Inspired by this story by Xeni, of mentally disabled man who had his collection of Superman memorabilia stolen, I decided to write a Superman story for him. So this short story is dedicated to all people who transcend their limitation be them physical or mental to build beauty in their lives.
Note: This is a rough un-corrected draft. Please pardon the typos, sometimes it's fun to read those too. :)
The Collector
part one
The sky above was azure blue, one of those days when the clouds disappear and just a blue ball of sky with a puncture for the Sun exist. Clark Kent floated above Metropolis in his Superman alter-ego. His eagle-eye vision allowed him to focus with precision on any section of the vast city below him and he quickly circled around. Surprisingly quiet day. It was hot and muggy and most people had chosen to be in the indoors air-conditioner cooled sanctuaries.
But Clark was not at all bothered by the heat. He didn't sweat from heat, never had. He stood still like a blue man that held by invisible lines of immense magnitude, letting the sun pour over his back and drench his cape in the massive energy of the sun.
Bored with looking down he looked level at the many buildings. Middle of the week, he normally worked this hours but after a sting on the weekend Perry had forced him to take the day off, surely to avoid paying him more overtime. But he was glad for it. He got to breath in the city and spend it outside. Too many days in the city were spent indoors and Clark missed the days in the Farm, with the Sun at his back and the earth, the fresh earth, not concrete beneath his feet.
The Daily planet where his mind and eyes took him first was a buzz with action. And Lois was there. "Incredible," he said. She'd been told to take the day off too but no telling her anything. He watched her for a bit, as she gracefully moved around in a business suit that looked too tight to allow for such freedom. Clark had ripped shirts, pants, shoes, just in his normal day to day work, and she managed to do twice as much work as he and still look like she hadn't done anything.
He didn't want to stare too much, he could just look at her forever. But that's not what he was there for. So he looked around at the other business buildings, the residential ones, the one where he lived, but all seemed pretty quiet or under control.
The first time ever he didn't have to rush somewhere. This leisure was both surprising and irritating to him. He didn't want to wish for something to happen but at the same time he wanted to not be tempted to just go back to looking at Lois.
He looked at a one of the business buildings and saw something that caught his attention. It was a picture of his father's ship. The one in which he'd been sent to earth. He'd seen it before, in the cover of Unexplained Phenomenon and again in Luthor's office. But his was different it was the whole frame, not just the blurry shape of the ship. Taken by a satellite the top view had been blown up to the size of a poster. "Whose office was this?" he thought.
It was a corner office and the photo was not the only thing but it was but the crown in the jewel of a magnificent collection of artifacts all relating to him. An autograph signed "Superman" Clark was sure he'd done for a kid in China, an assortment of various photos, a costume worn by an impersonator, even the football he'd thrown to kids playing on the street in his hometown in Kansas.
Clark was curious. "Who could this be?" he thought.
He could punch in and jet through the window and find out, but that would probably raise more questions than it would answer. This was weirdly a job better suited for Clark, a photojournalist.
"How do I get back home?"
He had not anticipated having to change until dark and was presented with the conundrum of how to get back to his clothes. He was plainly visible where he was, no cloud cover, no fog, if he went back home he'd be made and Clark and his family would never be safe again.
Clark laughed. Of all problems to have.
He decided the best bet was to fly to the Daily planet. He was well known to have a "thing" for Lois so it wouldn't arise any weird attention and he had a spare change of clothes in the office.
He darted up like a spear and then fell towards the building. He burst through a window, quickly grabbed his clothes hid them in his cape and stood by Lois. In the noise and confusion no one could see him pick up the clothes.
"How are you doing pretty lady?" he said and then though "How come I can never say anything cool to her?" But she thought it was the greatest thing she'd heard all day.
She smiled and lost her cool, "Great, busy how are you doing pretty guy?" and punched him in the shoulder. He smiled broadly. It was incredible how she went from being a take charge woman to a teenager whenever Clark appeared as Superman.
"I'm sorry about the window there. I just wanted to see you."
"Oh posh, don't worry about a window it's just glass."
"I seem to have gotten it all over your desk."
"Oh no not my desk, that's Clark"
"Clark? Who's Clark?" Clark always took some perverse pleasure in this question.
She blushed, ruffled her hair and said "Nobody, nobody, my partner" at the same time.
"Ahh I'm making progress." Clark thought now she doesn't want to speak about me.
He dashed for the rapidly closing just emptied elevator (she always followed him and today was no exception. He ran after him, "Superman, hold on wait!" He lifted his arm and bent his knees as if he was about to take off and the elevator closed. Then one quick zap of heat vision at the camera and he jumped up on top of the elevator. Changed clothing and jumped down to the bottom. Then he put on his shoes opened the service door and went up the stairs to the first floor. There a breathless Lois had just made it to the elevator.
"Incredible" he thought. "How'd she manage fifteen floors down in heals at that speed down the stairs?" he wondered.
"Hey Lois."
"Did you see him?"
"Who?"
"ARRRGG, you're impossible farm boy!"
She went into the elevator and the door to the top of the elevator was opened.
"He darted off! Again!"
Clark popped his head in.
"Who? Who?"
"You sound like a freaking owl, Clark!" Lois said in exasperation. "Superman!"
"Oh him. Did you finally get your interview?"
Lois just tried to push him out of the way. She was maybe one-hundred-fifty pounds wet, and he was a six-foot tall muscular, man who looked like he weighed two fifty. But she expected to just push him out. He pretended to be pushed away and she just left in a huff. "She looks prettier when she's angry." he thought.
"Bye Lois."
She just waved over her head. He'd bet a hundred bucks that the glass on his desk would be untouched by tomorrow. The window would be replaced but not his desk. She seemed mad enough to instruct the repair crew to do that.
Clark grabbed his press pass from his pocked put it over his neck and went off to find out who this mysterious collector was.
Note: This is a rough un-corrected draft. Please pardon the typos, sometimes it's fun to read those too. :)
The Collector
part one
The sky above was azure blue, one of those days when the clouds disappear and just a blue ball of sky with a puncture for the Sun exist. Clark Kent floated above Metropolis in his Superman alter-ego. His eagle-eye vision allowed him to focus with precision on any section of the vast city below him and he quickly circled around. Surprisingly quiet day. It was hot and muggy and most people had chosen to be in the indoors air-conditioner cooled sanctuaries.
But Clark was not at all bothered by the heat. He didn't sweat from heat, never had. He stood still like a blue man that held by invisible lines of immense magnitude, letting the sun pour over his back and drench his cape in the massive energy of the sun.
Bored with looking down he looked level at the many buildings. Middle of the week, he normally worked this hours but after a sting on the weekend Perry had forced him to take the day off, surely to avoid paying him more overtime. But he was glad for it. He got to breath in the city and spend it outside. Too many days in the city were spent indoors and Clark missed the days in the Farm, with the Sun at his back and the earth, the fresh earth, not concrete beneath his feet.
The Daily planet where his mind and eyes took him first was a buzz with action. And Lois was there. "Incredible," he said. She'd been told to take the day off too but no telling her anything. He watched her for a bit, as she gracefully moved around in a business suit that looked too tight to allow for such freedom. Clark had ripped shirts, pants, shoes, just in his normal day to day work, and she managed to do twice as much work as he and still look like she hadn't done anything.
He didn't want to stare too much, he could just look at her forever. But that's not what he was there for. So he looked around at the other business buildings, the residential ones, the one where he lived, but all seemed pretty quiet or under control.
The first time ever he didn't have to rush somewhere. This leisure was both surprising and irritating to him. He didn't want to wish for something to happen but at the same time he wanted to not be tempted to just go back to looking at Lois.
He looked at a one of the business buildings and saw something that caught his attention. It was a picture of his father's ship. The one in which he'd been sent to earth. He'd seen it before, in the cover of Unexplained Phenomenon and again in Luthor's office. But his was different it was the whole frame, not just the blurry shape of the ship. Taken by a satellite the top view had been blown up to the size of a poster. "Whose office was this?" he thought.
It was a corner office and the photo was not the only thing but it was but the crown in the jewel of a magnificent collection of artifacts all relating to him. An autograph signed "Superman" Clark was sure he'd done for a kid in China, an assortment of various photos, a costume worn by an impersonator, even the football he'd thrown to kids playing on the street in his hometown in Kansas.
Clark was curious. "Who could this be?" he thought.
He could punch in and jet through the window and find out, but that would probably raise more questions than it would answer. This was weirdly a job better suited for Clark, a photojournalist.
"How do I get back home?"
He had not anticipated having to change until dark and was presented with the conundrum of how to get back to his clothes. He was plainly visible where he was, no cloud cover, no fog, if he went back home he'd be made and Clark and his family would never be safe again.
Clark laughed. Of all problems to have.
He decided the best bet was to fly to the Daily planet. He was well known to have a "thing" for Lois so it wouldn't arise any weird attention and he had a spare change of clothes in the office.
He darted up like a spear and then fell towards the building. He burst through a window, quickly grabbed his clothes hid them in his cape and stood by Lois. In the noise and confusion no one could see him pick up the clothes.
"How are you doing pretty lady?" he said and then though "How come I can never say anything cool to her?" But she thought it was the greatest thing she'd heard all day.
She smiled and lost her cool, "Great, busy how are you doing pretty guy?" and punched him in the shoulder. He smiled broadly. It was incredible how she went from being a take charge woman to a teenager whenever Clark appeared as Superman.
"I'm sorry about the window there. I just wanted to see you."
"Oh posh, don't worry about a window it's just glass."
"I seem to have gotten it all over your desk."
"Oh no not my desk, that's Clark"
"Clark? Who's Clark?" Clark always took some perverse pleasure in this question.
She blushed, ruffled her hair and said "Nobody, nobody, my partner" at the same time.
"Ahh I'm making progress." Clark thought now she doesn't want to speak about me.
He dashed for the rapidly closing just emptied elevator (she always followed him and today was no exception. He ran after him, "Superman, hold on wait!" He lifted his arm and bent his knees as if he was about to take off and the elevator closed. Then one quick zap of heat vision at the camera and he jumped up on top of the elevator. Changed clothing and jumped down to the bottom. Then he put on his shoes opened the service door and went up the stairs to the first floor. There a breathless Lois had just made it to the elevator.
"Incredible" he thought. "How'd she manage fifteen floors down in heals at that speed down the stairs?" he wondered.
"Hey Lois."
"Did you see him?"
"Who?"
"ARRRGG, you're impossible farm boy!"
She went into the elevator and the door to the top of the elevator was opened.
"He darted off! Again!"
Clark popped his head in.
"Who? Who?"
"You sound like a freaking owl, Clark!" Lois said in exasperation. "Superman!"
"Oh him. Did you finally get your interview?"
Lois just tried to push him out of the way. She was maybe one-hundred-fifty pounds wet, and he was a six-foot tall muscular, man who looked like he weighed two fifty. But she expected to just push him out. He pretended to be pushed away and she just left in a huff. "She looks prettier when she's angry." he thought.
"Bye Lois."
She just waved over her head. He'd bet a hundred bucks that the glass on his desk would be untouched by tomorrow. The window would be replaced but not his desk. She seemed mad enough to instruct the repair crew to do that.
Clark grabbed his press pass from his pocked put it over his neck and went off to find out who this mysterious collector was.
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