Flashback 1966:

Announcer Type Fellow: "Glad to be with you. K-Rim here doin the doggy dance all workday long. Comin' up an

instant classic from the Lovin'. Summer in the City."

Cue Alfred Potter, Harry's future father, aged 14, delivering entertainment magazines on his red Meteor Flite bicycle.

"Howdy, Mr. Hodges! Here's the latest Modern Man, hot off the presses!"

"Thanks Alfie! Do tell your mother the Hodges said hello!"

"Yessir I will! Gotta run! Lotta papes ta deliver!"

Alfie biked all summer that year. He was saving up to buy a truly one of a kind item. Which item, you ask? Well

he sure as heck couldn't afford Miss Jayne Mansfield, that's for sure! Sshh..c'mere closer. You know that funny little

shop on Baker Street? Yeah, that's the one, with the rubber snakes and whoopie cushions. Yep, that little old

chinaman Mr. Kim, he's the fella. Well apparently ole Mr. Kim's been spinnin quite the wives' tale to our little

Alfie. He told him that he has for sale this all black sword that's s'posed to carry magical powers. $50 that's how

much! A big fat rip-off if you ask me.

*jingle jingle jingle* Alfie opened up the door to Mr. Kim's shop. Oh what a smell that place had. It smelled

like all the bad things you weren't allowed to have. And Mr. Kim stood behind the counter with his curled white

moustache, just like some evil samurai out of a James Bond flick.

"Hey Mr. Kim. I finally got the fifty dollars. Can I have the sword?"

"Oh, really? That's alot of money for a young boy. Maybe you should think about it some. There's so much more

you can do with a whole fifty dollars. You don't want some crummy MAGICAL sword, do you?"

"Yes, Mr. Kim. I want it. I've been saving up all summer for it."

"Alright then Alfie. You must really want this sword badly. As promised, since you have the fifty dollars, I

will finally tell you why this particular sword is so magical..."

Mr. Kim then walked into the back room and brought out the dazzling all black stone sword, cradled in his hands

atop a white cloth.

"This sword is made out of obsidian, a volcanic rock. A long time ago in the Kunlun Mountains of China a

volcano erupted. Now before I go on any further, let me explain to you something. The Kunlun mountains are

very sacred to the Chinese people. In fact they are considered to be PARADISE."

With that word Mr. Kim's eyes lit up like fire.

"You see, this sword rose out of the volcano in solid form, just as it appears right now, and it remained suspended in mid air

for fourty one days. After the fourty one days were over it fell to the ground and smashed into many tiny pieces.

The pieces were collected by one of my great ancestors, and it took years and years to assemble it back together.

Here, let me show you something."

He turned the sword over and revealed a tiny piece missing near the base of the sword.

"This piece was never found. My people believe that a great prophet will one day find the missing piece and complete

the sword. A seer of visions once wrote that the prophet would bare the name Taoqi, meaning pottery. I understand

that you go by the name Potter."

Alfie was trembling. "Y..yy.yyy.yyess."

"Perhaps you are the one destined to complete the sword. No one is quite sure what will happen once the sword is

completed. Some say it will bring about an age of paradise. Others believe it will give eternal life to the one

who completes it. Still others think it will cause all the mountains of the earth to erupt. I personally

believe that the one who completes the sword will be given the power to breath underwater and to swim freely and

to communicate with all the animals of the sea. I happen to love the sea, that's why."

Alfie didn't know what to say. He just handed Mr. Kim the money, gently fastened the sword to his side, and rode his bike home as

the sun set that evening.

That night before bed Alfie held the sword near his window, pretending to cut the full moon in half.

As he did this a voice came to him in his mind.

"Alfie. This is Pac Man. You are not the one destined to complete the sword. Instead you are destined to a life

of pain and hardship. Every possible evil and misfortune will come upon you. You have been cursed. Goodnight

my forsaken child. Pleasant dreams."

To be continued...