The Mysterious Stone-Faced Man of the Amazon

He had a rugged look to him. The years had canyoned the deep crevices in his face, giving him the appearance of an old weathered glove. The kind that others tell you to toss out, but the deep appeal of it will not allow.

He wore a leather hat to match his scourged appearance. The hat lent a certain dignity to his face, one that was not required, yet still enhanced. I couldn’t help but snicker a little when I saw it as it so matched his persona. This was obviously a man of distinction.

I didn’t know his name, I never bothered to ask as it really didn’t matter at the moment. In retrospect I regret I wasn’t informed, because it later left me with a weird curiosity not knowing. Could his name possibly match the oddity of this mystery that I beheld?

Ah well, perhaps it doesn’t matter. You know, a rose by any other name and all that. But, I’ve never really been one for Shakespearean philosophy. I mean, William could carve out some eloquent speech, but what did he really know about life? Damn, I should have asked his name!

Regardless, he was certainly a man of dignified aura. He emitted prominence from his curbside seat. He didn’t need to utter a word to command my respect, he simply demanded it by his presence.

I came across him on the outskirts of the Peruvian Amazon, a fitting place to meet such a rare specimen. The Amazon itself is shrouded in mystery, so where else would you find such a rarity of mankind? Maybe it was the Amazon itself that molded and shaped him over the years.

I knelt beside him when I met him, something I rarely do. I actually don’t like to get my clothes dirty so I refrain from such demeaning behavior. But this man demanded my obedience, commanded my allegiance. So prostate I appeared before him, eager to know his life story. But, it was not forthcoming, he stared in silence.

I thought for a moment he was not real, only a sidewalk statue! I had encountered this before in a monk’s monastery in Thailand. A statue with all the appearances of a carbon life form, only to be embarrassed by an attempt to communicate with it. I looked around, was anyone laughing at me?

But then I saw him blink. A clever statue if he be one, but I knew better, this man was alive. So I engaged to inquire his story. Everybody has a story don’t they? And I imagined this man’s was more colorful than most.

But he paid me no mind. He simply stared straight ahead with cane on his lap. I wondered if he was deaf and blind? Perhaps he did not see nor hear me? But I touched his back and was greeted with the same empty response. I was unsure what to make of this man.

Other Peruvians passed by us as I sat and entertained them. One even stopped to take our picture together. I asked several of the passerby lookie-loos if they could enlighten me, but each just laughed and walked on their way. Leaving me to question my own sanity.

Eventually, I could bear it no more. Balancing my sense of intrigue with my urgency to pee, I left this strange individual. But my mind often went back to our mysterious encounter. Just who was this artifact of the Amazon with the stone face? Perhaps he should join the men at Mt Rushmore?

Anyway, I’ll never know the answer to the mystery. But maybe that’s just as well. If all mysteries had an answer there wouldn’t be any left, would there?

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Fact vs fiction: although this is a fictional Friday post, this fictional post is entwined with much fact. I did run into this man on the outskirts of the Peruvian Amazon. He was a mystery to me as well. Although I engage with him, he never spoke a word with me which simply deepened the mystery.

I did request one Peruvian passerby to take the picture of us together, but the parts about asking all the other lookie-loos his story is fiction.

The part about embarrassing myself in Thailand, with a statue that I thought was human was also true.

So I guess when I think about it, over 90% of the story is true and only a small fraction fiction.