops of her ankles. The pink harem wrap was replaced by a black wrap as she assumed a dark facial veil that covered her entire face leaving only part of her chin visible. She wore no genie cap, however her hair was still braided perfectly atop her head as it extended through gold plated holders into an elegant pony tail. She stood with her hands on her hips, still wearing her black harem slippers as she acquired a very serious expression behind her dark veil.

"I shall now speak and declare certain things on behalf of both spirits that dwell within me. My husband, master, and the love of my life is dead on the one hand, and now I must gamble the life of my son in order to call forth again his father’s mortal existence on the other. I hereby declare unto thee as representing the quintessence that to defend the life of my son is likewise to defend myself. Hence, to defend myself is to defend at all costs those who become ascribed to me. Whomever shall lay eyes upon these garments that are not dutifully ascribed to my presence shall feel my wrath if I so choose to bring it forth and in accordance with that which I feel is appropriate without recourse of any kind, from anyone." Jeannie paused for a moment to allow Haji to digest what she had just said.

She then continued, The responsibility presented to me, and that I have pledged the life of my son to uphold I shall presume to be a request for the complete destruction of the influence pertaining to absolute morality and to thereby not make a deliberate attempt to sanction immorality as pertains to anyone, rather to sanction the natural right of subjective morality. Hence, I hereby deny allegiance to any specific morals be they considered good or evil, evil or good by anyone or entity that contradict my subjective analysis of the contextual circumstance in question. When so called upon, the wrath that shall emanate from these garments shall do so in a manner of subjective truth, however without bias to, of, or against absolute moral specifications. I ask for nothing more than what hath been presented to me and what I have just stated, for that is my solemn oath and my creed. Upon that premise, I shall accept thy challenge.

Essentially what Jeannie had just declared was that since Colonel Nelson was now deceased, she alone was responsible for herself and her child, and thus she now made her own decisions. Moreover, she made it clear the extreme sacrifice that would be made if she failed, and a sacrifice so extreme that it was equal to sacrificing herself. In that conceptual sense, she had a right to defend her child’s existence at all costs, which meant defending at all costs those who would eventually become ascribed to her cause, and in a manner such that even the Elders could not stop her, for she was likewise defending herself. In other words, when she appeared to anyone outside of the Centristasis in this black outfit, the wrath she imposed upon them was her decision alone, a morally subjective decision uninfluenced by any type of absolute morality, and no one could forcibly stop her. This was extremely important Haji immediately realized, for it would be the first ever instance wherein the Elders would become completely forbidden from interceding within the interactions between a supernatural spirit and the mortal world. This type of latitude had not even been given to the Great Djinn Ghul, from whom Haji Baba had assumed his current role. In essence, the new black garments that Jeannie had donned symbolized the collective effort of both her human and Djinn spirits, and no power in the universe could stop its collective actions.

But such an unmediated decision used by Jeannie in this context would not be based upon any type of moral code, religiously defined or otherwise, for she likewise officially denied any allegiance to such notions. Such protective severity would likewise apply to all who became ascribed to the orb. In essence, she could not just don the wrathfully symbolic outfit in any occasion, only in defense of herself, her child, and members of the Centristasis or as a circumstance may pertain to them. But even upon donning the outfit, she was in no way obligated to show fury of any kind to anyone who she appeared to in the outfit. Meaning that she could simply decide to take no action at all, and many times this does in fact occur. Moreover, when the black outfit was donned, there was no specific moral code or standard that would guide her actions whether she acted or not.   

Haji had stood and listened to her in awe, for he could not believe that this was the same Jeannie he had always known to be reckless and lacking any sort of idealistic thought. He had suddenly realized that Jeannie had spent the last 21 years of her life wisely, and had become much more knowledgeable. He clasped his palms together in reverence and slightly bowed to her.

Thine words have been well spoken my dear, and such privilege as thou hast mentioned shall be granted. Thus, Haji understood that upon presaging any actions against anyone by appearing to them in full view wearing the black garments, the entity Elders was prepared and agreeable to allowing her enormous latitude in terms of demonstrating and directing any amount of fury or force. Thus, Haji merely made the agreement official, being confident in doing so after being reassured mentally by the Elders.

Haji then stood erect and said, Thy acceptance has been noted, and I shall also remind thee that thou shall be granted enormous powers with thy acceptance of this proposition. Powers in fact much greater than any other sub deity or demon, greater than that of any other Great Djinn, and powers that shall exceed mine as well. But to bear the enormous responsibility of such powers, thou must train thy mind and emotions to become highly impartial in terms of the full range of human desires and emotions. More of this concept shall be revealed to thee over the next 20 years, and of course the entirety of it thou shall have knowledge of upon meeting the Elders. At such time that thou must meet the Elders Jeannie, thy ability to act in a manner of impartiality, even within the most polarizing emotional experiences shall be fully tested. Until such time Jeannie, I bode thee well.

Haji then clasped his hands together again in front of his chest, and bowing his head slightly he said, I shall see thee upon the passing of 20 years and upon the very moment thou art required to meet the Elders. Within seconds of Jeannie nodding her acknowledgment, he disappeared behind a small puff of blue smoke.  

With the distant future now settled, Jeannie’s attention quickly returned to the near future as she again donned her pink harem outfit. She immediately summoned 16-year old Tony Jr, who much like his father loved to work on model space rockets.

He came downstairs from Nelson’s old study and said, I heard most of it Ma, and I want you to know that it is ok. I believe in you. Jeannie walked toward him with tears developing in her eyes. She held his face with both hands though he was now a few inches taller than she.

And I believe in you my son; and I believe in your father, I always have. Prepare thyself for thy father’s funeral my child,