Empty Hand Revolution

They Came for a Show

Cosmo lowered the projector from his back and placed it on the rickety wooden platform the students had assembled minutes earlier. The bus had arrived a couple hours later than the driver had estimated, but in plenty of time for Mark to orientate the students and put them to work.

They fell in beside the full-time Jesus Film crew who had arrived in the village the day before. Cosmo did his best to sort out Mark’s directions and those of the film crew. He figured this would be the hardest aspect of his job over the next three weeks.

Right after the bus had arrived, everyone had taken a quick lunch and prayed for the day’s event. The little Cosmo had eaten wore off quickly, perhaps due to the altitude. Now they had an hour of preparation remaining until the scheduled show time.

Cosmo backed away from the projector and left the crew to do their thing. Mark tapped his shoulder. “Can you circle around with the water again? Everyone will need to drink more than usual because of the altitude.”

“Right.” Cosmo headed dutifully toward the five-gallon water jug and lugged it around to each of the students. After they’d each drunk at least a tin cup’s worth, Cosmo did the same. He had noticed his head beginning to pound due to the thin air. He hadn’t asked how high the village was, but he approximated it at 3,000 meters.

Finished with the water, Cosmo fiddled idly as villagers began to gather. The women wore long saris consisting of bright reds, blues and greens. The older women wore head coverings without masking the red dot in the center of their foreheads.

Mark drew Cosmo aside. “I don’t want to make too big of a deal out of it, but the crew tells me they’ve received frequent threats these past two weeks. It appears not everyone in the area likes the idea of Christians mucking about. Anyway, just keep an eye out.”

“One eye or two?” Cosmo scanned the gathering audience.

Mark seemed hesitant to say more. “There’s only been one violent altercation, but a few members of the crew were bruised and battered. Anyway, a good place for you would be helping some of the students expand the seating. We’ve got some crates and things for the older viewers.”

Cosmo nodded. Along with a few of the students, he organized the makeshift seating around a rock outcropping the film crew had selected for the showing. If arranged properly, Cosmo thought the area would comfortably seat a hundred people. He didn’t know how many were expected.

As he worked on the seating, he noticed a clump of the film crew huddled around the projector. Their agitation level indicated something had gone wrong. Cosmo tasked himself with the job of welcoming and watching villagers. Using the same Urdu greeting he’d given the herders, he became a popular spectacle.

By the time the seating area filled to comfortable capacity, Cosmo grew certain many of the viewers were arriving from outside the host village. He also realized their numbers were going to far exceed what the area could comfortably seat.

With nothing to distract the growing crowd, they focused on the increasing panic of the film crew.

Cosmo broke away from a quizzical clump of locals and asked a student the time. The showing was a half hour late, and people were still arriving. A disturbance arose near the back of the waiting audience, and Cosmo heard several surprised voices.

 The crowd separated, stranding a single individual in the open—a large, dark-skinned man, easily a head above the rest. “I came twenty kilometers for a show.” The man growled in Hindi. “I’m going to see a show, one way or the other.” He drew a machete and thrust it into the air above him.

Cosmo had instinctively advanced toward the man even before seeing the weapon. As the crowd retreated, Cosmo forded through them. He couldn’t see the man clearly, but he could hear a string of angry curses.

Some of the filthy language was in Hindi, some in languages or dialects Cosmo didn’t recognize. He understood enough. By the time Cosmo reached him, the man had begun growling unintelligibly with a voice so bestial it no longer sounded human at all.

Cosmo motioned for the crowd to stay behind him. As they retreated, Cosmo’s presence drew the attention of the angry man.

“I’ve come for a show. Are you going to give it to me?”

Cosmo responded in Hindi. “We ask your patience as we finish preparations.”

“You’re late! You’re trying to cheat us! Cheating and lies! That’s what this is all about!” He pointed toward the film crew with his machete then reverted to cursing.

Cosmo looked to the film crew.

In a panic, they shook their heads. Mark shrugged. With a subtle kill gesture, he indicated the machine had died.

Muttering spread across the crowd. Cosmo wondered how many of them would be just as content to see a fight as a film on the life and death of Jesus. The angry man began to bellow, and Cosmo shifted his full attention toward him.

“I’ve come for a show one way or the other!” He stepped closer to Cosmo.

“A show then! I’ll give you a show!” Cosmo held up a hand, asking the man for another minute. “I’ll need a few things first.” He hoped enough of the crowd followed his meaning to delay a violent outbreak. He only needed a minute.

“Mark.” Cosmo gathered his mentor along with a clump of startled students. “Can you find me some bricks? Maybe some fruit? Oranges, melons, anything I can cut in half.”

“Cut in half?”

“A martial arts demonstration. It’ll keep them entertained.”

Mark nodded. “Sure. Good idea. I’ll have the students pull apart the platform for the boards.”

“That’ll be a good start.”

In no time, Cosmo had cleared a flat area directly in front of the angry man and stacked several boards across two upright bricks. Using little rocks placed at either end, he left a finger-width’s gap of air between each board.

Satisfied with the makeshift arrangements, Cosmo addressed the curious audience while keeping an eye on the angry man at all times. Cosmo knew the villagers weren’t strangers to martial arts, but few masters or schools existed in remote areas. Most likely, they had never seen a formal demonstration of his skill level. At least he hoped.

With a final bit of showmanship and exaggerated focus on his breathing, Cosmo produced a ear-splitting kiai while driving the heel of his fist through the stack of well-aged boards. They splintered unevenly. Shards flew as he continued the punch all the way to the ground and held a pose on a single bent knee.

Before the boards settled to the ground, the crowd broke into applause. Cosmo bowed while observing the angry man. He wasn’t clapping, but his eyes were wide open in surprise.

Sensing people behind him, Cosmo turned to find the two herders—one laden with bricks and the other fruit. Grinning, they deposited their loads at his feet and disappeared into the audience.

Cosmo now had enough supplies for a good half hour demonstration.