A Haitian Superman's Struggle

Certain things must be imprinted in my DNA. I honestly think so. My name is Ramon Joseph. A big and tall young Black man of Haitian descent living in the town of Brockton, Massachusetts. I attend UMass-Boston, where I major in Business Administration. My avocation? I'm a Trickster. How else could you explain the situations I find myself so easily drawn to? Yeah, that must be it. Or perhaps it's just damn luck. Whatever.

Tricksters like myself have been around since the beginning of time. Long before humans evolved on this measly little planet. I know this because I'm one of them. I am the son of two worlds. My father, Jeremy Joseph is a Haitian-American lawyer living in Boston, Massachusetts. He works for the Suffolk County Prosecutor's Office. My mother, well, she's a whole other story. My mother, Adalia Sheerah is one of the ageless Immortals who've been around since before civilization began. And there are many others like her out there. Immortals are all around us. Forever disguised as ordinary men and women. And sometimes they don't even bother going about in human form. They're shape-shifters, you see. It's a game and I guess they're all glad to be in it.

From my superhuman mother, I inherited certain abilities. Such as my talent for manipulating molecular structure. I seem to have a gift for making things change form. I can touch a metallic key and turn it into a silver knife. I can touch a diamond and turn it into doo-doo. A particularly vicious trick I performed upon the diamond-filled treasure trove of an enemy of mine. An Irish diamond hustler named Keith Kilpatrick. One of the biggest names in the Black market. Of course, I double-crossed him merely for fun and because it's what I do. My ability doesn't stop merely at changing the shape of objects. I can also shape-shift at will. So far, I've been able to assume the form of a Doberman, a bald eagle and a King Cobra. I can't assume the form of a person. I really wish I could but I can't. I tried. Many times. Sorry.

Anyhow, I got a story to share with you. There's someone after me. And it's a very scary someone. What I'm dealing with, I'm not entirely sure. All I know is that my enemy isn't human. And it scares the hell out of me. I know. You probably think a guy like me is more than enough for any enemy to handle. And most of the time, you'd be right. I've dealt with the most dangerous men and women the world has ever seen. I've stolen a diamond-encrusted sarcophagus from Mistress Athena, also known as Hannah Giannopoulos, a Grecian female billionaire who's the leader of a secretive cult of powerful women. She really wants my head on a platter, but not even her wealth and power were a match for my supernatural abilities. I took a sword which once belonged to Saladin himself from a wealthy Arab businessman from the United Arab Emirates. Beat his multi-million-dollar security system because they anticipated every kind of thief, except the type that flies on natural wings. Better luck next time, sir!

Why do I steal priceless artifacts from the world's most wealthy, and quite often most ruthless people? I don't know. It's not for the money, that's for sure. I guess I do it for the thrill. Yeah, that must be it. Anyhow, for the first time in my life, I'm actually worried. I've attracted the attention of a monster. One of those mythological monsters you've read about in fantasy books. The scary thing is that in my world, they're all real. Hard to believe that in the world of computers, and advanced medicine, the world of techno-savvy twenty-first century Earth, monsters from the ancient past still live among us. And each and every last one of them can pass for human. It's pretty much a requisite to living among us. They can literally be anyone. Anywhere. That's the scariest part of all this.

How did the monster first get my scent? I don't know. I was in Las Vegas during Spring Break 2009. Lots of my fellow students from UMass-Boston had gone to places like Atlanta, Miami or Cancun for Spring Break. They wanted to have fun, even though we're in a recession, so they stuck close to home for the most part. Me? I got no such limitations. I simply shifted back to my eagle form, and flew from Boston, Massachusetts to Las Vegas, Nevada. Took me a couple of hours. I love flying. Seriously. Sometimes, I almost feel bad about normal people since they will never experience what it's like to be a magically powered superhuman who defies the laws of gravity at will. Almost. I don't feel too bad for normal people. They've persecuted the denizens of the supernatural world for centuries. To the point that my mother and her fellow Immortals, along with the inhuman creatures who dwell on this plane of existence were thrilled to discover that secular reasoning dominated this century, and people thought all supernatural entities were pure fiction.

I was in Las Vegas, partying like only I can. I had one hundred grand in my pocket, as a result of turning certain rocks into diamonds and selling them for a quick buck to a local hustler. I just wanted some cash in my hands. I stayed at one of the nicest hotels in town. One that costs three grand a night. Since I could afford it, I had myself a good time. I even hired some sexy ladies and a sexy gentleman as part of my nocturnal entertainment. Yes, I am bisexual. I go both ways. If you don't like it, you can kiss my sexy Black male ass. I was having the time of my life in Las Vegas. Partying hard and gambling at the casinos was starting to take its toll on me when I suddenly sensed that something was wrong. I looked around, and sensed that I was being watched. And the thing watching me wasn't human. It watched me in the guise of a tall, beautiful Black woman. Every one of my senses told me to flee. This lady that wasn't lady was radiating danger. Arrogant as I was, I walked over to her and introduced myself. She smiled coldly, and introduced herself as the Huntress. Then she tried to stab me with an ornately carved sword. Only my superman reflexes prevented me from getting gutted. I struggled against the woman, and tried to wrest the sword from her. She was inhumanly strong. I knew at once that I was fighting something very much like myself. An enemy that was more than human. Having managed to push her away, I fled the scene, but the mysterious swordswoman chased me. I barely made it to the roof of the casino, where I assumed my eagle form and took off.

I've since returned to the city of Boston. I'm always looking over my shoulder. I know this thing is after me. I've sensed its presence in Boston. Like me, it's a shape-shifter. It came after me, disguised as a mountain lion one day while I hung out with some friends at the Franklin Park Zoo. I was forced to flee and when she/it cornered me, I assumed the shape of a King Cobra. The mountain lion backed off, and I slithered away. I know that next time, I won't be so lucky. I don't know how that thing keeps finding me. I've asked some of the Immortals and superhumans I know. None of them know what I'm dealing with. And my mother is nowhere to be found. Looks like I'm on my own in this mess. That's cool. I don't know what that thing is or why it's after me, but if it thinks I'm going down without a fight, it's sadly mistaken. I'm done running. Boston is my city. And monster or not, I'm not going anywhere.