Surprise Meeting

Called but not summoned James Elliot made his way to see his father.  He was not looking forward to this meeting; James had not spoken to the great explorer for over fifteen years.  As he walked the long hallways of his father’s stately home, a massive house that was generally unoccupied, James wondered why his father after all this time wanted to see him.  At first, he had ignored his father’s requests, but Lord Jackson Elliot, known to all as Lord Jack, was very demanding and persistent.  James had always thought he was more like his mother, Lord Jack’s first wife, than his father; the great explorer had been through four marriages, and it seemed to James a bit of a miracle.  How he ever had the time to explore the galaxy and get married, and have sired six children, James being the oldest was quite unbelievable.  Still over his long life, he had managed to perform all these tasks effortlessly and in doing so made many women both very happy and extremely mad and angry at the same time.  His children,  three males and three females, he had never really took any interest in, as soon as he knew of conception, he would be off on another adventure to some part of the galaxy, or wherever else he went.  Then there would be a divorce and that would be it until the next helpless woman came into his sights.

Now though for some unknowable reason he wanted to see James, and this perturbed him immensely.  James was an academic, he had never been interested in adventure, he had studied the galaxy and you could say was an armchair version of his father, or that is how James always described himself.  To be precise he was an eminent professor, and the academic version of his infamous father.  However, James was a creature of habit and did not want to leave his conformable life with his wife Selena, and their two children Mark and Harry.  They had never met their grandfather, though they showed signs of wanting to be like him especially Harry, who was at that age where going on adventures seemed cool and exciting.  James’s wife Selena also worked at the same University as James, she was a biologist and a real beauty, she had dark coffee coloured skin and a fantastic figure for her age.  James knew he was a lucky man, he had everything he ever could want, the job he always wanted, the family he loved, a beautiful house, no money issues even the family dog a chocolate Labrador was perfect.  Now his father’s demand to see him left a sour taste in his mouth. 

What on earth did he want?

Eventually after walking along many hallways following Jenkins the Butler, he reached the study room of his father.  James took a large breath, he felt apprehensive, what was he going to say; the last time his father had seen him, he was in his late twenties.  Jenkins knocked on the door then opened it and James was ushered into the large library come study.

Lord Jackson Elliot was sitting behind his desk.  He did not look up.  To James’s surprise a small blue creature, no larger than a child, gestured to James to sit down.

“Hello sir,” said the little blue creature.  “Please will you take a seat?”

James walked over and sat on the seat provided, his father had still not looked up from his digital screen.

“Your father is finishing important business,” said the creature.  “He is nearly finished.”

“Do not call me bloody father Weasties, and do not tell anyone when I will be bloody finished,” bellowed the old man with a white beard, full head of white hair, and a strong yet weathered face.

“Yes my Lord.”

“So are you going to just ignore me then pop,” said James sardonically.

Lord Jack looked up and smiled.

“Of course not James, but I did not bring you here for a touching family reunion,” he barked without any sign of emotion.

“Then why am I here, so I can make this meeting brief.”

Lord Jack smiled, and then stood up and walked around to the other side of his massive ornate wooden desk.  He was a tall, powerful, imposing, figure.  He sat on the table right next to James; his imposing presence hovered over James like a giant beast about to devour its prey.  It made James feel very uncomfortable.

“You are here son, for a reason and this reason might be the making of you and get you out of your sad existence, living here on this planet.  It is life or death it is the here and now, and the past and present.  It is an adventure into another dimension.”

James rose out of his seat, leaning back from his imposing father.

“I have no interest in your stupid adventures, Lord Jack.  Now say your piece and I will be off, but I will have nothing to do with them.”

Jack sighed, “You have no choice my boy.  You will come and you will help me.”

“Excuse me!  Are you kidnapping me?”

“No, but unfortunately, your brothers and sisters have all been kidnapped…”

“What!”

“I have not finished, they have my ex-wives, my bloody various long term girlfriends even my illegitimate children.”

He did not say any of this with any hint of emotion; this was more a principle, there was just apathy and lack of empathy for this adventurer, than any fear of harm to his kin.

“You have more children, I have more siblings?”

“That is not important.  I need your help otherwise they will all be terminated.”

“Terminated, is that the best way you can describe death,” said James horrified.

“They think I have an answer to a secret that has been long lost.  They think that when I was on Sordoria, I found the key to dimensional travel.”

“What has this to do with me?”

“You know about the history of the explored worlds of the galaxy, you can speak the many languages, you have studied the customs and the legends of the main worlds.  I find this hard to say but I need your help to compete this task.  It is the only way to save our family.”

 “Our family, our family, what family, you left my mother when I was only a child.  You never cared about family.  Why should I help you?  I have never even met any of my other family, my mother is dead, I have no affiliation to these people whose lives you have tainted by your selfishness.  I am not an adventure like you Lord Jack; I am an academic I work in a University for god sakes.”

“You will help me!” demanded Jack and he slammed his fist onto the desk.

“No I won’t,” and James started to walk towards the door.

“They have your wife and children also.”