Shooting the Breeze

With the children in the deepness of sleep in bed, Mindread, Drunk Uncle and I talked all night. As the sun rose, so did the children.

That night we talked about everything.

"Uncle, why did you and my father stop speaking to eachother."

Answer: Because I said I had turned my back on Rastafari.

"Had you?"

Answer: "No!"

"Mindread, why did you stop being a SuperHero?"

Answer: "Because I needed to prioritise look after my own back yard."

"Would you ever consider taking it up again?"

Answer: "Maybe...."

When Mindread said this I looked hard at her trying to grab her attention. She deliberatly didn't glance my way.

"Uncle, why do you drink so much?"

Answer: "To forget."

"Does it work?"

Answer: "No."

"Aaron, why did you become a SuperHero?"

Answer: "Because I feel I can do some good in their world."

"To be honest, I'm not so sure."

At that moment the children flew (literally) down the stairs and jumped on my lap. Whilst this was happening Drunk Uncle produced a photograph in a frame from his bag. He handed it to me.





"Cool", "Awesome", "Radical", etc, etc. (The children thought the picture was great, seeing all their heroes and people they read about in history books. A couple of them were even their teachers back in Krypton. The picture used to be pride of place in the family home. The role of honour - it represented the equivilent of the Hollywood Hall of Fame. The day Uncle was asked to join was the family's proudest moment. It was also the day my father and uncle stopped talking. That was 20 years ago. They haven't spoken since.)

I took the picture and looked at Uncle.

"I've seen this before. Why are you showing me this?"

"I am hear to tell you dear nephew, you are to bestowed a great honour. The League want you to join them. They are impressed and want to honour you as one of the greats. Mindread, you also, for your services to the Work."

"Go on daddy!", "Go on mummy!" etc, etc

Mindread and I looked at eachother.

"Do you understand what an honour this is?" Uncle asked rhetorically.

I was speechless.

"There is one condition", Uncle added. "You will both have to cut your hair."

I was even more speechless. Mindread stood up and towered over Uncle. She looked stern.

"Is that what you did? Is that why you drink? To forget?"

My uncle said nothing, gathered his things together, including the photo, and headed for the door.

Before dissapearing into the morning light he made one final gesture.

"To have you both in the League would be a great honour."

"For who?"

Mindread and I looked at eachother. We both said our identical response at exactly the same time.

Uncle dissapeared. Even the children realised something was not quite right.

Friends and Countrymen

Drunk Uncle sat opposite me, as sober as a judge. But the night was still young, and he just reached into his bag to pull out his first can of beer. Mindread and I looked at eachother. It was going to be a long night.

“Do you remember when you and your mates used to shout out to me?” Drunk Uncle asked.

“Uh, what was that?”

“Most mornings, when you were about 11 or 12, you and ya mates would walk past my allotment on ya way to school and shout out to me. There was about 4 or 5 of you. You used to call me Bushman”

I remembered. Going up Hulk Road on the left hand side were a row of allotments and I would see my uncle planting stuff. I’m sure though it was he who used to always shout out to me, not the other way around. I have to admit I think I was a bit embarrassed about him being my uncle, as all the local kids used to make fun of him. When they found out he was my uncle, I’m ashamed to admit it now but I taunted him as well to deflect the focus from me. Whenever I’ve seen him since that guilt has always been in the back of my mind. Maybe that’s why I’ve always kept my distance. Now though, all these years later, uncle seemed to remember it very differently.

“I used to spend all my time in that allotment. Planting potatoes, carrots and a whole range of veg. I bet that you didn’t know that most of the veg and fruit you ate were from my allotment.”

No I didn’t.

“All the men who owned the other patches were jealous of me, as none of could grow things as fast or big as I could. Most of them were only growing things for a hobby and I was actually making money from it. They all thought I had some secret ingredient that I was feeding the earth with. Some mornings I would throw you and your mates an apple on your way to school. You remember?”

I remembered. We never ate them though as we thought they might be poisoned and always threw them in the river next to the school. Uncle continued to reminisce.

“You won’t remember this, but one morning I told you the secret, and you’re the only person I’ve ever told. I know you wouldn’t understand as you were trying to tease me, showing off in front of your mates. But I had the last laugh.”

Drunk Uncle chuckled to himself. To be honest I hadn’t the faintest idea what he was talking about, and I was beginning to think that maybe he was mad after all.

“I had just laid down a new layer of soil and was making sure it was even. I heard your voice from the road shouting, ‘Bushman! Yo, Bushman! What you standing there doing? Yo, Bushman! What you doing?’”

Uncle began to fold in laughter as he remembered the incident, which left me feeling even more guilty. I said nothing and listened.

“Well I turned around and told you exactly what I was doing, even though you thought I was
mad at the time. I said, ‘I’m jus’ stan’ing here on Africa, looking at sweet Africa’.”

I was still puzzled. I didn’t remember the incident and it was probably far too abstract for me to comprehend at the time. Uncle went on say that he got his soil for his allotment sent to him specially from a farmer friend in Gambia every new season. His patch of land in Krypton was actually his little piece of Africa, and that was the secret of his success for growing such envied produce, and the reason why he spent so much time there. When I asked him what he was doing, he simply told me. I couldn’t argue with that really.

I warmed to him.

He took a glug of his beer.

Mindread took a sip of her juice.

I closed my eyes and meditated on the old days. Breaking my concentration though was the suspicion that Drunk Uncle was here for a reason, but I didn’t know what. I sensed his SuperPowers were still strong, though blurred.

I looked into his eyes. He looked into mine. He knew I was suspicious.

A knowing grin entered his mouth.

“You’d better top up that juice." He said. "We need to talk.”

SuperDread gets a visit

Ding dong

"There's someone at the door!"

Ding dong

"I'm on the toilet! Can't you get it?"

Ding dong

"I'm on the phone..."

Ding dong

Ding dong

Ding dong

Knock knock

Knock knock!!!!

"Oh bloody hell....I'll get it!"

Standing at the door is a vision that Mindread can't quite focus on. She stands there for a minute trying to understand what is in front of her. The vision hugs her and kisses her, breaking her out of her hypnotic state.

"You looking good girl! You just gonna stand there and let me freeze to death?"

The vision barged past her and trampled into the house like a bull in china shop.

"Hey Aaron, you on the crapper? I can smell that sh*t a mile away. Hurry up because I need a go."

Mindread held her head in shock. Even more so when she saw the suitcase on the path.

"Hey girl, bring in my bags nuh."

Mindread felt an emotion that was both anger and tearful at the same time. The man everyone called 'Drunk Uncle' was in her house, and by the looks of it he was in no hurry to leave.

"Hey girl, any food in the fridge?"

"Bloody hell......"

Image taken from:
http://wiki.ardkor.com/index.php?title=Superman

Mindread interrupts a shopping trip!

Friendly Fire (aka Collateral Damage)

Dr Rice visits Germany and gets some Sisterly advice

Mi nah forget bout ya!

Final Scores on the Berlin Doors

Neo-Nazi Skinheads spotted = 2
Rastafari Idrin spotted = 4

No joke!

How about that for evidence of JAH love everywhere!!! :-)

Blessings Everytime.

Ital Cycle

Greetings.

In this short Sabbatical from the SuperDread stories, I would like to take liberty of hijacking his platform and saying a few words myself. I hope you don’t mind.

At the end of my first day in Berlin (for a short work trip), I was most nervous about coming here, more than any other place I have been. I know the reality is very different from the picture tabloid newspapers presents, but I couldn’t get out of my mind the idea of bumping into a gang of angry looking neo-Nazi skinheads. That wouldn’t be good! My paranoia wasn’t helped by reading the ‘Rough Guide to Berlin’ on the coach to the airport and it telling me to avoid two specific areas of East Berlin as they are known to be Neo-Nazi strongholds and known for violent attacks. I am also staying in East Berlin, thankfully not in these areas, but adjacent.

My nervousness didn’t go away at Berlin airport when the official on the desk scrutinised my passport photo in comparison to my actual face with impressive intensity, and he even asked his colleague for a second opinion. Thankfully his fellow official knew it was me in the photo and advised I be sent through. Other than that incident, no one seems the slightest bit bothered I was in their country, which was a comforting feeling to have. Who needs celebrity and infamy when you can have anonymity?

On the coach from the airport to the hotel, my nervousness still in my throat, I saw a sight that made those nerves go away.

On a bicycle riding in the opposite direction to the coach I saw a proud & righteous looking Idrin wearing the tam crown of the Ethiopian banner.

As soon as I saw the sight I felt comforted: not only because seeing a fellow Rasta made me feel just that little bit safer in the place I was in, (which I did), but also because it was evidence that JAH light shines Iverywhere. That in itself was a joy I was glad to take comfort in.

According to my Bredrin Rob - when I sent him a text telling him what I saw - he rightly interpreted the scene saying, “See it deh! JAH Bless directly. More guidance.” It is Rob that also coined the phrase Ital Cycle, which describes the whole scenario perfectly!

Thank you JAH for opening my eyes to that sight.

RASTAFARI IS InI STRENGTH AND InI REDEEMER. HIS PRAISE SHALL BE ITINUAL AND HEARTFELT.

GUIDANCE AND BLESSINGS IVERYTIME. LOVE AND LIFE.

Ras Shawn Naphtali

After as short Sabbatical....

Very old cheesy joke! Sorry...

:-)

JAH Blessings Everytime!

Back to Normal (?)

After the family conference Mindread popped out to the shops to get some milk.

On the way she passed by North Korea to see what the updates were there.

Swung by Geneva and New York to eavesdrop on the responses of the UN.

Used SuperReason (aka Jedi mind control) on Bush & Blair when she flew like a breeze through the White House and 10 Downing Street to influence decision making.

She then went back home.

"You took you time dear." said SuperDread.

"Yeah the shop had ran out, so I had to pop to the garage down the road." Mindead replied.

"Oh."

With the children in bed, together they cuddled up on the sofa and watched MTV Bass. After 5 minutes they became restless.

"This is depressing!"

"Yeah, really bad. Worse than I thought."

They switched off the tv and talked until sunrise.

They Reasoned about everything under the sun.

The children arose before they could get to sleep, but both SuperDread and Mindread went through the day with an unusual added energy that made them forget their tiredness.

Neither said it to the other, but their energy came from an adrenaline rush knowing there was much work to do. That a SuperHero's work is never done. And that they had a responsibilty.

After getting the children off to school they got ready for the day.

"What you doing today?"

"Uh...not sure really. Need to run a few errands. You?"

"Hmm...this and that. A bit of running around."

They kissed and said their goodbyes, and one the other was out of sight, one flew East and the other flew West.

Literally.

Family Conference (part 2)

"Who are you talking to Mindread? The neighbour?"

"Uh....no one dear!"

:-)

x

Personal Conference

"Greetings readers, this is Mindread speaking. Whatever you think happened in my husband's previous post titled 'Family Conference' - I feel I needed to tell you that I had my fingers crossed the whole time! But sshhh.....keep it to yourself! Rastafari Love & Life. Stay Blessed."

Family Conference

I'm not sure if this is working! By 'this', I mean Mindread going out to work and me staying at home.

Fair enough she's a lot happier now.

Fair enough I've now got more time to watch 24 hour news and read all the newspapers to know whose doing what and where I might be needed next.

Fair enough the world hasn't collapsed and stopped spinning since I've paused from being a SuperHero for a while. (It's been eerily peaceful actually!!!)

Fair enough it's 2006 and equal right for woman and all that stuff! (LOL)

But....

but...

I'm the bloke!

I'm the SuperHero!

I should be the one going out there bringing in bread for the family and doing my duty as the man of the house. Isn't that right?

When I said all of that to Mindread I was taken aback at her reaction.

"Hmm. What ever you say dear."

With that she picked up the phone and gave in her resignation to the laundrette.

That was easier than I thought.

Satisfied, I turned on the tv and watched the 24 hour news channel for the last time.

Today was a good day, that went un-noticed

That day Mindread;

- stopped a war from erupting by whispering SuperReason into the world leaders' ears

- brain washed a school child so he put down a gun and picked up a book instead

- saved a plane from crashing by blowing in the face of a would be terrorist and sending him to sleep

- meditated & prayed for a whlle with Wrap Girl, asking for inner strength to carry out their Works, and then they both went all over the world and saved some 'women of the night' from being attacked

- they both then went around the world again and whispered "goodnight" and "I love you" into the ears of lonely children.

It was a peaceful day by evening.

It was a slow news day for the media

Today was a good day, that went un-noticed.

When Mindred came through the door in the evening she looked exhusted.

"How was your first day at work?" I asked.

"Fine." Was all she replied.

On the down low

Mindread opened the door and walked into the large room full of dryers and washing machines and people will dirty underwear in baskets. She knocked on the office door.

"I'm here for the job."

"Come in, take a seat." A voice replied.

Mindread went in and sat down, but the room was empty. Or seemed to be.

"Are you sure you want to come back?"

Startled Mindread turned around to find herself face to face with the old man, (yes that same old man that keeps popping up all over the place!). He was sat on a chair behind her.

"You were one of the best we've ever had, and then you just left. I'm not sure you're ready."

Mindread smiled and replied;

"I am ready to come back, but anyway, I'm not here to ask for your permission. I'm here to tell you my destiny."

"But what about your husband? Aaron. So-called SuperDread. Isn't one superhero in a family enough? This isn't the 'Incredibles' you know. This is real life!"

"That is the one covenant I have to ask of you." Mindread whispered. "Aaron must never know."

The old man thought about this for a long time. Mindread looked at the floor.

"As you say, you are not asking for my permission. Just telling me your destiny."

The old man walked out of the room and dissapeared into the room of dryers, but not before a small one pence coin fell out his pocket and rolled to Mindread's feet. She picked it up and exited the building from the back door, and went to save the day.

Outward bound

My wife Mindread reported for her first day at work at the launderette, or so I thought.....

To be continued....

Image adapted from:
http://www.lilithvonsilver.com/dolls/micro/images/LvSflamesupergirl21.gif

Housebound

In the morning Mindread had a plan.

You stay at home and I'll go out to work.

"Uhmmm....nice idea, but I don't think so." The thought made me tremble.

"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you! There's a new launderette in town asking for staff. I can wash your SuperSuit whilst I'm there. Laters."

Before I could say "Are you out of your mind!?" Mindread was out of the door, leaving me in the house with three snotty nosed children. My pride and joy.

Don't call it a come back.......

Wha' gwan?

After my 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness I've come back. Hope JAH has kept you all Blessed, as always.

Since that last adventure with the Ministry of Education there has been much debate amongst the SuperFriends as to whether anything has actually changed in the world.

Fly Fro thinks he'd noticed a difference, but Black Cat disagrees, but remains hopeful. Wrap Girl says it will take generations for change to be noticed as the traditions of the underground chamber were deep in our psyche. Trod Garvey agreed. Highness said not to forget that the traditions of the chamber grows back by itself so we shouldn't get complacent. I always try to look on the bright side but wasn't so sure of change either. I hadn't been followed by a security guard for weeks, but then again there's not many of them in the wilderness. Just a few CCTV cameras.

When I told Mindread about the conversation, all she said was;

"Ya don' see change in'na Oak tree, but dat don' mean it nah grow. Change start at de roots, an' it tek time fi it fi reach de tip, but dat don' mean it nah in transition."

She then cooley added.

"By the way, your work called. You've been gone for 40 days without a sick note from the doctor. You've been fired."