Mansolutely

As the poet once said:  sailor...  captain...  don’t be afraid to be shipwrecked  for the treasure we seek, captain,  is not in the bosom of the port,  but at the bottom of the sea.

Lying between the branches of my improvised mattress, I look up at the sky for a minute, sigh and the penny finally drops: we are all full of stories  waiting to be discovered. All you need to go after them.

The stunned cabin boy I stumbled upon as I left the café was there, closing the circle of hunted hunters.

A hand stretches out from the sky offering me help. “Sorry, I was following you and I saw what you did. It was fucking awesome! Are you OK?”

The scooter flies over my head and I end up trapped in the leafy bushes. A dignified fall. Only my dignity and I have been wounded. Just as long as no-one has recorded a boomerang.

One thing’s clear with that cover letter: I choose to take life face-on.

I drink coffees blacker than the ace of spades, I make up stories about people without asking for their permission, I follow pirates until I discover their secrets...

and letting the friction of my bones against the ground brake in a naturally painful way; get sucked into the gypsy-green hedge I had in front of me.

I only have a second to decide what to do: let go of the scooter and keep running, leaving the electric kraken without control; throw myself to the ground, scooter included,

When I’m passing him, without braking and at a crazy pace, I try turning my head to find out who his prey was, but the speed of my infernal contraption prevents me from doing so and

Sometimes you just realise you’ve had a bad idea. That last shot of Jäger, being honest with your ex, or not checking  the brakes of the scooter before following someone at full speed, to name just a few.

I would have to end the pursuit soon. As soon as I get ahead and  discover who  this  pirate  drinks  the  seas  for, I’ll get  a  good  story  out  of  this  whole  adventure. Discovering Blackbeard, I’ll call it.

What is he up to? He was following someone! And I thought I was  the daredevil... Ha!

I decide to paddle with my foot to rev up the engine of my metal boat, and then I start catching up with HIM. Suddenly, my prey stops before turning the corner and peers in the other direction.

This works! One down on the port side, another on the starboard side. “Crazy!” a lady shouts at me, “Crazy for you!” I say back, blowing a kiss.

Brainwave! I’ll use a light ship. That Lime will be perfect. The rules prohibit driving electric scooters on the sidewalk, but I’m a rebel and I surf well on asphalt.

Maybe that way he’d get confused and I’d gain a few meters, but naval superstitions discourage it as it’s a challenge to the wind. And because maybe I’ll stop a cab by mistake.