In article <r2q576pouhglrahqij7bi76l5ebjte6o4l@4ax.com>, HMS Victor
Victorian <victorvictorian@hushunomail.com> wrote:
> On 23 Aug 2010 16:21:02 -0500, " +Grant. " <+Grant@grant.grant> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> >The Adventures of Stevie #32
> >
> >These stories were told to me by friends and other people. Some of them
> >are true. Some of them are only partly true. Some of them should have
> >been true. LOL
> >
> >My first post about Stevie ("Call me Stephen!") was when he was 12 and
> >in summer camp and was told by another camper. This was from a time
> >before computers would fit on a desk and when people communicated with
> >friends in other countries by actual letters sent through the postal
> >service. When children did this those friends were called "penpals".
> >Carlos is Stevie's penpal in Argentina and knows English. This is a
> >fictional contrivance to enable Stevie to tell us his stories because
> >he isn't here in person. I think.
> >All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
> >that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
> >Stevie's school is for gifted children who don't fit in regular schools.
> >The stories may not be posted in chronological order.
> >Stevie is 11 in this story. It takes place 3 weeks after story #31.
> >
> >
> >The Adventures of Stevie #32 "Ninja for the Defense"
> >
> >
> >Dear Carlos,
> >
> >
> > Ninja visited with us at home! He ate here too. Father made it a
> >planned thing. The other kids were at relatives. Mother thought he was
> >just a friend of father. Ninja was VERY polite to mother, and she loved
> >it. After eating, they talked about world travel, and strange foods. It
> >was interesting. I didn't say anything. I just watched and listened.
> >Mother didn't notice how strange that was about me. When mother asked
> >him what he does, I thought that was going to be VERY interesting what
> >was going to happen.
> >
> > Ninja said "I'm retired now, but I still teach some classes." Mother
> >said "Oh, and what do you teach?" He said "A fighting art called
> >Ninjutsu." Mother almost dropped her glass she was trying to drink
> >from, and tried not to let him see she swallowed the wrong way. I
> >thought it was funny. I know that's not nice, but I don't mind being
> >not perfect about mother. Then father made it worse for her, and I
> >liked that even more. He said "If Ninja hadn't taught me how to survive
> >my assignments in the war, I wouldn't be here to introduce my very good
> >friend to you. I owe him my life many times over." He meant assignments
> >he did for the OSS. They took him from the army because he could speak
> >French and German.
> >
> > Mother was getting a little red, and I think it wasn't because of the
> >wrong swallow, so I decided to take the heat off father and ask Ninja
> >some questions. I said "Sir, what is the most important thing your
> >students learn?" He said "How not to fight." That surprised mother, and
> >me too. I said "You teach them how to fight so they know how not to
> >fight? I don't understand." He said "Yes, most people react that way,
> >but it's really very simple. I can explain it in a general way, to make
> >it easy for you. The more you know about something, the more choices
> >you know about and can use, and the more able you are to make those
> >choices work. So, the more you know about fighting, the easier it is to
> >avoid it. There is another part to this. Bullies pick on people who are
> >afraid. Somebody who knows how to defend himself is not afraid. This
> >confidence shows. Only the bullies who are too dumb to find their butts
> >in the dark, will attack somebody like that. Now, Stephen, do you
> >understand how it works?" I got excited and said "Yes! I never thought
> >of that. Thank you very much." I meant it , too.
> >
> > "Ah, but there is much more of benefit to a student of these arts,
> >that goes significantly beyond self defense," he said. I said "Please
> >tell me. I'm dying to know!" I could tell mother was interested in
> >spite of herself. Ninja smiled and told me "Please don't die right now,
> >Stephen. I'll tell you. When you are physically self-confident, other
> >people notice. They pay more attention to you. They believe what you
> >say more than they do other people. They treat you as a leader. This
> >can help you achieve great things throughout your entire life, with
> >everything you do, and the self discipline you learn as a necessary
> >part of the arts, helps you achieve greater self control, which you
> >have sorely needed, Stephen." Mother really paid attention to THAT.
> >
> > I said "Until now I thought the only extra thing which was important
> >was falling." Mother said "Falling? What about falling?" I explained
> >"One of the really important things you learn is how to fall without
> >getting hurt. Everybody falls sometimes. People break bones and hurt
> >their heads so bad they could die. When you know how to fall, you don't
> >have to let any of that happen most of the times, or you can make it
> >not as bad. It's a real life saver. I'm glad I learning it." Ninja said
> >"Yes, it's very helpful." I think mother thought so too, but would
> >never say so.
> >
> > When Ninja was about to leave, I asked him how Tommy was. He said "My
> >best student is looking forward to teaching his favorite student more,
> >that's YOU, Stephen, when he's next invited. We will be both seeing you
> >at your school, soon, for our regular open sessions, but your private
> >lessons with Tommy have made a significant improvement in your
> >abilities. You should continue them." I said "I think so too. He's a
> >great teacher! Extra nice too." I made a little motion to hug him but
> >was afraid to really do it. He signaled "acceptance", so I did hug him.
> >It was nice. I think he thought so too.
> >
> > Tommy is coming over day after tomorrow. It doesn't hurt that mother
> >actually likes him, but I like him much more!
> >
> >
> >Your friend,
> >
> >Stephen
>
> Dear Grant,
>
> Poor Mum. She does get a bad shrift of things, doesn't she?
>
> Ninja's advice, as related to your protagonist, is quite correct, at
> least according to my meager understanding. I was reminded of a bully
> that I had suffered in prep.
>
> I can see him now ... tall and lanky, but hardly graceful, with a
> head of tossled chesnut hair and a perpetual sneer. I appeared much
> the same then (my, how the years have flown and grown!), but where he
> was brash and rude, I was timid. During sport, he perpetually
> pestered me, going so far as giving me a light kick when he could get
> close enough to do it. I shrank from him whenever I could.
>
> One day retreat proved impossible, and I gave him my very first
> gesture of defiance. I gave him a kick. Well, I made the attempt,
> but missed. Nevertheless, his behaviour from that very moment
> changed. He no longer pestered me and, I think, would have wanted to
> be my friend. I am certain now he was just as unhappy and timid and
> insecure as I, but he disguised his vulnerability with a facade of
> bravado.
>
> Well, I decidedly did NOT want to be his friend, so he let me be from
> that day forward. That was unfair of me, I suppose, for we could have
> been kindred spirits with one significant exception ... he expressed
> himself with violence, and I abhorred it.
>
> I am yet astounded that I survived those years. The rowdy lads
> generally let me alone, and I concentrated on my studies.
>
> Which has made me the brilliant essayist that I am to-day.
>
> Obviously.
>
> Sincerely,
> HMS Victor Victorian, NP-g18
>
>
>
> God Save the Queen.
> God Bless the Prince of Wales.
> God Preserve the Windsors.
> Rule Britannia!
Yes, Obviously.
I'm not joking. Something did help you become you, the brilliant
essayist we know and love. And disagree with sometimes. Why not that?
His Mum appears most significantly in another story soon, and is really
shrifted, shortly. (My spell checker didn't like what I did with that
word LOL)
Thank you for your support.
I wish more people had supported Doc's tower story.
I have a little confession to make. I don't know martial arts, or most
of the other subjects I shoehorned into my stories, and some of them
ready to be posted are really odd. What shows up in my writing comes
from asking experts, and online research. If I get any of it wrong,
blame it on me, not on the people who have helped.
This story was written mostly for one reason. To honor Ninja.
The Victoria character, is to honor you. She is a gentle person who
writes beautifully, and romantically, and is responsible for the most
important change in Stephen's life, and the direction the stories take
after that. The character, if not the name, was planned from the
beginning.
--
Grant
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