Melange

Johnny Melange is standing in Stillwater Oklahoma. He’s at the last place in the world he wants to be right now but he refuses to miss this.

The large marble statue has been standing there for just shy of two months. It took 9 years to earn it and now it's all over.

Johnny pulls the hood up over his head as he watches the giant version of himself come crashing to the ground before it crumbles with a giant Boom.

The crew from ESPN 63 are filming a segment a few dozen yards away and he doesn’t feel like being interviewed.

The clouds break allowing a few stray rays of sunlight to shine down on the once majestic statue letting the small group of people crowding around pick out their piece of rubble before they converge on the pile.

That's the end.

Johnny will never get to wrestle again.

9 time All American Selection and every one of them scrubbed from every official list.

Favorite for Olympic Gold, not anymore.

He got his Diploma. After 9 years there they couldn’t deny him that although they tried. A Bachelors of Comparative Religion …. Yep.

All he ever did was wrestle.

Coach did everything else, He took care of registration and all the paperwork anyone gave johnny. He told Johnny he could take care of the classes too but those were fun, learning about different religions from different cultures.

Thats all over.

Johnny’s a pro wrestler now.

Pro Wrestler.

It sounds like a good thing, if you dont know anything about wrestling.

But that isn’t wrestling. It’s less organized than most street fights and the rules matter about as much as well.
People think losing the statue and the awards are the punishment.

Those are just the start.

The Pacific Island of Kujoju worship the Volcano God Boom.

Boom is said to take human form on occasion to enjoy food and wine and all the joys of the flesh. The Kujoeese have no bigger celebration than these infrquent Boomfests. They also have no bigger offense than than impersonating Boom, they many have tried and the punishment for them is truly unspeakable.

The unspeakable is what goes through Johnnys mind as his image is removed from the temple where he worships. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

He thinks of all of these unspeakable things and he thinks of these people he must work with now these people that call themselves “Wrestlers”.

How dare that steal his religion.

His punishment will be inside these false temples with this false Booms.

They will pay for stealing his religion.

This is his culture.

He can’t have the real thing but he will never embrace this fake Temple.