Wind blasted him. Birds squawked. Bobby spun briefly during his rise, whooping happily. This quickly made him dizzy though, so he flattened his arc. Houses flashed by below. Most were empty, but not all. A woman pruning her bushes stared up at him, gaping. A barking dog raced after him until reaching its fence. Bobby waved at them, then went hurtling down into an alley. His little legs clenched with impossible strength to cushion his subsonic landing. "OOF!" Another hard landing. The little boy walked bowlegged out of the alley. His thigh muscles ached, but they would heal quickly. He always did.
The sidewalks were crowded. People gave him funny looks. Bobby walked normally again. They still gave him funny looks. He chalked it up to his outfit, and began strutting proudly. A hero should always stand out.
Beyond a big parking lot, the supermarket waited. Bobby approached. His thoughts swirled greedily. The big shining entrance stood open. Bobby strutted inside, making a beeline for the candy section.
The old grey-haired security guard chuckled.
Bobby ignored him. A minute later, he came to a sudden halt amidst sugary sweetness. "Ooooh. So many..." His little hands twitched. Bobby reached for one, then paused. "Wait a minute. Did I-?" He reached into his pockets, finding only cookie crumbs, a yo-yo, and...
No kid's wallet.
"No! No no NO!!!" Bobby was heartbroken. His head hung low. "Aw man. I can't go back home for it either. She'll probably ground me." He looked up again, teary-eyed. It was all here. All of it. The secret to his momentary happiness...
"Excuse me, young man," said a kindly old voice.
Bobby turned.
A smiling little old woman stood behind her full shopping cart. "You're crying! Well that's not right." Her eyes twinkled. "Did you want a candy?"
Bobby nodded, wiping away unshed tears.
She pursed her lips. "And you're here all alone?"
Bobby nodded again, sniffling.
"Well I don't know about your parents, but I think children grow up too fast nowadays. Games and candy are part of the fun! I'll buy one for you."
Bobby got excited. He smiled, just a happy little kid wearing a superhero outfit again. "Thanks, old lady!"
She smiled, shaking her head. "Old lady? Tut tut. That's mam to you." After putting a candy bar into her cart, she turned around. "Well come on, then. We-"
Bobby's greed burned. "Can I have that one too?"
"Oh?" She paused, turning back. "Well all right. Why not." Another bar joined the pile.
"And that one too?!" His voice was needling. "Please?"
"Fine. Third times the charm now, so-"
Bobby didn't know when to quit. "And maybe that-"
The little old woman turned away with a sigh, slowly pushing her shopping cart towards the front lines. "Come on, boy."
Although disappointed, Bobby scurried after her anyway. There was a brief companionable silence.
"So is Mr. Tough Guy your favorite superhero?" the little old woman finally asked him, settling behind a line.
Bobby's eyes widened. "Uh." How had she known?! "Maybe. Why?"
She glanced aside at him. Her eyes crinkled. "You're wearing his mask, silly goose."
Bobby scowled. He didn't like being called a silly goose. "It's MY mask now. I'm a superhero too!"
She smiled. "Oh really? What's your name?"
"I'm Kid Hero!"
People around them chuckled, smiled, and commented. "Fan of Caped Marvel too?" "Funny kid." "That's a good name."
The little old woman just nodded. "Indeed it is," she solemnly agreed.
Bobby was satisfied by her answer. He began happily chatting about his plans to clean up the city. The line moved slowly; by the time they reached the cashier, he was describing his future goal of arresting New York's famous supervillain Night Guyver. "Yeah. I'll knock him out, POW! Then they'll make me leader of the Hero League, my mommy'll have to take me seriously, and-"
The little old woman handed the cashier a carefully counted out stack of cash and change. "$35.62. Here you go."
"Perfect." The cashier handed her a receipt and grinned at Bobby. "Good luck with your superhero career, little guy."
Bobby gave her a curt nod. "And then I'll start flying around the world. Europe first, then-"
"That sounds lovely, dear." The little old woman smiled, offering him a single shopping bag. "Help me carry these out to my car?"
Bobby hesitated. His mom had warned him about stranger danger. This was an old person, though. You were supposed to help them with stuff like this. "Alright." He stuffed all three candy bars into his pockets, then took two heavy bags in each hand. "But if you try anything funny I won't go easy on you! A true hero always punishes the bad guy."
The little old woman had frowned at his strength. She finally shook her head, smiling again. "Of course not. I just want a gentleman's escort, that's all."
"Ok!"
They headed back out into the sunshine.191Please respect copyright.PENANAlt448a3wep