A VISIT FROM AFAR (3)

At night, in an alley of the big city, one man is pointing a gun at another.

-You will die

-Why! Why are you doing this, Rusty? Is it because I didn’t give way to you in the elevator?

-Don’t talk nonsense. I wouldn’t kill for such a small thing. It’s because of your religious ideas. I don’t like them

-What ideas? You know I’m an atheist

-That’s what I mean

-I’ll convert!

-To what?

-Judaism?

-Wrong answer

-Islam?

The other shakes his head.

-Catholic?

Rusty keeps shaking his head with each attempt:

-Buddhism? Hinduism? Pentecostalism? Mormon?Baptism? Adventism? Evangelism?Methodism? Anglicanism? Jehovah’s Witnesses? Latter Days Saints?

-Pray what you know, Johnny, because you’re gonna die

-But what God do you want me to pray to if I don’t believe in any?

-Well, invent one

Johnny raises his hands to heaven and implores: “Oh Pryktorikus, I invoke you!”

-Pryktorikus?

Suddenly a human ball strikes Rusty knocking him down. “Thank you, Pryktorikus!” exclaims Johnny and runs away blowing kisses to heaven. However, Rusty is not out of action. He jumps up and confronts Squattedman, who is waiting for him crouched and in his birthday suit. Since the blow has made him lose the gun, Rusty takes out a knife and attacks Squattedman who from his squatting position hits him on the jaw. But Rusty gets back to his feet, this time armed with a truncheon with which he savagely slams Squattedman who remains unfazed. Rusty carefully examines the squashed truncheon from which a yellow pulp emanates, and realizes that it’s a banana. Squattedman grabs him by a leg and, after emitting its characteristic take-off sound, shoots out.

What he does not know is that his every move has been witnessed by Woody Nightshade’s eagle eye. He is standing on top of a Chrysler building’s gargoyle, his yellow cape blowing in the wind. “What an outrageously indecorous superhero!” he mutters to himself.