Written By: Pat Black
Phil Black:
It all began with Phil Black. Before he got married though, his name was Phil Moore. He took the last name of his wife Elizabeth, because The Mafia had hit man searching all over England for him.
This is how it all began. During his marriage a man named Jack Ferno came to his house in the middle of the night, and stole his family’s heirloom, an antique cane. Jack was a thief who was the son of The English Mafia’s Leader, naturally Jack work’s in the family business.
Phil saw it all happen, but could only watch Jack dive through the window with it, because he wasn’t fast enough to stop him. Phil rather then giving up, and letting Jack get away, got in his car, and followed Jack, stealthily, to the English Mafia Base. When he finally arrived at the English Mafia Base, Phil let Jack enter the Mafia Base, let the door shut tight, and went to the back, and snuck in through the back door.
Phil had always been good at using mind power to get out of the problems life presented him, and had never been a man with great physical skill. This was once of the most impossible situations life had ever brought him.
Phil knew that standing around wouldn’t get him out of his mess, and he knew better then run away, because he would surely be caught even if he didn’t attempt to steal back his antique cane, and he desperately wanted to mess with The English Mafia in an attempt to regain his family heirloom.
Phil began to look around hopefully to figure out what he should do next. He gathered that he was in a long hallway with only a few doors branching off it. At the far end of the hallway he saw a huge room branch off. He went inside, because there was no door blocking off the room. The room was so expansive, and filled with so many unique stolen objects that the far end of the room wasn’t visible. He could however hear what was at the far end of the room.
At the far end of the room he heard Jack Ferno talking with his father, and sister. Jack began to brag about the stolen antique cane, and Frank Ferno, Jack’s father complimented him on an excellent find. Maggot Ferno, Jack’s sister, wasn’t impressed however. Phil began to sneak around, and under many of the displays in the room until he could visibly see Jack, Frank, and Maggot. Frank was no doubt The English Mafia’s Leader. Frank had wavy black hair, with grey hairs all through his hair. Jack had brown hair that stuck up in the back. Maggot had a terribly evil grin on her face, without the prettiest hair Phil had ever seen. They were an evil family together. Maggot, and Jack had personally murdered their mother Margaret Ferno, only because they didn’t like her simplistic way of thinking.
The antique cane, as Phil had expected, was sitting atop Frank Ferno’s desk. Phil decided the best approach of getting the antique cane was to wait for some, or all of them to leave, and he felt that he had enough patience to wait long enough for them to leave.
Waiting took its toll on Phil, and he began to grow bored. As time passed Phil began to re-evaluate his reasons for following Jack Ferno to the English Mafia Base in the first place. Then, his memories of his father Daniel Moore began to shape.
Daniel Moore was proud man, but albeit an unusual man. Daniel Moore never did anything that Phil had thought remarkable, or even useful. Daniel Moore told many tales, and made up many stories of discoveries he had made, treasures he had found, and acts of bravery he had performed. The one tale that Daniel Moore told most, was the tale of the antique cane. Daniel Moore claimed that it was an American Civil War Era Cane used by one of the American hero’s, but he never came up with good evidence. He claimed that it must have come from an American Ship that sank, and spilled all its contents all over the ocean. He even went to claim that it “miraculously” washed ashore on an English Shore where he just “happened” to pick it up.
Although Phil didn’t fully believe the story, he still felt attached to the cane, because it had always been Daniel’s prized possession. When he died Phil inherited it, because he was Daniel’s only child. Phil knew he had to get it back at that moment, more then a few moments before. While Phil had been pondering his motives he had heard Jack, and Maggot leave the room, and he knew it was either now, or never.
Phil decided to take a chance. It was risky, but he knew another chance like this might not soon present itself, so he decided to dash through the piles of stolen goods to Frank’s desk. Phil then grabbed the cane, and got furious roars from Frank. Frank then begun to shoot, and screamed for a back up squad to come in the room. Phil didn’t wait for him to do so, and jumped out a window behind Frank.
Over the next month Phil realized that Frank Ferno, and his henchmen would do anything to find, and kill him for messing with The English Mafia. This prompted Phil, and Elizabeth to say goodbye to Elizabeth’s Parents, as Phil had no Moore Family Relatives to say goodbye to. Phil, and Elizabeth decided upon moving to America, as it was far away, and would surely protect them from The English Mafia for quite a long time. Phil even went to the trouble of adopting Elizabeth’s last name Black, as is own, so as to protect them longer. Phil didn’t know how long he could evade The English Mafia, but he hoped he could forever.
George, and Michael Black:
This is the story of my family, my name is Pat Black. We first originated in England. We were originally the Moore’s. We descended from Phil Moore, who changed his name to Phil Black when a man wanted him dead in 1964. He also faked his death as Phil Moore, and moved to America with the fake name, Phil Black.
When Phil reached America he decided to keep his fake name, and to settle down like a normal person. At the age of 35 in 1964 he married Elizabeth Crawford after meeting her at a bar in 1962, and dating her for 2 years.
1 year later in 1965 Elizabeth and Phil Black bore my father, George Black. George was like all other baby’s in the 1960’s, and played with wooden blocks, as well as other small toys until his brother Michael was born in 1967.
George, and Michael were average children during the 60’s, but when a new mafia arose the Blacks like everyone else of the time became a lot more cautious, and they were taught to use guns by their father, Phil. The way in which Phil helped them to be safer was sending them to the gym after school, to get them in good physical shape.
George, and Michael over the next couple of years became great fighters at their gym. In 1984 my grandfather’s murderer finally found my family at their home after a 23 year search of their trail.
He arrived at their house at four in the afternoon, and collapsed the front door. He soon moved to the living room, and took out both of my grandparents with fatal shots of his gun. It had been all too easy, because my grandparents had been weak, had no weapons, and weren’t fighters.
George, and his younger brother Michael witnessed their parents getting reduced to nothing, but a dead lumps lying helplessly on the floor. This was the final straw for the Black brothers. George rammed his fist into the hit man. Michael grabbed his father’s family heirloom, the antique cane, and with it Michael smacked the intruder with great power on his head until he had been knocked out. George however was greatly angered, and continued to beat the guy to his death.
George, and Michael then took their inherited money, and began renting an apartment in New York City. Over the next 2 years Michael, and George got shooting licenses. George bought an army shotgun left over from World War II from an army surplus. Michael decided upon two, six shot pistols, which he also bought from the army surplus.
In 1986 George Black one day noticed an add in the newspaper about a ninjetsu class, and as soon as he could, signed up. After about two years, in 1988 George read an old book that that gave information on an antique sword that it claimed was stolen from a museum in 1965, it also went on to say that the thief snapped the blade in half on his way out of the museum for unknown reasons, resulting in the tip of the blade getting left behind in the museum, where it still remains today.
By this time George was a top quality ninja in search of a sword to become a true ninja. George knew that the sword mentioned in this old book was his destined sword. George went to the museum mentioned in the old book, and was pleased to find the most of the blade, including the tip at the museum, just as the book had said he would. In 1989 Michael separated from George at the early age of 22, stating that he needed to see the real world, and hoped to get married. George let Michael go out on his own, because he himself was growing apart from Michael, mainly due to his urge to get a sword of his own. Up until this time George had been doing major research on the whereabouts of the missing sword handle, and this research continued until 1990 when someone mentioned to him some information that linked the sword to the Mafia.
For the next two months George searched high, and low in New York trying to find the Mafia, until in spring of 1990 he discovered a huge office building in the bad part of town. This building was known for renting it’s apartments to whoever would pay the owner, despite their reputation, so all kinds of criminals could, and did rent apartments in this building, but this was one of countless buildings that did so. On the main floor there was rumored to be some sort of gang. George having great knowledge on the crime world after a lot of research knew that it was indeed New York’s Mafia.
George decided to explore this building at 10:36 P.M., when he knew only the Mafia would be awake. George walked in through an open back door. Inside he was surprised when he was suddenly shot at by henchmen. George immediately shot back with his shot gun, and headed down a hallway to a door guarded by two of the ring leaders top men. George took care of these men with only a couple of shots, and opened the door. Inside George found the Mafia leader himself, so he let off a couple of shots, and then realized how cowardly the man was, so he simply took the sword handle, and was not afraid of this man coming after him, as he knew this man would not be the threat that the English Mafia man had been to his father. He then shot apart, the top of the Mafia leader’s desk, but knew the guy wasn’t at all injured, as the leader was just a coward hiding below his desk.
George escaped, while wounding henchmen, and setting off an explosion in the front room, as he jumped out the front door. This was not to be the end of George Black’s journey though, as many things were still left to do.
George continued his quest as the ninja he desired to be, stirred him on, within. With the success of recovering the long lost handle of his desired sword, he knew only one thing remained of his dream sword, and this lead quest towards the blade of the sword. He knew all to well that recovering the blade would have dire consequences out weighing the consequences already brought into effect from stealing the sword handle however.
The museum a place he had been to many times previously before now he knew to hold the sword blade. This museum was also the scene of the crime where the sword was broken, and stolen by the Mafia Ringleader himself many years before. George had already stolen back the sword handle, so George knew stealing the handle couldn’t be too much harder since he had already out smarted a master thief.
Security would defiantly be tighter then ever before within the museum, and he expected many horrible things to happen to the second thief of the sword, but this did not stop him for a single minute. Stealing the sword blade was the only way he could possibly become a true ninja, or at least that’s what his pride told him, but at heart he was already a ninja, and always had been.
Planning for the ultimate museum break began only days after George’s first victory as a ninja. After some thought, and consideration he decided upon going in at night like the classic thief he had heard in the movies, because he would have to confront the Museum Attendant during the day, and he hadn’t the heart to steal from that man who had been so kind to him during all his research to find the Sword Handle. At night he figured security would be tight on the floor, and doors leading in and out with laser sighted alarms, as well as traditional sound alarms, from breaking glass. He decided to risk confronting these anyways.
October 16, 1990 2 A.M.
This was it, there was absolutely no turning back now. It began with a major plunge through the sky light on the roof. As expected the alarm system within the museum began to sound almost immediately, but a trip alarm on ceiling came as a bit of a surprise to George in the end though.
Fear, and dread the ordinary feelings for this situation began to fill George quite suddenly. George didn’t give into them though, he knew he had already gone too far to give up, so he continued to descend into the room of the museum. Upon reaching the glass cases, George scanned the room, and found the glass case containing the Sword Blade. With a large blast from his shotgun George incinerated the glass case fully exposing the Sword Blade. Fortunately, the glass was thick enough to prevent real damage to the Sword though.
George quickly grabbed the Sword Blade from there, and ascended up the rope as quickly as he could, but not quick enough, because police began to flood into the building out of the corner of his eye. George with the luck of a ninja was stealthy, and escaped before the police could get a good look at him, and they never caught up to him, and were never able to recover the Sword Blade from him.
This robbery hit the front page of the local papers, and the thief was portrayed as the original thief. They claimed that the thief was not satisfied, and wanted to correct his previous mistake, by re-claiming his Sword Blade. He became known as the best thief of the year, and the crime hit national records as one of the most interesting crimes ever committed twice by any criminal. All of that continuously made George roll on the floor with laughter, and it became one of his entertainments for quite some time after that.
George back at his home took the two pieces of his sword, and forged them in his basement, where he just happened to have a forge for just this type of occasion. George began to weld pretty quickly upon entering the room, and setting everything up, and before he knew it his sword was repaired. Re-sharpening the Sword followed welding it back together, and at last it looked mighty as it did in the days of old.
George at last felt he carried the true right to be a ninja, and it truly became a part of him, and his personality as well. After many months of wondering, wondering what would be next on his quest he began to question his motifs, and returned back to New York where he grew up.
One day he happened to bump into Michael after a long time of not seeing him at all. Michael was accompanied by Mary Black, Michael’s wife. They challenged each other to a harmless duel, something which brothers often like to do, and Michael revealed the truth of having a child in the near future. George was happy to hear this, and later decided to be a god father to the child. George never lived up to it in Michael’s eyes though, and they seldom saw each other after that encounter.
Joe, Josh, and Pat Black:
To be Continued.