Happy Ficlet Friday. Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome the famous MagiKal. Hope you'll enjoy. Prestige and Distractions MagiKal gulped as he looked at the crowd. His usual audience consisted of random passersby. Now every single student of the Beckworth State School for orphaned kids as well as every reporter in Metropolis had gathered in front of his makeshift stage.
Lois was one of them, but that helped only a bit in settling his nerves. He knew what he had in mind was going to come at a price. It was worth it, he had to remind himself. He could deal with it.
This performance was a gift for Aymee and her friends.
As far as he was concerned, this was a one time event. But the way Murray had reacted, MagiKal would have a hard time convincing him he was being serious about it.
It was odd to perform without a hiccup forcing him to. But he had something different in mind anyway. Instead of illusions he wanted to create something lasting, something the kids at the school sorely needed.
His stage was set between four large trees that surrounded a badly damaged playground which was too dangerous for the kids to use. MagiKal had hung up two ropes holding large curtains, a black one in the back and two red ones, each lining one side of the stage.
He’d rescued them from an old theater about to be demolished. It had been his first story for the Daily Planet. This wasn’t quite the way he’d thought he would use them, but they sure gave his makeshift stage some elegance. In the background, he’d piled up some materials, carefully hidden under a large blue cloth that was covered in stars.
The audience cheered as MagiKal stepped out of the shadow of the trees and into the limelight. He took a deep breath, not quite sure what to say or what to do with his arms. Usually, he just went with the flow of what his powers demanded of him. But the tingling sensation his nerves sent through his belly was nothing like the tingle in his neck that announced a hiccup.
“Thank you all for coming.” He felt the racing beat of his heart hammering in his chest and throat. “Today’s performance will be a bit different. Just give me a moment to prepare.”
He smiled at his audience, then went toward the curtains and pulled at them until they hid the playground.
Once he was out of sight, MagiKal went to work. At superspeed he dug out the old monkey bars and the frame of the swing. Then he used his heat vision and strength to melt the old bars and form new ones adding some steel he’d brought from the junkyard. He anchored the new framework with cement, speeding up the hardening with a bit of his super breath. Next, he formed a slate and carved wood into planks, using them to built a treehouse and a bridge.
Working with his hands felt so good. He loved building something meaningful. Within a few minutes, MagiKal did the work of days.
On the other side of the curtains the audience was getting agitated because nothing seemed to happen. Smiling to himself MagiKal finished his work and gave it a once-over. Looking upon the new playground filled his heart with pride.
Now that the true magic had been done, he needed a distraction. MagiKal grabbed a few cones and stepped through the curtain. The audience cheered again as he began his usual performance of juggling burning cones and walking on air.
It didn't take long until he heard the hushed whispers of people wondering what was supposed to be different about this show. For a few more minutes he let them wonder. His gaze drifted to Lois who was scratching Houdini’s head.
A frown creased her forehead. “I wonder what he’s up to."
MagiKal answered her whispered question by directing two beams of heat vision at the rope that held the front curtains. They fell down, revealing the new playground complete with a long slate, a treehouse, new monkey bars and a tire swing.
A collective gasp went through the audience, before they started to applaud. MagiKal took a bow, before he did his trademark somersault and shot up into the sky.
***
The crowd was still applauding, when Clark approached Lois from behind. “Did I miss something?”
“Only the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen." She turned to him and gave his chest a playful slap.
Her smile was mesmerizing.
"Well done," she mouthed.
Clark grinned and for an agonizing moment he was sorely tempted to lean in and place a kiss on her cheek. Houdini kept him from making that mistake. He jumped up and placed his paws on Clark’s chest to lick his face. Clark had little luck fending him off and received a few sloppy dog kisses on his neck, while he stroked Houdini behind his ears.
"Missed you too, buddy," he whispered into the dog's ear.
Aymee came running from the other side of the now slowly dissipating crowd, her sister Inez hot on her heels. Both girls waved at Lois and Clark.
“Oh my gosh,” Aymee squealed happily. “Did you see this? He let a playground appear out of nothing."
"Not just some playground," Inez chimed in. "It's the best I’ve ever seen."
Aymee beamed, hugging her sister. "I still can’t believe you two made him perform for us.”
“We didn’t make him perform,” Clark corrected her gently. “We told him about you and he offered.”
Aymee’s gaze drifted toward Houdini, who had calmed down enough to stand on his own four paws again. “No wonder this dog loves you so much. For a grown-up you’re pretty cool, Mr. Kent. You too, Ms. Lane. Thank you both so much.”
"Can I pet him?" Inez asked. "Oh please, Mr. Kent."
Clark winked at her. "You should ask him that. But I doubt Houdini will have any objections."
Inez jumped up and down a few times before she turned to the Irish Setter who was eager to be at the receiving end of Inez' affection.
“We need to thank
you, Aymee,” Clark said sincerely. “Without your help we wouldn’t have found out about Mentamide 5 and the even more dangerous Mentamide 6. We wouldn’t have been able to stop Prof. Carlton.”
He gave Aymee’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. Before he knew what was happening, the girl threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
His heart swelled as if wanting to burst from his chest. It felt so incredible to be a part of something again. For so long, his powers had nothing but scared him. It was a relief to see they could serve a purpose other than destruction. That was well worth the fallout he would have to face, wasn't it?
"Ms. Lane, Mr. Kent?" A female voice said. It was Mrs. Powell, the school's director.
She smiled at Lois and Clark, patiently waiting until Aymee let go of him. The girl turned her attention to Houdini, joining her sister in fondling the dog. The setter turned on his back and offered the girls his belly.
"Thank you so much for everything." Mrs. Powell blinked and wiped away a tear. "Thank you for bringing the kids back safely. And this…" She pointed at the new playground. "I can't express what MagiKal's presence meant for these children, let alone what he did for them."
Lois gave the director a warm smile. "We're glad we could help."
"MagiKal said the cement would need a few more days to harden completely," Clark added. "He's going to be back with sand after that to finish what he started. The children can use the playground once the authorities have checked it for safety."
Mrs Powell nodded. "Please let him know how grateful we're for his gift."
Clark had a huge lump in his throat. But Lois seemed to sense how overwhelmed he was and laid her arm around his shoulder.
"We'll make sure he knows," Lois promised. "We should be on our way now to make the deadline for tomorrow's edition."
Mrs. Powell beamed at them. "Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Mr. Kent, Ms. Lane." Aymee stopped stroking Houdini and got up. "Will you come to visit us when the playground is ready?"
"We will," Clark murmured thickly. "Goodbye, Aymee."
"Don't forget to bring Houdini," Aymee winked at him.
Clark grinned."I wouldn't come without him." He let out a soft whistle and the setter raised his head. "Come on, boy. We've got to get going."
With one last wistful look at his petting team, Houdini followed Lois and Clark as they left. They waved their goodbyes and Clark felt a surge of emotion wash over him that left him slightly dazed. He'd missed this so much, he was grateful but also scared.
He felt Lois link arms with him, steering him away from the school.
"Come on, you big softie," she teased. "I'll never understand why you think anyone could consider you dangerous. Did you see the faces of those kids?"
"I did." Clark heaved a sigh. "It was incredible."
His heart constricted in his chest because he knew he would never have anything but fleeting moments of this. It probably wouldn't be long now until his powers turned against him. Clark had recognized the pattern. The more emotional he got, the worse it became.
"Why did you lie about the deadline?" he asked softly.
Lois patted his arm. "I saw how close you came to falling apart there. It's killing you inside to always stay away from it all. Why are you doing that to yourself?"
Before he had a chance to reply, he heard the low growl from deep within Houdini's throat. He felt him tug at his sleeve and the prickling sensation already ran up his spine, firmly settling in his neck.
He wanted to excuse himself and run, but his powers were quicker. This time it was his vision going crazy. His eyes lost their focus and rapidly switched between microscopic vision, x-ray vision and telescopic vision until Clark was lost in a strong wave of dizziness.
Nausea rose in his stomach. He tried to find a wall to steady himself, but picked the wrong side and almost fell. He squeezed his eyes shut. That brought some relief, though it didn't change his current situation much.
He felt Lois’ hand on his shoulder. "Clark, what's going on?"
"Dizzy," he muttered. "Can't see much of anything."
"Can't you open your eyes?" Lois asked softly.
He shook his head. "If I do that, I think I'll throw up. And I really rather not."
Houdini's tongue licked his hands. Clark ran his hand through his soft fur and wished he could use the dog's heartbeat to pull through this hiccup. But it didn't work like that.
"How can I help?" Lois asked, worried.
"Guide me home," Clark pleaded. He knelt down beside his dog, and ran his hands through Houdini’s fur. "I’m sorry, my friend. I know you hate this, but we won’t be able to walk. It’s too far. We can't use the subway, either.”
The setter let out a soft whimper, but then licked Clark’s hands as if to give his tacit agreement. Clark stroked him behind his ear, before he got up again. He wasn’t sure this was a good idea, but he knew that right now, he wouldn’t be able to get anywhere safely on his own. He couldn’t stay here either. Too many people were likely to witness this hiccup.
Sighing softly, he felt for Lois’ hand. “Let's just hope this won't get worse."
Lois gasped. "How could this get worse?"
Clark linked arms with her and let out a soft whistle, telling Houdini he was ready. "Plenty of ways, I'm afraid. Plenty of ways.”
