Kim forced her eyes back open despite the rain pelting her face. The water was already up to her knees, though the waves that kept crashing against her were as high as her chest. She slogged on, pulling each foot free and dragging it forward through the brine only for it to immediately get sucked deep into the sand at the end of each step.
“Jake!” she screamed again, but the roar of the wind completely swallowed up her voice. She pushed her hair out of her face and moved forward. The brine was now up to her hip. “JAKE!”
The sky cracked. For a split second, she could clearly see everything: the seemingly endless ocean all around her and the swirling, grey vortex of clouds overhead looked other-dimensional. By the time she registered the massive tree floating right into her path, she was plunged into darkness again.
The rough bark scraped her face and arms as it swept over her, pushing her backwards into the water. Her eyes and nose stung. Blindly, she groped at the heavy log above her in a vain attempt to push it away. Her lungs began to protest the lack of air.
Just as her strength was about to give out, the tree suddenly vanished. She scrambled upwards, broke through the surface, and immediately gasped for air, sputtering as the waves continued to splash her. Something grabbed her from behind. Her surprised shriek was lost to the wind, but even so, a mouth came close to her ear: “It’s going to be alright, Ma’am.”
It took a moment to process what was happening: she was now in a man’s arms, being cradled against his chest, and they were rising into the air. A jagged strip of lightning stabbed the water near where they had been, illuminating blue-sleeved arms and a flash of red.
When the darkness swallowed them up again, she looked up towards where his face must be. “My baby…please…we have to find him! Please!”
Their ascent halted, and they hung in mid air above the thunderous waves. He raised his voice just enough to be heard over the clamor. “What does he look like?”
“He’s two,” she shouted over the storm. “Dark hair and eyes!”
She felt Superman go rigid.
Kim’s heart began to pound. “His name is Jake,” she continued, refusing to allow her brain any time to think. “He was wearing a green shirt and blue shorts, and he—he—Oh, God! Superman?!”
He seemed to shake himself. “I’ll look around for him,” he said abruptly.
She tightened her arms around his neck as he started moving again. They flew slowly, spiraling out over the water, for what seemed like an eternity. “There!” he finally said, and swooped down faster than Kim could blink. She couldn’t quite make out the large object bobbing in the water, but as they drew closer, something at the edge of it caught her eye.
“Jake!”
Superman released one arm from carrying her in order to scoop Jake off his makeshift raft right before a large branch slammed into it.
“Oh, my baby!” She gathered him into her arms and pressed kisses onto his sopping hair, crying nearly as hysterically as he was. “My baby! Oh Superman, thank you! Thank you!”
Superman was strangely quiet.
“Superman?”
He shook himself again. He said something that was lost to the wind, then spoke louder. “Sorry. I’m going to take you to a rescue station in Sandakan; the storm isn’t expected to go that far south, so you should be all right. If you have any other loved ones, they might already be there.”
Kim tightened her grip on Jake.
They rose higher and Superman flew further out over the Pacific. Eventually, they left behind the wind and pouring rain, and Kim could even see the moon shining like a silver coin above them. Compared to the darkness of the storm, it was practically daylight. She studied Superman’s face.
“Do you have children?”
His flight suddenly wobbled. “Uh, pardon?”
“You do,” she realized.
Superman was quiet again, and she expected him to deny it.
“I was supposed to be somewhere today,” was all he said.
“Somewhere important?” Kim guessed.
He nodded. “A birthday party.”
“Ah. I’m sorry.” Kim shifted her grip on her son. The boy had a few cuts and bruises, but he was alive and more well than she had a right to ask for. “How old?”
Another long silence stretched between them. “He just turned two.”
The shoreline appeared in the distance, and Superman lowered his altitude slightly.
“Thank you,” Kim said quietly. “I know it’s not enough, but—”
“It’s more than enough.” He smiled softly at her. “I’m glad your son is okay.”
They touched down in the midst of a busy throng of people. Kim blinked against the floodlights as medical personnel ran towards her. No sooner was she set on her feet than someone wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and began inspecting Jake’s injuries.
“I think that’s the last of them,” Superman called out to an official with a clipboard. He turned back to her. “Is there anything you need, Ma’am? I could get a message to someone…?”
Kim shook her head. A doctor was holding Jake now, freeing her hands to wave the superhero away. “We’re fine. Go home. Go see your—” She checked herself. “Go eat cake.”
He laughed and flew away, disappearing into the night.
The End.
