DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. If you are offended by 
sexually explicit material or are under the age of 18, stop reading 
now. This material cannot be reproduced for commercial purposes 
without the consent of the author.


John Carter
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2003


Part 3: Robes of Acumen
Chapter 23

John woke up in the middle of the room. His wives and husbands 
lay on the floor still sleeping. All of them were naked with arms 
and legs entwined in the bliss that followed their orgies. The orgy 
had started early the night before and had lasted until the early 
morning. John was the first to wake. It had always been that way. 
He took a moment to look at each one peacefully sleeping. It 
touched his heart.

The orgy had started with John making love to Kelly. It had been 
tender and touching. She was his longest surviving wife and 
making love with Kelly had brought to mind the whole history of 
his life with her. He remembered when he met her in the hospital, 
the first time he had made love to her, and the wonder of raising a 
child with her. She had challenged the Goddess in the hope of 
protecting him and had become a power in her own right. She 
could heal others through love.

He had then gone on to give Ed a blowjob. It was hard and forceful 
without foreplay, the kind of sex they had always shared. The night 
in the hotel after catching the serial killer had laid the foundation 
for the type of sex they had shared. The more intimate moments 
between them had occurred on the roof watching the sunset. Sex 
between them had always been a different kind of thing, one that 
he couldn't put into words. He and Ed had decided that they 
performed it more for the pleasure of the women than for 
themselves.

Finishing Ed had not taken long, but he spent a lot more time with 
Ling. He had licked her through several orgasms before mounting 
her. She had screamed like the first time that they had made love. 
It always pleased him the way that she let her pleasure be known to 
anyone that cared to hear and even those who didn't. 

After Ling, Leroy took John in his ass. The sex had been forceful 
and long lasting. It was better having Leroy's cock in his ass than 
Ed's much bigger cock, despite the fact that Leroy tended to have 
much greater stamina and was more forceful. John's greatest times 
of intimacy with Leroy were hiking through the Arizona desert. 
Leroy was the only one in the family that enjoyed hiking as much 
as John did, although Kelly had come around a bit after her 
encounter with the Goddess. 

After Leroy, John made love with his Indian Maiden, Linda. She 
was the only woman whose virginity he had taken. It was easy for 
him to take a significant amount of time pleasuring her before he 
came the third and final time of the night. She ended up screaming 
as much as Ling. It was funny, but he felt closer to Linda at times 
than any of the others. 

Reflections about the previous night over, John wandered out of 
the room to make coffee for the others. It had been a long time 
since they had an orgy with all six of them present. It had been 
even longer since they had an after-orgy breakfast together. He 
went into the kitchen and started the coffee. He looked through the 
shelves and found a box of pancake mix. He smiled and started 
making the batter. The refrigerator had eggs and maple syrup. 

He had just poured the first pancake when Kelly came out for some 
coffee. She was followed by Leroy. She poured a cup for herself 
and then one for Leroy. They both had woken up in a chipper 
mood and were debating who would wake up next. They both 
looked up when Ed shuffled out half-asleep. He moved over to the 
coffeepot and poured a cup before shuffling to the table. He took a 
sip of the coffee as he sat down in the chair.

John looked up stating in a good-natured voice, "I've always 
wondered how he could sit in a chair with that long tail of his."

Kelly laughed and continued the joke by saying, "Yeah, I know 
what you mean. It sure is nice when he uses his cock and his tail 
during sex. It is just so unexpected having that tail rub you down 
there."

Ed looked at them as if he were having trouble focusing. He asked, 
"What's unexpected?"

Leroy answered, "Your tail."

Ed grunted. John, Kelly, and Leroy laughed at the Ed's 
acknowledgement of having a tail. John relented, "Let's leave him 
alone until he wakes up."

There were screams of pleasure coming from the other room. Kelly 
looked over at John, "Well, I guess our two screamers are awake."

John continued to make pancakes and pile them up on a plate. 
Once he had finished all of the batter, he started on the eggs. The 
screams died out before the eggs were finished. He put an egg on 
each plate and then set the plates on the table. He went back to the 
plate of pancakes and carried it back to the table. Kelly got out 
utensils and set the table. Leroy got out the Maple Syrup and 
looked for powdered sugar. When he couldn't find any, he brought 
the syrup to the table and sat down. 

Ling and Linda soon came out of the bedroom. They poured 
themselves some coffee and joined everyone at the table. The 
conversation around the table flowed easily. There was happy 
teasing of Ed, who was still half-asleep, but now was working on 
his second cup of coffee. 

Linda stated, "It seems like forever since we've done this."

Ling answered, "Almost six months."

Ed, now almost awake, stated, "That's six months too long. I've 
really missed us being together like this."

John listened to the conversation flowing around him. He was very 
happy that everyone could be here today. In a little while they 
would leave this suite and join the kids. Reverend Jones would 
have a chance to talk with Leroy. He and Ed would play a game of 
Hunt The Bug Eyed Monsters with all of the kids. For now, they 
could relax together. 

Ed had finally wakened fully. He asked, "What was that about a 
tail you were talking about earlier?"

Kelly stated, "Oh, John was curious how you could sit at in the 
chair with your tail. He was curious why it wasn't in the way."

Ed stated, "I don't have a tail."

Everyone else at the table laughed. Ed realized they had been 
having fun at his expense earlier. He answered, "One, of these days 
I'm going to get all of you back."

John smiled, "We love you."

The conversation returned to subjects closer to everyone's hearts, 
namely they were worried about the children. All of the children 
demonstrated accelerated learning, yet retained the emotions of 
young kids. Beth possessed an incredible mathematical ability that 
stunned the professors in the school. Little John knew more about 
Biology than his professors. Wonderful chocolate brown Betsy 
was displaying Ling's physical abilities. William was still a 
mystery. He was able to learn what ever was put in front of him, 
but had not shown a passionate interest in any topic.

John stated, "I have talked to Robert White Feather. He has agreed 
to take our children for a year starting this coming September."

Linda stated, "I don't know if the reservation is the best place for 
them."

Kelly agreed, "They should stay in school."

Ling asked, "Why should they stay with strangers for a year?"

Ed stated, "When William was still alive, John and I discussed this 
with him. We wanted the children to have a chance to learn the 
respect that William had instilled in his children."

"It's for their own good. They have learned to treat people with 
respect and tolerance. They need to learn more about nature and to 
treat it with respect. They also need to see a little of the real world. 
Their life here and at home is very sheltered. They need to see kids 
running and playing and arguing." John looked at each of his 
wives.

Ling stated, "You are right. They will be victims to others who 
have no tolerance or respect. The reservation is a good place to 
learn that. There is still a lot of anger there and, yet, it is safe. They 
will see and learn prejudice."

Linda agreed with part of it but disagreed with it. She countered, 
"They will encounter a lot of anger there."

Kelly stated, "Okay. I approve."

Linda turned on Kelly and asked, "Why? I want our kids at home 
with us."

Kelly shook her head and answered "Think of the childhood that 
you had and the lessons about people that it taught you. Life with 
us doesn't teach those lessons. However, they are important 
lessons. We would cheat them by keeping them away from it."

Ling nodded her agreement and said, "My training under my father 
was very protected. My father sent me to live with my Uncle when 
I was young. I saw my first gang fight there and realized the value 
of my education under my father. My Uncle was burglarized while 
I was there. I learned much while I was there."

"They should know how to deal with bullies. I know, I used to be 
one. Those kids wouldn't last a day against a real bully. Well, 
except for Betsy. She'd tear one apart like they were made of 
straw. Again, that's not the best way to respond." 

John smiled, "Ed, those days are a long time in the past for you."

"I still remember what I did to people."

Linda frowned as she realized that she was the last holdout. Their 
arguments were persuasive and she couldn't find fault in them. 
Their home was very unusual in the lack of conflict. She also 
realized that her brother wasn't exactly a stranger. She decided, 
"Okay, I'll go along with you."

John stated, "You know. I think this might be the chance for 
William to discover his passion."

Linda frowned and stated, "he's only four."

John smiled as he said, "I know he's only four. He's going on five 
and is as smart as a whip. He's the deepest of the children and will 
go the farthest of them all."

Leroy nudged him in the shoulder and said "Admit it, he's your 
favorite."

The good-natured jest was taken that way, but John answered 
seriously. "You know, each one of them is special. It's impossible 
to favor one over the other. The Gods and Goddesses really blessed 
us with our children." 

That comment brought the end to the breakfast discussion. They 
went into the orgy room and dressed. They left the suite and joined 
the children in their regular quarters. Reverend Jones had enjoyed 
the evening with his grandchildren. Leroy and his father left the 
room talking about the strange paths that their lives had taken. 

The kids swarmed over John and Ed shouting, "Time to go 
hunting."

John said, "Really?"

"You promised we could go hunting!"

Ed and John laughed. Ed stated, "Okay kids!"

William and Beth joined John on one couch while little John and 
Betsy joined Ed on another couch. John and Ed were pilots while 
the kids shot at the Bug Eyed Monsters. John shouted out, "Kids, 
watch out. We've hit a swarm of them."

Beth asked, "Should we use the grenade guns?"

Little John made a clicking noise as if he was talking over a 
walkie-talkie. "Ship two to Ship one. We should be using grenade 
guns. There are just too many of them."

Betsy screamed in pleasure, "I love the grenade guns. KABOOM."

The other kids followed shouting loud KABOOMs as well. Ed 
made a clicking noise, "Ship two to Ship one. There's too much 
space debris here. We are going to hit turbulence any second now."

Everyone made gestures as if they were strapping into their seats. 
John shouted, "Oh no! Turbulence."

Everyone made rocking motions from side to side. William 
shouted out, "Our horizontal stabilizer has gone out."

Everyone in ship one started swaying from side to side in 
exaggerated motions. John shouted, "I'm going to have to cut the 
engines!"

Beth made a clicking noise, "Ship one to ship two. Our horizontal 
stabilizer has gone out. We are dead in space. Protect us from the 
Bug Eyes while we fix it."

The two kids left the couch, walking as if they were weightless. 
They moved around to the back of the couch and started making 
noises as if they were repairing it. They talked to each other as they 
worked, discussing the repairs that they were making. It was a 
running commentary of opening the hatch, removing some parts, 
locating the bad part, and replacing it. Meanwhile, ship two 
engaged a large number of Bug Eyes. 

As they laughed and joked, the women were in the other room 
listening to them. Ling laughed almost the whole time. Linda and 
Kelly were convinced that Ling would have joined them, even if 
she had to be a Bug Eyed Monster. Linda laughed while saying, 
"Listen to those two grown men. They are little boys at heart!"

Kelly laughed and teased "Oh, you weren't saying that last night."

They giggled as they talked of the evening before. The time slowly 
moved up to eleven in the morning. The kids looked at the clock 
and knew that their time with their dads was almost over. When 
the clock hit eleven, the kids stopped playing. They all came to 
John and hugged him tightly. John looking fondly at his children 
stated, "I love each and every one of you."

Beth stated, "We know you love us daddy. We love you too."

Little John stated, "We know that you have a final service to 
perform today."

Betsy looked sad as she said, "You will watch over us, but we'll 
still miss you."

William sat quietly for several moments. Everyone turned to look 
at him. He finally broke the silence, "The Gods and Goddesses 
marked you for greatness. You have never failed them. We are 
proud of you daddy."

John hugged all the kids and told each one individually that he 
loved them. He was touched by their understanding. He hoped that 
they would be able to deal with the events as they unfolded. The 
kids left the room to locate their mothers. They would have a quick 
bite to eat while he prepared for the ritual. 

John went to the window and looked outside. The sky was overcast 
and dark; it looked like rain. Ed stood next to him and looked at 
the sky. He shook his head disgusted at the weather. He stated, "It 
looks like rain."

John replied, "It won't rain."

At a few minutes before noon on Midwinter's day, all of the 
Druids, the students, and the whole Carter clan were gathered at 
the clearing. Everyone was dressed, even the first year students 
wore blue robes. They stood outside the circle of trees. The 
clearing, inside the circle of trees, was empty. The ground was 
covered by dull brown grass littered with dry leaves. The air was 
still, but carried a tension of something about to break loose.

A news crew had come to film the ritual in the hopes of getting fill 
time on the news. The cameraman had put a cover over the camera 
in the hopes of keeping the rain off the lens. The reporter had 
already recorded a simple introduction to the event.

John entered the clearing. He was dressed in his brown robes, gray 
cloak, and carrying his walking stick. The light of the walking 
stick was on. He presented himself as a small figure dominated by 
the size of the clearing. A wind started to blow. His cloak flapped 
in the wind.

John walked to the northern end of the clearing. Lowering the lit 
end of the walking stick to the ground, he traced a circle around the 
entire clearing moving in a clockwise direction. As he walked, the 
wind picked up in a swirling pattern until it filled the clearing. 
Closing the circle, John walked to the center of the clearing and 
pointed his walking stick to the north. He shouted, "Let all evil 
leave this area!"

As he shouted, a meteor came through the clouds above and 
crashed into the northern end of the clearing. It buried most of 
itself in a crater leaving a small portion above ground level. The 
observers of the ritual stepped back in amazement. The dirt kicked 
up joined the debris swirling in the air around the clearing. 

John walked to the eastern end of the clearing, and lowered the 
walking stick so that the light was just above the ground. He traced 
a second circle around the clearing moving in a clockwise 
situation. The wind picked up even more. Closing the circle, he 
stepped back into the center of the clearing. He shouted, "Protect 
this area from evil!"

Again, a meteor appeared through the clouds above and buried 
itself in the eastern side of the clearing. A small portion of the 
meteor remained above ground. The observers reacted just as 
strongly as before. The wind inside the clearing picked up even 
more.

John walked to the southern end of the clearing and using that as 
the starting point traced a third circle around the clearing. He 
stepped to the center of the clearing and shouted, "Make this area 
invisible to evil!"

When he shouted, he pointed the walking stick to the southern 
point. A third meteor hit the point. The wind picked up even more. 
It was swirling around the clearing forming a cylindrical wall of 
dirt and leaves. John was barely visible inside.

John walked to the western end of the clearing. He drew another 
circle around the clearing. Returning to the center of the clearing, 
He shouted, "Make this area a fortress against evil!"

A fourth meteor crashed into the ground at the western end of the 
clearing. The wind picked up even more. Outside the clearing, 
where the observers stood, the wind was only gently blowing. By 
now, John was a ghostly looking figure inside the clearing. 

Inside the clearing, the wind was a gale. John's cloak swirled 
around him. He stood there with both arms raised, the sleeves of 
his robe fell back exposing his bare forearms. He raised the 
walking stick to the sky. He shouted, barely heard above the wind, 
"I give my love and my life to the Gods and Goddesses to sanctify 
this area."

As his shouted died, a bolt of lightening came down from the sky 
and struck the walking stick. Fingers of electricity walked down 
the stick, enveloping John. When the lightening ended, John was 
gone. A small pile of ashes remained. The wind picked up the 
ashes. As people watched, the ashes appeared to form faces in the 
center of the clearing. A woman's face appeared, smiling upon the 
clearing. That was replaced by a man's rugged face. Then a face 
appeared that seemed to combine the features of both male and 
female. It lingered for several minutes. The faces disappeared as 
the wind spread the ashes across the clearing.

The wind died with an abruptness that was shocking. The clouds 
overhead dissipated within minutes. The sky was blue and bright. 
The temperature dropped a few degrees. It was suddenly a 
beautiful winter morning.

The crowd of observers stood still, looking into the clearing. There 
was no doubt that this was now a holy place. It took a little longer 
for the fact of John's death to sink in. Ling, Linda, and Leroy wept 
at the loss of their husband. Ed and Kelly stood looking into the 
clearing. The children were quiet and waved farewell to their 
father.

The news reporter had turned to the cameraman and excitedly 
asked, "Did you get it all?"

The shocked cameraman was numbly nodding. He wasn't sure 
what he had captured on the camera. He hoped that what he had 
seen through the lens was captured on the tape. If so, then he had 
made history. He had just shot the most amazing scene ever 
captured on film. His hands shook as he turned the camera towards 
the reporter. 

The reporter adjusted his hair in an attempt to look professional. 
He was about to make a statement when the cameraman stated, 
"Hold on. Something else is going on."

The Druids entered the clearing breaking into four groups. To the 
west stood the Red robed Druids. To the east stood the Green 
robed Druids. To the south stood the Black robed Druids. Ed 
stepped to the front of the group of Black robed Druids. In the 
center, stood two Druids that wore two gray robes.

Oliver Brown walked across the clearing to stand in front of the 
smoking meteor to the north. He wore the Brown robe that 
indicated that he served all of the Gods and Goddesses. He shifted 
uncomfortably, disliking all of the attention that he was receiving. 

A green robed Druid stepped forward and shouted, "We who serve 
the Goddess greet you, Oliver Brown."

A red robed Druid stepped forward and shouted, "We who serve 
the God greet you, Oliver Brown."

Ed stepped forward and shouted, "We who serve the Two-Sided 
One greet you, Oliver Brown."

The three of them stated together, "We recognize you and name 
you as the Grand Druid."

All of the Druids gathered there performed a half bow in the 
direction of Oliver Brown. Slowly, Oliver returned the half bow. 
He had known that he was the most likely successor to John 
Carter, but had not expected it to occur so soon. He stated, "I thank 
you for this honor. I shall do my best to live up to the high standard 
that John Carter set."

The Druids came up and introduced themselves to the new Grand 
Druid. Ed was the last one to greet him. It was a very solemn 
moment for each. Oliver stated, "You have a position here if you 
want it."

Ed frowned as he replied, "I'll stay here until September and then 
return to Arizona with my family. The children are taking a year 
off from their education."

Oliver nodded his understanding. "You are an invaluable resource, 
but you must follow your heart. This has been a hard day for you 
and your family."

Ed and Kelly returned to the rest of the family. The children were 
huddled around Ling, Linda, and Leroy giving them comfort. Ling 
was devastated and could only sit on the ground crying. Linda and 
Leroy were in shock. Ed and Kelly helped take everyone to their 
suite for privacy in dealing with their grief. The children were 
remarkably untouched by his death.

The news that night covered his death as the major news story of 
the day. They told the story of his life. They traced his history as 
lifesaver. Some of the people that he had saved gave interviews 
describing how he had affected their lives. Harry, a retired EMS 
employee, was a favored guest on some channels. He was 
entertaining and routinely referred to John as Hero. 

They told how he had received a doctorate in physics. Many 
stations concentrated on his role as the inventor of the Fusion 
Battery and Fusion Cell. This had given him a lot of money that 
could have been used for many purposes. The only purpose, to 
which it had been put, had been to support his family and to serve 
mankind.

The national cable networks explored his activities as special agent 
for the FBI. His role in breaking of several major cases brought 
forth more witnesses that praised John for his dedication. Victims 
that he had rescued told of the kind of life from which they had 
been saved. 

There was a lot of talk about how he founded the Fusion 
Foundation by giving away almost all of his money. This was the 
most visible activity in which John had engaged. Representatives 
of the Fusion Foundation stated that John had arranged for eternal 
funding, so that the foundation could continue its work even after 
his death.

Many of news stations talked about his role as Grand Druid. They 
talked about how he had taken a hidden organization and brought it 
to the public eye. People that had investigated the Druids had all 
stated the results of their investigations. The consensus was that it 
was a humanitarian organization; one in which members actively 
worked to make the world a better place.

Representatives from the two Colleges that he founded told their 
stories. Native Americans told how he had helped them regain past 
traditions. Individual graduates told how they had futures now that 
had once been denied them. Students of the Druid college told how 
they would graduate with an extremely good education. Everyone 
interviewing them was impressed when told of the types of courses 
that they had taken. The telephones at the College started ringing 
off the hook with people wanting to interview the graduating 
students for jobs. 

The biggest topic in the news concerned his death. The film of the 
ceremony was played repeatedly, as people tried to make rational 
explanations for what it showed. Professional magicians claimed 
that there was no way to pull off a trick of that magnitude. 
Scientists claimed that such a sequence of events was statistically 
impossible.

The most touching interview had been taped right after John's 
death. William had gone to the reporter. A little boy, five years of 
age, stood facing the camera. He stated, "My father died in the 
service of the Gods and Goddesses after having lived his whole life 
serving them. We are proud of him for his accomplishments. He 
has given the world a great gift by this great sacrifice. The world is 
a better place because he lived and is a lesser place because he is 
gone. We loved him and now we shall miss him. That is all we 
have to say about the matter."

In a way, isn't this the best legacy that one can leave after a full 
life? That the world was a better place because you were in it and 
that it is now a lesser place because you are gone; that those 
around you loved you and will miss you. If one person can say that 
about you in total honesty, then you can enter heaven. The key to 
open heaven's gates is so simple that we have to ask ourselves why 
so many people fail to find it.






