There's always plenty of laundry to wash, hoovering and e-mails, piles of projects on the go. And it leaves me little time for the people that are important in my life, for my friends and my family.. .especially right now! This is the time for 'no time'.. .there's no room in my mind for anything other than this moment. Thoughts of relationships, chores, work are all just a cloud of dust in my wake. Usually my mind is the future or the past; never on where I am, what I'm doing! But this.. .you can't turn from 'the moment' when risk of serious injury is on the line because 'the moment' will stand up and slap you about the face.
My windy eyes are streaming and the hair on my arms is as alert and full of joy as the prevailing grin on my face. I'm leading a strung out pack of rebel bikers down 'Marsh' trail in Annadale park. It's a fun decent with lots of rocks for you to skim over if you're going fast enough, and I AM going fast enough! I have my suspension dialed to perfection, and it's chomping through a deadly sharp section of rocks like a ravenous beastie. Nothing is can stop me.. .
. .."I Eat Boulders for Breakfast.!"
A large man steps out onto the trail about 30 meters ahead. He's wearing a shiny black suit, with black a cape and a black helmet. My eyes are stinging with sweat so I can't focus well, but I think it's 'Darth Vader'.
'Oh Shit!!' - My eyes bulge with focus, and aiming for the smooth patches of ground I jump down on my saddle to cram my tire grip into the ground, breaking hard as the shadow of the Sith crosses my front wheel. Skipping over a tree root I cram my arse back into the saddle again, forcing the bike to skid to a halt inches in front of the dark lord. Off the saddle and onto tip toe, I throw my arms back for balance and barely manage to stop myself a breath shy Darths chest. Teetering there for a moment, my 'busy life dust cloud' catches up with us, tipping me forwards so that I push one of the buttons on the chest of his suit with my nose; and there I rest. The sound of a tiny Tie Fighter issues from Vader's control panel. It's an awkward moment for both of us.. .
'Oh Shit!!' - My eyes bulge with focus, and aiming for the smooth patches of ground I jump down on my saddle to cram my tire grip into the ground, breaking hard as the shadow of the Sith crosses my front wheel. Skipping over a tree root I cram my arse back into the saddle again, forcing the bike to skid to a halt inches in front of the dark lord. Off the saddle and onto tip toe, I throw my arms back for balance and barely manage to stop myself a breath shy Darths chest. Teetering there for a moment, my 'busy life dust cloud' catches up with us, tipping me forwards so that I push one of the buttons on the chest of his suit with my nose; and there I rest. The sound of a tiny Tie Fighter issues from Vader's control panel. It's an awkward moment for both of us.. .
I didn't know what to say.. .nose still pressed against his chest, I just look up at him towering above me thinking about how 'Big' and 'Darth Vader' he is. It's a very unusual moment - me and Darth standing toe to toe on the trail, not saying anything. Somehow very peaceful.. .just the sound of my heart beating and his deep menacing breath. We seemed to stand there for ever.. .both of us saying nothing.
Vader makes an attempt to break the uncomfortable silence. He straightens me up, and then himself, and coughing to clear his throat, he offers his hand towards me. But I can't move - I'm stood there staring at it dumb struck! Darth Vader; lord of the Sith, destroyer of worlds, more Medi-chlorians than Yoda want's to be my friend. It's my deepest fantasy come true.. .and I'm leaving him hanging?! I pinch myself hard in my mind to try to break the rigor mortis in my body, and to my relief my hand begins to lift towards his. ..but it's too late! Vader pulls back.. .
. ..he looks me up and down, and something in his body changes right in front of me.. .as if he grows another six feet. Vader raises his hand once more, but this time with his thumb and index finger forming the shape of a claw. The forest turns to a vacuum that pulls the hairs on my arms to stand up again; and he leans over me sucking all of the light from the world behind him.. .a scream rings through the trees.
Vader and I look around as Luke bursts into view, sailing through the air, whooping like a triumphant banshee. But from the increasing look of panic on his face he's just spotted the sharp rocks that are about to become his landing strip. The bike buckles, his left foot looses it's peddle, and his hand grabs desperately at nothing but air. He's almost hanging off of the front of his bike.. ."Fuu...cckck. ..!" he garbles. It's like were watching a disaster movie all wrapped up in a person. He sees us and he knows that he's screwed - were all are!
With his impending death staring himself in the face, Luke employs the only course of action that he can rationalize. Sprawled over the front of the handlebars and holding on with nothing but blind faith, he stretches out his free hand, looks up at us both with a purposeful calm. ..and then closes his eyes. 'Holy Shit.. .he's using the Force!!' I think to myself, tripping backwards over a big rock and falling against a tree. A branch breaks off, swings down and hits Vader full in the face. As he stumbles sideways Luke bounds and bucks between us - he's lost some speed and is moving up and down almost as much as is forwards, and I swear that he's not holding on with anything any more. Darth and myself watch him pass like some kind of crazy clown in a ovel wheeled car - he's still got his eye's closed and is concentrating hard on his 'force' with his hand wobbling out ahead of him. Despite the helmet it's quite easy read Darth's expression, it's the same as mine.. .jaw dropped, eyeballs wider than disbelief.. .Luke bounces off down the trail.
Moments later a blur darts between us, drawing a vortex of air and dirt that, sucks at Darths cape and sets my hair in its direction. It's Alison; "F*cking Nutters.. .!" she shouts.
We both turn, leaning and standing on tip toe to get a better view of her as she drops into a deep shadow of trees. "Darth Idiot more Like!!" she yells over her shoulder. We keep looking in the direction where she disappeared for a bit, and then Darth lets out a sigh, hangs his head and shoulders, and turns back to me.
"Er.. I'd better catch up with my mates" I say. And at the end of another depressed breath Darth nods in agreement. Without looking up he steps to the side and gestured for me to go on my way. With my head down, and nervously licking my lips, I flick my gaze between Darth and the trail. Then I drop my weight onto my right peddle and coast for a bit. 'Poor Darth.. .He ain't got no friends!' I think. I stop before rounding the bend that would sever me from this peculiar moment and look back to see Darth once more. Still hunched over, he kicks a large rock with his boot as one might absent mindedly kick a car tire to examine it. The rock rolls over and then floats up into the air, hovering there at 'half boot height' for a moment before dropping to the ground again. Darth sighs once more and mooches off up the trail.. .
I thought of Darth going home to do the laundry or the washing up. What's life like for him? Not the 'Sith Lord' thing.. .we all know that story; but when he's not at work. What's really going on inside when he's not swimming in the living breathing force, when he's doing the hoovering or checking his e-mail? I think that he's lonely and that he doesn't know how to meet people any more. Darth has been all about work for so long that he doesn't know how to do anything else. Meeting people and what not has become a mystery to him.. .lonely.
Darth is a bad man, he's destroyed star systems and he shouldn't be jumping out in front of mountain bikers.. .but that day I think that he was just looking for someone to be friends with. Trying to break that endless cycle of work and chores that we all struggle with, and I hope that one day steps out in front of someone that has the time give him the friendship that we all need; perhaps it will help to bring him back from the cold place where he lives.. .and so I try not to judge him too harshly for the things he's done
