Captain Comet

Nathan was a sharp-eyed child and his keen eyes allowed him to see the greatest of details no matter how big or how small. Capable of counting marching ants on an ant hill or viewing the moonlit craters in the night, Nathan considered this his one superpower.

“If only I could use my power to save mom and dad,” he prayed as his parents continued to argue in the house. With no other options, he settled for blasting his rock music to drown out their commotion.

He never knew what they were always fighting about, and the more they argued, the more signs of a divorce were imminent. His parents fighting were even starting to invade Nathan’s dreams. As the arguments became continuous, his dad spent more time away from home, worrying Nathan if his dreams were going to come true. Every time Nathan looked for answers about his father’s whereabouts, his dad would tell him,

“I have to go, the office has been really busy lately,” while his mother would say to her son, “Sweetie, your dad’s been working very hard, you’ll understand one day when you’re older.”

Despite his parents trying to steer away his doubts, Nathan was losing his patience and growing resentment towards his dad. Soon Nathan started to look for another father figure in the form of his current role model.

Captain Comet was his name and no, he is not a cartoon figure or a famous astronaut with a catchy nickname. In Nathan’s world, Captain Comet is Earth’s mightiest defender from nefarious criminals and natural disasters. Some say he’s an alien from another planet, others say he used to be another “normie” who by chance got struck by a radioactive meteorite. No matter how mysterious his origin came to be, and gifted with the powers of super strength, speed, flight and firing cosmic beams from his hands, everyone trusted and admired him, especially Nathan.

During the middle of one night, Nathan woke up from another nightmare about his parents splitting up. With his dad, again nowhere in sight, he decided to meet Captain Comet to boldly ask him to train as his sidekick, since he figured someone as a great protector like a superhero would be a better fit for a father. Now no one in Ohio has ever seen Captain Comet in person so Nathan didn’t know where to search first, but he was filled with confidence that his ambitious plan would work due to a rumor about Comet’s ability to hear the outcries for help.

Once he got dressed and crept his way out the front door, Nathan got on his bike and darted straight to the town’s infamous abandoned factory. Upon his arrival, he gathered enough courage to explore inside the dark twenty-storied building and climbed cautiously every step of the decaying stairwell to the roof. The rooftop, he believed was the perfect secret place for super recruitment. After an exhausting climb, Nathan made it to the outside on the roof and preceded to shout for six times,

“HELP, I’M IN DANGER!” Nobody answered.

Fifthteen minutes had passed and growing desperate, Nathan walked and stood on the very edge of the building and started to scream even louder,

“I’M ABOUT TO FALL, COME GET ME!” He cried out louder and louder but still Captain Comet didn’t show up.

Nathan felt alone and foolish. With his eager plan failed, he decided to return home but just when he was about to step off the ledge, it collapsed, causing Nathan to fall and in real danger. Through all his might he yelled with a ferocious roar,

“SOMEBODY SAVE ME! CAPTAIN COMET!”

And just as he was approaching closer to the ground, the presence of barreling wind swept Nathan off and away before he could make impact. When Nathan was able to collect himself, he could now recognize the arms that were carrying him; the arms of Captain Comet. Nathan was speechless, he wanted to say right there,

“Captain Comet, thanks for saving me. If you train me to be Comet boy you won’t regret it.”

However, no word was able to escape from his mouth. And before he knew it, Nathan gently landed in front of his house.

“You shouldn’t be out here this late, it’s way passed your bedtime,” said the superhero with parental authority.

“I just wanted to see you, my dad hasn’t been around and I’m afraid he’s going to leave for good.”

Tears began to emerge from Nathan’s eyes and Captain Comet, with a moved expression on his face, wrapped his arms around Nathan for a comforting hug.

“No matter how far we are from each other, I’ll always be around for you.”

The warm promising words of Captain Comet sank in Nathan’s heart. Just as the Captain vanished into the air, Nathan’s mother stepped outside and ordered him back to his room. Just as his mother tucked him in, he softly asked her,

“When is dad coming back from work?” Nathan was expecting the usual answer but tonight she answered,

“Your father and I need to talk to you in the morning. Things are about to change but everything is going to be ok.” She kissed him goodnight and exited his room.

He began to fear the worst at first, just when another thought overwhelmed his mind. Nathan’s fears and doubts lifted as he became puzzled about something; a major detail he hadn’t noticed till now:

“How did Captain Comet know where I lived?” He thought.

Suddenly, a bright smile of hope loomed across his face. And Nathan was able to fall asleep, never having those kinds of nightmares again.

THE END.

The above bedtime story is an original story I came up with as a way to cope with my parent's divorce when I was 9 years old. I learned overtime just because my parents fell out of love with each other, doesn't mean they stopped loving my brother and I. Through this story, I hope this prompts other children to explore their creativity and imagination to use their hurt, downfalls and victories to encourage others and to teach them and help them recognize who their heroes and role models are. I hope one day to share this story to my own children as a way for them to, not just learn about my childhood, but to show them that just because things don't always turn out the way we want it, means it's the end of the world.