A Walk in the Park, Part One.

Akenten,

Feeling bored, decided to go out on a jaunt.

He donned a black pair of jeans, a navy blue golf shirt, dark socks and Reebok tennis shoes. Diamond stud earrings gleamed faintly in the dimly lit room, and his ever present silver Ankh amulet rested snugly on his chest.

Looking in the mirror, he observed that his black hair, closely cropped in the fashion popular amongst Americans of African descent, was acceptable for public view. As the Dark Prince examined himself further, greenish-brown Eyes stared back at him.

These Eyes of mine, he thought, grinning to himself.

Continuing on with his private display of narcissism, he noted that his complexion, which was a rich golden brown, was as flawless as ever. He then proceeded to wash his face and hands in the stream of water issuing from the faucet, as was his custom to do before he sought the spiritual solace of his Altar. Thrice daily, Akenten made it a habit to pray to the Beloved One, the source of his power, his prosperity, and of course, his stunning good looks!

After rinsing his mouth with water four times, as was his ritual, he then proceeded to examine himself in the full length mirror.

Dark clothes, loose fitting but not excessively so, lovingly outlined a lean yet muscular mortal frame that stood close to six feet in height. Light and shadow fought for supremacy in the small bathroom, merging Akenten in the darkness, and bringing him back into the light.

It was fitting. After all, he lived equally well in both worlds. A world where truth is intermixed with falsehood, and where first impressions were usually misleading. It is difficult to obtain the full measure of a man under the best of circumstances; but in these modern times, it is impossible to do, simply because humanity has been conditioned to trust in external appearances.

To their peril!

Satisfied with his appearance, he switched off the hallway light and made his way to the front room.


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Making his way towards the door, he saw Murasaki, his companion, reclining on the couch, reading a novel.

"Will you be going out?," she asked, her Kyoto style Japanese pleasing to his ears as always.

Un.

"Yes," he replied.

"I see. Please be careful. It's very dangerous in this area." Reaching for a flyer, she continued, "there have been several robberies, and the police are warning people not to go out at night alone."

Reaching for the black 9mm pistol and knife that went with him wherever he went, he replied, "Yes, I heard about that at work. It's doubtful though that we are going to be able to do much about it. This city is going to hell in a handbasket as it is. Do you remember that story when that woman was strung out on a fence, naked, to die?"

He didn't tell her that the hideous crime he had just mentioned had happened two streets over. His wife, a member of a very aristocratic Japanese family, would not appreciate it. In fact, she would probably demand to move back to Kyoto if she found out; and he wasn't ready to do that just yet. It was, to say the least, a complicated situation.

"I remember," she said quietly. "That's why I want you to be careful."

"Wakatta."

"I got it. I'll try not to get into trouble."

She simply nodded, and returned back to her reading. Akenten walked out of the apartment, locking the door securely behind him.

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Greetings Dear Reader!

I'm glad that you've chosen to take the time out of your busy day and read the short stories written by, and about, me.

You should know, Dear Reader, that these aren't just tall tales written to show off my prodigious talents. No, I have much to say about a great many things.

And why should you care?

Because, I am unusual. I look, talk, and dress just like everyone else. I go to work, I pay bills, and I spend time on the toilet. (Regularity is good for you, don't ya know!)

I get angry, elated, and mystified just like you. I have hopes and dreams, successes and failures. I am not immortal (not yet, anyway). I draw breath, I bleed, and I will die someday (maybe).

I am not a hero. I'm just an average Joe, trying to make his way in the world.

So why read my adventures?

Because, due to very unusual circumstances, I have mastered powers and learned secrets that the common man will never learn, much less believe is possible.

For example, my gift of gab, or my Voice, has strange effects on certain classes of men. If I talk to people a certain way, they are strongly influenced to carry out the suggestion I place in their mind.

Another Power that I posses is: my Eyes. For most people, if I look into the "window of their soul" long enough, they become very open to my commands. Sometimes, I find that I need to turn away my gaze, lest a young woman become enthralled and disoriented.

In addition, my Feelings are very sensitive, much more than the average person. I am, with great accuracy, able to sense strong intentions from other people. If they are lying to me, and suffering much agitation because of it, I can tell pretty much right away. I am drawn to certain people, places and objects, as if we shared a terrific magnetic attraction. Oftentimes I have no idea what peaked my interest, but usually I end up at the right place at the right time. And sometimes, I end up in fucked up situations, just in the nick of time!

I know, I know. You are sighing and shaking your heads with disbelief. I've heard it all before, you cry. What do you think you are... Superman?? you bellow.

However, believe me when I say that my Powers are quite real, and I suspect they are a function of the very long and arduous training in the mystical arts that I have undergone. What I do, anyone else can do. It's just a matter of training and being willing to fail. A lot.

More on this later.

And, oh yes, I am fairly good at most forms of physical combat techniques, along with having a high level of physical agility. So sue me.

When you get down to the nitty-gritty, you should read my tales not because of what I can do. What I can do, you can do also. You aren't interested in my Powers. If you were looking for Gee-Whiz-that-is-Awesome type shit, you would be reading/watching something cool like Spiderman or the X-Men.

The reason why I want you to come into my world is because I live a balancing act between truth and falsehood; tradition and revolution; propaganda and the Word of Truth.

I've gone through more twists and turns than a snake's spinal column. My quest for wisdom has taken me across the globe, and into the deepest recesses of my soul. And, most importantly, my story is your story too. You just haven't put two and two together yet.

Now don't that sound interesting??

Well gang, this is part one of my introduction. If you would like to know what happened during my walk in the park, be sure to come back and check it out. I promise it'll be highly entertaining...

Maybe.

Akenten, The Prince.

Something different.

Greetings!

Some of you may be wondering what this blog is about. Well...

I've been writing about Men's Issues for a while. But there is more to life than Men's Rights alone, and I've been dying to write a proper novel for quite a long time.

So, I plan on throwing up a series of short stories about a man named Akenten. Hopefully you all will bear with me, read them, and critique them.

Are they good? Do they suck??

YOU make the call!!

Anyway, check this space. The first of many short stories will be going up soon!

Togakure.