Comic Book Hero by Kate Jonez

           “In comics, the hero's story always has a happy ending,” Joe said aloud, or perhaps the words appeared over his head in a bubble. In a flash, the speed at which Joe’s life unfurled increased so much that space lost it grip on him and time stopped. But time didn't really stand still. Joe knew this because the squiggly lines all around him told him so. They emphasized his monumental descent.

            Before time and space got all turned around, Joe was the good guy – a hero even. Like all heroes, he had one true love. Joe loved Kelly the moment he saw her big blue eyes at the bank. Kelly waited patiently when Joe talked. She didn’t glance sideways at her co-workers. She didn't complete his sentences when he took too long to get them out. Joe’s heart stuttered in his chest whenever he saw her.

            A hero has one true love. Joe told Kelly it was his duty to protect her. Kelly didn’t understand. She told him never to come to her apartment again.

            Kelly read the letter Joe slipped under her door. The letter explained how much he loved her. It explained how a hero must watch over his one true love wherever she goes.

            Kelly didn’t like the note Joe left on her car. Her hands trembled when she held the paper. Joe tried to explain, but this time Kelly didn’t wait patiently while he sputtered out the words. Kelly’s blue eyes grew wide with fear when he held her in his arms. She struggled to get away. Joe held her tighter because she was his one true love. Kelly screamed when Joe didn't let go.

            The police came to Joe’s room. They snatched the comic out of his hands and tore it because he didn't move fast enough. The cops told Joe he could never see Kelly again or he'd go to jail. Joe told the police that Kelly was his one true love. He tried to gather up the torn pages and show them how things were. He tried to explain how the hero protected his one true love. The cops laughed. Joe knew they didn’t understand things like love. They didn't understand about heroes and love.

            Joe pushed open the doors and stepped into the lobby of the bank. He wore his best clothes so Kelly would think he was handsome. He smiled at Kelly as he stepped into her line. She didn’t smile back. Her face became pale and her big blue eyes grew bigger. She fumbled under the counter. Joe hurried up to her window. He wanted to explain that everything was okay. He wanted to tell her that he still loved her even though she'd called the cops on him. Kelly backed away. The other customers in the bank moved away from him too. Kelly didn’t understand. Joe couldn’t make her understand no matter how hard he tried. The words came out of his mouth like hiccups. Kelly said she'd called the cops – again. Joe was going to go to jail this time. Joe forgave her, because that's what heroes do. Kelly was his one true love and he would never have another.

            Joe stared into Kelly’s beautiful blue eyes. The idea came to him in a flash. “I have to prove myself.” The words flowed from Joe's lips with clarity and precision. Joe ran for the stairs. He ran as fast as he could up flight after flight. He used all of his superhuman strength as he ran. Without hesitation, he flew through the door and onto the roof. He didn't stop running. He didn't stop even when he got to the edge. He jumped. Like a hero he flew into the great big blue sky.

            In the comics, heroes land on their feet. In the comics, Kelly would throw herself into the hero's arms, Joe said, or perhaps the words only appeared over his head in a bubble. In the comics, Kelly would cover Joe with kisses because she's his one true love and Joe would do anything for her – anything. Kelly would be Joe's one true love – if real life were more like it should ...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review of "Ferryman" by Nigel Edwards

Summary: "A mythology grew up around the Ferrymen, fostered by a mystique which they wrapped around themselves. Some thought them amoral servants of a ruling elite, sanctioned to undertake work beyond legitimate resolution; others with more fanciful imaginations – or who were more devout, depending on your point of view – believed them emissaries of Evil, with a capital E." Could the Ferrymen become real in your lifetime? Should they? Read this thoughtful and disturbing near-future science fiction story and decide for yourself. Review: This was a fantastic short story.  "Well-written" doesn't even begin to describe Ferryman ; it's engrossing.  The simple, clean style perfectly highlights our precise  protagonist.  If this future Edwards presents to us does in fact become a reality, the character he describes is exactly the type of person who would become a Ferryman: highly competent with the hint of a god complex. What's  especially clever abou...
Read more

The Short Story Project

I was introduced to the short story genre in high school and simply fell in love.  It's completely different from reading a novel.  A novel is a lengthy involvement.  Character development and plot must transport you into the author's world as the story gradually unfolds. Short stories are distinct experience.  A good short story writer will make you care about the outcome of the characters even though you may not necessarily know anything about them.  It is a complete experience in one sitting; not too unlike reading a poem.  You read the short story/poem for itself and not for the hope that it will drag out for 800 pages and then maybe have a sequel. The short story genre has become a lost art.  When newspapers were at their height, a writer could make a name for himself by publishing a short piece of fiction every week.  Charles Dickens is a perfect example of this.  Since then, the literary world changed.  You have to have an age...
Read more

Interview with Author Hugh Howey

Welcome to Book Brouhaha! Why don't you start out by introducing yourself and telling us a little about "Wool." Thanks for having me, Alain! I suppose I'm just this normal guy who just wrote a little story called Wool. It's about a group of people who live underground. When their society turns on itself, it threatens all of mankind. In a way, it poses the conundrum of every revolution: How do you destroy an unjust social structure without the collateral damage being worse than the injustices were? I suppose the most interesting thing about me, personally, is that I lived on a sailboat while I was in college. This led to a career as a yacht captain, which sent me all over the Caribbean and the East Coast. I didn't start writing in earnest until my wife dragged me away from the sea and into the mountains. I've always loved the short form. I've been told that it isn't as marketable, even though science fiction has a long and glorious history of c...
Read more