by Danny Dunn
Zaria "I am wondering how to get this going again fairly for everyone...LOL. James laughs and says, that's my Queen. They both laugh and go back to join the board. The board is genuinely excited to have Zaria with them. Since she has become the Queen, they think of her differently and show her Queen's respect.
Nancy "This is so exciting, isn't it Zaria?"
Zaria "Yes, I am so happy that is why I decided to come. I was tired of watching everyone leaving. hehe
Bill "Hotel row is along this street. We wanted to tour the hotels and see how it's going.
They start walking. The streets are empty but very clean. They approach the first hotel, and there are survivors, Zarians, and Zaris checking in. They enter the lobby.
One of the survivors comes up to Zaria. Can I please hug you? We went around looking for houses, this is amazing! Thank you so much, Zaria.
Zaria smiles
Zaria "Peace and Equality to you."
Two little girls walk up to Zaria, and their mother introduces them "This is your Queen, girls, I told you about her. Thank you, queen Zaria, for the two girls curtsy."
Queen Zaria tells them both how adorable they are and tells them to both be good to their mother. The two little girls say yes, my Queen, and walk away all excited to have met the Queen.
Zaria asks James where he is looking to make his claim. James asks if she wants to see the area where he is going to find a place. It is not in the claimed zone, but I will find a way to make it work.
Zaria is excited and tells him, yes, and that sounds like a fun adventure. They each clear their schedules and find a car to drive around in. They load up some of their stuff and take off. They are heading for the beach and are driving through some beautiful rolling hills with lakes and trees everywhere.
There are a few homes here. James says, the bigger ones are down the road, but let's take a look at a few here. He drives up to a hill toward the ocean and pulls up to a house. They enter the house. It is mostly glass, and you can see the ocean from just about everywhere. James opens the large sliding glass doors, and you can hear the massive waves crashing.
Zaria "Oh my goodness, I have never seen or heard waves like that, I saw videos, but the sound is amazing. It is so much more dramatic than the waves on the islands.
James "Yes, it is very soothing for bios. You should hear it during stormy weather. They sound like they are going to crash right into your bedroom. The sound drowns out all your worries and is so calming. They walk all around the property. There is a large garden area. It is all overgrown, but you can see it was a lovely garden at one time.
Zaria is like a little kid, can we see more James? Absolutely James replies. We are not quite there yet and laughs. There are some nice ones up to the road.
They drive for a while, and the homes are transitioning to estates as they. How about that one? Zaria asks, and James whips into the driveway. It is a much larger estate that has a driveway a mile long. It has a main house, 2 guest cottages, and a large pool. There is a private beach, a dock with a sailboat still in place. The home is beautiful inside, with lots of expansive views and glass walls everywhere.
Zaria "Wow, I had not realized how beautiful this country is. My deal might go down as the worst real estate deal ever made in the history of the universe. Hehe. Everything is so fresh, the waves are amazing, what a comforting sound and feel.
James agrees and says that the waves never get old. They are always there and always changing. Zaria says that she would say to take this one but is intrigued by what might be down the road. Let's look at all of them. We have two weeks, hehe.
Zaria tells James that when she decided to come to Fornia, it wasn't to claim one, but now that she is here would seem silly not to. Let's go see more she says with excitement in her tone.
They drive along the road and pull into the next drive that looks interesting. Zaria and James drive down the long driveway, which is lined on both sides with rows of big beautiful trees. This one has a huge flower garden, a vast swimming pool, a boathouse, and a large sailboat.
James "Wow, what a house. There is a large deck out near the beach.
Zaria "Which is your favorite so far, James?"
James "So far, it would be the last one."
They drive some more and come to a house out at the end of the point. They follow the driveway to the house. It is a smaller house with just amazing views, no neighbors, to the left, there is a cove with a little cottage and a boathouse for a large powerboat.
Zaria "It is so hard not to fall in love with every one of them. I love the cove and the boathouse. The house is plenty big for me, and the view is amazing."
James, "I am taking pictures of all of them. I don't have your memory. Next"
They drive some more and are entering an area with many large cypress trees.
This one has a large cove with a house dead-center in the middle of the bay about 20 feet above the shore. There is a beautiful beach. They walk down 30 steps or so to the cove, and there is a cottage out at the very tip with a huge deck they are overlooking the ocean.
Zaria "Can we sit for a few minutes here. I want to enjoy this:"
James "Of course. Beautiful, isn't it. Can I ask you something, Zaria?"
Zaria "Anything"
James "What is it like knowing you will exist forever?"
Zaria "My standard answer is the opposite of knowing you will have a limited lifetime. But for you, the answer is, I am not sure, I think ahead hundreds of years sometimes, now and then a thousand years, but not much beyond that as it becomes pointless. It is kind of like chess, every move you make opens up more and more possibilities. So, I generally stop at a couple hundred." years.
Zaria "Does it weigh heavy on you that you only have so much time."
James "Not really, I try to be the best being I can be each day and trust that in the end, it will all end up ok. It just seems so counterproductive to spend any of the little time I have to worry about how short a time I have.
" I got to meet Zari when I was moving in. If you didn't know he was the richest man on the planet and arguably the smartest, you would never have known he was. He was so kind and gentle. I can see why you ended up the way you did."
Zaria "Yes, it was so nice seeing the video they made for me. I had not seen most of those videos before. It was nice seeing them from a 3rd person perspective. He was always so patient and kind to me. He was so encouraging. He left me a message for me that auto-sent on the morning of his birthday right before the celebration. It was so nice to hear from him. In general, he nailed many things on the head. More messages are coming, but he wants when they come to be a surprise. Next house?"
They drive some more and see a driveway with a big electric gate.
James stops and jumps out. James climbs over the fence and pulls a pin that lets the gate swing open and says tada. He hops back in and drives so the house. It is a mansion, with a big circular driveway and a four-transport garage. They go into the garage where there are 2 high-performance sports cars, one family 4WD and a convertible. They enter the house from the garage.
It has a fantastic living room with a view overlooking a private mile wide beach. It has its dock with a powerboat and a large catamaran.
James "Have you ever sailed a boat, Zaria?"
Zaria "No, is it fun?"
James "There is one way to find out."
Zaria "Really?
James, "I sailed most of my life, and that is one very nice catamaran."
Zaria "Let's go." They walk down to the dock and spend some time making sure it is ready to sail.
James "Ok, let's go." They use the small motor to get out past the waves. Given that I am sure you sink like a rock put on this life vest. James instructs Zaria what to do and does her part very proficiently. They catch the wind and start on a brisk tack. You tell me if you get uncomfortable.
Zaria "Bring it on."
James "Ok, he takes a steeper angle and positions Zaria at the edge of the boat
." James joins her. He tightens the sails, and their side of the boat rises out of the water.
Zaria "ah hahaha, this is so fun, more, more." James increases the angle.
Zaria "I love this, OMG, what an amazing feeling. Can I do it?"
James "Ok, if you feel we are going to capsize, just loosen the ropes.
Zaria takes control of the boat and has them on edge the whole time she makes several tack changes and immediately gets them back up in the air. Zaria "I am never leaving this boat."
James watches Zaria realizing he is watching a miracle. He realizes then and there just how amazing she is. Sailing is something James did his entire life, and James was on some excellent teams, and Zaria just did it better than him on her first try. There is a tiny twinge of jealousy, but he dismissed it knowing that if he is going to be near her, he needs to accept that she is an exceptional being and to appreciate it and not be jealous of it.
James compliments Zaria for her sailing and suggests that they should head in before it gets dark. Zaria agrees and asks if she can take them in and James nods, I will sit and relax while you do all the work he says. Zaria pauses for a second and looks at James and smiles.
They tie the boat up, and James tells Zaria, "I will flip you for it.
James "Where is your number, I know you, I bet you don't have one. Lol. I don't know, I may have to charge you a finder's fee.
Zaria "I am your Queen, I could just have you beheaded.
James "Ha. I am the greatest teacher on the planet. Look how well you did sailing the boat. Behead the best teacher on your planet, ha...some Queen you are. They both laugh and head up to the house.
Zaria suggests that they could stay and go sailing again in the morning and see some more houses after that. James smiles and says he was thinking the same thing, but with her being the Queen and all...
Zaria "oh that, let's see what is in the house and watch the sunset. They go hunting. There is a wine cellar packed with great wines, a fridge that has gone bad. There are lots of things in a food closet. James finds a generator and a transfer switch. He fires up the generator, and they have power. James brings out a bottle of wine and some crackers. They sit and relax for a while.
Zaria "Sailing is such fun. I saw many pictures and videos of it, but it is way more fun doing it. Why are you not married, James? A smooth transition that was not, my Queen;. They both laugh, and Zaria is embarrassed. James tells her that he was married and that his wife died of cancer a year before he came to Zari Island.
Zaria "I am sorry to hear that. You must miss her."
James "Yes, I still miss her. We were very close."
Zaria, "I understand completely. I hear it gets easier. Zari was my first loss. I am finding it very difficult to deal with."
James "Yes, me too, this is the very first time I have gone out and done something enjoyable with someone special. It feels terrific. "Are you going to populate the whole planet, Zaria? Zaria says Speaking of not so smooth transitions. Zaria tells James that it is interesting, you ask. I recently, for the very first time, started to think I would take a break. I have a staff that will have pretty much carried out this entire project on their own. I see what needs to be done next a bit better than them, but if I give them hints now and then, they will be fine. I want to connect the 50 cities, and then the staff and the Fornians can handle most of everything else.
James "Zaria, I was kidding before. There is no way in the world. I would take this place. It is too perfect for you. One suggestion I have is for you to get your hands on a helicopter so you can get into town and back quickly.
Zaria says or, maybe a tunnel digger gets lost and accidentally ends up here. hehe
James "It's good to be the queen."
They watch the sunset and watch the stars come out. And head into the house and each finds a room. Zaria leaves James a note. Hi James, I couldn't wait and will be back soon. You can go hunting some more if you want while I am sailing.
James hops into the convertible and goes house hunting. The next drive is very similar to the one they are staying in. It is an expansive estate with far more land and amenities including tennis and basketball courts, an Olympic swimming pool with a 10-meter board, a small runway a jet could land on and has its helicopter pad, bigger boats, several racing sailboats, and a monster powerboat also in its cove.
James laughs, he hops into one of the racing sailboats and goes hunting for Zaria. He finds Zaria and tacks parallel to her. She sees James as he passes her. He waves bye-bye in a competitive, taunting way.
Zaria immediately turns it up, and the race is on. She points to a lighthouse several miles away, and James gives her the thumbs up. James signals for them to race to the buoys and back, and Zaria agrees. They each push their boats to the limit. James has a better sailboat for sure. James uses every racing technique he knows, and Zaria is either, on his tail, or in the lead the whole way. They both reach the buoy in front of her place at the same time and agree it is a tie.
James, "follow me, they both motor to James' place."
James "Park yours here." They each jump out of their boats onto the dock.
James "Zaria, take a look around. I think you should have this place. For starters, these are high-performance sailboats. But if we swap, I want my choice of one of these. I will need it to beat you. But the rest of this place is you too. You know, being the Queen and all. They go through the estate like a couple of little kids amazed by all they see.
James tells her, what did I say about a helicopter. James points at the helicopter pad. They open a pair of large double doors that open up into a beautiful ballroom. Zaria loves it, this one is so spacious and beautiful she says. I hope we can find historical photos of this place. I bet they had fantastic parties here. James tells her it is perfect for her.
Zaria says, hello, neighbor. It's a deal. James says excellent. It is the right deal. And I will take the middle boat. Zaria agrees and tells him that this is the second time this month she wished she drank champagne and smoked cigars. I need to take up drinking and smoking. They both laugh. James remembers something and tells her, ah, it gets better. Follow me. They head down some stairs between the kitchen and the living room and enter a wine cellar the size of most people's homes. Rows and rows of old wine and champagne. There are 16 bedrooms and eight bathrooms. There's a killer home theater that seats 50. James tells Zaria that this place has Queen Zaria written all over it. 200 years from now you will want that...lol
Zaria realizes that James will be gone by then, and it hits her. Like Zari, James will pass, and there might be 1,000 of him in her future. Suddenly, her longevity seems like a curse more than something everyone wants. It makes her sad inside. She thinks of the fact that she will mourn James just as she is mourning Zari right now. Zaria is learning that there are two sides to the feelings and emotions coin. Zaria suggests that they give it the sunset test.
James "ok, I am stealing a bottle from you. Are you ok, Zaria.”?
Zaria "I am fine James, let's enjoy another sunset together. Tell me about your sailboat racing that must have been so exciting. They talk back and forth for hours until they are exhausted and ready to go up to the house to sleep.
Zaria tells James she has a favor to ask of him. Anything, James replies. Zaria invites if it would be ok if they slept in the same bed together. James smiles and tells her that that is no favor Zaria, it is my pleasure. Zaria says to him that she has never slept next to anyone, and she wants to experience it. James says to her he understands and takes her hand.
James finds a few candles and lights them. He gathers pillows from other rooms and fills the bed with pillows. They talk some more, and James falls asleep, and Zaria enjoys her first night with someone beside her. In the morning, James wakes up and gathers a big bunch of flowers from the garden and brings them to Zaria.
Zaria, You are so sweet, thank you so much. Care for another race?"
James "Beating the queen at boat racing does not fall under the beheadin
g list right."
Zaria "No, but, just for fun, the Queen has been known to issue a good flogging should the victor tell anyone. I grant them now and then to keep up the moral the citizens. They race back and forth 3 times and end up 2 for James and 1 for Zaria.
Zaria "Very nice, and if you tell anyone, you will wish for just a flogging.
James "You are a very generous queen indeed. Fairly long live the Queen."
The next day they turn in their claims on the two out of the zone claims and are officially neighbors. They each head to separate hotels to assist Citizens and tend to their responsibilities.
Zaria "Hi team, could you locate two high-end dual passenger choppers, six high-end four-passenger choppers, and two high-end eight-passenger helicopters. Please deliver them to this address or GPS. There is only one pad. So put the highest performance 4 person choppers on the pad and put the rest on the runway.
Staff 2 "Yes, my Queen. How is the trip going.”?
Zaria "Very well, Hey, has that gold arrived?"
Staff 5 "Yes, it arrived two days ago and is in the appropriate room."
Zaria "Until I say stop, find and bring in all the gold, silver, and platinum, you can. We are going to need to populate the entire world and develop its economy. Please add Aluminum, Platinum, and copper to the gather-list. Clean out every bar, tube, and block you can find and never stop. We are going to need all we can get.
And we are changing gears on Zari II. Finish the houses and resorts in the process and then stop. I want all of you to talk to the Zarians and come up with a wish list for fun things to build on the island. Plane races, zip lines, Zarians shooting out of cannons, anything. More fun, that's what I want.
Intern 3, "yes, my queen."
Staff 6 "We found a huge amount of gold just yesterday. Getting to it is a challenge, but they are almost in. It is over 200,000 pounds of solid bricks." A dictator of an impoverished country had it locked away if a giant steel vault. They had to be collecting it for millenniums."