Chapter 2
Joe cleared the crossbeam, falling horribly to the ground with a sickening thud. Andrew and I dropped the swings and kneeled beside him, who had most definitely had the wind knocked out of him.
“Don’t try this at home, kids,” Said Joe, winded and dazed.
“Are you alright man?” I asked. I would have settled for a movement of his feet, just to make sure he was really all right.
“Yeah,” he said, groaning as he began to get up. Andrew and I picked leaves off him as he rose.
“That really looked horrific,” I said. “You sure you’re all right?”
“Yeah,” he said, “I’m fine. I mean hell, you’re asking more questions then Andrew is.”
“Okay, if you’re going to make fun of me, then I’ll take it you’re fine.” He smiled.
“Was it fun?” Andrew asked.
“As a matter of fact, it was. It really was. There was growing tension of whether or not anything would happen, and then the fall was pretty funny.”
“So…” I began, “do you feel any more inside-out then when you began?”
“You’re funny, Chuck.”
“Alright,” Andre said, “it’s my turn.”
“What?!” I asked, shocked.
“I want to try.”
“You sure you want to do that? Yuou saw how horrific it looked when Joe fell, and no offense, you’re a bigger kid than Joe. And the saying goes…”
“Yes, do,” replied Andrew.
“I’m not kidding man,” added Joe, “the landing’s going to hurt a bit.”
“We’ve had worse crashes on the railings on the stairs in school. I want to do this.” He ran hopped on the swing Joe had just ‘gotten off of’ like a little kid. “Can someone push me to get me started?”
“Sure, said Joe, finishing dusting himself off.”
“Make sure it’s a great big push,” Andrew said. “I want this thing flying.”
“Alright, but you’d better not show me up on this. Chuck’ll make fun of me.” He turned and broek a smirk at me.
I returned a smile. “No offense, Andrew, but I think if Joe can’t, you can’t either. I’m going to side with Joe on this one.”
“Fine, I’ll show you both then.’ Andrew was getting pumped. “Come on Joe, do it up.”
Joe cracked his neck, and then his knuckles, as he were going up toi bat in the bottom half of the ninth inning. “Ready, Andy?”
“Hell yeah!”
Joe placed both his hands on Andrew’s back, moved back a step, and then threw his weight into it. I stood there with my jaw down to my knees. The swing looked like a rag doll on a string, and wound around the crossbeam three times, until Andrew and his yell for help went flying forward head first in the air. Except he kept going. He went straight over the fence on the far side of the playground, and then made a u-turn back towards us. He came back and stopped directly on the other side of the crossbeam, looking down at us.
“Thanks for the push, Joe!” yelled Andrew.
“Hey Andrew,” I said, some what sensibly. “Do you mind coming down and telling us what the hell just happened?”
“Huh?” he said.
Joe pointed. “You’re in the air, buddy.”
“Holy crap!” cried Andrew. “How do I do that?!”
“Stop doing whatever you’re doing.” I figured that was the rational thing to say, regarding this completely irrational situation.
Joe started laughing. “Some people get stuck on trees. Others get stuck on towers or on buildings. Andrew gets stuck in mid-air. I began laughing, too.
“It’s not funny guys,” he said. “I’m really confused.”
“Well, you just flew that way and went in half a circle. What did you do to do that?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Andrew replied.
“You must have done something,” I said. It couldn’t have just happened.”
“I don’t know about that, Chuck,” answered Joe. “The whole swing thing kind of just happened.”
I put my hand to my forehead. How was I to respond to that? I mean, here was Andrew, who I thought was a pretty down to earth kid, floating ten feet or so in the air.
“I’m going to go figure this out,” answered Andrew, as he began to drift at an angle, and then started doing other maneuvers.
“Joe?” I called.
“Yeah,” Joe replied.
I had completely forgot that Joe was the one that pushed Andrew, who was most definitely heavier then Joe, around the swing set three times. “How the hell did you manage to push Andrew around the swing-set three times?!”
“Ummm..”
“I think you got really powerful,” I reasoned. “If Andrew can fly, then you have superhuman strength.”
He gave me an empty look. “Are you calling me weak?”
“No,” I justified, “I’m calling you wicked strong.”
“Oh,” he said and then paused for a moment. “Give me a hug, buddy.”
“Umm, hold on, Joe.” I handed him a pebble from the gorund. “Do me a favor and throw this for me.”
“Okay” I dropped it in his hand, and then gripped it and launched it. I saw it leave my visability rather quickly, as if had been shot out of a gun.
“Well, I doubt we’ll be seeing that again, Joe.”
“I think you’re right.” He flexed. “I don’t feel any stronger, but that pebble is gone, just as Andrew was when I pushed him.” He thought a moment. “So what are you waiting for, man. Get on the swing and get your superpower.”
“I don’t think I want one. I like being normal.” I looked at him, and I thought about what I had just said. “I didn’t mean it like that Joe, I mean I don’t want to be different.”
“I know how you meant it.”
“Do you really?”
“Yeah, I do. Now get on the swing.”
I sighed.
“Look Chuck. We’re a team. You, Andrew, and I. We’re the three musketeers. It’s all or nothing. And besides, I’m going to need you to help me take care of Andy. Think about it. Andy in air is twice as dangerous as Andy on land. Please?”
Just as I began to think, I heard a thud and looked at where it came from. Andrew had just flown into the slide, and was laying in the leaves.
Joe looked me after looking at Andrew. “We need you, man. You’re the leader.”
I walked around the swing and sat down. “You going give me a push?”
I figure this a good place to stop. Questions, comments, concerns, you know what to do. Good night all.
“Don’t try this at home, kids,” Said Joe, winded and dazed.
“Are you alright man?” I asked. I would have settled for a movement of his feet, just to make sure he was really all right.
“Yeah,” he said, groaning as he began to get up. Andrew and I picked leaves off him as he rose.
“That really looked horrific,” I said. “You sure you’re all right?”
“Yeah,” he said, “I’m fine. I mean hell, you’re asking more questions then Andrew is.”
“Okay, if you’re going to make fun of me, then I’ll take it you’re fine.” He smiled.
“Was it fun?” Andrew asked.
“As a matter of fact, it was. It really was. There was growing tension of whether or not anything would happen, and then the fall was pretty funny.”
“So…” I began, “do you feel any more inside-out then when you began?”
“You’re funny, Chuck.”
“Alright,” Andre said, “it’s my turn.”
“What?!” I asked, shocked.
“I want to try.”
“You sure you want to do that? Yuou saw how horrific it looked when Joe fell, and no offense, you’re a bigger kid than Joe. And the saying goes…”
“Yes, do,” replied Andrew.
“I’m not kidding man,” added Joe, “the landing’s going to hurt a bit.”
“We’ve had worse crashes on the railings on the stairs in school. I want to do this.” He ran hopped on the swing Joe had just ‘gotten off of’ like a little kid. “Can someone push me to get me started?”
“Sure, said Joe, finishing dusting himself off.”
“Make sure it’s a great big push,” Andrew said. “I want this thing flying.”
“Alright, but you’d better not show me up on this. Chuck’ll make fun of me.” He turned and broek a smirk at me.
I returned a smile. “No offense, Andrew, but I think if Joe can’t, you can’t either. I’m going to side with Joe on this one.”
“Fine, I’ll show you both then.’ Andrew was getting pumped. “Come on Joe, do it up.”
Joe cracked his neck, and then his knuckles, as he were going up toi bat in the bottom half of the ninth inning. “Ready, Andy?”
“Hell yeah!”
Joe placed both his hands on Andrew’s back, moved back a step, and then threw his weight into it. I stood there with my jaw down to my knees. The swing looked like a rag doll on a string, and wound around the crossbeam three times, until Andrew and his yell for help went flying forward head first in the air. Except he kept going. He went straight over the fence on the far side of the playground, and then made a u-turn back towards us. He came back and stopped directly on the other side of the crossbeam, looking down at us.
“Thanks for the push, Joe!” yelled Andrew.
“Hey Andrew,” I said, some what sensibly. “Do you mind coming down and telling us what the hell just happened?”
“Huh?” he said.
Joe pointed. “You’re in the air, buddy.”
“Holy crap!” cried Andrew. “How do I do that?!”
“Stop doing whatever you’re doing.” I figured that was the rational thing to say, regarding this completely irrational situation.
Joe started laughing. “Some people get stuck on trees. Others get stuck on towers or on buildings. Andrew gets stuck in mid-air. I began laughing, too.
“It’s not funny guys,” he said. “I’m really confused.”
“Well, you just flew that way and went in half a circle. What did you do to do that?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Andrew replied.
“You must have done something,” I said. It couldn’t have just happened.”
“I don’t know about that, Chuck,” answered Joe. “The whole swing thing kind of just happened.”
I put my hand to my forehead. How was I to respond to that? I mean, here was Andrew, who I thought was a pretty down to earth kid, floating ten feet or so in the air.
“I’m going to go figure this out,” answered Andrew, as he began to drift at an angle, and then started doing other maneuvers.
“Joe?” I called.
“Yeah,” Joe replied.
I had completely forgot that Joe was the one that pushed Andrew, who was most definitely heavier then Joe, around the swing set three times. “How the hell did you manage to push Andrew around the swing-set three times?!”
“Ummm..”
“I think you got really powerful,” I reasoned. “If Andrew can fly, then you have superhuman strength.”
He gave me an empty look. “Are you calling me weak?”
“No,” I justified, “I’m calling you wicked strong.”
“Oh,” he said and then paused for a moment. “Give me a hug, buddy.”
“Umm, hold on, Joe.” I handed him a pebble from the gorund. “Do me a favor and throw this for me.”
“Okay” I dropped it in his hand, and then gripped it and launched it. I saw it leave my visability rather quickly, as if had been shot out of a gun.
“Well, I doubt we’ll be seeing that again, Joe.”
“I think you’re right.” He flexed. “I don’t feel any stronger, but that pebble is gone, just as Andrew was when I pushed him.” He thought a moment. “So what are you waiting for, man. Get on the swing and get your superpower.”
“I don’t think I want one. I like being normal.” I looked at him, and I thought about what I had just said. “I didn’t mean it like that Joe, I mean I don’t want to be different.”
“I know how you meant it.”
“Do you really?”
“Yeah, I do. Now get on the swing.”
I sighed.
“Look Chuck. We’re a team. You, Andrew, and I. We’re the three musketeers. It’s all or nothing. And besides, I’m going to need you to help me take care of Andy. Think about it. Andy in air is twice as dangerous as Andy on land. Please?”
Just as I began to think, I heard a thud and looked at where it came from. Andrew had just flown into the slide, and was laying in the leaves.
Joe looked me after looking at Andrew. “We need you, man. You’re the leader.”
I walked around the swing and sat down. “You going give me a push?”
I figure this a good place to stop. Questions, comments, concerns, you know what to do. Good night all.