Erik

“Erik!”

“You called, chief” Erik replied as he walked through the large wooden double doors into a conference room. A large wooden oval desk sat in the middle of the room and ringed with empty seats save one. He walked in wearing a tuxedo and stood at the other end of the table.

“Mr. Raymond, prompt as ever,” a man wearing a gray suit and sporting an eyepatch said at the far end of the room. He swiveled his chair around to face Erik. “We need you for a mission of great importance.”

“That’s the kind I like, chief,” Erik replied with a smile. “So what’s the mission?”

The chief crouched down near his seat and lifted up a box wrapped in brown paper. The box made no noticeable sound as he placed it on the table. Erik walked closer and from all appearances it was a regular package.

“What’s in it, chief?”

“That is need to know, Agent Raymond. At this moment the only thing you need to know is that fate if the Free World rests in your hands quite literally. Everything depends on you giving this package a safe delivery at the rendezvous point.”

“”Of course, chief,” Erik replied with a short military salute. “Where are we going and who am I delivering it too?”

The Chief sat further back in his seat. “You will deliver this to a female agent in Timbuktu. She will be waiting for you in an abandoned church there.”

“Female?

“Steady on, Agent Raymond. I suggest you keep your mind on the job. Treat this agent as you would your mother.”

“My mom…mom,” Erik felt odd at the mention, but quickly composed himself and said, “No problem, chief. When do I leave?”

“Now,” the chief replied.

In moments, Erik found himself with the brown package in hand onboard of a loud World War II styled airplane. He sat down buckled on the seat of the plane when a man approached him from the front of the plane wearing aviator goggles and carrying another pair in his hand. He sat next to Erik and had to shout to his ear over the loud drumming of the plane’s engines.

“Here,” the man said as he handed the second pair of goggles to Erik. “You’ll need to put these on. We’re almost over the drop point. Time to drop you off sir.”

Erik unbuckled himself from the seat and put in the goggles he was given. He stood up and the man came up behind him and placed a parachute pack on him. He checked himself over and gave the man a thumbs up that he was ready. The man gave him the brown paper package and smiled with a thumbs up. Then he went over to the door of the plane and opened it. A rush of air swirled within the cabin. Erik walked over to the door and looked out over the night sky. A full moon hung high in the sky accompanied by a few wispy clouds giving it an almost magical appearance.

Just as Erik was about to jump he heard a voice say, “Erik? Erik!”

Erik turned around and he was no longer getting ready to jump out of a plane. He was on the ground, a rooftop of a building he surmised. It was still nighttime and a large full moon hung over him in the sky. He was no longer wearing a tuxedo but a gray business suit.

“Help! Help me,” a woman shrieked in the distance.

Erik turned quickly in the direction of the screams. His eyes looked over the various rooftops with vision sharper than an eagle’s. There on a rooftop about 5 blocks away from him was a young woman wrestling with a man that appeared to be attacking her.

“She needs help,” Erik said.

Erik quickly ripped off his suit revealing a red and blue superhero costume. Then he jumped into the air and flew towards the screaming woman. As he approached, the woman falls over along with the package she was holding. With great speed Erik catches the young woman in one hand and her package in the other and gently touches down.

“Oh thank you, Captain Hero!”

Erik smiled and began to blush as he said, “It was nothing, ma’am. “

“Erik, didn’t you hear me call you,” a woman’s voice called behind him. Erik turned around and he was no longer the tall muscular superhero in the flowing cape. He was an 8 year old boy wearing a striped shirt and dirty jeans. He was standing on a chair when a tall young woman walked in to the room he was in. She beamed a smile at Erik and said, “There you are, you rascal. I turn my back for a few minutes and you already found your birthday gift. Did you open it?”

“No momma,” Erik said as he presented the brown paper box to her. “See it’s just as you left it.”

“Just not where I left it,” Erik’s mother added. “Now get down from the chair, there’s a party waiting for you.”

“Yay!”Erik cheered as he leapt down and hugged his mother. “Thanks, momma!”

“By the way, what were you doing with the box before I walked in?”

“Just using my imagination. Just like you said.”

“Okay, what were you this time?”

“I was a spy like in that old movie you showed me. I was going to jump out of an airplane and everything. Then I thought I’d rather be a superhero like in my comic books. I was flying around and saving the girl and everything.”

“A girl? Was she pretty?”

Erik thought for a moment before replying, “Not as pretty as you.”

“Good answer,” Erik’s mother said as she kissed him on the cheek.