The Lost Swords

by Dave Hicks

 

Chapter 2

 

1

 

"Why are you immortal?" Eleanor asked me, as she helped me wash the deck. "How did it happen?"

"I don’t know, sweetheart," I replied. "Or maybe I don’t remember. I don’t remember ever having any parents or brothers and sisters. Maybe you can poke around in my head and find out."

"I can only ever know what you know, my love," she said. "If it’s hidden from you, it’s hidden from me also. That’s the way it works, I’m afraid. Telepathy does have it’s limitations."

"A bit like my lovemaking ability," I laughed.

She threw the wet cloth she was holding, at me. I moved out of its way and it vanished overboard.

"Ahoy, the ship!" a voice called out. "Permission to come aboard?"

I went to the rail. It was the couple from the other yacht, in a dingy.

"Welcome," I said. "It’s easier to board at the stern."

The man tossed up the cloth Eleanor threw at me. We went to the stern. The visitors climbed aboard.

"Welcome," I said.

"I’m John," he smiled, offering his hand. "This is my wife Ingrid."

"Eleanor and David," I returned. "Welcome aboard."

We sat at the stern. Eleanor went below to get drinks.

"We’re from Europe," Ingrid announced.

She was wearing a bra and tee-shirt this time.

"We live a day’s sailing from here," I replied. "We’re out for a few days. Not real travelers, like you."

Eleanor returned with four bottles of cold beer and sat next to me.

"Not too early in the morning for a beer?" I asked, with a smile.

John looked at the sun.

"No," he laughed. "In my country, it would have to be about the right time now."

"I didn’t see you come in last night," I said.

"No," replied John. "We lost the wind by mid-afternoon. We had to motor the rest of the way."

"Have you been sailing long?" Ingrid asked Eleanor.

Eleanor shook her head and smiled.

"I feel like I have been on that boat forever," laughed Ingrid. "I’m starved for another woman to talk to."

"She’s in for a disappointment then," I chuckled to Eleanor.

"Behave yourself," Eleanor responded. "She’s a very nice person. They both are."

"She hasn’t got half your figure," I said.

 

"You’re such an awful man, sometimes," she said. "I’m listening to what they’re thinking to each other, so stop distracting me."

"You mean they’re telepathic?" I asked amazed.

"Of course," she replied. "Now try and pay attention to what they’re saying, or they’re going to think you’re a little strange."

"Can they hear us?" I asked.

"No," she replied.

"But you can hear them?"

"Yes."

"That’s okay then," I said.

"We haven’t made landfall yet," smiled John, setting down an empty bottle. "You don’t know how good this beer tastes. It’s been weeks since I’ve had any."

Eleanor rose and got more beer from the galley.

"You can’t drink all their beer," said Ingrid to John.

"It’s fine," I laughed. "We’ve got plenty of beer. And fresh fruit and vegetables, if you like to stay for lunch."

"We couldn’t ask you to do that," said Ingrid.

"Yes we could," laughed John. "I’m sick of food that comes out of cans. I’d kill for some fresh food."

Eleanor returned with more beer and freshly sliced melon and apple.

"I’ve just invited John and Ingrid for lunch," I informed her. "They haven’t had fresh food for quite a while."

Eleanor smiled and nodded.

"It’s settled then," I said, raising my bottle in salute. "And welcome to our country."

"Cheers," they said in unison, raising their bottles also.

 

2

 

John and Ingrid returned at midday. Eleanor prepared a spread for them under an awning I’d hung over the boom. And more beer. I’d already had my midday meal from Eleanor.

"You’re not eating," Ingrid observed.

"I already have," I said. "I’ll wait until later."

They nodded.

The lunch went very pleasantly. They talked mostly about their voyage. With a little persistence, I got them to promise to return for dinner.

"I should lie down for a while," said Eleanor. "My back’s starting to get a little sore."

"I’ll join you," I said.

We removed our clothes and lay on the bed together.

"Could you hear everything they were thinking?" I asked.

"Clear as a bell," she replied.

"They never said why they came here," I said. "But I get the impression they’re on quest of some kind. Especially Ingrid."

"They are, my sweet man," she smiled. "You were clever to pick it up. You’re getting better at it."

"Well tell me, honey" I laughed, pressing closer to her.

"They’re looking for you," she stated. "And other telepaths too - if there are any. But mostly - they’re looking for you."

"Damn!" I cried, rising from the bed and turning to her. "How could they know?"

Eleanor remained silent.

"I haven’t been in Europe for a long time," I said. "And I’m always very careful not to be recognized later."

Eleanor gently urged me to join her again. I lay beside her. She stroked my head.

"Ingrid is your granddaughter," she said kindly.

"Oh no," I said in dismay. "I don’t know if I need this. What shall I do?"

"Only you can decide that, my love," she said, holding me tightly.

 

3

 

A fresh wind was rising when John and Ingrid joined us for the evening meal. It looked as though we’d be able to sail tomorrow.

"What made you want to sail here?" I asked them.

John smiled and looked at Ingrid.

"He doesn’t believe me," she said, glancing at John. "I’ve come to find someone very special. My grandfather. And I know I’ll find him."

"It doesn’t matter what I believe," he said, defending himself. "You’ll do it anyway. It’s like an obsession with you."

"I know he’s still alive," she said. "I can feel it."

"It’s okay," he smiled, holding up his hands. "I’m not going to get into this discussion again."

"You seem to feel strongly about this," I remarked. "How will you recognize him?"

"I just know he’s still alive, that’s all," she stated. "I’ll know him."

John leaned back and folded his arms across his chest.

"John doesn’t really believe me," she continued. "I know he doesn’t. It only makes me all the more determined to prove him wrong and wipe the silly smile off his face."

She turned to Eleanor.

"Do you find men are like that? Ingrid asked her. "They think they know everything."

Eleanor shook her head and smiled.

"My grandmother died two years ago," Ingrid related. "My mother told me my grandfather died when she was still young. But just before my grandmother died, she told me that my grandfather was an immortal. He could never die. Grandma said he had to leave because he wasn’t getting any older and people would start to notice. She could go with him but chose to stay with her family. She said I was to go and find him. It was very important I do that. She made me promise and then she just died. Right there, in front of me, just after I made the promise."

"Do you know why you have to find him?" I asked.

"Yes," replied Ingrid. "Well, I think so. Grandma said I was one of the new breed of people. The future of human race. It sounds a little crazy, doesn’t it?"

"No it doesn’t," I answered. "Evolution is happening all the time. I believe some people are telepathic, for instance."

"See," she said, turning to John. "Someone who understands. At last."

John chose to stay silent and take another mouthful of beer.

"Am I a descendant of yours too?" asked Eleanor, with a chuckle.

"I don’t think so," I smiled. "I wasn’t that promiscuous."

"Are you going to tell them?" she asked.

"I’m not sure. It’s a big risk for me. What do you think?"

"I think you can trust them," she replied. "They’re both born telepaths. That’s how they found each other. And they’re both quite sane. Like me they’ve learnt - the hard way - how to keep things secret from normal people. People who don’t understand and fear us."

I rose from the bench and took a long sharp knife from a drawer and a damp cloth from the sink.

"Don’t be alarmed," I said quietly. "I haven’t gone mad. There’s something I’d like to show you both."

I lay my arm on the table and stabbed the knife right through my forearm.

"No!" cried Eleanor out loud, her hands at her face in horror. "Don’t move. I’ll get the first aid kit."

"Please sit down, honey," I thought softly. "I’m not hurt, even though it looks that way."

John and Ingrid were frozen in shock.

"It okay," I smiled at them. "I’m fine. See, no pain."

I showed them that the knife had gone right through my arm, then I withdrew it and placed it on the table. The bleeding from my arm had already stopped. I wiped the blood from my forearm, leaving an open wound on both sides.

"Watch," I instructed them.

The wound started to close by itself. In less than a minute, nothing remained. It was completely healed, with no scar.

"It has to be a trick," said John, recovering some of his composure.

"Would you like to try yourself?" I asked him, offering the knife to him, handle towards him. "You won’t hurt me."

"Pass," he said, shaking his head. "No way."

"It just healed," said Ingrid, turning to John. "I saw it. You saw it."

He nodded to her.

"Don’t ever do that to me again," said Eleanor. "For heaven’s sake, warn me first."

"I did warn you," I smiled to her. "Well, sort of."

"That’s right," she replied. "You did. Sorry, my love. I think I’m in shock."

"Are you okay?"

"I’ll live," she smiled weakly back to me, "once my heart starts beating again."

Both John and Ingrid had blank looks on their faces.

"They’re talking to each other," Eleanor informed me.

I waited until they’d finished.

"Are you my grandfather?" Ingrid asked. "You must be, to show me that."

"Yes I am," I replied, "if you grandmother’s name was Hilda and your mother’s name was Ruth."

"Yes," she replied.

"Did you’re grandmother have two fingers missing on her left hand?" I asked.

"Yes," replied Ingrid. "It’s true."

"What if it’s some kind of trick?" John asked Ingrid.

Gently, I took his hand and dragged his fingers through the blood still on the table. He examined his wet fingers then showed Ingrid. She touched the blood. Eleanor passed Ingrid a dampened cloth. They wiped the blood from their fingers and Eleanor removed the blood and knife from the table.

"You’re always making a mess for me to clean up," she said, regaining her composure.

"Have you got any more beer," John asked Eleanor. "Or maybe something stronger."

Eleanor smiled and got a bottle of vodka and two glasses. He opened the bottle and poured Ingrid and himself a generous measure.

"How old are you," Ingrid asked. "If you don’t mind me asking."

"At least a thousand years old," I answered. "Maybe a lot more. I don’t know for sure."

"Wow!" she exclaimed.

I could hear the wind getting stronger. The yacht was starting to move more.

"Eleanor and I are sailing to the outer islands for a few days," I said. "We’ll give you our phone numbers and the keys to my apartment. You can contact us anytime. It’ll take you a while to go through immigration and get settled."

"Yes," agreed John.

"The wind’s getting up," she said. "We’d better go soon, if we don’t want to get wet getting back to our boat."

"Take the bottle," I said.

"Thanks," John replied gratefully. "We’re going to need it."

 

4

 

After inspecting the boat and the weather, I had a shower. Eleanor was lying in bed waiting for me.

"Is my very own man hungry?" she asked, pushing at the sides of her breasts, with her hands. Her nipples were leaking.

"Starving," I smiled, sitting on her thighs.

After feeding, we cuddled together.

"Early start tomorrow," I said, stroking her breast. "If the wind stays like this, it’ll be great."

"What was Hilda like?" Eleanor asked.

"A lovely woman," I replied. "I found her abandoned in a muddy ditch, as a baby. At first I thought she was dead. She’d been mauled by wild pigs. She lost a few fingers and part of an ear. For a while she was my daughter, later my wife. But as always, it became time when I had to move on again. People eventually become suspicious. I have something some people would sell their very souls to possess and they’d go to any lengths to get."

"Did you feed from her breasts?" she asked.

"No," I replied. "Things were different then. I married her so she would have title to the property I owned, when the time came for me to leave her. She wanted children and she was in love with me. I did what I thought was best, at the time."

"That’s okay then," Eleanor said. "As long as you don’t grieve her loss."

"But I do," I said. "A little. I grieve the loss of so many people. You try not to get too attached - after the first millennium or so. That way, it doesn’t hurt quite so much."

I ran my hand over her stomach and hairless pubic area.

"You’ve got no pubic hair," I remarked.

"That’s very observant of you to notice," she laughed jokingly, "after all this time."

"Why?"

"It’s caused by the hormones I took when I was young, to give me such irresistible big boobs," she said. "The hair never grew. Does it worry you?"

"No," I replied. "I like it. Very neat and tidy."

I started massaging a breast.

"What happens when I get old?" she asked. "When you have to leave me?"

"I may not have to," I said. "The real problem might be, that you might have to choose if you want to be immortal or not."

"You mean I could be like you? Live forever?"

"I don’t know," I said. "But you may not want to. The price might be too high, after you’ve thought about it."

"Imagine the history you must’ve seen," she said. "You’ll have to tell me about it sometime. Is there anyone else immortal like you?"

"I don’t think so," I replied. "Still -- it’s a big world. There might be someone else but somehow I doubt it. I’ve done a fair bit of searching in my time. I imagine they would be doing the same, to find me. I’ve left lots of markers, only they would recognize. No luck so far."

"Could you die, if you really wanted to?"

"Yes," I laughed. "I suppose I could. Although I don’t get disease, or poisoned and things like that. I’ve been pretty messed up in the past but I always seem to come back to life again."

"Then you’re not really immortal," she concluded. "Some things can kill you."

"Long political speeches and bad movies come pretty close."

She was silent for a while.

"Make love to me," she said.

After we’d made love, she was lost in her thoughts for a while.

"If you might be able to make me immortal," she asked, "why didn’t you make someone else immortal before?"

"I was waiting for you to ask me that question," I smiled.

"Well?"

"The science and technology I needed hasn’t been around until now," I explained. "The fact that people have different blood groups, was only discovered a relatively short time ago. Short from my point of view, anyway."

"I’ve got another question," she smiled.

"What now?" I laughed.

"You told Loretta you were an architect working for your family company before you came to university," she stated.

"Yes," I agreed. "But it’s a lie, in a way. I don’t have any parents. I bought the business for them. In return, they pretend I’m their son. They treat me like their son. They’re really nice people. You’ll have to meet them some time - if you like."

"I’d like that very much," she said.

 

5

 

It was becoming light when we got underway,. There was no sign of life from Ingrid’s and John’s yacht. They probably both had hangovers. I took the wheel while Eleanor went below to cook herself breakfast. The weather forecast was for good winds for the next six to eight hours, giving us plenty time to get to our destination before nightfall. The yacht skidded across the water like a flat stone across a pond. By mid-afternoon, as the wind started to drop, we were anchored in the harbor.

Later, we got a call from Ingrid and John informing us they’d arrived on the mainland and had already cleared customs. I told them my car was in the marina compound and where to find the key for it. A phone call okayed it with the manager at the marina. I also told them where to get a set of keys for my apartment. They’d appreciate living away from the boat for a few days. Eleanor talked to her mother for quite a while.

"What she did to my milk can be reversed, without any problems," she informed me. "It would mean you’d have to go through withdrawals for a while but she said she can help with that. She said she was sorry. I don’t know if I believe her completely. I told her if she ever pulled a stunt like that again, I’d probably kill her, or something even worse."

"I can’t get addicted to anything," I smiled. "Except your love, of course."

"Can’t you?"

"No," I replied. "My metabolism want allow me to."

"And I was worried about you," she exclaimed.

"Do you forgive me?" I asked her, holding her around her waist.

"Yes," she smiled, kissing me. "Of course I do. In a way, it’s not all bad news, I suppose."

She thought for a second.

"But it means you’re not totally dependent on my milk," she said, with a hint of disappointment.

"We’ll see if we can’t work something out," I said. "I much prefer your milk to anything else, anyway."

"Okay," she smiled.

"What say we go ashore and soak up some of the local color?" I suggested.

"Good idea," she smiled. "I’ll go change my clothes and do my hair and makeup."

"What’s wrong with what you wearing?"

"Men," she remarked jokingly, as she went below. "They haven’t got a clue about women, have they. It has to be a genetic thing. Hurry up and get into something decent too - I’m not going ashore with you looking like that. Thousands of years old and you haven’t learn a thing."

"Bossy woman," I called down to her from the wheel-house.

 

6

 

We walked into town. It was getting dark and we decided to go to a restaurant I knew, for a meal. As Eleanor was inspecting the menu, a very fit looking middle-aged man came over to our table.

"David," he greeted me warmly. "When did you arrive."

"This afternoon," I replied.

I turned to Eleanor.

"This is Paul, a good friend of mine," I said. "Paul, this is Eleanor."

"I’m very pleased to meet you," he smiled.

"Join us," I said. "Please."

Paul waved to a fine looking woman, with a classic figure and blond hair, sitting alone, a few tables away, watching us. She nodded, smiled and came over to us.

"Claire," Paul smiled. "This is Eleanor. And this I David, a very good friend of mine. They’ve invited us to join them. Claire is my wife."

"We’d love to," smiled Claire, taking a vacant chair between Eleanor and myself. Paul took the remaining chair opposite her.

Eleanor smiled at her.

"Eleanor doesn’t say much," I warned Claire. "Except in my head."

"Wait until I get you home," Eleanor smiled.

"What are you doing after dinner?" Paul asked.

I looked at Eleanor. She shrugged and smiled.

"Nothing," I replied.

"Then come to my dojo," he suggested. "We having a big tournament tonight. Some of the visitors think they know something about martial arts. It should be fun to watch - especially now you’re here. Have you got a gee with you?"

"Not here," I replied. "On the boat."

"I’ll find one that fits you," he laughed.

"Paul owns a karate club," I explained to Eleanor. "He was world champion for a few years, until his health started to suffer."

"Do you fight?" Claire asked Eleanor.

Eleanor shook her head.

"She doesn’t say much, does she," Claire said to me, not unkindly.

"There’s a lot that goes on behind those eyes, however," I said to her.

"Yes," smiled Claire, "I’m sure there is."

They ordered their meals.

"You didn’t order?" asked Claire.

"David’s probably on some weird strict Tibetan diet at the moment," said Paul to Claire, "Probably yak shit soaked in sump oil. He can eat anything."

"Something like that," I laughed. "Very strict."

"Oh thanks very much," laughed Eleanor. "If my milk tastes like yak shit, why do you keep on drinking it?"

"I didn’t say that," I replied. "You’re putting words in my mouth."

"I’ll put something in your mouth later," she smiled at me.

"You are a witch," I laughed.

They finished their meal and we drove in Paul’s car to his karate dojo. Paul and Claire changed into their gees. Paul found one, with no club markings, that fitted me. It looked a little tatty and stained - just the way I like it. I borrowed one of his plain black belts, then joined Eleanor in the grandstand, to watch the proceedings.

"And I tried to get you to dress up tonight," she laughed, looking at the condition of the suit I was wearing. "I should never have bothered."

"What’s wrong with it?" I asked, pulling at my suit coat. "It’s just had a bit of work, that’s all. I’d look like an idiot in a brand new one."

"I give up," she said happily, squeezing my arm.

Competitors and spectators were arriving and the grandstand was filling up quickly. Quite a few competitors were from overseas. A few reporters fussed about and a television news crew were setting up their equipment on the sidelines.

The preliminary bouts started. Each of three rounds - as always - between two combatants. Between the bouts were demonstrations of weapon’s skill and exercise routines. I went to get Eleanor a drink. On my way back to the grandstand, a very large, muscular oriental competitor knocked the drink from my hand.

"Are you competing," he smiled, poking his forefinger into my chest.

I took a step backwards.

"I am now," I replied, with a smile.

I took a note of the club name on his robe and his grade of belt. I looked up his name in the entry list and registered my name to fight him. I got another drink and returned to Eleanor.

"How’s it going?" I asked her. "Not too bored?"

"No," she said. "It’s fascinating. The dances are beautiful."

"Kata," I corrected her.

"Bless you," she laughed. "Do you need my handkerchief?"

"That’s the name of the dances. They’re called Kata. They’re exercise routines, of sorts."

Paul sat with us.

"You’ve put your name down to fight Ko Su," he said. "He’s a mean bastard. Very fast and strong as an ox."

"You didn’t say you were going to fight." Eleanor said, with a look of concern.

"Only a little bit," I replied. "Don’t worry. I had a couple of free lessons before I came tonight. It doesn’t look like it’s that hard to do, does it?"

"He spilt the drink I was getting for Eleanor," I replied to Paul.

"Well," said Paul, with a sly smile on his face, as he rose to leave. "I guess you don’t have much choice then. We can’t have people going around spilling drinks, can we? Give the whole sport a bad name, if we allowed that to continue, wouldn’t it?"

Eleanor looked at me suspiciously but said nothing.

We watched Ko Su have a couple of fights. He beat them easily, with no thought about the extent of damage he caused to his opponent. He wasn’t popular with the spectators.

"He is a nasty man," remarked Eleanor, folding her arms over her enormous bosom. "I don’t like him one bit."

"Ugly too," I added. "Probably raised in a family of dysfunctional trolls."

As the time approached for my fight with him, I noticed that two of his companions had taken up positions close to us in the grandstand. I signaled to Paul, pointing them out to him. He understood immediately what was happening and said a few words to Claire. I mention it to Eleanor, so she wouldn’t become alarmed.

My name was called and I stepped to the edge of the fight area. Since I was the challenger, Ko Su could pick the type of match we were to fight. It was to be a five round match, with no limits, full contact, last man standing wins. He intended to try and hurt me very much. Ko Su stood on the other side of the ring waiting, with a smile on his face. I glanced up at the grandstand. Ko Su’s companions had moved closer to Eleanor as I had expected them to do. I knew Paul would protect Eleanor.

On the command from the referee, we entered the ring, bowed and moved away from each other. I mentally raised my metabolism a notch. Everything now was in slow motion for me.

He came at me quickly hoping to catch me unprepared. I dodge his kick and broke the little finger of his left hand. He stepped away from me and wasn’t smiling anymore. He circled me slowly, feeling his broken finger with his other hand. I waited, unmoving - my arm hanging loosely at my sides.

The spectators waited in expectation.

Again he came at me, this time pretending to kick but changing to a punch with his good hand at the last minute. I deflected the punch easily and broke the next finger on his injured hand. He held his hand again and looked at me suspiciously. He raised his good hand and called for time out. One of his cohorts bandaged his two broken fingers.

I saw Paul’s people were now moving to protect Eleanor. Ko Su returned to the center of the ring.

"I now will kill you," he sneered, in a Chinese dialect.

"Which finger do you want broken next?" I asked him perfectly in his own language.

He charged. I deflected his blows and broke the next finger in his hand. The spectators clapped and cheered.

"You are starting to run out of undamaged fingers," I said, still in his native language.

The round ended and we returned to opposite sides of the ring.

"It’s all fixed," Paul said quietly to me.

"Thanks," I nodded.

The bell sounded and we re-entered the ring. Three of the fingers on his left hand were now individually bandaged.

"Your lady will suffer," he called to me.

"You will not live to see it," I smiled, stepping closer to him.

He tried a clever maneuver, which came close to landing on me. I grabbed his damaged hand and snapped the remaining undamaged finger. He cried out in pain this time.

The spectators cheered and clapped again.

"You have only one hand remaining," I said to him calmly. "A man with one hand is like a bull with one testicle."

He called time-out again and had the whole hand bandaged and returned to the ring.

"Look towards where your lady sits," he smiled.

His two companions were sitting either side of Eleanor. Behind them, two of Paul’s people, each holding a thin wire around the necks of Ko Su’s conspirators. Ko Su couldn’t see the wires. Eleanor was oblivious to what was happening around her.

I stepped quickly towards him and broke his nose with my fist. The crowd roared in approval. He backed away from me with blood streaming down his gee coat, unable to see. I stood back and waited. He wiped the blood from his face and signaled to his companions to injure Eleanor. They didn’t move. He looked at them in disbelief then turned to the edge of the ring. One of his companions on the sidelines threw him a knife. He caught it with his good hand.

Some spectators cried out and then the whole place fell silent.

"Now we will play by my rules," he growled.

He started to circle me. I moved quickly towards him and removed the knife from his hand. I moved behind him and slit the back of his coat from the collar to the belt. I threw knife high into the air, so it stuck into a wooden beam in the ceiling. His coat fell down in front of him. One of his companions came onto the mats, hastily removed his own coat and gave it to Ko Su. Ko Su ripped his damaged coat from his body and put on the one belonging to his companion.

Four of Ko Su’s people entered the ring. I signaled to Paul that I didn’t need help. The bell for the end of the round sounded insistently but everyone ignored it. My attackers spaced themselves evenly around me in a circle.

I raised my metabolism another notch - and started breaking major bones. In a few seconds, only Ko Su was standing.

"It is your turn," I said. "Which bones of your do you wish me to break first? I will allow you a choice."

He didn’t respond immediately.

"You are the legendary Dai Ho." he then said, bowing to me. "The immortal one. No man can ever defeat you. It is a great honor to be instructed by you."

He turned and walked slowly from the ring. The match was over. The crowd applauded, cheered and stamped the floor with their feet.. The noise was deafening. Medics attended to the four injured people in the ring. I was declared the winner of the bout.

I returned to the grandstand. The crowd continued to applaud me. Two very frightened people sat either side of Eleanor. I signaled to Paul’s people to release them. They vanished instantly. Paul and Claire joined us.

"Took your time with him," smiled Paul.

"The crowd seemed to enjoy it though," I replied.

"You’re amazing," cried Claire. "And he’s their national champion."

"Only two free lessons indeed," said Eleanor. "Remind me to talk to you later about this."

"Yes my love," I smiled at her.

Paul and Claire sat with us for the remainder of the tournament.

After it was over, they invited us to their house for drinks. When we were seated in the lounge, Claire asked me a question.

"I’ve never seen anything like it," she remarked. "You were so fast, it was unbelievable. Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"I owe it all to a very strict Tibetan diet of yak shit and sump oil," I laughed.

"He won’t tell you," said Paul. "It’s useless to try."

Claire turned to Paul.

"You knew about David all along," she said to him accusingly. "It never occurred to you to let me in on the secret. Oh no. That would’ve spoiled you fun, wouldn’t it."

"What? And miss the look on your face?" he asked her. "I’d never do that."

"What about when those other four entered the ring?" asked Claire. "It was so unfair of them."

"You mean - unfair for them, don’t you?" Paul laughed. "They didn’t stand a chance."

"But you were world champion," remarked Claire. "Why wasn’t David?"

"The reason I was world champion was David never competed," he replied. "It’s a very sobering thought - being crowned the best in the world whilst knowing someone can easily wipe the floor with you."

"He’ll never be allowed to fight in this country again, will he?" said Claire. "Not after the way he behaved."

"My people will make sure he’s on the next plane out of here," Paul informed us. "He won’t cause any you any more trouble."

"Thanks," I said.

 

7

 

It was getting quite late when Paul and Claire drove us to the wharf. I rowed us back to the boat. We entered the bedroom and Eleanor hugged me. I noticed the front of her dress was wet.

"You’re full," I said, placing my hands on her bosom.

"Very," she replied.

We removed our clothes. While I was in the shower, Eleanor rinsed out her dress and bra and hung them in the galley. She had her shower and joined me in bed.

"I let you go too long," I said. "I’m sorry."

"You were busy," she smiled. "But you’re not busy now."

Once her breasts were relieved, she lay on her back and I massaged her shoulders.

"Will that nasty man cause trouble for us?" she asked.

"No," I said. "He backed down from a fight. His competition days here are over. No club or association will ever sponsor him again, in this country again."

"You were sensational," she said. "The crowd loved you. How can you move so fast?"

"I can change my metabolism at will," I explained.

"Handy," she said.

"You weren’t worried?" I asked.

"Yes I was,"" she replied. "Especially when he had a knife and the others joined in. But I felt you weren’t the least bit concerned about it. Your mind was relaxed. So I thought it must be okay."

"That’s good," I smiled.

"Paul thinks an awful lot of you," she said.

"He’s a good friend," I replied.

She was silent for a while.

"I’ve just thought of something," she said.

"What’s that?"

"Won’t you get some publicity from all this?" she asked. "I know you try to avoid it - as a rule. There was a camera crew there."

"Yes," I agreed. "I’ve been thinking about that. Fighting him probably was a stupid thing to do. I should’ve known better."

Eleanor went to the galley to make herself a snack. While she was there, I rang my lawyers and told them to put a copyright restriction on the footage taken of me. There was always a chance it might work. Eleanor returned to the bedroom.

"Feeling better?" I asked.

"Don’t you make fun of me eating so much," she admonished me. "I’m eating for both of us, you know."

We lay quietly together for some time. Then I heard her breathing change. She’d fallen asleep. I kissed her and did the same.

 

 

 

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© 2002 by Dave Hicks. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, compilation design) may printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without express written consent of the copyright holder.