Super Ted and Shadow Lurker.. The Shadow Lurker was one of the sneakiest and trickiest super villains I ever had to battle. The Shadow Lurker had once been a normal human being but then he started toying in the dark arts and black magic. He eventually managed to give himself magic powers but the cost to attain those powers was high—he sold everything that was good in him. He could no longer feel happiness or compassion or kindness. All he cared about was gaining power and making people fear him. The Shadow Lurker was also greedy. He liked to make his body appear transparent and gray, just like a shadow, so he could sneak up on women and steal their purses when they weren’t looking. The Shadow Lurker was creating havoc for the good people of my city. When he broke into the Mayor’s house and took the Key to the City there was a steady rise in crime because the Shadow Lurker was able to get in everywhere! It was then that I, Super Ted, decided to step in and stop him! I knew that he liked to lurk in alleys and dark doorways and so I set out finding him a place that was dark all the time—under the bridge. They city has a lot of bridges but the Baker Street Bridge is the biggest and so it produces the largest shadow. Even on the sunniest day it’s dark under there and my senses told me it was just the kind of place that a creature like the Shadow Lurker would dwell. I also figured that it would be an ideal place for him to hide the Key to the City. I knew that, like a real shadow, the Shadow Lurker would be more visible during the day so I flew to the bridge on a bright afternoon. I circled overhead for a while and got a strong sense that the Shadow Lurker was under there. Being careful not to bring attention to myself—because I wanted to catch him by surprise which is tricky with a shadow—I landed on the edge of the bridge and tip-toed under its deep shadows. Thankfully, I have special eyesight that lets me see in the dark better than a non-superhero can. The Shadow Lurker was much faster than I anticipated. He used the guise of darkness to sneak up on me. He tried to sneak up behind me and grab me but I sensed his presence and turned around just in time to grab a hold of him. The Shadow Lurker disguised himself like a shadow but he wasn’t actually a shadow so it was possible to physically grab him. He was surprised when I got a hold of him and he fought back vigorously! He was very strong and I had a lot of trouble subduing him. Of all the bad guys I ever fought, the Shadow Lurker was the toughest! I quickly realized that I needed to do more than overpower him—I needed to scare him into showing me where he had hidden the Key to the City. I knew that the key was bound to be his most valuable possession and if he thought that his layer was in danger he would try to save that first. I immediately started banging on the columns of the bridge. My super human strength made the bridge quiver—and I felt sorry for any civilians who were trying to cross it—but the action certainly spooked the Shadow Lurker. He obviously feared that the bridge would fall and, as I thought, he immediately dashed toward the back of the cave. One of the cement slabs on the ground was loose and the Shadow Lurker had hidden the Key to the City underneath it. As soon as the Shadow Lurker grabbed the key and tried to run away with it I sprinted toward him and knocked him to the ground. The key fell out of the Shadow Lurker’s hands and skittered upon the ground; it stopped right before it fell into the raging waters of the surrounding river! The only way that I was able to stop the Shadow Lurker’s struggles against me was by picking up the concrete slab and banging it down right on top of his head—knocking him out cold instantaneously. I wasted no time in gathering up the Key to the City and flying the unconscious villain to the local police prescient. The policemen were very surprised to see him and they were mighty happy to get him back. Mayor Williams was so grateful that he awarded me the Key to the City for safe keeping! Yet the story of the Shadow Lurker isn’t finished. Even though he was locked up in jail and lots of professionals tried to find a way to cure him of his will to do evil, the Shadow Lurker was bad through and through. He was also very intelligent and he managed to escape from prison less than a week after he got there! Nothing is known about his early life, or even what his real name is, so when he escaped from jail he was easily able to vanish into obscurity. I have a feeling that I will be seeing that shadow again for sure!