What follows is based on true events.
Legend tells about beings of old, who
live and breath off of nothing of their own, but rather survive on
the possessions and surplus of others that they can acquire through
their innate senses of deception, abilities of misdirection, and
superior fighting skills. “Del Diablo Sombras” they are called,
“The devil’s Shadows.” It was said that they had vanished
millenniums ago and that only a whisper of their order and ways still
remained, all but lost and hidden deep amongst cultures where greed
and desperation rule in every day life.
I met one in my travels and did have
the honor to match my skills against the mighty Diablo Sombras. As we
stared at one another and prepared to do battle, I found myself
surprised at first and could not make myself believe that I had
become so luck to be up against the awesome foes of myth and legend.
Rumors are heard every now and then of mortals encountering a
descendant of these ancients and losing everything they own in the
meeting, but the stories are often met with disbelief and written off
as having been performed by posers, simple imitators of greater
masters. But what I saw before me was no trick or illusion and I knew
it to be so because what I beheld was in fact exactly that. The
warrior before me was an illusion, a mere trick of my eyes, a shadow
that danced in my periphery as it attempted to relieve me of all that
I had with me. Nothing that I saw could I actually believe, an
experience only achieved by an encounter with one of Del Diablo
Sombras. My mind struggled to grip reality as he began to play his
cruel game with my senses. I think it is strange how we can be so
easily dazzled and deceived by things that we can not fully get a
grasp on or understand, hmmm…
Anyway, back to the battle. As I forced
my mind back to my own control with great effort, and focused in on
my enemy my first reaction was to pull out my nun-chucks that I
always keep concealed on my person for just such occasions, and of
course he drew out his blade of mist, the favorite weapon of a
‘Shadow who is forced to come to blows with a victim, and we had at
it. It was an epic battle, one I have waited and hoped for my entire
life. My heart raced, my head stayed cool as my instincts kicked in
and my body responded as it had been trained to, blocking every
attack and thrust and looking for the single moment, a sliver of
opportunity to strike my own decisive blow. Shift after deceptive
shift, blow after endless blow, and my chance finally came. As he
stopped his frantic movement and lowered his clouds of protection for
only a hint of second in order to see me more clearly to make a
strike of his own, I took aim, swung and I did not miss my mark. With
a back hand swing of my weapons, I smashed through his mask of fog
and drove him to the ground.
As my enemy laid defeated at my feet
and I knew the day was mine, the little punk jumped up, grabbed my
wallet and escaped using ancient Mayan disappearing powder, an old
trick that the Shadows stole from the old empire of Central America,
and a last resort that they have been known to use when all other
tactics have been exhausted. Allowing myself only the slightest frustration I thought “Touche worthy foe.”
I have to keep reminding myself that I
did well for a first encounter with a ‘Shadow. Most people are lucky
to not have lost EVERYTHING and be standing naked in the street when
attacked by a real Diablo Sombras. I lost only my wallet with a few
measly Cordobas in it and it took him employing a tactic of last
resort, his final secret, to even get away with that. But I could have done better, I will do better. I hope against
hopes for a coveted second encounter and chance to go up against Del
Diablo Sombras, that a ‘Shadow does in fact attempt to take from me
again. I pray that one is that foolish. I pray that I am that
lucky…
So some guys tried to take my bag and
when I held on and they couldn’t get that they grabbed my wallet
instead and ran off. This is the Hollywood version of my story mainly
purposed to help me regain some dignity from what might otherwise be
construed as an unfortunate and somewhat defeating event. Yeah I might have gotten just a wee bit carried away. My
documentary version will follow shortly and be much more serious and
spiritually insightful I promise. Thanks for humoring me;-)
