Reaching Out to Embrace Whatever May Come

I spent the next few days glued to Jacob's sofa. I was in no shape to go out. Jacob had "business" as he called it, out of town in a village a couple of hours east, and was gone for the weekend. Good for me. I spent most of my time going over the events of what happened a couple of nights ago at the wrestling arena in my mind. Was it a dream or hallucination? Did I just pass out from jet lag exhaustion and imagine all of the rest? Yes. This must have been it.

I decided it was all in my mind and nothing more. Such a thing could only be a dream. These things didn't happen in real life. I've heard plenty of stories and legends from my grandpa and dad from home, which are rich with mysticism. Stories they are. Just stories.

By Sunday morning, I felt much better, making the decision to forget the night before and move on; I was going outside again. There was no food in the flat and I hadn't eaten since Friday night. My stomach was growling and I felt weak. Actually, I hadn't eaten well since I left home. Western food just wasn't sitting well with me. Too salty and innutritious. How could the people here remain, basically healthy? There must be better food out there, I just had to find it. Jacob left some pounds on the kitchen counter with a scribbled note on an old napkin that said,

"Be sure and eat, bloke! Don't mind about the money! I'll have much more when I return home!"

Having cleared my mind, grabbing the cash, deciding to pay Jacob back as soon as I could, and preparing to head out for the day; a knock rattled the door. Jacob never said anything about a visitor. Then again, even if he had expected someone, he would have forgotten soon after the made appointment and went on his merry way.

I answered the door to two absolutely enormous men in suits. They looked like the wrestlers I had just gone to see, and I would have sworn they were, except for the high-class dress and dark shades that covered their eyes, hiding their identity. Just behind them, standing head to shoulders with the other two was a mid-aged man wearing slacks and a collared button-up shirt that seemed more expensive than the other two's suits; and more expensive than my entire village back home.

I could just tell by the quality of the fabric and the way it fit his body perfectly as if it were and probably was, made specifically for his body. He stepped forward and said,

"Pardon me, young man. May I ask you a question? You were at the London Wrestling Association's event on Friday night, were you not?", he spoke with a clear, standard American accent, almost sounding not natural, but with no mistakes whatsoever with his vocabulary or pronunciation; almost as if he were recorded from an ESL audio file.

"Yea, I was there. Can I help you?"

Even now I wish I would have said, "no", and closed the door. Then again, those brutes probably would have just smashed it open and things would have been much more uncomfortable from the beginning.

"May I come in and speak with you? My associates here will stand outside. Don't mind them. They are just hired for protection. There are many brigands running these streets each day, and I must be careful." he said with a grin.

Yes, a grin. Now that I think about it, it was a bit "off", yet I couldn't exactly tell what it was about when meeting him. He always gave me an uneasy feeling even when helping me.

"Okay, sure thing."

I let him inside and he glanced around the place for a second, his grin changing to a semi-disgusted look. The flat was, now that I understand the western culture, a complete mess. I asked him to sit down, but he said he wouldn't take much time and wanted to show me something. I agreed, and he pulled out his iPhone. On it, was a video. From the live wrestling event. I nearly passed out when I saw it.

"As you can see, after The Bonebreaker won the match…" he began.

The video panned over to where I stood at a close-up angle from the front. I was clearly visible.

"… it seems you thrust your hands forward, like so, and less than a second later, the ring post collapsed, destroying the ring itself."

It wasn't a dream after all. And I had just seen proof.

"Take a look at your eyes here."

He paused the video and zoomed in on my face.

"As you can see, they are glowing and emerald color. Quite remarkable! From my point of view, you somehow destroyed the wrestling ring with a method of supernatural force. I know I may sound insane however, I do understand this sort of circumstance. Now, rest assured I am not here for financial compensation for the ring, or medical bills from the referee or wrestlers who were mildly injured that night. I simply would like to know if you understood what you were doing, and tell me, why did you do it?"

I paused. I was in shock. Who was this man? What was he speaking of? Those events really happened? Why then did no one see the demon? Why wasn't that creature recorded on the video? Finally, I was able to mutter a few words.

"Are you the wrestling promoter?"

This was my question. Of all the curious things popping into my mind, that was what came out of my mouth.

"I do apologize for not properly introduce myself. I am in a bit of a hurry right now. No, I am not the promoter. I own the building where the event took place. I actually own that entire district. After the strange accident, the arena manager had sent me the files from the security footage. That is when I noticed you. I can see you are in shock from the ordeal and unfortunately I must be leaving now." He said while glancing at his fancy watch that looked like a mini-computer.

"Here is my card. You can call me at any time and I will respond. Again, I do not want any involvement with the police and I am not interested in following legal action of any sort. This is the single video clip from that night that remains, and the people who saw it previously will indeed no longer be a threat. I can help you. I understand what happened, about your powers, and I can make you become someone magnificent! Not in a 'carnival' way either. I know you can become something the world needs. Think about it. Contact me soon. I will be waiting."

He immediately turned and headed out of the door, with the giant bruisers giving me a glare before they entered, one of them handing me a black leather carry-all, and then they left promptly without saying a word. I wasn't hungry anymore.

I sat back down at the breakfast bar, shoved dirty dishes and stacks of mail out of the way with my arm, and opened the small bag. Inside was an envelope, a cream-colored envelope outlined and embroidered with gold lettering. There was also a smaller, black bank-note case that weighed down the carry-all as it was stuffed to the gills. I opened it. Inside was a hefty stack of fifty-pound notes; there were hundreds of them.

I zipped the money pouch back up and placed it back in the carry-all. Then, carefully opening the fancy envelope so as not to damage it (it was a fantastic design!), I found a note inside along with a gold-colored plastic card with numbers and my name: Druk Namgyel. The note read,

Druk,

I assumed you may need some help after seeing you from the video and then doing a bit of checking. I have supplied you with enough cash for your adventures sightseeing in the city. Also, there is a credit card as well, with "nearly" limitless value. Use it to buy new clothes. Not from little cheap shops. Go to the designer shops on Bond Street, or Fortnum and Mason. Get your hair fixed by the most expensive hairstylist you can find. One who works mostly on celebrities or the super-rich. Eat at the best restaurants, and take the limousine to bring you from place to place as a tour guide.

I know where you are from and I wish you to experience the absolute finest life has to offer here in London. One thing though. You indeed must lose contact with Jacob. He would cause too much trouble if he knew of your abilities. Leave that dirty flat immediately and check into The Lanesborough Luxury Hotel. I have arranged a suite for you already. The limousine waiting outside right now for you as well. Simply show the concierge your passport at the hotel. Contact me when you wish. Please, do not take too much time though. I would not like it to have to send my bodyguards to find you! Ha! Ha!

Sincerely,

Nidar Dahl

I was utterly floored. Why would a super-rich man want to treat me so grand? Especially after what he witnessed from that video and the conclusion he drew. He said I have some kind of powers? All this money? A luxury hotel? Limousines? I ran to the window and sure enough, there was a limo! With a driver standing before it, looking right at my window! He nodded and tipped his driver's cap upon seeing me! Everything was all so unorthodox!

I didn't like having to leave Jacob, but I thought I must. Something told me to follow through with it all, and not to overthink it. After all, I wanted to see how the "other side" of the world lived. Now, I would live it myself! Plus, if what I had done at that wrestling event was real, and if that demon was real, I HAD to find out what it was all about. And I had the suspicion that Nidhar knew what it was.

I pulled out about ten of the fifty-pound notes and left them on the counter for Jacob. I figured I could at least do that much for the guy. He may not be very clean, or all that intelligent, yet he was wholly generous letting me stay here. Plus, I figured I would see him again at some point anyway. I packed up my belongings, placed the carry-all in the backpack as well, and left immediately.

New adventures awaited!