Deadpool Mystery Box
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The next morning, Deadpool was awakened by the sound of gunfire. The first thing he saw as he opened his eyes was a red laser dot on his chest, and the second thing he saw was that he wasn’t wearing any clothes.
He looked around frantically for the rest of his body but found none, so he started to panic. “Where’s my face? Where’re my legs?” When nothing came up, he decided to go ahead and find out why he couldn’t see anything.
He took a deep breath and focused all his attention on his mind. His consciousness flowed into an invisible ocean where it began traveling through countless rivers of thought.
It was like swimming in the air, with no resistance or boundaries to speak of, and after only a few seconds he reached what seemed to be a bottomless chasm – the source from which everything comes and goes.
There were countless tiny things floating there, each having its own unique existence, yet all at once they merged together into one great mass of energy that filled every nook and cranny inside him.
It was a beautiful sight, and Deadpool found himself becoming lost within it, so much so that he nearly forgot about his initial problem. But then he suddenly remembered that he was still naked, and he used his mental powers to force open his eyes.
This caused his entire body to vanish along with his clothes, leaving nothing behind except for his head, which floated high above the black void, making it look like he was riding upon a giant eyeball.
“Where am I?” he asked.
Suddenly, a voice spoke out of nowhere. “You’re dead.”
“No, you don’t understand,” replied the disembodied head. “We’ve got a real problem here.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not sure how this happened, but we appear to have gotten off track somehow. We need to get back on course, so let me show you what I mean…”
And with that, the spirit of Deadpool’s departed soul sent his consciousness soaring over the vast expanse of emptiness that was now his mind.
***
Sarai-no-Mori
In the Year of the Tiger (1573), at the age of twenty-two, a young man named Kimura Toshiemon had just returned to Japan after spending four years studying medicine in Europe.
He was delighted to discover that while he was away, the power struggle between Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi had finally come to an end, and when he arrived home, he immediately set out to celebrate.
He would spend the next two weeks drinking sake with his friends from school, eating delicious food, and enjoying life to the fullest. He even went out to hunt deer, and he brought back more meat than he could possibly eat, so he invited several of his friends over to share it with them.
One day, he decided to ride out to visit a nearby shrine, and he stopped at a roadside stand for some sweet melons. While he was there, an old woman appeared and said, “Please, sir! Please help me!”
Kimura was taken aback by her request, and he knew she was lying. Still, he felt bad for her, so he told her, “Well, you can keep your money. I’ll give you the melons instead.” Then he handed them to her.
She thanked him profusely and hurried off, but then a small boy ran up and asked, “Are those melons for us?”
“Yes, they are,” answered Kimura.
“Thank you very much!” the boy replied.
Then another child followed suit.
Eventually, all the children left, and the old woman bowed to Kimura, thanking him again. Afterward, Kimura mounted his horse and rode to the shrine. He approached the main hall and bowed down before the statue of the god.
Just as he was about to leave, the priest gave him a strange look and said, “My son is missing, and we’re looking for him everywhere. Do you know anything about this?”
“No, I don’t,” said Kimura.
“Wait here a moment,” said the priest, and he dashed off into the woods. Shortly afterward, he returned accompanied by a group of people. One of them, who appeared to be a doctor, examined the woman. “This poor woman needs treatment,” he said. “Her wounds will probably fester if she doesn’t receive proper care. Can you help us out?”
The priest returned to Kimura. “Sir, I’m sorry, but we must ask you to pay for her treatment. She has nothing to repay you.”
“Of course, I’ll pay whatever it takes,” Kimura assured him. “But why did you bring her here? You should have taken her to a hospital.”
“Because my son was abducted by the Shinsengumi and taken to Kyoto,” explained the priest. “He may be in trouble, and we thought he might need your help.”
“Why didn’t you call the police?”
The priest looked uncomfortable. “We can’t afford to involve them. The Shinsengumi are considered enemies of the state.”
Kimura was shocked. “So you’re saying this woman came all the way from Nagoya just to tell me this story because she thinks I can help find her son? Does she really think that, or is she trying to trick me?”
“No, no, I assure you, she’s telling the truth. But I’m afraid you won’t be able to find him yourself. How could you possibly locate someone who was kidnapped by the Shinsengumi?”
Kimura was angry. “I’m going to go see if I can figure out what’s happening. If I don’t return, send for my mother.” With that, he mounted his horse and rode off.
That night, Kimura saw a large fire burning in the distance. It was too far away to make out clearly, but he got the impression that it was coming from an inn. When he arrived, he found it ablaze, and the Shinsengumi were fighting to put it out. There was a small girl with them who appeared to be a runaway. Her face was bruised and bloody, and she was crying.
When they realized who it was, the men drew their swords and attacked.
Just then, Kimura’s mother arrived at the scene with half a dozen of her followers. At first, the Shinsengumi tried to attack her as well, but her samurai were much stronger than theirs. They managed to hold them back until Kimura’s mother ordered them to stop.
Then she turned toward the Shinsengumi and said, “You’ve done enough damage. Now get out of here! You’re not welcome here anymore!”
The Shinsengumi reluctantly obeyed.
After that, the townspeople offered their thanks to Kimura’s mother and escorted her to the temple, where she prayed for the safety of the child. Then she went home and put herself to bed, exhausted from the ordeal.
The End