Cupid switched off the television and sat staring at the blank screen. First the girl with the braid, then the green hood guy, now this dude in the black leather with all his costumed friends. And here he was thinking archery was a dying art.
Bows, it now seemed, stood for something. For justice, or truth, or sticking it to the man, or something like that. Cupid rather liked that. He picked up his own bow and quiver, examining the items with newfound respect. And to think, he was considering trading them in for a shotgun! Although…there was a certain poeticness about blasting someone off their feet with his powers. But, the bow was part of the tradition, and now that bows were popular again, Cupid felt that he might be able to start branching out in his field. The crime wave sweeping the city had been on the up and up. Maybe now was the time for a new archer to step forward, and begin cleaning up the city.
Cupid donned his costume, with a few adjustments (bows were only cool if you wore leather, it seemed), and took to the streets. It didn’t take him long to find evidence of wrongdoing. Hurrying towards the sound of the kerfuffle, Cupid raised his bow and nocked an arrow to it.
Charging around the corner, Cupid raced down the alleyway. A man in a hood held a gun to another man’s head. The victim had his hands up, his wallet held in one, and his back against the wall.
“Stop, in the name of justice!” Cupid ordered.
Both the mugger and victim turned to look at him, eyebrows raising incredulously.
“Who the hell are you?” the mugger asked.
“I’m…The Hooded Avenger,” he said, making the name up on the spot and trying to add a dramatic flare to his voice as he spoke.
“You’re not wearing a hood,” the victim pointed out.
“I’m still working on the costume. Just, let the man go.”
The mugger looked from his victim to Cupid and back again. Then he turned his gun on Cupid. “Or what?”
“Uh.” Cupid tried to remember the hero rules regarding shooting first.
“I think you’d better go, mate,” the victim said.
“What? I’m rescuing you.”
“And I appreciate that. But I’ve only got about thirty bucks on me, and I’d rather not tell the lads I got saved by a dude in a leather vest and a diaper for the sake of it. You know what I mean?”
Cupid straightened up, his arrow dropping slightly. “But-”
“Oi! What’s going on down here?”
Cupid, the mugger and the victim all jumped and turned to face the newcomer, a blue uniformed police officer.
Cupid snapped to attention. “Officer. Right on time. This nasty man here was about to mug this ungrateful gentleman. I interrupted them in the act.”
The officer looked Cupid up and down. His eyes coming to rest on the bow. “You got a licence for that?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact,” Cupid said indignantly. “From the Gods themselves. Now, are you going to arrest this man, or not?”
The mugger stepped forward. “I’ve got a licence.” He handed his gun permit to the police officer, who looked it over with a curt nod.
“Looks all in order to me.” He turned back to Cupid. “Where’s yours then?”
“What? But…” Cupid spat. “Listen. I’ve got a bow, that means I’m the good guy. I’m on your side. This man was committing a crime. Now, I demand you arrest him.” Cupid shook his bow at him.
The officer’s hand dropped to his hip. “Young man, I’m going to have to ask you to put the bow down.”
“What? No, this isn’t how it’s supposed to go. You’ve got it all wrong.”
“Put the bow down.”
“Just listen to me.”
The officer drew his gun and Cupid loosed his arrow, sending it into the officer’s shoulder. The man reeled back, stumbling into the mugger. His eyes glazed over as he stared up at the mugger, a smile spreading across his face.
“Hi there,” the officer said.
The mugger shoved him back. “What the?”
Cupid sighed. “Oh damn.” He really should have grabbed his back-up quiver before heading out.
“I think I’ve been waiting for you all my life,” the officer said in a dreamy voice.
“I’m outta here.” The mugger pried the officer’s fingers off his lapels and ran down the alley, the policeman racing after him.
Cupid and the victim looked at each other. “You’re welcome,” Cupid said, slinging his bow across his back and marching back down the alley.
The next day, as Cupid made his morning coffee and sat down to read the news, he saw the headlineCrime Reaches New Low. Cop Holds Up Bank To Impress Boyfriend.
Folding the paper over, Cupid sipped his coffee and decided that maybe the city wasn’t quite ready for an archer of its own.
FFM Day 20
Prompt: Upon seeing the rising popularity of bow wielding superheroes, Cupid decides to take to the streets as a vigilante.
C. A. Harland 