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Super KC's Super Love Story
A Picnic
Cosmic Reporter (CR to her friends) breathed in the fresh air, the smell of flowers, cotton candy and charcoal on the grill. It was summer, her favorite season ... and she was stuck covering the celebrations in the park with that bumbling cameraman, Kirk Callahan. Kirk was nice in a country-boy kind of way, and easy on the eyes, but he was just so gullible!
A Love Interest
As an investigative reporter, CR was the opposite of gullible. It was her job to get to the heart of things. Kind of like her love interest and favorite story subject, Super Karma Coin (Super KC to his fans), whose mission was to delve into divination to find out if it was truly meaningful. Not like mild-mannered cameraman Kirk Callahan. To him, everything was about appearances.
A Surprise
And to Kirk, today's outing in the park APPEARED to be a picnic date! They were supposed to be interviewing people to find out how they were making their summer meaningful. And here was Kirk, hauling around a blanket, basket and flowers along with his camera. What was he up to? CR's thoughts were interrupted by a loud burst of chimes and a yell: "Attention, everyone! Prepare to be amazed! Madame Zza Zza speaks!"
A Suspiscious Soothsayer
CR saw a flamboyant woman in gaudy clothing and jewelry, standing at the flap of a tent and holding a cheap crystal ball. "Come into my tent, for I can see your future, and I will tell you if this summer will bring you love, success ... or danger!" To CR's surprise, folks began to line up. Didn't they know that divination was a tool to help them make their OWN choices, not to just be told what would happen? CR didn't trust this Madame Zza Zaa … she decided to investigate.
Pick Pockets!
As Madame Zza Zza continued shouting her claims, Cosmic Reporter heard the picnickers around her begin to murmur to each other. "It'd be good to know ..." and "She can make me successful?" and worst of all "What if we ARE in danger!?" They started to line up at her tent. But CR didn't buy it. No one who had true wisdom would play on people's fears. She left Kirk fumbling around with his picnic paraphernalia, and began watching the crowd with her keen reporter's eye. That's when she saw them: strange little creatures ... picking peoples' pockets!
On the Trail
With her keen eye for truth, CR seemed to be the only one able to see the creatures. She watched, amazed, as they sneakily took peoples' valuables and scampered around behind the tent. She followed, her suspicions aroused ... and then confirmed! The creatures gleefully handed the valuables through a slit in the back of the tent to none other than Madame Zza Zza.
A Call for Help
CR had seen this kind of trick before. The "fortune teller" not only pocketed the cash, she also quickly looked through the wallets and purses in between meeting with clients. CR listened through the tent, and heard the evil mistress of misdirection make amazing predictions about people's lives and loved ones ... based on the drivers' licenses, pictures and other things that were stolen! Invisible pickpocketing gremlins? Malicious madames? There was only one thing to do: call for the defender of divination himself, Super Karma Coin!
A Dire Situation
Cosmic Reporter's call for help was answered ... but not by Super KC. Instead, she heard a curse from within the tent. Bursting through the back was Madame Zza Zza, irate at having her false fortunes exposed to her nemesis. As only an evil mastermind can, she yelled for her mini-minions to seize CR! The intrepid reporter found herself surrounded by the giggling creatures with no help in sight. Where was Kirk the cameraman? And more importantly, where was Super KC?
The Hero Arrives
Unaware of the ruse perpetrated upon them, or of the dangerous position that CR has put herself in, the people in the park continued to line up at Madame Zza Zza's tent ... and continued to have their pockets picked by her invisible mini-minions. But then the people saw ... up in the sky ... was that someone parachuting into the park? Some weird hot-air baloon? A flying saucer? No ... it was a flying COIN! Super Karma Coin arriving to the rescue.
The Power of Insight
With a flourish of his cape, Super KC landed. "Hello, citizens!" he said in greeting, "Before you hand over your money to this mysterious madame, I think there's something you should see!" With that, he turned so that his shining self reflected the sun's summertime rays at just the right angle ... revealing Madame Zza Zza's invisible mini-minions to the crowd! The people quickly retrieved their belongings and chased off the miniature monsters.
Escape!
Having saved the people (and their wallets!) from Madame Zza Zza's minions, Super KC burst into the tent to confront the evil mastermind. He was ready for anything, except … an empty tent. Madame Zza Zza was gone. The only things inside were the belongings she had taken, left behind in her haste to escape. Meanwhile, elsewhere, the Madame and her mini-minions were making their getaway. And they had a hostage!
Where Is She?
Having saved the day, Super KC found himself surrounded by grateful wisdom-seekers. "How did you do that?" they asked, "What were those things?" and most of all "How did you know we needed help?" The hero focused on that final question, as he searched the crowd for one person in particular ... but for naught! Cosmic Reporter, the one who had uncovered the diabolical doings of Madame Zza Zza and her minions, was missing. Was she in danger?
Synchronicity
Not knowing where to turn, Super KC turned to his trusty I Ching coins. He did not expect them to magically point the way to CR. He looked at the I Ching as a time-tested way of meditating and opening his mind to the possibilities around him. And in this case, synchronicity saved the day! As Super KC tossed the coins on the ground, they landed beside a distinctly inhuman claw print and cotton candy stuck within. That meant one thing: the old abandoned carnival!
False Reflections
Super KC made haste, following the tracks to the abandoned carnival that Madame Zza Zza was using as a secret hideout. No sooner had he flown through the entrance, though, that he found himself surrounded by a maze of mirrors! Everywhere he looked, distorted versions of himself looked back at him, interspersed with menacing minions and illusory obstacles. Somewhere in this maze was the path he needed to take to save CR ... but how to find it?
Shattering Obstacles
Knowing he had to act quickly, Super KC focused on the one thing he could trust: his intuition and self-confidence. When he looked at the world that way, things became clear. His self-doubt washed away, removing the distorted images of himself that kept him from doing his best. Then, his sense of perspective helped him realize which obstacles were illusions and which were real (and to be avoided). Super KC's intuition steered him in a certain direction ... and he found the right way to go!
Here to Save The Day
But that was one prediction of Madame Zza Zza's that Super KC was happy to prove wrong! The heroic coin burst into the room after conquering the Madame's mirror maze of misdirection and called out, "Unhand her, mistress of misleading meanings! You have gone too far this time!" Cosmic Reporter's eyes lit up at the super-coin's arrival, and she began to wriggle out of her bonds. Meanwhile, Madame Zza Zza's one good eye darkened with rage. "Never!" she cried.
Pure of Heart, Pure of Spirit
Confident in her impending victory, the villainess attacked with her secret weapon, the Amulet of Karmic Conversion! It trapped its victims in their own bad karma by turning it into black goo that surrounded them. Madame Zza Zza assumed that since Super KC gave away so much good karma, he was sure to have only bad karma left. But when the beams hit the courageous coin, nothing happened! What Madame Zza Zza didn't realize was that, the more good karma you give to others, the more you get back in return.
Not So Fast ...
Desperate, Madame Zza Zza turned the amulet around, reversing its karmic polarity. Now it would turn good karma into bad karma, and vice versa. In an instant, Super KC went from flying free and ready to save the day to being unable to move, overcome by the black goo of bad karma. Madame Zza Zza laughed with maniacal glee at Super KC's imminent destruction, and her minions cheered, turning their attention from the supposedly helpless Cosmic Reporter …
Surprise!
Little did Madame Zza Zza and her minions know, the Cosmic Reporter was not as helpless as she seemed. While they were distracted by Super KC, she escaped from her bonds and grabbed hold of Madame Zza Zza's amulet.
A Taste of Their Own Medicine
Thinking quickly, she turned the Amulet of Karmic Conversion so that it was pointing not at Super KC, but instead at Madame Zza Zza and her minions. The beam it emitted instantly turned the minions, who were creatures of pure bad karma, into glowing white lights of goodness. As for Madame Zza Zza, she had collected so much bad karma over the years that it, when it was all transformed to good karma, overwhelmed her with its positivity. Stunned, she collapsed to the ground … and Cosmic Reporter and Super KC were triumphant!
The Reunion
Overjoyed, Cosmic Reporter embraced Super KC. "Oh, SKC, I knew you'd hear my call and rescue me!" she exclaimed. But Super KC merely smiled. "You can thank Kirk Callahan for finding me when he saw that you were in trouble. As for rescuing you … it seems like you were the one who rescued me! Quick thinking, CR. But now that Madame Zza Zza has 'seen the light,' I must depart. Somewhere out there, people need the good karma that I have to share." With that, Super KC flew away.
A Curious Coincidence
Cosmic Reporter stared wistfully after her departed hero. How could she tell him how she truly felt about him? And how could a reporter love a karma coin? Her musings were interrupted by a shout: "Cosmic Reporter! You're all right!" Kirk Callahan had finally arrived. Cosmic Reporter smiled and said, "I sure am, thanks to you finding Super KC in time. And you know, Kirk … you can call me CR." Kirk grinned and replied as they left the carnival, "Fair enough. Then you can call me KC."
The End of Our Tale
There you have it, wisdom seekers! A tale of action, adventure, insight and even budding romance. But questions remain. Will Cosmic Reporter and Super KC ever share their true feelings for one another? Will the always observant Cosmic Reporter notice that Kirk Callahan and Super Karma Coin have the same initials? And is that just a coincidence, or is there more to Kirk Callahan than meets the eye? Your guess is as good as ours, readers … but for now, enjoy your Fall of love!