“Never is. That’s why the sensible folk are sleeping.”
A minute later, he stopped scrolling on one of the cable news channels. There was an image of a high-rise apartment building with a fire about halfway up.
“The fire appears to be on the 20th floor. We have no idea yet what the cause was, but the entire floor is engulfed. Firefighters are on the scene and are attempting to get to the people trapped on the upper floors…” a reporter was saying on the TV.
“Where is that?” Walter said.
“Chicago…says so at the bottom of the screen.”
“Well, save my Coke for me.”
Walter put his shoes on and darted out the door so fast he was a blur. Otis raised his head and let out a whine, then looked up at Franklin.
“Might want to get used to that, buddy,” Franklin said, scratching the dog’s head, “This could get interesting.”
He turned up the volume on the TV and paid attention. It wasn’t even five minutes later when the reporter said, “Wait a minute. What is that I’m seeing on the video? Is that a man?”
The feed went to a reporter on the street by the building.
“I can’t believe what I’m seeing, but it appears that a man flew in a window on one of the upper floors.”
“Are you sure about that?” the reporter in the studio asked.
“I’m not sure about much, but that’s what it looked like…hold on a second…yes…are you seeing this?”
Walter went in the window on the floor above the fire, into an apartment where a young woman and two small children huddled on the bed.
“Where did you come from?” the woman asked.
“I’m here to help,” he said, taking a child in each arm. He flew out the window, down to the street below, and gently set the children down next to a group of firemen.
“Don’t move. I’m gonna fetch your mama, okay?”
Up he went, returning seconds later with the woman, setting her down next to her kids. He repeated the performance for the next several minutes, until everyone from the upper floors of the building was standing on the sidewalk, looking rather befuddled. The firemen turned their attention to fighting the fire and helping the people out of the lower floors. Several onlookers already had phones out and were snapping photos of Walter, who stood there in a ragged pair of jeans, a white T-shirt, and beat up sneakers, unsure of what to say.
The reporter came up to him, trying to catch her breath from running from the other side of the street, and thrust a microphone in his face.
“Sir, I’m not sure what I just saw. Who are you?”
“Uh…just someone trying to help.”
“That was some way of helping. Who are you? Do you have a name?”
Walter stood there with the microphone in his face, a crowd of people staring at him and taking photos and video, and he was at a loss.
“Name’s Walter, ma’am,” he said, before lifting off and flying out of sight.
5
“Dude, that was awesome,” Franklin said when Walter walked in the door, “and you smell like smoke.”
“Yeah, the smoke was kind of thick. I need something to eat and some sleep. Then we’re going to Best Buy.”
“What’s at Best Buy?”
“Get you a phone…and get me one of those Bluetooth things.”
“Man, that’s gonna go viral, and you didn’t have a mask or anything. Folks are gonna know you everywhere now.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. I’m going to crash for a bit, okay?”
Crash he did until he woke up at noon to an interesting smell coming from the kitchen. He wandered in to find Franklin sitting at the table eating a burger, and there was another one sitting on a plate.
“Thought I’d figure out how to use that Foreman grill. That thing is awesome.”
“It comes in handy.”
“Have a burger.”
“A burger for breakfast?”
“Look at the time. It’s afternoon.”
“Whatever. That is what you young folk say, right? Everything’s always ‘whatever.’ Anyway, it looks good. Thanks, kid.”
“You were some cranky old dude when I met you. Now you’re not quite as cranky. What gives?”
“Don’t know. Helping people…just feels good. You should have seen those people in Chicago…when they knew they were safe. Man…gives me a feeling right here.” He touched his heart. “Just makes you feel real good. Kind of humble too.”
“You fly around like Superman and you’re humble?”
“Hard to explain, kid. I’ve spent the last decade avoiding people. Now I saved a few…humble seems like the word. The things I can do…you would say it’s awesome. Maybe it is. It feels neat, like all the dreams I had when I was a kid about flying. I thought being a superhero would be this grand adventure, but it feels different. Am I making any sense?”
“Maybe, but you’re an old dude. You’re gonna look at life different like.”
“Differently, kid. Adverbs end in ly.”
“Since when are you a grammar nerd?”
“Never was, but you want to pass that test, you gotta get it down.”
“Okay, whatever.”
“I mean it. You need to get cracking on the studying. I see you got my laptop out. You been on there yet?”
“No…but seeing you all over the internet this morning. You’ve gone viral.”
“Viral?”
“You know, when something starts going all over the internet because people keep sharing it? You’re all over. You go anywhere and everyone’s gonna know you. I told you that would happen.”
“You told me?”
“Before you went to bed.”
“Well, I was a bit tired. So, I’m getting some publicity?”
“You could say that. You were all over the morning shows, all the cable news channels…everyone’s talking about the superhero named Walter. People are wondering where you’re from, if there are other people like you…it’s crazy.”
“That’s just great. Now how am I going to do anything in public?”
“I tried to warn you. Get a secret identity, but no…you didn't listen. You’re the old dude. You know better than the kid from the streets.”
“It’s a little late for that now, but that just means I don’t have to stick by
