Disclaimer: I do not own "Tarzan" or its characters. They are property of Edgar Rice Burroughs and the Walt Disney Company.

"Forget Us Not"

By TwilightSparkle3562

The jungles of Africa were experiencing a rainstorm and today was no exception. Tarzan, the lord of the apes, was about to mark one of the darkest days of his life and even though he was too young to remember, he knew and felt the presence of what happened on the dark day. For today was the anniversary of his parents' death at the claws of Sabor the Leopard.

"How are you feeling, my love?" asked his wife, Jane as she walked to comfort Tarzan that morning, who was starting out the window. "I know it's a hard day for you."

"I'm fine," answered Tarzan in a sad voice, looking over towards Jane. "My parents don't want me to be sad and you know it."

"It's all right to be sad at least once in a while," sighed Jane as she drank her morning cup of English tea. "We all know days like this will come every once in a while. Believe me, I know what it is like to lose a parent."

Upon hearing his wife's words, Tarzan looked over towards the very spot in the treehouse where his parents' bodies once were after they were killed. A bouquet of flowers were placed there with the words "with love, Tarzan and Jane," written on a small piece of paper.

"I know what you mean," said Tarzan, going over towards the bouquet of flowers. "Everything you ever taught me about what happens after we die, Jane, gave me the idea that perhaps maybe they aren't truly gone. I remember you saying that we have some spirit that lives on long after the body has turned to dust."

"That's right, Tarzan," replied Jane, walking over to him. "Your parents are now nothing but that, spirits that will forever live on not on Earth, but in a place that Jesus had prepared for us."

"What is that place, exactly?" wondered Tarzan. "You tell me that it is heaven, but I can't see it anywhere."

"You can only see it after you die," answered Jane. "When we die, then we can see the place where all our loved ones are. But for now, we need to live out our lives the way God has commanded us to."

Tarzan sighed as he heard what Jane had described to him. He wanted to be not just with his parents, but also Kerchak and all those who had died before him in the jungles of Africa, whether they were human or animal.

"All we can do, love, is to pray for the souls of your parents," continued Jane. "That's why we will honor your parents tonight when daddy blesses this very spot where your parents died."

Tarzan was confused to hear this.

"Why would you bless this very spot?" he wondered, confusingly looking at the spot.

"Well, sometimes," answered Jane, taking another sip of her tea. "The places or spots we die at sometimes becomes a memorial in its own right. Your parents' bodies were destroyed beyond measure as I recall and when we have nothing physical to bury, we tend to make memorials at the locations where our loved ones were killed."

As he heard his wife speak, Tarzan began to long for the chance that he could one day meet his parents again. He had so much to tell them such as that he was married to the most beautiful woman he had ever met, at least in his mind, how he became leader of the gorillas, among other things.

"But, you will see all that you need to see in due time," said Jane, walking away from the memorial and towards the kitchen.

…

Tarzan continued to think about what Jane had said to him as the day went by. Finally, once the day transitioned over to night, Tarzan dressed himself in his late father's suit and stood at the mirror, trying to picture himself as his deceased father.

"I know you are watching over me," Tarzan thought to himself. "Even though I never known you or mother, I feel as if I know you for all of my life. At least we can let you know that I am still thinking about you."

At that moment, Jane came into the bedroom wearing her blue dress that she had purchased from Dumont's Trading Post. Her long brown hair was put into its elegant bun and her face was adorned with makeup.

"How are you holding up?" she asked Tarzan, standing next to him in the mirror.

"Oh, uh, I, I didn't notice you coming in Jane," he stuttered, turning away from the mirror to face his wife. "I was just thinking about whether or not my parents are watching over me right now."

"They are watching over you even as we speak," she said, placing a gloved hand on Tarzan's left shoulder. "Think of tonight as a way of remembering that they are still with us."

Reassured by these words, Tarzan followed his wife to the room where Archimedes was already there, lighting a pair of candles right in the spots where the bodies were sprawled out. The bouquet remained in the same spot, but now was flanked on each side by the candles.

"Heavenly father," Archimedes said. "We ask you in your name to bless this spot where your servants, John and Alice gave their lives for their child in the face of evil and adversity. We ask you also to bless over all those who died before us and give us hope that one day, we will all be together again in the kingdom of which your son has prepared for us. We ask you this in the name of your most divine son, Jesus Christ, in the name of the father, of the son and of the holy spirit, Amen."

"Amen," added Tarzan and Jane.

…

THE END