Lighting Strikes

Mouth open, eyes giant --- yep got my younger brother.  He had no idea, I mean none, really sometimes that kid only sees everything he does or video games when some things are right in front of his face.  I knew he was a superhero and I kind of, well almost kind of, felt bad for him because I remember when I first realized I had super powers and it was a little lonely.  But holy crap, my Mom would definitely have a problem with my use of the word crap, I could not have left more clues for him and still nothing.  Maybe I should have made a YouTube video and stuck a clip in there - in a Minecraft world or maybe as one of the Plants in PVZ.

I was in 2nd grade too when I first noticed that I could hear these weird types of alarms - ones that seemed to explode in my head but somehow no one in my family seemed to hear them except for me.  Cole, that's my younger brother, was not around then - his screams when he was first born could explode everyone's ears when he cried but that was not a superpower that was just a cranky baby- but when I was in 2nd grade there was no one in my house except for me.  Well, my parents of course, but I mean I was it.  The -- make that THE child.  It was all about me .. and it was nice.  Not that I do not love Cole and I do like having him around - most of the time, ok most most of the time except for those times when he is annoying - but boy was it nice to have my Mom basically pay attention only to me, all the toys needed no sharing and that last cookie never had to be split in half ... ahh those were the days.  

So here I was and I knew the kid was coming, my Mom's belly was big like a basketball, word of advice don't tell her that she seems a little concerned with that image like most Moms seem to, whatever.  So here I was trying to get used to sleeping in my big boy bed - my little boy bed seemed a lot less big and a lot more comfy but they got me some cool stuff and sheets so here I was in my room and these alarms - WAHHHA HWAHHH BOOOOM - I looked out my window and just as I did a big, blasting, blinding blue lightning bolt hit right outside of my window -- CRRRRAAACKKK!  I was pushed back from my window, I could barely see but I looked down and I was no longer wearing my Batman footsie pjs, with the really cool cape, but instead a blue bodysuit.  I touched it - felt like nothing I had ever touched before  - it felt .. well it felt.. crackly, electric but not in a bad way.  Not like the time I may have accidentally touched a metal to the plug that my Dad specifically told me not to touch - that was painful and so was his yelling.  No this was crackly and suddenly I saw my window open, I leaned over and I was at the end of my block.   Huh?????? How did I get there -- I looked up and thought about the Baskin Robins store and before I blinked I was in front of it.   I was fast ... lightning fast.  I looked through the glass door and right before me I saw a man - with a gun - robbing the store. 

That's just WROOONNNGG - you do not rob stores but especially ice cream stores, little kids give up their money there.   I was going to get going to look for an adult when it hit me 1) My Mom is going to flip, superhero or whatever I was now, I was out of bed and alone a few streets away from home 2) I was a superhero.  I lifted my hand to the door, psst come closer..little closer I was scared, so scared my hand shook but that's between us,  and my hand lifted blue little lines of electricity came out of my fingers.  The door shook and suddenly the robber looked over .. right .. at ... me.  He kind of smirked, I mean wouldn't you if you were holding a gun (guns are just so wrong unless you are the police) and you see a kid in what looked like Blue pjs - he actually kind of laughed.  Well that made me mad .. madder than being scared.  I lifted my hand - the door flew open and I pointed my fingers right at him.  The gun fell out of his hand - he fell to the ground.  The workers had called the cops somehow, later I found they had this "silent" alarm which I guess I could hear all those times other places either pushed them or people were in trouble, and they were driving up. 

"What the f*&??" said the cop - I cannot really tell you what he said - trust me it was bad.   I looked and suddenly pictured my house and there I was on the floor of my bedroom.  I closed my eyes - I was torn between trying to go back out again and falling asleep.  I fell asleep - this hero business was exhausting and after all I was only in 2nd grade then.  I woke up in my bed, Batman pjs on and cape fell off and was somewhere in my covers.  I thought it was a dream but it wasn't because it happened again.  I have some other powers - which I cannot wait to share with Cole.  

"Hey Cole..COlllllee" -- seriously I understand why my Mom sometimes get mad having to say things twice -- "Coming.." heard him running up the stairs.  He was so psyched I was going to tell him my story and wait until he found out about the other superhero kids in our town... this was about to get interesting.

Come back and you will be amazed by the superpowers that are in this town ... and it's all only in the kids or is it???

Power Punch and the "other" Second Grade Superhero - by Cole, Mommy, Max

One day I met a kid in my class and he told me a secret -- that he was a superhero.  Imagine my surprise, considering I too am a superhero -- and not just any superhero but a 2nd grade super duper, extra sneaky, no one knows my real identity but I have all super powers SUPERHERO.   

My superhero name is Power Punch -- yeah I know you have read about me in the newspapers - heard how I save the world almost all the time on the radio - and maybe even saw a picture on the tv about my amazing victories.  

I was so excited to meet another 2nd grade superhero - I mean really as great as it is to be one it is a little hard to be one at 7 since you cannot tell anyone !!!!!!   So there we were, at recess, in the playground and along came Rick and said " Hey..can you keep a secret?" he looked around, making sure we were alone.  "Umm sure" I replied, I looked around too - nope no one was listening to us. "I am a superhero" Rick said. "What? Come on now a superhero?" I said - what was this guy doing? I mean I know sometimes the Bad Guys try to find out who I am and send in people to find out my real name when I am not Power Punch but this was a first.  Was he a superhero - could we partner up ?  Maybe there were others and we could start our own Avengers of the Elementary Schools.  

"Yeah I have superpowers" Rick replied, he sure was smooth.  Maybe I should tell you a little about Rick.  He is the tallest boy in my class - and maybe I would get in trouble with my mom, yes even superheroes get in trouble with their Moms, but she is not here so here goes.  Rick is the tallest and chunkiest kid in my class.  He sure likes his snack, which is often bigger than the lunch my mom sends all together. 

I wasn't going to fall for his "secret" right away so looked up into his brown eyes, which were covered by a strand of his really long hair, that always seemed to be covering at least one eye and which he was often blowing in kind of an annoying way out of his eyes. I looked up and said "So Rick  - what powers do you have?".   Rick, in his black sweatshirt with a Spiderman logo, and his jeans that he was always pulling up looked at me and said "I can turn into a lion...or a tiger". I blinked, twice, a lion? or a tiger? whoooa that was some cool power.  "So , umm, how often do you use your powers?" I asked.  Ok I was already picturing us - in the middle of Manhattan, near the Empire State Building, bad guys everywhere, surrounding Rick and me (as Power Punch) when all of a sudden BOOM he turns into a giant lion, they are stunned and as they stared, frozen by a ROAAARRRRRR so loud windows broke on cars, BAM, POW Power Punched out and locked up.  

We both heard the whistle Miss Delmonico, our recess teacher, blew it letting us know that we had to go back to class.  How can I stand going back to class and learning how to borrow or carry numbers in math, read a book, or whatever we were going to do quietly in my seat when Rick was going to be two chairs away from me at our table?!  Our table, with Ginny and her annoying "umm you know what?" questions, Jackson and his never stopping tapping pencil that our teacher Miss Lee would eventually take away from him for annoying everyone tap, tap tapping on the table, Eduardo who was my good friend and who had 2 sisters that were twins and who liked to make him be the baby when they played house, and Nicky who had just moved here from California well actually Mexico but through California.  I liked all of them, along with all the other kids in my class, well maybe not all the kids - I was not that much about liking Diana -- my arch nemesis.  Diana who sat at the table across from me and was probably almost as tall as Rick.  Diana who liked to follow me and ask me a thousand million questions about everything - that girl was trouble.  I may have liked all of the kids, except for Diana, but I was dying -- just dying to talk to Rick and that was not going to happen during school time.  He was on my bus but we could not talk there either - that place is a zoo, the loudness, the shaking, the music, the occasional well maybe more than occasional yelling and pulling over by the bus driver to remind us to "sit down, sit down, and stop screaming".  

Suddenly it came to me .. we could FaceTime.. I mean we could if I could convince my Mom, yes even superheroes have to check with their moms on use of technology on a school night, and if he had an Apple device. The bus ride was forever ... I had to sit next to Chew Hair Charles - we call him that because he sometimes chews on his own hair...eww!!!  On my way to getting off I passed Rick a note with my email address and had written FaceTime later? He took it and smiled "yeah sure - but gotta ask my Mom as she doesn't like a lot of devices during a school night", he said.  Boy, Moms sure all are similar about devices and school nights. 

  That night I barely could sit still enough to finish my homework, then dinner.  I was just about to ask my Mom if I could FaceTime when suddenly from upstairs I heard the beep - the beep that only I could hear - the beep that meant that I needed to be Power Punch because there was an emergency.  Now you may be wondering, how does he get out past his parents and his older brother, to be Power Punch - well here is my BIG secret.  I can project a hologram of myself while I leave to do my things - this hologram looks like me, can answer questions and usually I leave him on the toilet with a book where my Mom usually will not be likely to interrupt.  I ran upstairs  - clicked by thumb against the closet door in the little groove -- presto the closet opened to reveal my secret lair.  I changed, clicked on the hologram "Mom going to the bathroom" and off I was.  

Turns out that the problem was a bad guy was trying to break into a house -- I knew this house, how could this be ???? This was Rick's house.  His older sister was trying to keep the door closed - why wasn't he turning into a lion or a tiger?  I flew down and with a BAM, POW and few more punches I knocked the guy out just as the police were pulling up to the house.  "Thanks Power Punch you always seem to get here before we do, " Officer Jones said.  He was one of my favorites, when he came to school to teach us Stranger Danger he always let us turn on the lights in his car and the sirens.  Suddenly Rick came to door, crying and scared "Ttthhhanks Power Punch you are a real hero,"  that's when I knew he was not one too.  I was a little sad because I was looking forward to having a buddy to share this with but guess he was just a little kid.  

Just as I flying back home suddenly behind me I saw a flash of blue - but there was no one there.   I got back in my room just as my brother was getting back to his and heard from my Mom "You boys stop reading in the bathroom and come downstairs now".  My brother high fived me and walked ahead of me - we played Minecraft, boy Mom sure was generous tonight with the electronics, until bedtime. 

The next morning I went to get the paper - getting it every morning is one of my chores, yes even superheroes have chores, and the headline read "OTown Superheroes Save the Day!!!! Blue Lightning and Power Punch save homes from danger in one night".   Blue Lightning - flash of blue - suddenly my older brother smiled, "that's right little man that is why I spend so much time 'reading in the bathroom' too".  This was going to be great!!!!!!!

Stay Tuned for the next episode in the Adventures of Power Punch and Blue Lightning - Superhero Brothers Unite