The Bengal and San Francisco Samurai
Petaluma, California
Two old men sit on a park bench near a duck pond. One has white hair and a strongjaw, Bud Wash, wearing khakis and a white, collared San Francisco 48ers shirt. He pulls some bread out of his pocket and feeds it to the ducks. The other man has black, balding hair and a permanent scowl, Alan Davison, wearing large coke bottle glasses and a black Oakland Marauders track suit.
"How are your Marauders going to do this year?" Bud politely asks his friend.
"Ha! Better than your 48ers, Bud" Alan snarls "The Marauders just win, Buddy!"
Bud smiles "Hmm. Maybe." Then deciding it best to change the subject he asks "Have you been reading up on all this super hero drama in the news?"
Alan scowled "They showed up back in 88. Isn't that the year you retired? After your 48ers won the big one?"
Bud nodded.
"Damn super heroes. World was a better place before they showed up." Alan said.
"They're not so bad. The San Francisco Samurai has saved a lot of innocent people." Bud said.
"Always going on about that Samurai." Alan interrupted. "You know the one I like is the Bengal. He helps people on my turf, Oakland, not just saving the rich snobs of San Francisco. He ain't afraid to go to extremes to take down the bad guys either."
"The Samurai helps out in Oakland too. Wherever he's needed. I read he works with the Bengal, splitting up duties." said Bud "You know, I saw him once."
"The Samurai?" asked Alan.
Bud nodded. "It was on Mission Street. The Stained Glass Man was slaughtering people in the street. His 'holy war' against the 'sinners' of San Francisco." Bud explained.
"Wasn't he made out of glass?" Alan asked.
"Stained glass, yes." said Bud "He could manipulate his body how he wanted and throw shards of glass at people. He claimed the angels in the glass spoke to him. From where I stood they looked more like demons than angels." Bud paused before saying "There was blood in the street."
"Shit! I'm sorry Bud." said Alan.
"That Stained Glass Man was walking toward a young Asian woman. She was frozen with fear. His claws grew larger. I ran up and grabbed her but I was too late. That monster stood about nine feet tall, right in front of us. We were dead." Bud gulped then continued "Then the San Francisco Samurai's sword cut him in half. Saved both of us. They fought for a while after that but the Samurai just out classed the Stained Glass Man."
"Hmph!" Alan grunted "Yeah, I'm glad he saved you and that girl, Bud, but the Samurai should have finished the job. Now Stained 'ass' Man is sitting in a cell in the Alcatraz Underwater Super Villain Prison. Just biding his time. That's my problem with most of these 'heroes'. They don't end these super villains."
"But the Bengal does." said Bud, knowing where his friend was going.
"Exactly!" said Alan. "Remember last year? That giant robot that wanted to blow up the Marauders Coliseum?"
"Ro-Babylon? The super hero who turned evil?" asked Bud.
"No. That was at Candlelight Park. The other giant robot." said Alan.
"Oh, right. You mean the Terror Truck." said Bud.
"Yeah. That was the one." said Alan. "Well after the Bengal went beast mode on Terror Truck I heard he took his Bengal grenade launcher and shoved it up Terror Trucks exhaust pi.."
Bud grimaced "Not sure I heard that version. I thought he just shot him up with his M60, Pigsy."
"Well either way, you'll never hear from Terror 'Trash' again." Alan spat.
"Each hero has his own way I suppose. I heard there's even a super hero here in small town Petaluma." said Bud.
"Ha ha ha!! The Rooster?" Alan cackled "What's his super power again? The ability to wake up everyone in this hick town at the crack of dawn?"
Both men began laughing.
Just then, on cue, a loud "Cock-A-Doodle-Doooo!!!" rang out across the town of Petaluma, followed by the angry protests from sleep weary civillians.
Bud looked at his watch. "Well old friend, I think it's time to get back."
Alan spat "Yeah, yeah! Don't want to piss off the Commissioner of Heaven."
Bud smiled.
Both men faded away.
to be continued
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