The Impossible Man - Ep.14: Ki to Wisdom

      Martial Arts Anime and Manga. It's one of the most popular story genres, particularly in Anime. While many other genres utilize Martial Arts in their respective shows, Martial Arts as it own genre is used as a backdrop for the primary story. Anime focused on Marital Arts is an undaunted task for the artists more than the storyboaders or writers. Drawing a well rounded and realistic looking fight on an animation cell takes hours. Some of those shows may last for more than five episodes in one whole story arc. For Manga though, a few stories could last for volumes. When drawn in Manga, the action scene looks dynamic. Captured in the moment that puts into the story. Some Martial Arts stories are usually stereotyped by some people as being mindless with no plot. An unfortunate outlook. But in the end, those of us who love this genre expect one thing and one thing only…
     
      …AWESOME FIGHT SCENES!
      May 15, 2002

      Jamal stood before the register and read a manga on the counter. It was lunchtime and he just finished his meal. He expected Michael, Yuki and Dom Coqui to return from lunch soon. A young lady stood before the counter placing a DVD case before. He looked up and stared at her blonde hair and blues eyes. Her presence triggered a cloudy memory. He had seen her before, but could not place her at a time or moment. Her smile at least welcomed him as she took her change and left the store. They continued looking at each other as she walked past the storefront window.
      “She's got her eye on you.” Michael said out of nowhere behind Jamal.
      “Ack…' Jamal jumped to the side. ‘Where did you come from?”
      “Out of nowhere,' Michael waved his hand like a magician. ‘and yet somewhere.”
      Jamal felt like whacking him, but the thought of the pretty woman changed his mind. The martial artist turned his attention to outside.
      “I know I've seen her from before.' Jamal leaned his arms on the counter. ‘I just can't remember where. Or when.”
      “Ask her out when you see her again.”
      “How do you…' Jamal looked up at Michael and did not dare finish his question. ‘Forget it. Looking at her, it's as though she was calling out to me.”
      “Then call back.”
      “I will.”
      “When?”
      “When I feel like it.”
      “You virgin.”
      Jamal whacked the back of Michael's head sending the shopkeeper to the floor. He rubbed his hand as the storeowner stood to his feet rubbing the back of his head with a smile. The door opened and Jamal turned to see who came in. A young man with blue hair stood before the counter, his eyes looked enflamed as it shifted side to side at Michael and Jamal. The martial artist stood there with eyes half opened as Michael just stared.
      “Which one of you is Jamal Jones?”
      “He is.” Michael said pointing his finger at his friend and felt an elbow to the stomach.
      “IDIOT!”
      “I'm Sam Stone and I'm here to challenge you to a duel.”
      “Duel?” Michael and Jamal turned to each other and shrugged their shoulders.
      “Yes.' Sam pointed his finger at Jamal's face. ‘You, Jamal, have deblossomed my beloved Julia.”
      “Deblossumed?” Michael said shifting head his up.
      “I don't what you're talking about.” Jamal said crossing his arms before Sam.
      “Deblossomed…” Michael said.
      “You know what I am talking. Friday at the party.”
      “De…blossomed…' Michael leaned closed to Jamal. ‘…is that even a word?”
      “Who cares?!” Jamal said.
      “Surely you remember the party.”
      Jamal shook his fist as his face scrunched. The memory struggling to make a clear picture of what happened that night.
      “I said I would fight you for Julia's heart.”
      “Now I remember!” Jamal pounded his fist on the palm of his hand.
      “Really?' Michael said. ‘For a moment I thought you were going to crap in your pants.”
      Michael's head flung back by the impact of the back handed fist from Jamal. He covered his nose as the martial artist slammed the palm of his hands on the counter, leaning over the surface.
      “I was talking about the politics of Europe when you suddenly…”
      “That's not what happened!' Sam said. ‘We were all having a conversation with flying pink elephants when you…”
      “Flying pink elephants?' Jamal shook his head. ‘Now wait a minute, we talked about European Politics.”
      “Pink flying elephants.”
      “Politics!”
      “Elephants!”
      “When does Julia com in?”
      “STAY OUT OF THIS!!” Jamal and Sam hovered Mchael as he waved his hands at them.
      “Fine, you walking Christmas ornaments.” Michael stepped back and leaned on the wall as Jamal stared at Sam's blue hair and Sam stared at Jamal's green hair. As the shopkeeper smirked, Jamal and Sam shook their heads and regained their focus.
      “Fine.' Jamal said. ‘I accept your challenge.”
      “Good.' Sam said as he walked to the door and opened it. ‘I'll see you tonight at the Paulis Smith Park near the Glory Estates in Suburbia.”
      When the door closed, Jamal placed his head over his hands, rubbing his hands over his green hair.
      “Who's Julia?”
      “Obviously his girlfriend.”
      “No it can't be Michael. Can it?” Jamal turned to the shopkeeper and received a shrug as a response.
      “Aey, you're the player in all this.”
      “I should start up my training and be ready for tonight.” Jamal wedged himself past Michael as the shopkeeper stood there. The martial artist left the store, leaving shopkeeper alone, not realizing his shift was not over.
      “Sure Jamal,' Michae said to himself. ‘you can take the rest of the day off.”
     
      Jamal arrived at Shinichiro's apartment. When he was about to knock on the door, it opened on its own. He stepped inside and saw a spotlight in the darkness waiting for him. Once he stepped into the light, another spotlight appeared as the sound of a struggling motor echoed throughout the apartment.
      “Come on. Start damn you.' The motor started and the song of humming monks began. Shinichiro appeared in the spotlight and landed on the wooden floor. The old man pulled out his pipe, lit it, and took a puff. ‘May I help you?”
      “I have accepted a challenge to a fight tonight and I would like to know where my opponent's Ki level is at compared to mine.”
      “Ahh… a Ki reading. I haven't done that in a long time. Come closer.” Shinichiro folded his hands together, and stuck out his index fingers and thumbs, making a gun gesture. With Jamal standing before him, the old man closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then exhaled. He repeated this process until his thoughts cleared and he saw a vision of Jamal and his opponent. Both fighters had a faint glow, Jamal in blue and Sam in green, strangely enough colors that oppose their hair dyes. To make things even stranger, they both swerved side to side. The sound of inhaling and exhaling overwhelmed the vision. As the noise grew louder, the two fighters faded into nothing.
      “WAKE UP!!' Jamal said into Shinichiro's ear and a bubble burst from the old man's lips. ‘Are you through sleeping Kats?”
      “Sorry.” Shinichiro cleared his throat.
      “Well?”
      “Both of your Ki levels read drunk.”
      Jamal's head dropped on a dime and let out an exhale of frustration as the song of humming monks began. The martial artist looked up as Shinichiro floated into the air by the strings around him. He stepped back to avoid getting tangled.
      “Don't worry, the truth will hurt.' Shinichiro slowly vanished into the darkness as the song of humming monks led him out, Jamal saw the old man losing balance and ready to fall down. ‘More power. More power!!”
      Shinichiro straightened out and disappeared in the darkness. The spotlight turned off and Jamal walked away shaking his head side to side. Receiving no help whatsoever, Jamal left still trying to figure out what happened that night. It drove him crazy as the door opened on its own. The martial artist walked past Michael waiting outside, with his hands in his pockets.
      “He's all you yours Michael.”
      “Kats…' Michael said standing before the doorway. ‘YOUR MINE!!”
      The shopkeeper ran inside screaming like a mad man as Jamal shrugged his shoulders. The martial artist stepped down to the third floor and saw Kaori carrying her sword Seizon, with Angela and Ely. He stood there for a moment and noticed that Kaori was in her kendo uniform. Her hair tied back into a ponytail alone left Jamal speechless.
      “Wow.' Jamal shook his head. ‘Kaori what's with the costume?”
      “It's not a costume.' Kaori said as Angela giggled. ‘It's my practice uniform. I'm going to show Angie-chan how I use Seizon.”
      “Really?” Jamal looked over at Angela and saw a camera strapped over her shoulder.
      “Yeah Jamal.' Angela lifted up the camera. ‘I'm also going to take pictures of her in action see. I want to get into photography.”
      “That's really nice.”
      “Kaori's grandfather is going to send me one of his old cameras so I could learn how to film.”
      “That sounds like fun.”
      “Hey.' Angela walked around Jamal and examined his physique. ‘You're into martial arts right?”
      “Yes I am.”
      “I'll use you and Kaori for a martial arts film.”
      “Angie-chan, you should ask first and before making decisions for people. Jamal could be busy right now.”
      “I'm sorry.” Angela looked down as Jamal raised his hands up and shook his head.
      “It's alright. I wouldn't mind being in your film.” Jamal looked at Kaori with a thumb up as Angela's eyes lit up and smiled.
      “Thank you Jamal.”
      “No problem.”
      Michael screamed like a woman from the fourth floor and his body crashed on the third floor. His moaning ignored by Jamal and Kaori as Angela looked at Michael's twitching body.
      “Say Kaori,' Jamal said with his arms crossed. ‘I have some training to do for a fight tonight.”
      “A fight?”
      “Yeah. I still don't know why, but you don't mind if I join you two.”
      “help…me…” Michael said.
      “Sure.' Kaori took one-step down the staircase. ‘You can tell me all about it on our way.”
      “Okay let's go. Michael I'll be back a little while to take Coqui's spot.” Jamal followed Kaori downstairs as Angela took one-step close to Michael.
      “Are you okay?” Angela said.
      “I… yes…”
      Kaori stomped up the stairs and jealously pulled Angela away. As they made it to the second floor, Ely jumped out of Angela's arms and hugged the shopkeeper. His screams from his injuries went unheard.
      “Get Ely off me!!”
     
      In a small park in Little Edo, the cherry blossoms bloomed, and the fragrance of the grass and plants brought calm and serenity. A stream trickled through a trench where a small bird drank the water. Ely knelt before the bird and watched it turn its head to the left, then to the right. The chupacabra reached to pet the bird but it hopped once, putting distance between them. Ely stepped forward as the bird flew up in the air. She chased the bird as it flapped its wings and bumped into Angela.
      “Ely.' Angela said as she dropped the lens cover. ‘Watch where you're going. I almost dropped the camera.”
      “Chupa. Chupa.” Ely ran off as Angela picked up the cover. The chupacabra ran past Jamal as the martial artist stood before the stream.
      “Who the hell is Julia?!” Jamal rubbed his green dyed hair and took a deep breath. He stepped onto the flat rocks and followed the path to the middle of the stream. He raised his fists up and shifted his leg back. Jamal scoop the water into the air and the liquid shattered into droplets. As they fell back to the stream, Jamal threw a flurry of punches bursting each little drop until it formed a splash of water. He stood there with his fist lined up with his eyes. He took a deep breath as he heard the clicking by the stream's bank.
      “That was awesome!' Angela said taking another picture. ‘I hope I got all of the punches.”
      “Not bad.” Kaori said as she knelt down before her sword and bowed before her ancestral sword. She sat up and took the sword with both of hands. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the leaves. The songs of the birds. The water of the stream. She could sense the Ki around her, except Jamal. Very unusual that she could not sense anything from him, given that he is a martial artist. A brush of wind blew a leaf off the tree and flew past Kaori from behind. She swung the wooden sword to the side as the flash of the camera caught the moment. It looked as though the samurai missed, but when the leaf flew upwards, it separated in half.
      “Amazing.” Angela said as she lowered her camera. She found herself surrounded by fighters, practicing their craft. She took pictures of Jamal punching and kicking the water he flung into the air, while Kaori swung her sword up and down by the bank of the river. Angela imagined it so clearly. With each splash of water, Kaori swung her sword, as if she was standing by a cliff edge with the ocean water splashing up on the rocks. Angela took many pictures of their practice to capture this moment.
      After fifteen minutes, they finished practicing. Jamal came back to the edge of the stream and sat next to Kaori and Angela as Ely chased after a squirrel. He lied on his back and looked up at the cloudless sky. The sun's heat conflicted with the cool wind. It was warm and relaxing.
      “Jamal.' Kaori said as she tilted her head back to look at the sky. ‘I don't sense any Ki energy from you at all.”
      “Yeah, I've never been able to focus that energy. That's why I went to Kats earlier this morning to get a Ki reading.”
      “If you could channel Ki, I bet you would blow the water away.”
      “Ely come here.” Angela said.
      “Maybe.' Jamal said as Ely ran to Angela and hugged her. ‘I tried many times. Meditation. Spiritual thought. Yoga. I just can't get that Ki to kick in.”
      “You're putting too much thought into it.' Kaori sat up on her knees. ‘Come on, sit on your knees or cross your legs.”
      “What? Now?”
      “Mm hm.' Kaori nodded as Jamal sat up and crossed his legs. ‘Just close your eyes and empty your thoughts. Don't think about anything. Ignore everything around you and just feel the wind first. And of course you know, breathe in and breathe out steadily.”
      Jamal took a deep breath. He ignored the playful sounds of Angela and Ely. The songs of birds drifted into silence. The water came to a stop. He no longer thought about Sam and Julia. Not even the store. Nothing but total silence. All he felt was the wind. Blowing over his head. Pushing his back. Caressing his hands. He followed the flow throughout the field. It led him to Angela and Ely where he sensed the joy in them. It led him to the birds and felt the freedom of its flight as it took him to the swaying trees where he felt its patience. It led him to the water where he sensed its serenity. For some reason, his thoughts focused on that. There was something about the stream that caught his attention, but it came to a crashing halt as he lost control and felt like he was falling right back to his body.
      “Damn!” Jamal's body bounced. He punched the grass and got up to his feet ignoring Kaori's reach. The martial artist placed his hands on his hips and kicked a small rock into the water. The sound of the drop burst in his thoughts and paused for a moment. He shook his head side to side and regained his composure.
      “Why don't we spar?” Kaori said holding Seizon.
      “What?” Jamal turned around.
      “Why not? Maybe a little combat could wake up your Ki.”
      “But you're using a sword.”
      “Here Angie-chan.' Kaori handed Seizon to the teen and raised her hands up, palms wide open.
      “Are you sure Kaori? I don't want to hurt you.”
      “Do you even know who you're talking to?” Kaori smiled.
      “Okay then.”
      “Oh boy a fight.” Angela readied her camera and stepped back to get both in frame.
      Jamal raised his hands up, curled into a fist. He slid forward very slowly as Kaori stood patiently. The martial artist threw a punch with his right hand and Kaori grabbed it, pulled him forward, and slapped his back. He stumbled to the ground and slid along the grass. He turned around and saw the grass stain on his shirt. Jamal looked up and saw Kaori back to her fighting stance ready for another attack. He got up and threw a left punch. This time she grabbed his arm, twisted it, and led Jamal in a circle until he slid back on the grass. His arm released, Jamal slapped the dirt and turned around.
      “No fair. You know Aikido.”
      “Of course Jamal. Do you think I'm all about weapons?” Kaori winked as the martial artist nodded.
      “Yeah.” Jamal got up again and swung his right leg forward aiming for Kaori's hip.
      Kaori caught the leg and pushed Jamal down on his back. The samurai swung the palm of her hand to his thigh and stopped short of dislocating his leg. She saw Jamal taking short breaths with eyes wide open as she pats his leg gently. She reached out for his hand and grabbed it to stand him up. Not paying attention, she felt his arm pulled her down, and she landed on top of him. They tumbled around on the grass until she pinned his arms down. Kaori looked at Jamal in the eyes. They were nice and relaxing. For a moment, she thought about kissing him, and came close to pressing her lips onto his. Until Michael came back into her thoughts and she snapped out of her sudden fantasy. Kaori rolled off Jamal's body and looked away blushing.
      “I'm sorry Jamal.”
      “It's okay.' Jamal sat up and looked away. ‘It was just the heat of the moment.”
      “Yeah that's all.”
      “Awww… it was getting good.” Angela said as she lied on her stomach on the grass with Ely. Angela felt a little pebble bounce off her head as she let out a big smile.
      “Don't you have pictures to take, Angie-chan?”
      Angela ran off with Ely laughing as Kaori saw Jamal walked back to the stream to continue practicing.
      Kaori picked up Seizon and watched Jamal throwing punches in the air. She wondered what would have happened if she had kissed him. To do so would mean giving up Michael to Yuki and she refused to do that. It made her wonder if Yuki had similar thoughts too with someone else. Knowing how nice Michael is despite his obliviousness toward their advances, pinning Jamal threw her feelings off. She declared Yuki a rival concerning Michael and she refused to give up on him.
      Jamal on the other hand, was more focused on the fight than anything else. He glanced back at Kaori as she took more practice swings. Watching her in action gave him second thoughts about what he thought of Kaori. Beautiful, popular, and headstrong. She knew martial arts but never gave that quality a thought due to her role as Japan's number one idol. Whenever Michael acts stupid, Kaori straightens him just as quickly as he does. He really felt out of his league with her and decided to let it go. He wondered if Julia was worth it, but he would not know unless he found out from Sam.
     
      The clouds drifted under the moon as the grassy hill of the Surburbia District swayed with the wind. After a long day at the store covering for Dom Coqui, Jamal walked up the hill, passing by a sign that read Glory Estates. The gated mansions lined up at the summit. Some mansions had fountains spilling water, while others had rows of flowers in bloom. The scent gave the area a melancholic feel that countered the insane stench of the Metalworks District on the western side of the city. He blew a whistle as each home became bigger and more impressive.
      “I want to live here one day.” Jamal said as he arrived at Paulis Smith Park. It was an open park with no trees and rolling hills. Only the grass, a pond, and a children's playground accentuated the park. He saw Sam standing out in the grassy open. The blades of grass tickled Jamal's leg as the wind blew them in one direction. He stood before Sam and they stared at each other. Jamal could see the anger in his eyes, though he still never figured out why, or who Julia was. He just wanted to get it over with and get ready for work tomorrow.
      “Ready?” Sam said raising his fists up as Jamal shook his head side to side.
      “Fine.' Jamal raised his fists up. ‘Ready.”
      The two fighters stood there waiting for the first attack. The clouds moved along revealing the moon and lighting the grassy field. Their eyes lowered as the wind blew the grass to the point of touching the dirt.
      “Ack!' Sam and Jamal said as they gripped their shoulders. ‘It's cold here!”
      They rubbed their own shoulders to warm up their bodies. They did not expect the nightly weather to be intense.
      “Sam, couldn't we do this during the day?”
      “Then our fight wouldn't be cool under a moonlit grassy area. Would it?”
      “No, I suppose not.”
      “So you want to ring the bell?”
      Jamal dashed right up to Sam and swung his fist to Sam's face.
      “DING!' Jamal threw another punch to Sam's face. ‘DING!”
      Jamal smiled as Sam stumbled back and regained his composure.
      “That hurts.” The fighter said rubbing his cheeks like a child.
      “You have got to be kidding me?” Jamal did not expect Sam would complain about pain let alone remain standing after those punches.
      “You'll pay for that, Jamal.”
      “I thought I was paying for Julia.”
      “HER TOO!!”
      Jamal took a defense posture with his arm as Sam threw a flurry of punches. A rapid-fire blur that looked like flailing rather than an actual throw. The martial artist stepped back, swinging his arm at the punches, matching the Sam's ridiculous speed. Jamal saw an opening under Sam's arms, pushed the palm of his right hand into his opponent's stomach. The impact made Sam stumble back again. Jamal felt the tingling of his arms and realized that the blocking were not good enough against Sam's assault. He had to rethink his strategy, but did not have enough time.
      Jamal blocked a punch but found himself swept off his feet. He landed on his back and winced. When he opened his eyes, he saw the heel of Sam's sneaker land on his stomach. Jamal scrunched and gritted his teeth. He felt the food ready to explode out of his mouth. He rolled to side and sat on his knees coughing. Jamal watched Sam swing his arms around making a wooing sound. His eyebrows lowered halfway at how ridiculous Sam looked doing that.
      Jamal stood to his feet as Sam charged at him. The martial artist thought about Kaori's move and saw his opponent going for a punch. Just as Sam threw his fist, Jamal grabbed the wrist and used the momentum to make the fighter fall face first. Jamal looked at his hands in surprise and smiled at his success. Not paying attention cost him for Sam spun upside down like a top and his heel struck Jamal. As the martial artist stumbled back nursing his jaw, Sam flipped from his spin and stood on his feet. Just as quickly, Jamal returned a knee to Sam's stomach and watched his opponent stumble backwards flailing his arms in a circle.
      “He's tough.' Jamal said in his thoughts. ‘My hits knock him back but he can take the pain.”
      Jamal heard heavy breathing. It was not from him and his heavy use of energy. It came from Sam. Jamal saw how focused his opponent's eyes were. The steady breathing allowed Sam to concentrate on not feeling pain. It was similar to Kaori's instructions.
      “So he's using his Ki to take my punches.' Jamal said in his thoughts. ‘If only I could focus my Ki I can match that strength. All I'm doing is pushing him to the floor. But maybe…”
      Sam charged at Jamal, leapt forward, and swung his left leg toward the martial artist. The fighter felt Jamal's hands pushed his leg back and lost his balance. Unfortunately for Sam, his leg stretched horizontally on the ground and made his legs split. Sam screamed holding his crotch. It was too much to bear as Jamal shook his head side to side.
      “My… pain…” Sam slowly stumbled to his feet as Jamal took a defensive posture with his arms.
      “You know this is pointless.' Jamal said as Sam raised his fists up. ‘I don't even remember a girl named Julia.”
      “Girl?”
      “Yeah a girl.”
      “What are you talking about? Julia is my hamster.”
      “WHAT?!” Jamal suddenly remembered the entire story as Sam explained it. It became at fuzzy first then clear. There he was at the party and Sam was the host. The fruit punch was spiked and everyone knew it, but did not care. Drunk as he was, Jamal saw a hamster in a cage running on a wheel. An equally drunk blonde haired, blue-eyed lady laughed at him as he stuck his tongue out at the hamster. He turned his attention to her and froze for a moment. They locked eyes at each other and talked. What it was he could not remember, but he knew she had a pleasant voice, and liked his voice as well. He did notice Sam across the room twisting a paper cup, but neither the martial artist nor the young lady paid any mind.
      “And that's what happened?” Sam said.
      “I thought that lady I talked to was Julia.”
      “No. Julia is my hamster and I don't like people making faces at her.”
      “Wait.' Jamal waved his hands. ‘How did I deblossomed your hamster?”
      “You reached into the cage and pet her like a cat! Your filthy hands touch her!”
      Jamal faced the floor. He looked at his hands and his mind went blank. The reasoning behind it all, it was so ridiculous that Michael's antics are rational by comparison. At least he knew what Michael was about. He knew nothing about Sam. He just looked like an ordinary guy with martial arts skills. To hear such an irrational reasoning behind the anger, felt like a waste of time. He wanted to hurt Sam and that was when it happened. Once Jamal opened his eyes, he saw a blue aura around his body. He felt the wind blowing around him, the grass shaking, and the dirt sitting there. The thoughts of the flowing stream at the park he practiced at resonated through his veins. He looked up at Sam and saw a green aura around him.
      “The Flow.” Jamal whispered as Sam tilted his head.
      “What did you say?” Sam said and his eye grew wide.
      Jamal rotated his arms in front of Sam. A trail of five arms followed his right arm and then his left arm. He achieved enlightenment and summoned the Flow from within his rage. He could see Sam trembling and stepping back. Jamal swung his arm back as the sparks of the Flow gathered at the palm of his right hands.
      “No, don't…' Sam waved his hands for mercy. ‘I didn't know you knew the Flow.”
      “Neither did I.” A ball of green energy formed at the palm of his hand.
      “WHAT?!”
      “This palm glows… from the mighty Flow!' Jamal took two steps forward and his legs lifted off the ground. He looked like a volleyball player ready to slap the ball over the net. Instead, his target was Sam.
     
      “STREAMING SPIIIIKE!”
     
      The sound of slap on the top of Sam's head, sent a shockwave of enlightened energy throughout his body. His legs wobbled like jelly. His ability to sense Ki was gone, negated by the Flow of Jamal's hand. Sam screamed out loud, but the howl of the wind drowned his voice. The wind pushed the grass to the side in radius blast as though an atomic weapon detonated. Sam's eyes looked up to the sky, when Jamal released his hand. With Jamal's back turned to him, Sam could almost see the Japanese Kanji for stream, nagare 流れ, the symbol of the Flow, glowing on the back of Jamal's shirt.
      “You are about to explode.” Jamal said as Sam moaned on the ground. Jamal walked away from Sam as a bright light from his opponent's body exploded. Without looking back, Sam lifted up his body, with torn smoldering clothes, and fell back down.
      “So… much… awesome… uuuuhhh…”
     
      The next day Jamal told everyone about how he discovered the Flow. Kaori was very surprised as was Shinichiro and everyone could not stop talking about it. Now that he saw Ki all around him, he found Michael's Ki energy very weird. It gave him insight to his old friend and the Rhythm, even though it made no sense. Figuring Kaori saw it, he asked her about it, but she made it clear not to put much thought into it. It was The Impossible Man after all.
      So there he was behind the counter, reading his Manga. His day just went on without any worry. A peace of mind that nothing crazy was happening today. Just the way he liked it. The door opened and he saw the blonde hair lady from the other day enter. He closed his book as she stood before him and smiled.
      “So are you a fan of Manga?” Jamal said as he leaned on the counter.
      “Yes I am.' The lady said with her arms around her back. Her smile was pleasing and her eyes welcoming to Jamal. ‘I have big collection.”
      “So do I, miss…”
      “You can call me Julia.”
      “Julia?”
      “From the party last Friday.' She giggled, as Jamal's eyes grew wide. ‘I knew you'd forget. The punch was spiked after all. But I remembered you stuck your tongue out at the hamster. I thought that was cute.”
      Jamal smiled with nod, he almost let out a hysterical laugh, but he held his composure and made his move.
      “My name is Jamal.”

To Be Continued...