Well this is my first attempt at an angust fic, which was brought
about by a majorly rainy day. I am telling ya I must be coming out
with something--two things in one month:one music video and now this.
SCARY.
Category: J&J HR, and Angust
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, not the Quest Team or the song
Breath of Heaven, Amy Grant sang but I am not sure if she owns it or
not. I actually do own Marie, though.
Archivers: If you want it, please take it.
Life
B: Catherine
The rain poured onto the street with such intensity that it felt as
though a knife was being plunged into any person who dared to go out.
A solitaire car drove down a dismal road going around the turns at
speeds made the car turn on three wheels, every time.
"Um Dr. Quest don’t you that exceeding the speed limit at such speeds
is a good idea." Hadji said from the passenger seat.
"Wha- What? Oh of course Hadji. Killing us will not get us there
any faster." the doctor said he slowed his speed down to a fast speed
yet slower than before by a great deal.
"Out of curiosity, Dr. Quest, why did you ask for my return so soon?
Is everything all right?" Hadji asked staring out the window at the
falling rain.
"I think we should wait till we get to the compound to talk about it,
the others are there." Dr. Quest replied in a monotone quiet voice.
"All right," Hadji said in a slow worried tone. He had gone to
Bangalore to be with his mother on Tuesday and it was now Thursday. A
two day visit is not what he had in mind, but the moment he looked at
Dr. Quest in the Quest-video telephone Dr. Quest asked for him to
return he did not question. He began to think of what could have
happened, then remembered the night before he had gone, Jonny and
Jessie and confessed to him their deep secret. While the two were on
assignment in Paris Jessie got pregnant and that the baby was due
anytime soon. They had kept it a secret by having Jessie only see her
parents by phone, after with the Jonny and Jessie just married. A
smile broke across his face thinking of how Race would react to having
a grandchild, then something hit him, "Where is Race, Dr. Quest? He
usually picks everybody up from the airport."
"Race is … well Race is at home on the phone with Estelle." Dr. Quest
said as he turned off the main highway road to the compound entrance.
In no time the two men had arrived at the home making a mad dash for
the door, trying not to get too wet but not succeeding. Hadji opened
the door expecting a welcome form every one, only to find nobody there
and very little light only those necessary. He felt his way over to
the living room to find a small pink dress outfit, next to a
photo-album with about four or five video tapes on it. On the table
in front of the sofa was a paper with the headlines facing up, folded
so only parts could be seen:
"VICTIMS OF RAIN CRASH"
*How horrible* Hadji thought as he sat down on the scarlet chair
across from the sofa and table. He heard the faint sound of good-byes
and then Race came in with his white hair in combed and stubble on his
chin from not shaving. *I guess their marriage wasn’t taken as well
as expected,* Hadji thought sadly to himself. Race and Dr. Quest sat
down on the sofa facing Hadji somehow the two men kept looking sadder
than the other.
"Hadji, I don’t really know how to say this to ya." Race started,
this words being his first since Hadji had arrived home.
"Even the simplest message can be understood by the simplest of
terms, Race" Hadji said in his proverbial tone.
"Hadji a lot has happened since you went to Bangalore," Dr. Quest
started, "To start it hasn’t stopped rain since the night before you
left and if anything it has gotten worse. Jonny called on Tuesday
after you left and said he and Jessie had something hey wanted us to
see and were going to come down to see us from Paris on Wednesday.
Well the two were coming down the highway when a car sped past them
and hit their car with the side of his but head on to theirs. Three
people were killed in that crash." He paused for a moment half way to
let it sink in to Hadji and just for himself, having to rethink about
what happened. "By the police got their, the other driver had already
left with his car so all that was left was the wrecked Quest Car. We
were notified that Jonny, Jessie, and a small baby were killed that
night. Apparently, the big surprise was that Jessie had had a baby
girl and called her Marie; that was Jonny’s great big news." After he
finished, he just sat there.
"So you are telling me that Jonny *and* Jessie have been killed along
with their baby?" Hadji asked blankly, not fully understanding what he
had just heard.
"The front of the car was completely smashed in, even if Jonny or
Jessie had survived the impact of the crash, the amount of blood shed
was fatal and the paramedics could never have gotten them out in time.
Marie died fast by the whiplash and *if* she had survived that with
Jessie on top of her she would have suffocated. You see she was three
days old and Jessie had been fine so they released Jessie then the
next day Marie, and she had to be held by Jessie in the car. The cops
looked at the speedometer and for once Jonny wasn’t going over forty,
since he had Jessie and Marie with him." Race said slowly and in a
hollow tone.
"Oh my – when will the funerals be?" Hadji asked at first feared but
then realization kicked in and he regained his composure.
"We have decided to make it an invitation only funeral ceremony and
all three will be tomorrow. The invitations have already been given
out, we did them over the phone and everyone said yes. We will bury
them by Rachel in the cemetery by the church." Dr. Quest said as he
got up, "It’s getting late why don’t we all …… try to go to sleep."
Hadji looked over to the clock on top of the fireplace to the left of
the table and found that it was 12:30 in the morning ad he had been up
since 6:00 the previous day. Without a word all three men got up to
go to their respective rooms.
Dr. Quest kept tossing and turning throughout the night, having
visions of Rachel dying and imagining Jessie and Jonny in their last
moments with a baby girl, Marie, on Jessie’s lap. Then they would all
fade away to him and Rachel facing one another and Rachel had a look
of pure disappointment in her eyes. He woke in a cold sweat and as he
was going to make another attempt to sleep he heard someone walking
around. When he reach the door, he saw Race heading for the living
room. When he reached to where his faithful friend and bodyguard was
he saw him putting in one of the tapes.
"Can’t sleep?" Race asked without turning from his spot on the chair.
"I try, but then I see …… I can’t" he replied sitting on the end of
the sofa opposite of the TV.
"I figured that they were going to show us these, and I really want
to see my little girl again." Race whispered in a voice just waiting
to burst into tears. All Benton Quest could do was nod slowly as he
understood his friend’s feelings. Race pressed the play button on the
remote and sat back as Jonny’s voice came across:
"Oh Hi! Um is this thing on?" Jonny’s excited voice could be heard on
the other side of the camera, so lively so happy and full, just so
right.
"Well is the red light on?" the camera quickly moved over to Jessie
who was in a hospital gown showing her pregnant state.
"Uhm, ya the record thing is on"
"You would think a computer whiz would be able to work a video camera
… but then your Jonny Quest, the always right one." she said with a
smile on her face.
"Whatever, right now say whatever you want to to the family." Jonny
quickly spun the camera around to face him, a real close up, "Hi Dad,
hi Race, hi Estelle, and Hadji if your back from Bangalore Hi to you
too." He gave one last smile and spun around quickly to Jessie.
"Well right, in case you guys can’t guess the reason why I have quote
been out of town for about four to five months is that I’m pregnant,"
she quickly gave one of her beautiful smiles to the camera; the type
of smiles that lit up a room and showed her love for live and for
Jonny, "Mom, Dad, Dr. Quest you guys are going to be grand-parents.
Dad I can just see you rolling your eyes right now. But we’ll turn
this thing on later and tell you the rest." Then there was a big pause
and small grunted and under-the-breathe cursing following the last
line, "Jonny just hit stop please do you want to run out of battery"
Jessie quickly said followed by helpless weak smile, "Good fina-" then
it went to black and went in again. "Hi you guys still with us, well
now I am the master of the video cam." Jonny said facing it towards
himself to a really big close-up. "Oh here’s Jessie…" He spun the
camera and then stopped, he took his eyes off the camera and was
soothing Jessie
"Woaw! I don’t think you guys want to be looking there … hee hee hee
sorry. Let’s look at Jessie’s face, Hi Jess." He said encouragingly.
"Jonny I hate you! get away from me, now." She pushed and growled.
The camera was then quickly passed to a near by nurse.
"Will you hold this and video for me?" he more or less demanded of
the nurse who just took it and did a much better job of balancing it
than Jonny, "Now Jessie, come on we’ll get through this." he said
soothingly and encouragingly.
"No we won’t ………….LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO ME!" she screamed.
"Well guys in case you didn’t guess Jess is having a natural birth,
since she waited to long to have the epidermal." he giving a quick
smile then focused back on his wife.
"All right Mrs. Quest, Jessie one last push and make it a big one."
the doctor’s voice, heavy with a French accent, said from behind the
blanket. And then about one minute later a baby’s cry was heard. The
camera then focused on the family:
"Dad it’s me hi race hi Estelle, hey Hadj. Well since you guys are
our world and our life let me introduce you guys to baby Marie who is
about thirty seconds old. Marie this is the world, world meet Marie."
he said as he put his arm over Jessie and kissed her on the head then
it went to black."
Dr. Quest looked over at Race who was now just weeping silently to
himself, now his grand-daughter had a name and a face. She wasn’t
just a thing but now he saw her, it hurt even more.
"Um Doc is it OK if we watch the next one?" he asked with a trembling
voice as if to hide the tears.
"Of course." Benton softly. This time he got up and took that tape
out and put in another one.
"Jonny it’s on, Jonny hello stop press-." It went black cutting
Jessie off, then quickly back on, "Oh yeah Jonny you are the best
recorder, maybe you could show how to did it like you do sometime."
Jessie said sarcastically, holding what looked like just a blanket.
"Hey at least it’s on. Well, I know you all are probably sick of
seeing Marie, but well until we run out of time we will keep on
recording her." Jonny’s voice could be heard again behind the camera,
this time they were in an apartment with a view of the Eiffel Tower
behind them.
"OK well so far baby Marie has done absolutely nothing but steal our
hearts," Jessie said looking down, "Dad, now I think I know why you
were always so protective." She said looking up and somehow, she
seemed to have linked eyes with her father who was now watching the
video of his daughter, "I think we have the arranged for the Dragon
Fly to be fueled tonight for tomorrow. Yeah I know we shouldn’t be
taking a new born in an airplane but you guys just have to see her."
She quickly looked down as the baby because to cry a little. Jonny
then put the camera down and stood in front of it.
"I think Jess is going to put her to sleep, so since I doubt you guys
want to sit and watch her attempt to put Marie down I’ll talk for a
while." as he carried on in the back ground a soft melody could be
heard, and Jonny stopped talking in mid-sentence as Jessie sang one of
her favorite songs, Breath of Heaven (Mary’s Song), Jessie continued
singing till end of the song:
Breath of Heaven,
Hold me together,
Be forever near me,
Breath of Heaven.
Breath of Heaven,
Lighten my darkness,
Pour over me your holiness,
For you are holy.
Breath of Heaven.
Breath of Heaven.
Breath of Heaven.
"Well, I’m guessing that she gets her voice from you Estelle ‘cuz no
offense Race but you couldn’t sing even if your life depended on it,
trust me I’ve heard you." he said smiling, "But hey, neither can I so
I guess we’re even."
"Well she’s asleep. We’ll see you guys in about twelve hours, bye."
Jessie said as Jonny got up to turn off the camera."
"Benton, how could this happen? I mean of all the people on this
god-forsaken earth, why did it have to be our kids?" Race asked softly.
"I don’t know Race, but if I did you would be the first to know." was
the only response the doctor could give. Race walked over to the
doctor, without a word, and grabbed the photo-album from the table and
opened it. Only four and a half pages had been filled … full of Jonny
and Jessie, and Marie. All the pictures were Polaroid and looked as
though they had just been taken. The two fell asleep with Dr. Quest
on the sofa and Race on the floor with his back against the leg of the
sofa. Hadji walked in and looked upon what was left of his adopted
family and realized that this truly was going to be the worst year,
they had ever had with Christmas but days away. He slowly shook each
of the grown men and reminded them that they had to be at the Church
in two hours, that way that would be there before everybody else.
When 10:30 rolled around, the church was full of men and women from
every nation. The President of this country the Prime Minister of
that, the royal family of this country; all seated in black for the
two teenagers, children, or simply adults that they had known. The
people assembled had known Jonny and Jessie on personal levels, since
every time they went any where they would make it a point to go to the
capital and meet the head of the country, only Jessie and Jonny always
grew on everybody. In the first row in front of the alter was Hadji,
Race, Dr. Quest, Estelle, and Mrs. Evans who held Bandit in her arms;
although usually animals were not allowed to come everyone thought
this could be one exception and to most of the people who had never
seen the dog they were surprised at the stillness of the animal.
Across the church sobbing and silent prayer could be heard for what
some called today’s Romeo and Juliet … since on their wedding vows
they each pledged that their lives would simply cease to be without
the other and they would only be whole in the others arms. The
priest, who had baptized Jonny and married the couple, carried out the
ceremony till the part where family and friends could speak; till then
he had broken down three times and needed the alter servers to bring
him tissues. The first to go up was Hadji, who stood at the pulpit
and looked around at the people who had shown up for the funeral of
his two best friends. He looked down to the pulpit and began talking:
‘To start I would like to thank all of you who have come today.
Jonny and Jessie have been my best friends for, well ever since my
life began with the Quests. When the two told me about their marriage
and their pregnancy, I was absolutely ecstatic and knew that they were
always meant to be. I do know, though, that neither of them would not
want us to carry on missing them and their beloved child; they would
want us to go on living happy lives filled with memories.’ He then
bowed his head and spoke his final good-byes personally to himself and
to them, then walked down the steps of the alter and towards his seat
stopping at the caskets and placing a hand on each.
The next to go up was Race who by now looked like a wreck:
‘I also want to thank all of you for comin’ to the … well for comin’
today. I have known Jonny since he was eight or nine and he did his
magic and won my heart; so now it was being shared three way with
Jessie, Jonny, and Hadji; when the two of them died so did two-thirds
of my heart. Those two kids were at times complete opposites, yet
they always complimented each other; making the other seem more
bright. Whenever either one went anywhere, their smile brightened up
the room and if Jonny wasn’t with Jess or the other way around, they
just weren’t the same. Ya know I have to think; we have gone up
against the most ingenious and crazy men like Dr. Zin, Rage, and Surd
and never once did those two loose hope. They always looked for the
danger and excitement and usually found it. Somehow Fate has destined
them to live through the end of the world about a hundred time yet one
speeding car ended their lives. To imagine the fact that their child,
who probably would have been the adventure seeker that her parents
were, will never even get to see the bright of the sun or breathe the
sweet smell of spring air … all because of one man. The ironic thing
about these kids was that my fear was that they would get hurt
fighting some enemy or stopping the end of the world, never by
something that could have been changed. For most kids a hobby was
collecting stamps or singing songs, but for Jonny and Jessie their
hobby was finding danger in every task, and surviving it. Right now,
my only regret is not protecting my little girl from some speeder down
some street.’ He also bowed his head in remorse and headed towards the
caskets: he stopped at Marie’s casket and said a small prayer, at
Jonny’s he put his head down on top of it and murmured something which
was not understandable, and at Jessie’s he got down on his knees and
simply said in his normal volume of voice "I’m sorry." and he stood up
and went back to his seat. The next and final person to speak was Dr.
Quest, for Estelle had spoken at the beginning of the service making
every eye shed a flood of tears. When he got to the pulpit, he looked
at the ocean of people and noticed there was not one dry face in the
entire building, even Bandit had his tail between his legs and head
hung low. He slowly began, looking up from the stand and towards the
caskets:
‘I have been listening to all the people in this church whisper and
say prayers, for today’s Romeo and Juliet. That was true they loved
each other more than life itself, only Romeo and Juliet did not have a
beautiful baby girl. Last night, Race and I sat up till some time
this morning watching the videos that they were bringing us, and saw
for the first time the first of Marie. We saw the face and life of
our grandchild. She had Jessie’s green eyes and Jonny’s head of hair.
When the two if them were fifteen Jessie told Jonny that his
adventures would be the end of him and his come backs was his famous
smile saying ‘Yep, and you’ll go following me to the end.’ I biggest
fear was that the two of them would go off and find Zin or Rage or
Surd and have a one to one fight and end up killing themselves; but I
always knew that if they were together they would e fine. Jonny
looked to Jessie as a mother figure and his heart; when Rachel died
and Jessie came into the picture Jonny fell in love and with her ways
she was the part of Rachel that he loved and the part of him that had
died with her. Jessie was always like a daughter to me, not only
because she was practically a younger female of me but because of how
well she got along with the family—even Bandit liked her, and took him
two months to get used to Mrs. Evans," at the last remark a few
dictators smiled remembering when they had come to visit to find the
small bulldog chasing the maid around, "I think that when the two went
their separate ways to get into Intelligence 1 they realized how much
the other meant to them, and when they were somehow assigned together
they stuck together. I do remember that every time we went on ‘one of
our adventures’ as they called them, neither one would let anything
happen to the other or even let the other breathe without knowing
about it; they truly defined ‘life’; and will be missed as well as
will be their gorgeous daughter Marie, who was not even a week old
before she died with her loving parents.’ As he sat down; everyone
filed out after the priest, caskets, and family. When they got to the
cemetery, Jonny was buried next to Rachel with Jessie to his right and
Marie beneath the two of them in the middle of where their graves met.
After the burial, everyone went to the Quest Compound which was
filled with pictures of the couple-wedding pictures to one of the
childhood. As the hours went by, memories were told, people began to
say their good-byes, condolences and soon the only ones left were the
family. Hadji walked over to the mantle over the fireplace and picked
up a picture of the three of them-Jonny, Jessie, and himself. Estelle
looked to the floor as she stepped on something; a video tape. She
looked at the cover and saw a blank title strip; the ones they had
brought each were titled so this had to be one of the older ones, she
got up and put it into the VCR and Race hit the play button. It was a
recording of the three kids sitting at the kitchen table; where Jonny
and Jessie and Hadji were eating breakfast; oblivious to the camera.
‘"You know Jonny if you don’t slow down you will choke." a teenage
Hadji said.
"Yeah and I wouldn’t wait to die by choking to death, would I" he
countered smiling as he swallowed his cereal.
"Nope you wouldn’t *die* eating cereal Jonny, you’d die going after
Zin." Jessie said as she put her spoon down.
"Yep, and you’ll go following me to the end; to the grave." he said
smiling back to her.
"Only if you do it after we go to Hawaii, ‘kay?"
"I’ll try to remember that next we try to stop the end of the world."’
The film ended and without any words, Hadji put one in, one that he
doubted any of them remembered they had.
‘"And I believe that you both have made up vows for yourselves, a
version of the minister from the funeral said on the same alter,
‘Um Yes-yeah,’ Jonny said, definitely nervous till he took a deep
breathe and got started, ‘Jess, I have known you since I was eight and
a half and a loved since that day. True I didn’t love you like I do
now, but you were perfect. Mom had just pasted away, and you were
everything about her I loved which was everything but you were my age
and fun. If I wanted to go mountain climbing on the curtains you were
the one with the rope. You have always been there for me from when I
was nine to nineteen and I hope and plan till I am past twenty nine.
I love you with all heart and without you in my life and my arms I
cannot be whole.’ he slowly put the ring on her delicate finger.
Jessie in turn took his hand in her hand and began her vows, ‘Jonny
life has always put obstacles in our way but we always seem to find a
way through—together. You have always been there to save me whether
it was from the end of the world or some villain or from myself. I
remember someone once told that bells would sound when you found your
true love, well I never got bells probably because there were no bells
near us but I did get to the point where I realized that without I am
nothing and that if anything were to happen to you my life itself
would end. Now if anything happens, we will go through it together
and with our hearts. Jonny I have loved you since the moment you
first took my hand in yours-true I was falling off the cliffs but I
still wanted to stay in your arms for as long as possible, I love you
with all my heart." and she too put the ring on his finger. With the
minister’s permission they were man and wife and ended it with a kiss.
At the reception, Jonny and Jessie never left the camera’s eye. And
before everyone started Jonny stood up to make a toast,
‘I would like to thank all of you for coming to our wedding and would
like to toast to love and to life—may we all enjoy both till the end.’"
The screen went black and Estelle was in Race’s arms after crying
herself to sleep and Race too had fallen asleep holding Estelle and
cried himself to sleep; Race himself hadn’t sleep but thirty minutes
since he heard the news of his ‘little girl’ and Jonny and their baby.
Benton Quest sat down on the scarlet chair and leaned his head to the
side to look out the window. As he lay there visions of the past came
back and replayed in his memory: first he saw a young Jonny and
Jessie climbing a tree trying to find where squirrels hid their nests
and food; then a teenage version of the two came up with the two of
the laughing at some inside joke between the two of them walking
around with Bandit skipping along in between them, he seemed to have a
smile on his little face; then finally the memories got fuzzy as he
dozed off-the final memory he had that night was at the reception of
their wedding with Jessie and Jonny dancing and enjoying every breathe
of air and every smiling face they came across. Then finally he
closed his eyes and fell asleep; the first image that cam to him was
one of Jonny about five days ago only it was now and he was talking to
him.
"‘… Hi dad,’ Jonny said kind of soft, "how are ya holding up?" all
Dr. Quest could do was stand there and stare……his dead son was talking
to him.
‘What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?’ he asked in his normal tone
with a smile breaking through.
‘Son is that really you?’ Dr. Quest asked as he stretched for his son
and when he found he was tangible he hugged him like there was no
tomorrow.
‘Well kind of, I mean I know this goes against everything that you
believe but I am still dead. I’m sorry.’ Jonny said the sorry bit in
a whisper.
‘Why?’ Dr. Quest asked fearful.
‘For dying on you … it wasn’t supposed to be like this. I mean we
were supposed to drive on up to the compound and sneak Jess and the
baby in and surprise all you guys with Marie. I am so sorry, I mean
first mom died and now I’m gone.’ Jonny said as he cried on his
father’s shoulder.
‘Oh son, it’s not your fault … I know that you didn’t mean anything
to happen to any of you. Out of curiosity, why did you name her
Marie?’ Benton asked Jonny once the as he faced his now grown son.
‘Well it was mom’s middle name and Jess and I thought it suited her.
Kind of way of remembering mom every though she had pasted away,’ he
answered and turned to his father one last time, ‘Dad I have to go’ he
said silently in a whisper.
‘Wait no Jonny. Wait please wait one minute.’ Dr. Quest begged.
‘I’m sorry I died dad, I love you dad please remember that.’ and with
his final words Jonny disappeared and Benton opened his eyes to find
that it was 10:00 the next day.
Race and Estelle had fallen asleep in each other’s arms with her chin
tucked under his chin. The two found themselves standing facing,
Jessie who was holding a small baby girl.
‘Hi dad Hi mom.’ she said showing a smile as she gave each of them a
hug; all they could do was stare at their baby girl who was dead
standing in front of them like she was fine.
‘P-Ponchita?’ Race asked weakly.
‘Yep, I want to introduce you to Marie Quest.’ She said handing her
baby over to Estelle.
‘Sweetheart, how can this be?’ she asked half believing it.
‘Well, this is a dream so Jonny is talking to Dr. Quest and I’m here
with you. Kind of to say our good-byes I guess. Ya see the way
everything was planned out up there," she pointed in an upward
direction, ‘we weren’t supposed to die for a long time, but somehow we
got killed in place of three other people, so we get to say our
good-byes properly.’ she explained.
‘We miss you sweety,’ Race said tacking Marie in his arms, ‘By the
way, why did you name her Marie?’
‘After Rachel, it was kind of way to remember her and keep her memory
alive. Guys, I just really wanted to say I’m sorry.’
‘Whatever for?’ Estelle asked worried.
‘For dying, I mean we didn’t wait this to happen … not now at least.
I mean Marie didn’t even get a chance to live.’ she as she took back
her child.
‘You cannot blame yourself, it wasn’t anybody’s fault, Hon’ Race said
reassuringly.
‘Thanks, dad’ she quickly gave each of her parents a peck on the
cheek, ‘Maybe you should take your own advice too dad. Just remember
that I always loved you and I always will love you, both.’ And with
her last words she disappeared into the dark. Race and Estelle woke
up at 10:00, the same time as Dr. Quest with the same look of
contentment and surprise on their faces. That afternoon as the wind
blew through the cemetery, making the doom seem darker than it was
four shadows hung over three graves. On Jessica and Jonathan Quests's
grave a white rose was placed on each, while on Marie Quest's grave a
white and a pink rose was placed on the tombstone.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Wow! That was kind of sad, sorry. I am actually amazed ifyou made it
this far...but what can ya do if it refuses to stop raining outside.
If you want to send any comments or flames please do it privately,
thanks.
==
Have a rose:
@>----(>>>>><)(in a vase)
Catherine
_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
********************************************************************
* The Jonny Quest mailinglist jq@edc.ml.org *
********************************************************************
* To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to: majordomo@edc.ml.org *
* with the message: unsubscribe jq subject is ignored *
********************************************************************
(
geocities.com/televisioncity)