Wal-Mart Jedi

Shopping at Wal-Mart is always an interesting experience--especially at 11:30 PM. After leaving the store, bags in hand, we casually made our way through the dimly lit parking lot to our car.

A faint humming came from the street adjacent to the store. The noise became louder and louder and, suddenly, two cars were racing down the same car aisle we were walking. Without notice, both cars came to a screeching halt as they slid into parking spots.

The doors from each car sprang open and a battle for the Wal-Mart Universe began. Dressed in traditional Jedi garb--brown robes--three young men waved their green light sabers. I sensed something amiss in the force when the men jumped out of the second car. Wearing black, these knights of the Dark Side came to fight with red light sabers in hand.

They ran and leaped over cars--thrashing their plastic light sabers together in fierce combat. I was duly impressed with their sound effects. From the humming of the light saber to the familiar voices of Star Wars--these kids had it down.

My wife and I continued to the car and as I put my key into the door a young Jedi--no more than 16--ran to me and said, "May the Force be with you." And with that, he returned to the ongoing fray of Jedi versus the Empire.

We left to return home wondering if the fate of the universe depended on this battle being fought on the cold, dark asphalt of the Wal-Mart shopping center. Time will only tell, time will only tell.