Chapter 5
Bobby was exhausted, not just from the trials but from the twenty-hour drive from Austin to Eden. His black nail polish was chipped, and he threw on a skull-print beanie before heading to the Spire for registration. He didn't even get a chance to sleep, making it barely in time, relying primarily on energy drinks, adrenaline, and determination. After watching his parents almost die in a creepy alleyway outside an old-timey movie theater, he realized he couldn’t hesitate during these trials if he wanted to advance. Bobby had passed the previous scenario but was docked points for neutralizing the mugger, but not before he was able to get off a shot. Now Bobby was in a bit of a pickle. Some crazy aggro clown had put bombs on two ferries in the San Francisco Bay.
Each ferryboat captain had been given a prisoner's dilemma in the form of a detonator that could activate a bomb on the opposite ferry. Bobby circumvented disaster by conjuring a magic mirror that allowed the captains on each ferry to communicate. While the captains worked things out, Bobby made his way to dry land, toward the killer clown, on a small motorized skiff.
Bobby couldn’t help but take in the view. He had never been to SF. The Golden Gate Bridge, with Alcatraz and the city’s skyline in the background, was possibly the coolest thing Bobby had ever seen. Austin was a beautiful, artistic city, but this was something else. Maybe it was just that he had grown used to Austin’s charms. Either way, Bobby couldn't help but take in the night. A cool breeze was coming off the Pacific, and a crazy thick marine layer looked like it would engulf him and the whole city at any moment. He had never seen fog like this!
***
Using as little energy as possible, Bobby attempted to stay in that euphoric space between sleep and awake. He was careful to keep the rest of his body stick still, swiveling his neck and head just enough to check the clock on his Onyx Phone. Twelve Thirty? He sighed, flopping onto his back like a seal, listening to The Show drone on and on. Bobby wondered if he would have as many names and titles as Flint / Network / The Show when he won the competition just announced, interrupting his sleep and forcing him out of his happy place. He also wondered why anyone would choose to wake up before 3 p.m. What was there to actually do in the morning?
Since Bobby had failed to silence his device, The Show’s words were being replayed ad nauseam on the radio station his phone’s AI chose to wake him up today. “Come to Eden, Ohio,” yadda yadda, “24 contestants,” yadda yadda, “The Seed,” yadda yadda, “become a legend.”
Bobby sprang to his computer. Now, in the light of the afternoon sun, Bobby’s almost sickly skinny frame and pale skin practically reflected the sunlight. “Probably why I like the night so much,” he thought.
Bobby was in awe of what he was hearing. A competition to fill the empty seat on The Council? This was his chance to actually become a real-life superhero. He turned to look at his room, decorated with a combination of punk bands and images from Grimm’s Fairy Tales - a real tortured soul, poet vibe. As his eyes wandered, he thought about how an actual superhero would live. It definitely wouldn’t include living in a glorified closet on the outskirts of Austin, Texas.
Bobby put on a pair of mostly clean black jeans and a black shirt, grabbed what looked to be an ancient tome bound in black leather with gnarly tree branches and a skull on the cover, and rushed out of his room.
***
When he reached the pier, Bobby looked up to where the clown was hiding out in the control bay of a giant crane. He knew the magic mirrors would disappear as he started to think through his options, but he figured the captains had safely talked through the situation, so he was free to do the same. How was he going to scale this crane and take out this crazy clown? There must be a “two birds with one stone” option here. He thought about all the books he had read as a kid, searching for the correct phrase to get him out of this mess. If he could sprout wings and fly, he could get up to Bozo up there, but then what? He’d be a sitting duck. Or raven. He might have something that could knock the crane over, but that would likely kill the villain inside, and he didn't want to get a point deduction for carelessness. Plus, the crane could fall on a passerby or house or something and kill someone, which would surely be bad.
Bobby could feel the time ticking away. Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock. “That’s it!” It was so obvious. Of course, his favorite story would be the perfect solution. It’s why he always carried a small bag of cookies and a small bottle of juice. He nibbled his cookie and thought, “One bite will make you taller,” while channeling his power through the words. The words materialized out of thin air and circled Bobby as he grew to the size of the crane. To maintain the effect, he continually thought the phrase “One bite will make you taller” in his mind while keeping the energy of his meta power flowing. When he achieved full size, he grabbed the clown from the crane, holding him tight so he couldn't do any more crazy evil clown shit. Using the cable from the crane, Bobby tied the sideshow villain up tightly. Once the threat was neutralized, he stopped repeating the phrase that was looping through his brain and shrunk down to his normal size in a visible explosion of letters.
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He picked up the clown’s walkie-talkie to radio the captains of the ferries to let them know the nightmare was over. But, before he could say a word, his vision blurred and went white.
As expected, he got his score, which showed a bonus for protecting the onlookers and neutralizing the villain without killing him. The scene shifted to an airplane in mid-flight. A sense of panic was immediately palpable. The worried faces of adults and children alike stared in Bobby’s direction. He leaned over a couple of seated passengers to quickly glance out the window, and discovered that there was a fire raging in the engine and smoke was billowing out of the jet turbine. This plane was going down fast.
Once again, Bobby racked his brain for the right story, or character, or phrase to solve his current predicament. His mind raced through different cheery cartoon versions of various movies and books one at a time, having a strangely calming effect. Each one evoked memories of movie nights at a young age – before the inevitable yelling and plate throwing.
The plane shook violently, snapping Bobby back to reality. He looked back at the panicked crowd and saw a small child sobbing uncontrollably into his blanket. The kid couldn’t have been more than five years old. That’s when it hit him. Bobby’s mind had latched onto the perfect story. The one fairytale he knew, or at least hoped, would save everyone.
Bobby approached the crying child. “Hey,” he said in the softest tone he could muster, trying his best to bring about a feeling of peace and stability in an attempt to comfort the child. Getting everyone into the right headspace would be crucial to the plan's success. “I know how to save us, but I’m going to need your help. Wanna help a superhero?”
The child’s sobbing subsided a bit, “Um... yeah, sure,” the child sniffled.
Bobby signaled one of the flight attendants to bring him the microphone connected to the plane’s intercom system. Pressing the button, Bobby spoke to the rest of the passengers, “I have an idea of how we can all survive this, but I’m going to need everyone’s help. I'm going to work some magic, but while I do, I need everyone to think of their happiest memory. The one happiest time in your life that can bring you out of even your deepest despair." Movie night, Bobby thought. The rest of the passengers slowly sat back in their seats. As they did, Bobby knelt next to the now-smiling child and poured every ounce of power and energy into his thoughts, laser-focused on the words. “Think of your happiest thoughts, any happy little..” And as he did, glimmering gold dust started falling from the jet's ceiling onto the passengers' heads. Every single passenger looked up at the magical glowing dust in awe, like a child seeing his first snowfall. The words kept running through Bobby’s mind in a loop. “Now, think of the happiest things. It's the same as having wings!” Suddenly, the plane was flying again.
The pilots safely landed the plane, and once all the passengers had disembarked, the scene shifted once more. The points started climbing before Bobby’s eyes—so many bonuses and multipliers! Massive points for saving everyone, for creativity, and for easing the passengers' fears. A hefty reward for positively impacting a child’s life. He allowed a tiny bit of pride to creep into his chest and a smile to creep across his face, at least until he felt the now recognizable feeling of his stomach dropping out and his vision blurring.
As his vision cleared, Bobby found himself on a beach surrounded by people gawking at the sea. Following their concern, he saw a tidal wave approaching quickly from the horizon. With little time to act, Bobby had to rely on instinct. He was running on fumes. He had an idea that he hoped would work. There was probably no way that everyone would go along with his bonkers plan, but he was pretty sure it would save the most people.
Bobby found the nearest lifeguard tower and grabbed a megaphone lying on the steps. He pressed the button to amplify his voice and spoke to the onlooking crowd. “Everyone listen closely, I’m Kidd Grimm, and I’m here to save your lives.” Bobby had always wanted to say that. “I’m going to summon a giant whale to protect us from the tidal wave. I need everyone to enter it as quickly and safely as possible. The whale will not hurt you, and I will get rid of the summons once the wave has passed us by.” Bobby’s voice boomed.
Most of the crowd gave him odd looks, and some chuckled nervously. Bobby even heard murmurs of the public calling him names. That all stopped when a giant blue-gray whale, bigger than any mountain they had seen, popped into existence before everyone’s eyes. The wave crept ever closer, and the whale opened its massive mouth. Bobby silently waved everyone quickly to the whale's maw. The most challenging aspect of Bobby’s powers was that he had to focus on the words needed to conjure the whale fully, all while pushing his power through them consistently, or Monstro would pop out of existence. Luckily, the crowd understood his gestures, and no one had to think twice about obeying.
After everyone had entered the whale through its mouth, Bobby followed. Even though the stomach was super crowded, he was able to find a spot a little bit away from everyone in this oddly safe stomach of the whale and peered through its eyes to watch the wave. It eventually crashed down onto the beach, causing some property damage. “Shit!” Bobby hoped those buildings were empty since he hadn’t thought to check.
Once the destruction had subsided, Bobby organized everyone again to prepare for the de-summoning of the whale. “Poof,” just like that, the whale ceased to exist, slowly fading into words. And with that, the scene changed once again. Bobby’s vision went white, and he was standing in front of his new point total. No one could say he lacked creativity; of that, he was sure.