Super Who?

Much has been written and told about me, but much has also been exaggerated and purposely lied about me. My story is a simple one, even though many have tried to make it so complicated. I did not come to Earth from a distant planet as a small child, I did not grow up in a small town in Kansas. Most of all, I do not have laser beams that come out of my eyes, completely ridiculous.

I realized those lies make my story more interesting, but I think it is time for the truth to be told. Remember, truth is truth, no matter how much it gets twisted and denied, it is still truth.

It is true that I was born to two loving parents, but they did not live on a distant planet, they lived in one of the suburbs of Portland, Oregon. I was not born with special powers or abilities, I was a normal child and enjoyed life as a normal child does. I played outside with my friends and learned to enjoy every sport in which I participated.

As I said, I liked all sports, but was most accomplished as a runner. I was the fastest kid in school for all of my youthful years and I loved to run on the local high school track.

The big day happened when I was a sophomore in high school. It was the day after I had finished third place in the divisional track meet in the mile run and had qualified to go to the state meet, which would be held in two weeks. The following morning I was doing my normal Saturday morning workout. My family lived near a small grove of pear trees and I often ran through the grove during my workouts. (Don’t worry, I had permission from the land owner to pass through his property.)

Before I go on, I should tell you something else about me. I was raised to be a good and honest child. Both of my parents were great examples for me and I did my best to be kind to others, be fair in my dealing and to always be honest. I’m not bragging here, but it is important for you to understand this before I proceed with my story.

Anyway, that Saturday morning I was finishing my workout and slowed to a jog and then a walk as I passed through the pear orchard. Suddenly, three beings appeared directly in front of me. All three were dressed exactly the same, in a one-piece, dark blue suit that was skin tight and covered them from their ankles to their necks. They wore red boots on their feet and red briefs around their waists. They each had a red cape attached to the blue suit and a red and yellow emblem was displayed on their chests.

The one in the middle was an older man with mostly white hair. The one to his right was a younger man with dark brown hair and a stern looking face. The one to his left was a woman with light blonde hair and her face held a slight smile.

As I came to a stop, the white-haired man in the middle spoke to me.

“Mark, this world needs a hero. We have been watching you and we have chosen you to be that hero. We have seen your good heart and we see that you honestly care about those around you. You will need to care about all of the human race from now on. You will have great power and this power must be used to benefit others, not for yourself. Be wise and you will learn to control and use your new powers. The more you learn to control them, the more powerful you will become.”

He paused for a few seconds, “I wish we could stay and train you ourselves, but we are needed in other worlds. I know that you will do well. We hope to see you again some day in the future. Be wise.”

Before I could respond to him and ask any questions, each of the three placed their hands together as if clapping and pointed their hands towards me. I didn’t see anything, but felt a power surge through me and I was knocked down and lost consciousness.

I was laying on my back under a pear tree when I woke up. There was a slight breeze rustling the leaves of the tree and the sun was shining through the branches. I got to my feet and saw a small package next to a pear tree closest to wear the three strangers had been standing. The package looked like a silver egg, but much larger, a little bit larger that a football. I picked it up and examined the large silver egg. I could not see a way to open it. I could find no seams and no buttons to push. I shrugged my shoulders, placed the egg under my arm and walked home. As I walked towards my house, I found that I was exhausted. As I arrived home, I didn’t see my parents or my little sister, so I went straight to my bedroom, placed the egg under by bed and flopped onto the bed. Within seconds I was fast asleep.

I woke up several hours later and I could tell by the shadows in my room that it was well into the afternoon. I looked at the digital clock on by bedside stand and saw that it was three-twenty-three.

I reached over for the clock, indending to move it so I could take a better look at it, but when I grabbed it, I crushed it into pieces. I pulled my hand away and looked with shock at the mangled alarm clock. I looked at my hands and then remembered all that had happened in the pear grove. I carefully got out of bed and went into the connecting bathroom. I looked in the mirror and saw that I looked the same, but perhaps a little stronger. My muscles were slightly larger and I was better toned. I leaned over the sink for a closer look, and when I place my hands on the front of the pedestal sink and pressed down as I leaned in; the front of the sink broke, I lost my balance and my face slammed into the faucet.

I let go of the sink and straightened up; the front of the sink was broken off and laid in multiple pieces on the tile floor and the stainless steel faucet was smashed in. I looked in the mirror again and my face was fine, no bumps, no scratches and it did not hurt at all.

I was still in my running clothes, so I left the bathroom and decided to go for a run. I started off slow and ran away from the sun-division so I could run without being seen. Once I was far enough away from the houses I gave it my all; the speed was incredible, I felt like I was flying. The fields went passed me in a blur and within a few seconds I had run more than three miles. I could believe it, I was strong and fast; I wondered what other powers I had.

At this point I was in the middle of nowhere, so I decided to do some more tests. I jumped into the air with one powerful jump; I must have gone up more than twenty stories high. When I landed, the ground crumpled at my feet and I left a small indentation in the ground. I then decided to run and jump. I ran at high speeds and then I jumped, this time I did not come down. I was flying, yes, flying through the air like a rocket. It was the most amazing thing I had ever experienced. I must have gone thirty miles when I stopped and came down to the ground. My heart was pounding and adrenaline was pouring through my body. I ran and jumped again, but this time, as I flew, I tried to steer and soon I learned to steer in both directions and eventually did a pretty good job with my first U-turn. When I landed, I was thrilled! I started think of all the records I could shatter. I thought of the bullies in town I could stand up to. I thought of the fame I would have. Then, like a flash, I remembered the words of the white-haired man.

“You will have great power, but this power must be used to benefit others, not for yourself. Be wise.”

I stood there, in a wide open field and thought about those words. They had given me these powers to be a hero for the world, not to be a celebrity. I stayed in the field for more than an hour, thinking about what I was supposed to do with these new powers. When I had squashed my selfish desires and looked at it with a bigger picture in mind, ideas came into my mind. I decided the first thing I had to do was tell my parents and seek guidance from them. I knew they could point me in the right direction.

When I arrived home, I entered through the back door and I heard my sister going on about the damage in the bathroom. It sounded like my parents and sister were upstairs looking at the bathroom. They all looked at me when I entered the bathroom from my bedroom, I had the crumpled alarm in my hand.

“I need to tell you guys what’s happened to me.”

When I had finished telling them everything that had happened that morning and that afternoon, they looked at me in shock. Mom went into my room and sat down on my bed. Dad looked at the sink and clock, shaking his head in disbelief. My sister, Karly, wanted to see me do something. Dad gave her a dirty look and told her to look at the sink.

After everyone went to bed that night, I retired to my bed, locked the bedroom door, and pulled out the silver egg. I looked at it over again and still could see no way to open it. I moved it around in my hands as I laid back on my bed and thought about it. I had the idea that I might be strong enough to just bust it opened. I placed the palms of my hands on the two rounded ends of the egg and I pushed my hands together. The center of the egg began to bulge and I pushed harder, suddenly there was a loud pop, and the egg was open, broken perfectly into two half shells. Inside was a tight roll of colored cloth. I removed it and unrolled it; yes, is was a suit for me that match the suits of the theee visitors. I tried it on and it fit perfectly.

As I grew, the suit grew with me. The more I used my powers, the bigger and stronger I looked. My parents sent me off to live with my grandparents in Oklahoma, not Kansas, since it would be difficult to explain to the locals my sudden physical changes. Once I turned eighteen, I went to college, got a degree in journalism and met a woman named Lois. You may have heard of her.

I believe you know the rest of my story.