"16 hour flight to Hong Kong…never had this much time for R&R. I wonder if I should have taken the batplane, boat or even the wing-glider. I made the glider so I wouldn't be stuck in New York traffic but I haven't used it since the Black Lantern attack. God knows I need to test it out if it can handle crossing the ocean. Well I got time to brush up on dad's diary. I still can't believe he had amnesia" said Dick as he turned back to the first page.
"I'm not really sure how I'm supposed to do this or write in a diary but Mary said it was a good idea to put my thoughts and memories down on paper since I have amnesia. I don't remember anything except that I was found on a beach shore by Mary and the folks at the circus. I had nothing on my person except some tattered clothes and a small wooden circular carving that I had on my hand. I don't remember why I had it or where I got it but it must be important if they say I had it clutched in my hand when they found me."
"From Damian's hypothesis, this carving should be a memento from dad's master supposing he really did have one. It makes sense though. He was an expert eskrima master from what I recall. Now I know why I gravitated towards eskrima sticks. They reminded me of the trapeze bars that I was so used to handling and also because they were dad's style as well. I can't believe how lucky we were that the carving was made of a rare wood found only in the Philippines. If it really is an heirloom, then I might get some answers" thought Dick as he continue reading.
"A few days passed and I still can't remember anything. If I was missing, someone should be looking for me. Mary tried to give me a temporary name so that the circus folks could address me better but I didn't want one. I thought that having a name that wasn't mine would be the easiest way for me to forget my past. Still I'm worried. Was I a bad person? Was I running away from the law? More importantly, have I killed someone or did something so horrible that the shock caused me to forget my memories?"
"I've decided to stop worrying and start doing something about my life. I can't just sit around and do nothing. For now I'll help out wherever the folks need me. God knows that they could always use a hand since they were always travelling and extra hands are always a plus. I think this is also a good way for the guys to stop giving me strange looks. I know its cause they find me suspicious but it's getting to me."
"Today I was feeding the elephants when some hoodlums approached Mary after the show. They tried to ask her out but she was tired and wanted to rest. The guys kept on trying till Mary told them off. They got mad and started cursing at her and called her words like filthy gyp or gypsy whore. I could see that Mary was hurt by being called a gypsy and I jumped in to help her out. The guys got mad and we started to fight. Funny thing was that fighting seemed familiar. I remember this feeling of adrenaline that one could only get when punching a guy to the face. Does this mean I was right? Was I really a guy who enjoyed violence or worse, a killer?"
"Ever since that day, Mary started being nice to me. We would always talk during our free time and we would even watch the starts from time to time. She even gave me a present. She made the wooden carving I had into a necklace so I could always wear and hang on to it. It feels great having a friend who I could talk to."
"Mary invited me to watch her practice today with the trapeze. I can't believe that she needed to climb that many steps and then after that swing. Was she not afraid of falling? Mary asked if I wanted to try but I chickened out. I felt bad because later, I saw how disappointed she looked. I promise I will man up and try it next time."
"Well I actually did it. I climbed that ladder and tried to swing on a trapeze. Holding those bars seemed familiar. I was distracted in trying to remember that I lost my concentration and fell. I dropped a good 40 feet. It was the most shocking, frightening and exciting moment of my life or at the least the life I could remember. Mary rushed to my side because she was worried that the fall would set me back more. When she found me, I was laughing hysterically with tears in my eyes. I told her that I wanted to do it again. She laughed and said that I was crazy. I guess I was."
"Wow so even dad fell on his first try. I can't believe that the best acrobat in our family was afraid of the bars as well! Also, even dad made a connection between the similarity of the trapeze bars and the eskrima sticks. I guess this means he really did learn eskrima."
"I asked the ringmaster if I could use the trapeze bars after practice. He allowed me to use them after I told him that it felt like I used similar sticks before. After holding onto to the sticks for a good while, I started to give up since I couldn't remember anything. Mary walked in to see what I was doing and encouraged me not to give up trying. Then I remembered that the other memory that seemed familiar came up when I was fighting those guys who were trying to hit on Mary. My movements became more refined and I started remembering specific movements or forms. It seems like I unlocked a piece of my memory: I was a fighter who used sticks."
"A famous trainer from America arrived today. He was a genius at teaching us new trapeze techniques. He was so great that I was in awe and accidentally called him Master. He laughed but allowed me to call him that. He gave me really good tips on how to be an acrobat. Even I noticed that I improved a lot after listening to his advice. The ringmaster even saw my progress and asked if I wanted to stay with them permanently as an acrobat. I was hesitant at first but even I saw that Mary also wanted to know my answer. I asked them to give me a day to think about it. I knew that if I were to stay here, I would give up any chance of going back to my old life."
"I decided to stay. This place has given me so much and I'm not about to second guess. I've already lost one life. I'm not about to lose another. I told my decision to the ringmaster and I was surprised that the rest of folks were glad that I chose to stay as well. I remember that in the beginning they couldn't stop suspecting me but now they treat me as if I was part of the family."
"A hotshot acrobat named Boston Brand came by and wanted to be trained by Master. He was reckless and cocky but even I had to admit he was pretty good for a loner. Boston could do more by himself than what Mary and I could do together. He would always be the first one up to train in the mornings. He would wake up so early that he would even practice without a net. I swear that guy is gonna be a dead man at the rate he's going."
"Hahaha. Talk about cosmic karma. Even dad could tell that Boston was gonna be Deadman" said Dick out loud as he couldn't believe the sheer coincidence.
"Someone strange has been seen around the circus lately. He would go around asking questions and he would always give us strange looks as we practice. Boston said that the man was looking for someone, a martial arts master. Boston said that man was a cop looking for a wanted killer. Could that be me? I was the only one whose past was a mystery. I hope it isn't true."
"That suspicious man came up to me today. He asked the same questions he asked the others about that man he was looking for. He seemed interested in the necklace I was wearing. He asked me where I got the necklace. When I told him I didn't know, he kept pressuring me until Master came by and asked the man to leave. If Master didn't come by, what could have happened? Would I have remembered something? Could my memories hold the key to solving all this?"
"We haven't seen the man in awhile. It seems no one has seen him for quite some time. I feel relieved but at the same time I feel as if I lost the only chance I had of recovering my memories. Boston left and went back to America. Master saw that I was losing concentration from thinking about the past. He decided to stay indefinitely till I mastered the flying trapeze. Master, Mary and I became a 3 man trapeze act. We became the Flying Graysons."
"So this was the origin of the Flying Graysons huh? Wow this Master guy must be really good."
"We performed for the first time today as a group. I was worried because I thought I was going to hold them back and fail. Master encouraged me and I stopped being nervous. At one point I thought I missed the bar but I somehow turned it into a quadruple summersault and Mary caught me. The crowd went wild. It was the first time I felt like I actually accomplished something. It felt good."
"After our 2nd sold-out show, we went out to celebrate. Master wasn't feeling well so I stayed for a bit while Mary and the rest went back to the circus. Suddenly we were cornered by ninjas led by that suspicious cop guy. He said that he wanted me to come with them or else they would take me by force. Before I could say or do anything, Master pushed me down the hill so I could escape. I managed to get back to the circus but the ninjas were already there. I tried fighting them but I had a hard time facing all of them at the same time. Mary threw me the trapeze bars and I somehow managed to beat the ninjas. The boss came by and told me that I can get back Master if I followed him. He explained to me that he worked for a man who was gathering martial artists around the world. This man wanted those masters to train his assassins so he could strike his enemies from the shadows. Apparently I was a master eskrima master who had a secret art passed down to me. I was chased by this guy because he wanted to recruit me for this league of theirs. I escaped through sea but my boat crashed at some point. Now that he has found me, he demanded that I come with him and teach his master my secret art. However I could not remember what that skill was because of my amnesia. He got mad and forced me to fight him so I could remember. He said he would kill Master if I didn't. He pulled out two swords and made me fight. He disarmed my trapeze bars easily. I was worried that I would die trying to save Master but Master encouraged me and said he knew I could beat the assassin. Somehow I managed to completely disarm and beat the assassin with my bare hands. He became so mad at me that he even pulled out a gun and was about to shoot me. I was frozen because I thought that I was going to die at that moment. Suddenly Master managed to break free and stabbed the assassin with one of his swords. I thought that this nightmare was finally over but the assassin managed to shoot Master in the chest before he died. I went to Master's side to beg forgiveness. He said that I shouldn't feel guilty and that he was proud of me. He said that I shouldn't worry so much about the past anymore and that I should live my life looking towards the future. He died in my arms that day. I buried him with my own hands. I decided to follow his advice and live life without anymore worries or concerns about the past that I couldn't remember. I would use the skills I had to protect my new family, Mary and the circus. That day a John Grayson died and another was born."