Tactical Advantage

by Robert Clay

He is a magnificent fellow, this samurai, as he stands before me. He might be tall, hard to tell in those plain robes and that classic warrior’s crouch. His legs are angled, feet apart, arms held high as they grip the sword hilt casually but firmly, the long sliver of steel arching high above his head. His unblinking eyes are fixed on me, calculating precisely the moment when that sword slices through the air, making a sound not unlike the whisper of death. There is a millennia of history in his stance, generations of training and a lifetime of dedication to an honorable code. I admire him greatly, but I’m still going to pull the trigger.

6S

Robert Clay, author of A Question of Physics, is a Seafarer now stranded on land. He lives in Cornwall in the UK.