Up into the sky and through the clouds, Superman flew higher. He could already feel the warmth of the sun. He stopped and basked in its golden rays. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and flexed his muscles, feeling his strength rejuvenate. In that moment, he reflected back to when he was a boy and when he started noticing that he was… well, different.
He was about twelve years old when he realized some of his unique powers. As far as he knew, he was just Michael; your average boy. He went to school, he played games, he helped his parents with chores. Living on a farm in Smallville with his parents could be boring at times, but the one thing he loved about it was to run free through the corn fields. His father, Joseph, always warned him about getting lost, as the corn could grow up to 6 feet high. Michael still ran through without a care.
One day he began to notice just how incredibly fast he really was. By the side of one of the fields was a railroad track and he could see a train off in the distance. Michael had stopped to catch his breath. As the train was approaching, his ego tempted him to race it. He bent down and got set, much like an Olympic runner. He took a deep breath and watched the tracks to his right. As soon as he saw the first car pass by, he took off. Michael closed his eyes, channeling all his strength. His long legs moved faster and faster. He opened his eyes and to his surprise, he was running side by side with the train, maintaining the speed. A wide grin appeared on his face and he pushed harder, determined to gain even more speed. The train conductor looked to his left and his jaw dropped at the sight. The boy flashed a charming smile and waved as he surpassed the black locomotive.
With this newfound talent, Michael wondered what else he might be capable of. He took off sprinting into the fields yet again. He spotted a bird flying low by the tops of the corn and chased after it. The bird dropped out of sight and as Michael was running, he jumped to get a better view of the bird. His body rose up well beyond the 6 foot height of the corn stalks. His eyes grew wide as he returned to the ground. He looked down towards the ground and stared at his legs in amazement. Speed was old news now. His new goal was to see how high, and how far, he could jump.
After a bit of practice, Michael was almost jumping the entire length of the fields. He was getting his bearings and feeling more comfortable with each jump. Standing atop of the water tower, he contemplated his next jump. He was hoping to clear the entire field and land on the roof of the barn. He moved to the back edge of the water tower to get a good, running start. He sprinted and took a giant leap from the opposite edge, floating through the air. He cleared the distance of the field and was about to soar past the barn when his foot hit the weathervane and sent him tumbling. He broke through the roof of the barn and fell towards the ground. His glasses fell off. Just as he was about to hit, he crossed his arms in front of his face to help break the fall, when all of the sudden… nothing happened.
He opened his eyes to find that he was stopped; horizontally suspended in the air. He spread out his arms, looked side to side and glanced down at his body in awe. This was just too amazing. He brought his head back up and spotted his glasses on the wood floor. He furrowed his eyebrows, “What the…?” He had no trouble seeing without them.
Superman smiled as he recounted his childhood. Things were so much simpler back then. Sometimes he longed to be a kid again. Although Smallville was a very small town in Kansas, everyone kept busy with all the farming. They never ran out of things to do… There were always things to do around the house, and especially out in the barn and the fields. Michael’s parents had a lot to do, but always made time for him. They always knew he was special, ever since he came into their lives, but it wasn’t until later when they had realized just how special he would become.
Joseph was a hard worker. He had to be. Always the provider for his family, he would do whatever he needed to take care of them. Katherine was the doting wife and mother. Nothing was more important to her than family, and bringing Michael into their lives was a dream come true for her. She had so much love in her heart and who better to give it to than a child of her own. She and Michael had always been close. While Joseph was the voice in Michael’s head commanding him to do the right thing, Katherine was the source of his passionate side; the side that taught him to always see the good people.
Meanwhile…
Lex and Kitty found themselves stranded on an island with their helicopter, which had conveniently run of out of gas. They sat on the beach, pouting as the tide rolled in. Lex was tossing coconuts into the water. “Lex,” Kitty whined, “Don’t throw those away! What are we gonna eat?”
He turned and glared at her. “I would give away all the coconuts in the world, for a tank of gas!” he yelled.