The Sublime Ending to the Fortune Cookie That Did Not Lie
The Sublime Ending to the Fortune Cookie Did Not Lie
by Rod Jones Artist-Writer
Congratulations, you are about to read part four of The Fortune Cookie That Did Not Lie. This will be the final installment.
In his mind, Ethan was questioning everything, especially the predicament he was in. He thought about some of the dangerous situations he went through when he was in the military. When he was a fireman he came close to losing his life on more than one occasion. He somehow always felt he was reasonably in control and had a good idea of the outcome if he kept his wits about him. The situation he now found himself in was confusing and definitely stressful. He was concerned for his own safety, but he was especially concerned for Jetta’s safety, even though he had to consider he would not be in this predicament if it weren't for Jetta’s doing.
The man in the black jumpsuit who is sitting to the right of Ethan in the van's front passenger seat turned to Ethan, who was sitting on the first-row bench seat, and said,
"Ethan, I don't want you to say anything or respond to what I'm about to tell you. Basically, keep your mouth shut. We are taking you to a place where you will be perfectly safe. No one is going to hurt you. You will be taken into an area that is pretty much like a small apartment. There you will stay. I don't know exactly how long you will be in that apartment. You won't be able to leave, you will be safe there and no one will hurt you. Just do as you're told. I know you want to know what's happening to Jetta. I'm going to tell you two things. Jetta is perfectly safe. She's on a special assignment. Everything is going to be okay with her and with you. I might add, that you are a very lucky guy because Jetta is truly in love with you. Although I haven't a clue why. But if she thinks you're special, we’ll honor her wishes. In about 15 minutes we will be reaching our destination. At no time should you say anything. It's imperative that you keep your mouth shut. Later when you meet up with Jetta, she can explain to you why. Just do everything she told you to do, and everything I have just told you. you must follow my instructions. Don’t deviate."
The van Ethan was riding in turned towards a large cropping of boulders. It stopped for a minute between two large boulders that sheltered an opening between the rocks. The van drove in. There was what appeared to be a larger opening. The van then came to a complete stop. The driver of the van turned off the headlights. He then turned on the dome light. It was perfectly quiet for about a minute or two. Then the van started to descend. Ethan quickly figured out that they were on some sort of elevator that was taking them down. It was perfectly dark with the exception of the van dome light. Ethan could not see the walls of the elevator. He had the sensation of dropping fast. It reminded him of being on a ride at an amusement park. After several minutes they came to an abrupt stop. After about a minute of just sitting there pretty much in the dark, a door started to open. It was moving vertically and revealing a corridor with doorless walls painted gray. The van began to move down to what appeared to be the main corridor. Every so often Ethan could see other hallways along the way.
"Ethan we’re going to be at your final destination in a couple of minutes. Remember what you've been told. There's going to be a person that will meet you. Follow their instructions, do not talk to them. They're going to look odd to you. Don't stare at them, just follow their instructions. They're going to take you
to the apartment I told you about. Once you go in you will discover it is quite comfortable. It has everything you will need for your stay. There's plenty of food, both in the cabinets and in the refrigerator. Seeing how you were a fireman, I'm guessing you gentlemen had to cook. There will be food brought to you three times a day. Again, it will be brought to you by an individual that doesn't exactly look like you or me. Do not talk to them, just do as you're instructed. They most likely will not say anything to you. Tomorrow someone will come to sit down with you and explain to you why you're here. You will be able to ask questions then. But I'm warning you do not get too inquisitive. They're only going to reveal so much to you, but it should ease your mind."
The van came to a stop. The sliding door on the side of the van opened. Ethan was told to step out. He was greeted by a person that looked very odd to him. They didn't look exactly human, but then again, they did everything a human would typically do. Ethan did not know if he should try to shake this person's hand or not. He decided the best strategy was just to follow instructions. He wasn't afraid like before. Even though everything he was experiencing was not even close to being normal.
Jetta had a much easier time of it. The two people she was riding with, knew who she was. The conversation she had with them was polite and congenial. Like Ethan's van, they drove into the opening between a series of boulders. The van like Ethan's, went onto an elevator and down it went, several stories underground. While driving through an extended rock tunnel they received a message over the van's communication network.
"Jetta, were just letting you know that we escorted Ethan to the apartment. He was a good boy and behaved perfectly. We were wondering how did you end up with this guy? He sure is enamored with you. We could tell by how nervous and uncomfortable he acted. He was very much concerned about your safety. But we told him that you were perfectly fine and that you would explain everything to him. Well, you will explain most everything to him."
"Thank you for letting me know that he is safe and sound. But I certainly knew that would be the case. And stop referring to him as a boy. He may whine from time to time, but I think he's brave, and I've learned to care for him very much. Who knows I may adopt him into the operation."
"Well that's certainly up to you Jetta, we are in no position to question or judge you. I guess we’ll see how this all plays out."
"You gentlemen and everyone involved in this whole operation have been nothing but respectful to me. I appreciate you guys."
Jetta’s van completed the journey through the tunnel and pulled into an underground complex. From the vantage point that the van entered it looked like an underground city. Jetta got out of the van and there was a small group of people there to meet her.
"It's good to see you again Jette. Come with us, we’re going to take the elevator up to the cross-community tram. We have accommodations for you. But first, you will be going to a secure conference room. There are several people that have been anxiously waiting for your arrival."
Jetta was escorted to the secure conference room. She entered through a security door. There was a sizable, but rather nondescript table in the middle of the room. She took her position at the head of the table. A door in the back of the room opened up, and six people, two women and four men entered and took various positions around the table. At the far end of the table directly in line with Jetta sat a very distinguished man. Everyone in the room, including the women, were all wearing black jumpsuits. There were no nametags or any identifying emblems on any of the jumpsuits. Jetta knew most of them with the exception of the distinguished gentleman that was sitting at the other end of the table, he spoke first.
"I know you have never met me, Jetta. For this meeting, you may refer to me as John. I am in charge. Now let's get down to business. Open the case. Take out the inner container, we are all very anxious to see it. I know this has been a historic covert operation. I know that you actually getting it here required you to face some interesting challenges. Maybe at a later date, you can explain who Ethan is. That was quite a surprise you pulled on us. We have done a thorough background check on him, and he's clean. I might add, he’d better be. From here on, you are going to be responsible for this gentleman. No slip-ups will be tolerated. If there are any, as you are well aware of, we cannot guarantee the safety you have been reassuring him of since the day you connected. You better keep him in line!"
Jetta unlocked her train case, besides some makeup and toiletries, there was only one other thing inside. She pulled out a small cylinder that was about 4 inches long and 8 inches in circumference. There were no visible openings. It was a dark metallic gray. It was heavy to pick up for its size. Jetta stood the cylinder on one end.
Jetta looking directly at John, and then looking at each of the people in the room somewhat boastfully said,
"John and everyone, here it is. It doesn't appear to be all that special. I had no difficulty picking it up in Mongolia and transporting it. As you know x-ray machines cannot recognize it. Now are you going to tell me what exactly this is? I believe I'm entitled to know.
John stared directly at Jetta and then asked the other members at the table to pass the cylinder down to him. Once he had it in his hands he inspected it.
"Thank you Jetta for your delivery. We appreciate how you handled the transportation. I'm not going to tell you every detail regarding what this cylinder is. But I do believe you are owed at least some explanation. It’s imperative that you do not reveal in detail of what this is to Ethan. I believe you already know some of the information as to what you were transporting. You knew that it wasn't dangerous, you also knew that if you lost control of it, the cylinder somehow has the capability of cloaking itself and re-engaging with you. Apparently, that did not occur. You did a great job keeping it in your possession. We will be inserting the cylinder in a very large piece of equipment that is within this facility. I'm not going to tell you anything about this equipment. I will tell you that once the cylinder is engaged, it allows for changes in reality. I know that probably creates more questions. But I know you understand what reality is. In this case, I'm going to give you an example. Let's say there was a nuclear attack and the results were devastating. We can reverse that as if it never happened. You're probably wondering where this cylinder comes from. It was given to us by a time traveler. This time traveler was created by us. Without getting into the physics of all this, let me just simply say that we plan on putting it to good use. The world is not, let me rephrase that. The planet since man first appeared has been experiencing chaos. The more sophisticated and intelligent the civilizations of the world became, the more dangerous it became. Stupid really! Hell bent on world domination through destruction. That has not always been directly man's fault. Through evolution, there were outside influences from other worlds. Some of those influences were nefarious. Others were actually trying to sow the seeds of good deeds if you will." We believe that the human species was planted here at some point in time, in fact, we know it was. I’m not going to share anymore regarding this last comment.
One of the women in the group spoke up and asked John if she may say something to Jette, John nodded his head approvingly.
"Jetta, you unknowingly have completed an incredibly important mission. You also unknowingly were being guided by outside influences that we engaged from outside of our universe. Your steps were being directed. Even the trail of fortune cookies were being carefully orchestrated. I suspect Ethan is going to pressure you as to what those fortune cookies were all about. We are not going to share with you from our end the why. You're just going to have to make up a plausible story to share with him."
"Well, that does help me have a better understanding. Then I'm sure you know I have questions that I suspect you are not going to answer and probably never will. Regarding Ethan, I like this guy. I am not sure if he will ever speak to me again after what I put him through, but if he does I would like you to consider making him a co-operative with me."
One of the men sitting at the table turned to John and asked for permission to address Jetta. Again John nodded his approval.
"Jetta, When you were trained you understood that we maintain control over many of your actions. If you develop a relationship in any form with Ethan, then he will be subject to the same control. The question becomes, is it fair to do that to him? And just how far are we willing to let you share with him what this control ultimately will mean in his life? He may love you now. You will not be able to deceive him. We will be able to reprogram him. If we choose to do that, it means you will be making a lifelong commitment to this gentleman. That is something we suggest you think about very seriously. You have been conditioned. You've accepted the fact that you're being controlled when necessary. You have never questioned that authority. And I know you know that we hold that control as a very sacred responsibility. As you kept informing Ethan that everything was going to be okay and that he was going to be safe. You could give him those assurances because you knew you've always had those assurances from us. Make sure you think this thing through. You can spend some time with Ethan when you're back in San Diego. You could slowly break off the relationship you have with him. We will reprogram him so he will forget everything. This is a complicated situation. Fortunately for you, we know how to handle it. But we also want to be sensitive to you. You have every right to be happy and have a companion to share your life with."
"Thank you for sharing that with me. I know that you can dictate the outcome of the situation and even block out Ethan's and my memory. I guess you're allowing me to make that decision. Once I am back with Ethan I will have a better understanding of what I should do. I sincerely appreciate what you've shared with me. I'm still not hundred percent clear on what this cylinder means. I'm guessing it has the potential of saving our planet. I find it very difficult to understand how this little cylinder can achieve that. I also know that the universe contains all the knowledge there ever was, or ever will be. The planet we live on is beyond insignificant. If it was to disappear tomorrow it would not change the dynamics of anything. I've done my job, you have the cylinder. I could surely use some food and sleep. I’m glad to know Ethan is safe."
John looked around the room and asked if anyone else had anything to say to Jetta right now. No one spoke up, so John declared that this meeting had ended.
He looked back at Jetta and said,
"You are very special Jetta, in so many ways. We appreciate what you have accomplished. You will be contacted again. We may give you the opportunity tomorrow to ask some additional questions. But our goal is to get you and especially Ethan out of this facility. We will do some wiping of his memories, but I promise all the good things you two have shared will remain in his mind. He's actually quite lucky, unfortunately, he may never know it. If you decide to maintain your relationship with Ethan we will not overly interfere. We want you to be happy. We also may have other assignments for you, take that into consideration as you decide how to move forward with Ethan.”
"I'm definitely up for another assignment. If it works out and everybody is in agreement I may want Ethan as a partner."
John, who had already stood up and was ready to leave the meeting, turned abruptly, looked at Jetta, and said,
"That may be asking an awful lot Jetta. At my level, that's a decision I cannot make. But I will determine if it's possible and let you know when we meet again tomorrow morning."
Jetta was taken to her quarters. She had dinner and quickly fell asleep. She woke up once in the middle of the night and started to think about her relationship with Ethan. "I could have never imagined myself getting close to a fireman from San Diego, let alone falling in love with him. It feels right to me. It also feels a little bit ridiculous, and perhaps even dangerous for him. I've never even had an intimate relationship with a man. This is going to be very interesting. Especially if they allow Ethan to work with me on future projects. I can't wait to be back with him. I wish I could go back to sleep. There’s more to this relationship with Ethan. It doesn’t make sense to me as to why I was supposed to give him that first fortune cookie. That started this whole thing with him and me. Oh well, maybe I will learn someday what that was all about anyway.”
At 9 AM John and his people were in the room waiting for Jetta. She walked in and quickly took her chair.
John spoke first.
“Jetta, do you have any more questions for us? Regarding your question about working with Ethan. We've determined that you will first have to discover if this is something you really want. Once you and Ethan are back together, your feelings may change. Keep in mind. We are going to erase his mind so he cannot remember being in this facility. I'm not sure how far back we will go. He will be monitored. Depending upon how you handle the conversation when you meet with him will determine the action we will take."
"I understand John, and accept what you are saying. In many ways, I guess Ethan's fate is in my hands. And no, I don't believe I have any other questions. I'm anxious to get back to the desert shack and be with Ethan."
"I want to let you know now Jetta, that you will be going back to Mongolia on one more assignment. I don't need to tell you Mongolia is the only zone left on Earth that still enables us to transact through an interstellar medium. We have never felt the need to wipe your memories. But that could change with Ethan in the picture. You will always be protected and you have our assurance that nothing negative will happen to Ethan. You can leave now and go back to the shack. Ethan will arrive there before you. Thank you for your dedication to the project."
"Okay John, I clearly understand. I'm ready to leave."
When Ethan woke up, he was still nervous about the whole situation he was in. He also was starving. He thought he would fix himself some breakfast. While he was looking to see what he could prepare there was a knock at the door. A cart of food, hot and fresh, was waiting for him. It was being delivered by one of those unknown characters he had met the day before. He sat down and ate. By the time he finished, there was another knock on the door. This time it was one of the two gentlemen dressed in black that brought him to the apartment, or at least that's what they like to call it.
"Okay Ethan, it's time for you to go back to the shack. You will stay there for a brief time and then Jetta will meet you there. If you're ready to go, follow me to the van. On our trip back to the shack, you will be able to ask me a few questions. And I will answer the ones that I think are appropriate for you to know."
Ethan was led to the van, up the elevator, and out into the desert they drove. Although he thought it was early morning the landscape was bright and sunny. He took advantage of what he was told and started to ask some questions.
"You said before we got into the van that I could ask some questions. I followed your instructions and kept my mouth shut. Now I have some questions that I'm hoping you will answer truthfully. Is Jetta okay? I can't wait to meet up with her again. Also, what is this place? I suspect it's some sort of government installation and extremely secretive one at that. Why is it here?"
"To answer your question Ethan regarding Jetta she's perfectly fine and you will be with her in just a few hours. Regarding the facility, obviously I can't tell you anything. Of course, it is a facility that is extremely secure, and no one, or virtually no one knows of its existence not even the President. You won't remember anything about this facility once you meet up with Jetta."
"What do you mean I won't remember? I will definitely remember everything that happened. Including those stupid fortune cookies, and that first stupid cookie that seduced me into falling in love with Jetta. I can't wait to get back and tell all those that will listen to me about this place, and what I personally saw and was exposed to. Trust me, I am not going to ever forget this. How could I? There is nothing normal about any of this."
"Do you have any other questions, Ethan?"
"Yes, is Jetta human? Who or what were those vaguely human-looking people I saw when I was ushered into the apartment? And why the hell do you call that place an apartment?
"Jetta is definitely a human. In fact, I believe she showed you how much he cares for you. We called the place we had you spend the night in an apartment, after all it looks and acts like one. The facility helpers that did not appear to be human to you, well, I'm not going to get into that with you, just ask Jetta."
The van that Ethan was riding in reached the shack, and he was escorted in. There was no other white van around, only the one he rode in.
"Have a seat Ethan at the table. Just relax, Jetta should be here shortly. We will be outside in the van waiting for her arrival. She will be let off and she will come in and meet you. After that, you two will head back to your trailer. Again, I want to assure you that everything is going to be okay and you will be perfectly safe. Jetta will be very happy to be with you again."
The van that Jetta rode in, pulled up next to the shack. She got out, and opened the door to the shack. She immediately ran up to Ethan and gave him a big hug.
"Hi, Ethan. I know you're okay. And I am okay because I just hugged you. Let's go back to the trailer and spend some time together."
"Where did you go Jetta? You told me to stay here while you went outside. I know there's no toilet in here. Did you have to go outside and pee? I thought when we first came into this shack there was a man here. But I don't know for sure if that was the case. Was there? Why did you and I drive all the way out here into the desert?"
"Yes, Ethan I went outside to relieve myself. We've only been here for just a short time. No, there was nobody else in this shack. Except maybe there was a ghost of an old prospector. This seems like a good place for ghosts to hang out. I thought it would be fun for us to see what this shack was all about. But it's pretty much empty except for this old table and some empty shelves tacked onto the wall. Let's head back to the trailer. Maybe we can find a shorter route."
"I keep thinking that we were here for a long time. But it was fun to discover this old shack in the middle of nowhere. I wonder who lived here? Whoever it was they certainly did not have any modern conveniences. As far as I can tell they didn't even have an outhouse."
Jetta and Ethan got into Ethan's truck and headed back across the desert. This time it didn't take very long before they reached the paved road. There were no gates, no signs, nothing to indicate where they had just been.
"Ethan before we go to the trailer, there's a small town just north of here. Let's go and pick up a bunch of food and snacks, maybe a bottle of wine or maybe some champagne if they have it. Let's stay at the trailer park for a few days and get to know each other better. When we have dinner I'm going to give you a special fortune cookie, like the one I cleverly gave you so we could meet.”
Ethan's memories about the whole incident had been wiped from his brain, including all of the fortune cookies Jetta had been giving him. The only one he could remember was the fortune cookie he opened at the Chinese restaurant.
"Sounds like a great idea Jetta. By all means, let's hang out in the trailer at the park for a few days. I'm looking forward to the fortune cookie after dinner. The one that I opened at the restaurant when we first met turned out to be really special. That's how I met you, and I treasure that. Although I seem to have some vague notion that you and I have been here for some time. I absolutely want to spend some time with you so we can get to know each other better."
"You're going to have some interesting and random memories. I think being out in the desert plays tricks on us. As we get to know each other better and better, I will tell you more about what I do. My goal is that you and I become one not just physically but spiritually too. We'll just have to see how it goes.”
Ethan and Jetta pulled into the trailer park with several bags of groceries. Ethan looked around the park for a minute, like he was trying to remember something. He then unlocked the door and they both went into the trailer and started putting the groceries away. The trailer park had electrical connections and sewer connections. Ethan hooked everything up knowing that they were going to be there for a few days.
Jetta and Ethan sat down at the table side-by-side and ate their dinner. The sun was starting to go down and was developing into a beautiful sunset that they both could see through the trailer windows. Jetta suggested they go outside and walk out into the desert a little ways to watch the sunset. Ethan agreed and out they went.
"Ethan, I brought this fortune cookie out here for you to read, while we watched this beautiful sunset. I want you to read it to yourself and think about it."
"It's so quiet out here. The sky is all ablaze with incredible colors. What a magnificent sunset. I'm so glad to be sharing it with you. I'm going to wait until the sun is below the horizon before I read the fortune if that's okay with you Jetta?"
"Nature is incredible Ethan. As you say this is a magnificent sunset. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. Even in Mongolia where there's lots of open country and it's easy to catch the sunrises and sunsets. But this one is unusually spectacular. Sure, once the sun goes down, it will probably become even more beautiful. That would be a great time for you to read the fortune."
Ethan held Jetta's hand as they both stop talking and just basked in the light of the sunset. The sun dropped below the horizon, the sky was filled with various shades of red, orange, yellow, and a little gold mixed in. Ethan cracked open the cookie and read it to himself.
"What do you think of that fortune Ethan?
"Is this fortune for real? Is this what you're asking me? Absolutely! I could not wish for anything more."
"Ethan the fortune and the fortune cookie is real and true. If you agree, your life will never be the same. I promise you life with me will be exciting and rewarding. I will explain to you why that's going to be true as our relationship develops. But first you have to read the fortune out loud so I can hear the words from your voice."
"You must know what the fortune says. I hope it's true and it came from your heart. Not some fortune cookie manufacturer somewhere. Okay, here it goes. Here's what it says; A beautiful girl with long black hair wants you to marry her. Do you want to be married to me Jetta, even though we don't know each other very well? I'm sure you knew what my answer would be. I am curious about how my life will change, maybe you can explain that to me. But whatever happens I know deep down I want to spend my life with you."
"I have much to tell you Ethan."
Jetta put her hands on Ethan's shoulders. Looked into his eyes and said, "Marry me Ethan, marry me.”