This boy had superpowers. He was no ordinary child, and on the day he found out, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. As he passed by, he heard the laughter of the other kids in the park. Just beyond the pine tree bark, he felt the spark light up his heart to join them.
He remembered his mother, how she sent him to the store and back. There was no time for any idle chit-chat, he was on a mission. But, it was the summertime, and he knew she’d understand. He ran so fast he nearly flew out his pants. He glanced and saw a crowd around the swings. He threw down the frozen meat at the chance to meet new friends. He was so happy that he kicked up sand and did a little dance and as soon as the next seat was available, he took his chance… and then came the next, and then the next.
He opened his eyes, and in a blink, they all moved to the slide. With no thoughts of why, he skipped the swings, but stayed upbeat and joined them. Up and down they went, laughing, but silent as he struggled going up the ladder. By the time he slid down, he had cried with joy but found that it didn’t matter because the others kids had moved back to the swings.
The dirty meat dripped on his way home. His mother dropped the phone and asked him where he’d been and he told her everything, even the special name they called him.
“Mom,” he said, “What does retard mean?”
“My son,” her voice was shaky, but stern when she told him, “Superman is who you have to be.”
