Fantasy

The journey from planet Venus has taken three days. Even these new
spacecrafts whose fuel is the ordinary air found on earth cannot travel
any faster. Jason has been living and working in Venus for the past
fifteen years. The only way to communicate with his parents was email.
That is sometimes a poor substitute for the handwritten words of a
letter sent by ordinary mail. Though there is regular traffic with
Venus from earth now, it has been difficult to establish a postal
system on the planet. Indeed only a few scientists live in controlled
conditions on the planet. Dr Jason Bradley is just one of them. Indeed
Jason cannot be called a human being anymore. The day Jason landed on
Venus he was diagnosed with hepatitis. Little by little Jason died as
one dies on earth. When his brain stopped working completely his
doctors inserted a microchip in his neck. For fifteen years Jason has
been a bionic man. His body has been wired and fitted with a changeable
battery and he is more machine than man. As their craft began to
descend Jason tried hard to remember what his parents looked like when
he last saw them fifteen years before. Jason adored his parents. They
were the most important people in his life. Life? Did anyone say life.
Make that existence, Jason said to himself. He had been born late to
his parents. When he started going to junior school they were already
in their forties. But they worked very hard for him. They saved every
spare penny they earned to fulfill their dream of making him an
astronaut. Jason's mother cried with joy when it was declared on
television that Jason would go to Venus for fifteen years. Jason was
reluctant to take up the offer. Who would look after his aging parents.
But his mother and father repeatedly assured him that they would be
fine.
The craft touched down without any problems. As it taxied to a halt,
the metal staircase was attached to the front. As Jason picked up his
luggage he felt a lump rising in his throat. He felt surprised that he
still had the emotions of an earth-man. As he descended to terra firma
he felt the sweet air of his mother planet. Somehow there was nothing
quite like it. As he walked into the airport lobby he was able to spot
his mother and father. Indeed, they looked the same as he had left them
fifteen years before. His father handed him a small bouquet of
tuberoses, his favourite flower. His mother gave him a soft kiss on
each cheek. Jason's employers have provided him with transportation as
long as he is on earth. They jumped into the car and the quiet
chauffeur drove them home.
Jason noticed that hardly anything had changed at home. Fifteen years
is a long time and most things are expected to change. Instead, Jason
noticed, that each thing was in its place, almost too perfectly. Jason
is supposed to stay for only three days and he thought it was too small
a period to ask about such small things. Maybe his parents remembered
how things had been before or maybe they had noted everything down.
Whatever it was Jason's parents loved him and there was no doubt in
that.
That evening Jason visited a local park with his parents. He noticed
that none of his father's friends were present in the park, nor their
wives. Instead, those accompanying the children in the park were at
least ten years younger than his father. These people either ignored
Jason or gave him a strange, rebuking gaze. Jason loved the park
though. The grass was green, the children were playing noisily and
there were ducks swimming in the pond in the middle of the park. Birds
flew in and out with great commotion. There was great life in the park
and Jason had missed this life for many years. Jason had a great night
of sleep after coming from the park. The next day they decided to watch
a movie. Jason's father bought him his ticket and advised him to go on
his own. It was a sound piece of advice and Jason had a great time
observing the movie-going habits of various people. It was obvious that
these habits had changed over the years. The film tracked the story of
a young couple in love. Jason felt this longing to meet the girlfriend
he was engaged to marry. He felt sad that things had not worked out
between them. That night Jason decided to speak to his parents. Nothing
special, just regular stuff. Jason asked his father about the prices of
various goods out of curiosity. Then he asked his father how things
were between him and mother. Did they quarrel as much as before or were
they going through truce. His father's reply was non-committal. He said
that things were just as they ought to be. Jason asked his father if he
still went bowling with friends. He was told he did. When asked about
scores Dad became very nervous. More and more Jason began to believe
that something was wrong.
The next day was the last Jason would spend on earth. He decided to
stay home. He watched television all morning and noticed that his
father had very little interest in it. And his father was crazy about
cricket. He invited his parents to play cards with him after lunch. A
game of cards always got their juices flowing in the good old days. But
it was of no help. When Jason was ready to leave his family at six pm
he had a heavy heart. His parents were old and in distress. For some
reason they were not willing to share their troubles with their only
son.
The drive to the Space Centre was a quiet one. As Jason stood at the
door of the spacecraft he felt like crying. He knew, though, that he
was not programmed to cry. Down below his parents waved him goodbye as
the door of his spacecraft closed. When Jason could not be seen any
more, the person who had driven his car for the past three days came
forward. He was Dr Jim Clark, the CEO of Robotics Limited. His job now
was to switch off the batteries that ran Mr and Mrs Bradley, Jason's
parents. Two years ago, when it was decided that Jason would visit his
parents his employers were worried. Both parents of Jason had died of
heart failure within fifteen days of Jason's departure. He had not been
told anything to prevent any trauma. Somehow the news had been kept
from him for fifteen years. Something needed to be done now. Jason's
employers had turned to Robotics Limited for help. Dr Jim Clark had
carefully studied the information available about Jason's parents. With
their help Dr Clark had created two robots that not only looked like Mr
and Mrs Bradley but were also programmed to behave like them. Now that
Jason had come and gone these two robots would not be required for some
time.