Smallville: The Reunion!

Smallville: The Reunion!

Once upon a time in a Castle Far, Far, away, was a young boy growing up to be a man whose world would be changed by the love and life of 2 very important people to him and THIS is that story!

Kent England was beautiful country, rolling hills, green, green grass; showered with glorious architecture everywhere! Life in the castle known as LEEDS where Young master Kent was growing up looked well on the outside, he had everything castle life had to offer, the finest clothes, the finest food, and staff to pamper his every request! But on this day his father had arranged plans to take his son for a drive into London to teach him about his world of business, for it was his hope and dream that his young son would grow up to one day take his place at the head of his work and family business.

Johnathan’s father

“The car is waiting for us outside, are you ready? Today is a big day for us as father & son; are you excited to see what I do that affords us the privileged life we have?”

Johnathan

“Yes sir, I guess so sir!” sort of shrugging his shoulders as he walks in his father’s direction, who is now holding the door open for the 2 of them to leave. He did have to admit he does like those drives through the countryside and the different villages, the young boy scurried quickly to the car with an open door and climbed in, his father followed seconds after and the door was closed behind them as they settled into their seats! Looking over at his son he says…

Johnathan’s father

“I am taking you somewhere you’ve never been today to show you another side of life that you are now old enough to see, 10 years old is quite an impressionable age and as your father I want you to be given the right views of what life when you’re an adult in the fast paced, ever changing world that surrounds us is like!”

Johnathan

“O.k. but I have been into the city before, father.”

Johnathan’s father

“Well you’ve never been where we are going today! We’re settled in driver anytime you’re ready Baxter we can go!”

Baxter

“Right then sir, here we go!” Baxter pulls away from Leeds Castle and drives around the fountain in the driveway and down a very-long road ahead of them; it was indeed a breath-taking site. Baxter appreciated the ability to drive in and out of there on a regular basis as part of his life’s working routine, how fortunate he knew he was!

Johnathan settled in for the drive into London which was more than an hour away, he quickly started looking out the window to study the vast, rich, but yet mundane countryside sighing, it was always the same, the rituals of life at the Castle, everything so predictable!

There might be some convenience to having access to anything you want and being waited on hand and foot but Johnathan understood it to be unwieldy or cumbersome rather, life for him anyway wasn’t so productive. He always had these dreams to one day break away, be free of his family’s way of life and etch out on an adventures of his own. This is where his depression kicked in, understanding he has many, many years to go before he will reach that day of freedom in his life! Aware of what his father wants for him; he doesn’t dare try and talk to him about his different visions and viewpoints on things! But Johnathan understood that one day he would be old enough to make his own choices in life, till then all he could do is bide his time following his parent’s instructions.

The car finally stopped outside this big building with beautiful beams and lots of steps to climb, Looking at his father he said,

Johnathan

“What is this place father?”

Johnathan’s father

“This is a Bank my boy, it holds money for people, this is just 1 of our stops for the day!” The door opened and his father climbed out and turned back and jested for his son to follow.

Once outside the car and standing on the sidewalk the young boy immediately noticed something very sad and rather out of place considering where they were standing. There was this man very wrinkly looking from the thinness of his body, his clothes were very old and raggedy he had some bags that were sitting beside him on the steps and a really scruffy looking dirty dog with the cutest face Johnathan ever saw (he didn’t get to see dogs close up that often) his mother was allergic to everything so animals were not allowed at any of the family castles. There was this smell coming from the man & the dog that was unfamiliar to him and rather unpleasant, not something he wished to encounter too often in his life. He looks up at his father and say’s…

Johnathan

“Who’s that father?”

Johnathan’s father turned to look at what his son was looking at and turned back to his son and said, “Oh that’s just a bum my son, vagabond as it were.”

Johnathan

“What’s that? A Vega-bond, a bum? Johnathan never in his entire life had seen the likes of a person or a pet so out of sorts and bad off, that he was confused and very saddened by what he saw, and right away he started to feel sympathy and compassion for this man and his dog. He could see they needed love and a hand up in the world so looking back up at his father he said…

Johnathan

“Why don’t we help him? He clearly needs new shoes and some clothes and a jacket since the cooler weather is now here and they could both probably use some food, I can’t imagine how hungry they are? I’ve never had to go without food!”

Johnathan’s father

“And you never will my son, come on lets’ go, we haven’t the time to spare to talk about this man and his circumstances anymore. I can’t be responsible for all the poor in the world, I’m sure he will be alright, London offers lots of resources for those kinds of people, and I’m sure he knows where every single place is!” He grabbed Johnathan by the hand and began to walk up the stairs toward the BIG COLD LOOKING BANK DOORS!

Confused by his father’s reaction, he was disappointed and couldn’t help but continue to look back at the poor man and his dog as they were walking away, he wanted so desperately to help them. This life changing experience helped him he NEW NOW right then and there that he didn’t want to grow up to be his father or his rich, friends and business associates!

It was then that Johnathan remembered something, earlier that day while getting ready for the trip to London he went to his piggy bank and took some money out for shopping, so wasting no further time as his father pulled them further and further away from the poor man, he took his free hand and reached into his right pocket and shuffled through the big British coins that were in there; with his hand gripped tight on what he was sure was the right coin he pulled it out of his pocket and looked at it.

Smiling at the shiny big 2 dollar coin in his hand he rubbed his thumb over it quickly, then turned to look over his left shoulder to see how far away the man and his dog were, once analyzing the distance and the strength of the throw he’d need he wound his arm up like a man giving a pitch in a baseball game… 1,2,3 with his arm straight up and hand in the right direction he let the coin go with a great toss and held his breath while he watched it fly away. When it landed he could hear a light PING sound of the coin hitting the ground just a few feet away from the man and his dog. The dog barked as though he understood and was saying thank-you! Johnathan thought to himself (“dogs speak human?”) He shook his head clear and then came a 2nd bark as the poor man got up with a smile on his face after hearing the coin and walked in the direction of its sound! Once he picked it up he looked at the boy looking at him and waved back mouthing the words Thank-you, and then the dog stood up next to his owner and started wagging his tail and barked for a 3rd time!

Johnathan’s father to busy focusing on the climb up all those big stairs, turned to look at his son with a jerk and said,

Johnathan’s father

“What was that? What did you just do?” Johnathan was quick to turn to his dad and say…

Johnathan

“Nothing!”

By the time Johnathan’s dad turned around to look at the poor man with the dog, he saw that they had walked away! Inside Johnathan’s head was a boy convinced that there must be a HIGHER POWER or some other source of life out in the Universe somewhere that caused the dog to bark as though he understood what money and Johnathan’s gesture meant? The feeling of pride and joy that swelled up inside Johnathan as his father continued to drag him forward inside the big British bank was so elating, and wonderful he actually felt for a moment like he was walking on clouds.

THIS FEELING he thought to himself with a release of a deep satisfying breath and smile on his face is one that he decided he wants to know for the rest of his life, so on that day he made the vow that he would do what he had to, to find that place in his life which would allow him to feel these kinds of moments of joy again and again, making him the man he was (still to young) to understand that he longed to be, but was sure one day he’d grow to be!

That's' the journey that now leads us to the 21st century and a beautiful country home in a small town simply known as Smallville!

~The Stranger!~

Finding that cigarette butt is like a needle in a haystack! Shaking his head Lex drives to the plant answering the call to investigate whether or not what’s brought him there is an accident or Arson?

She ‘The Stranger’ drives with one hand on the wheel going to fast down the dirt road; without thought her left knee takes the wheel and starts to steer as the flask of whiskey in her right hand raises to her mouth; before reaching her lips her left hand pulls out the dangling cigarette and throws it out the window. The cigarette butt hits the ditch on the other side of the road, the ash still hot picks up some of the brittle dry straw and it starts to burn, leaving lipstick on the filter as the only source of evidence that can later be used to I.D. ‘The Stranger’ she continues driving for some time down the road, Right - through town without a care about the car driving her way in the opposite direction; driving drunk, chaotic and crazy ‘they’ whiz by one another.

For finding speed attractive, the Camaro raised his eyebrow. No time to turn around as he glanced out of his mirror to try and land her plate number! With no success he focused his eyes back on driving!

“Always under cover” She says, out of breath, slamming on the breaks landing on a dead-end road in Smallville!

The fire spread quickly, much of the field around the surrounding area was lost in burnt umber, for what was left of the value never sold. It was too late to change the damage done; as he walked amongst the debris. A farmer`s gold is his crop, it's what defines him. Though this field was never a farmer`s he still felt the quiet loss of what losing a farmer`s dream feels like!

* * * * *

On the Phone later after that fateful day!

Lex

“What do you mean the investigators believe there is no foul play? Then how might they explain this happened? There hasn’t been a fire of this kind like this since I was a kid so don’t tell me it was the sun and the course of nature that did it!”

Person on other end of phone….

“Actually Lex they did find something that explains it but they were afraid to tell you for themselves for fear of your reaction.”

Lex

“Well what is it, don’t leave me hanging what did they find?”

Person on other end of phone…

“They found a cigarette butt Lex and it has a woman’s lipstick on it so whoever was smoking it was a girl they know that much! But they do not suspect foul play! That is all sir!

Lex

“What do you mean that is all, what am I supposed to do with this burnt field? Do cigarette fires fall under my insurance policy as something they cover? I better get to work figuring that out! And you find out who that cigarette belonged to”

Person on other end

“Well that might be slightly expensive Lex are you sure that’s what you want?”

Lex

“Yes of course I’m sure, why would you ask a Luthor such a ridiculous question? Spare no expense I have a few words in mind, I would like to exchange with this mysterious lady about her careless smoking and I mean to have that conversation with her!”

Person on phone

“Ok Lex whatever you say, I’ll be in touch with you as soon as I know more!”

Lex slammed down the phone and screamed at the top of his lungs while sitting there alone in his office!

Lex

“A CIGARETTE BUTT!!!!” That said, he took a couple shots of very expensive rye in an attempt to lower his blood pressure, while holding his glass he noticed something flashing on the computer screen in front of him. He leaned forward and looked carefully at what it was, an ad about Benson corn mazes & the largest corn maze in the world… he clicked on the ad which lead to a website where he saw picture after picture of corn mazes, the 1 for the McDonald`s restaurant was the biggest ever made.

He whistled at the thought of what it took to make it, and then immediately wondered how much it would cost to have something fun & edible produced with his field? In this way he could then call himself a farmer and know the reward of this kind of hard work. No harm could come from him being a corn farmer for 1 summer of his life he gathered!

Lex

“Yes, I think this would be fun, Smallville has never had one and it will also be around the time of the town fair so which will attract a lot of visitors! This might just be the answer to all my problems!”

Lex sat back with his glass drinking another shot, maybe the field burning down isn’t the end of things, there is something good that may yet still come of it!

* * * * *

~The Re-Union Begins!~

Clark

“Yes Mother I PROMISE! I will be there for 5 O’clock, right on time for when I said I`d arrive. You know how much I love your cooking and I’m looking forward to seeing you and the farm again also!

Clark’s Mother!

Yes, Clark it certainly has been too long, but I guess that’s what Reunions are for to help us stop what we’re doing, slow down and think about what is REAL who and what we’re missing and to find the time to deal with what is important, like helping your Mother on the farm during the harvest season! (laughter) O.k. you should get back to concentrating on the road, I wouldn’t want there to be an accident and you sure don’t want a ticket, they fine people a lot of money nowadays for doing this!”

Clark

“Yes, that’s true the government sure does know where to stick it to people! O.k. I will see you soon, I love you Mom!”

Clark’s Mother

“I love you too son, take care and drive safe!”

Clark

“I will Mother, don’t worry I’m a very good driver!” They both laughed at that and then ended their call to each other.

* * * * *

Once his stuff was settled in to his old room left the way it was since he left home years ago, he found his way into the family room. While his Mother was cooking he was casually rummaging through the paperwork of his legal adoption to them, and smiling over the first pictures of him with his Parents taken on Polaroid. He dug a little deeper into the box, not expecting there to be anything out of the ordinary, as he laid the pictures and papers out on the table he found a newspaper clipping with a picture and small article clipped to it. The article talked about a female child found in Norfolk Virginia, it was stated that it just looked like she had anonymously been abandoned. In closing the investigation done to try to discover a trace on her parents never resulted in any success.

She was handed over to the child and family services department, who later put her in an orphanage. In the background of the picture where she was found you could see in the distance something that looked like a hole or crater in the ground. Not big enough to be the story, but big enough for Clark to understand WHY IT WOULD BE in that box of paper! So he asked his Mother, if she knew any other reason behind why it might be in the box? His Mother looked at it, for a long hard moment but could not recall anything. Shrugging her shoulders she said,

Clark’s Mother

“No sorry I haven't got a clue, your father was the one responsible for everything that went into that box, and unfortunately he's not here to ask.” Then in silence handed it back to him and continued on with what she was doing. As Clark went to put the article back amongst everything from the box, out of the corner of his eye he spotted the date the article was written on. With that sudden shock being brought to his attention, he carefully put the aged paper in his wallet and without saying anything more he continued on with the rest of their visit.

In his room later he found a place that was safe to put the article until he could take the time to look into the matter deeper, this made visiting with his Mother more difficult because all he could think about was that article and wanting to find out more about the eerie coincidence the date had to the arrival of when HE LANDED HERE ON EARTH in a farmfield in Smallville all those years ago?

* * * * *

Thanksgiving in the Clark household is such an awkward time now, Clark almost doesn’t know what to say to his Mother, and she feels much the same way.

Clark

“Mom” he says, “Maybe we should look at doing something a little bit different next year for Thanks-Giving? I mean it’s not that I don’t like coming home to visit you and spending time together... his voice trails off

she cuts in and say`s

“Of course not son, I know you love me, you don’t have to finish what you’re saying I understand,” the two of us sitting here together, alone, these past years hasn't been easy without your father here!”

Clark says,

“It’s just that a change of scenery or environment might do us both a world of good.”

His Mother says,

“Agreed, son. But what is to stop us from finding something different to do right now, Today in fact? There has got to be something we could do, someplace we could go for a few hours?”

Clark

“Ah Mom?” he says,

Clark’s Mother

“Yes, son?”

Clark replies…

“What about the turkey?” (You can hear his stomach growl as he takes a whiff of the beautiful smell in the air as it's cooking away in the oven.)

Martha says,

“Oh right, yeah that, I guess that is a problem, puts a bit of a kink in our plans to just up and leave the house now wouldn’t it? Well we could always just turn it off, and finish cooking it when we come back!” (Stomach growling loudly)

Martha continues, “Never-mind…” the perfect expression now on her face saying it all, for not being able to miss the sound of his stomach demanding food!

Clark

“You see I don’t like going hungry, there is this thing called food, and well Mom I really like it, and I especially like coming here to eat yours. It is the one day of the year I go all day without food, so I can look forward to your cooking and eating to my heart’s content. Yet ON THE OTHER hand I DO HAVE AN IDEA of something we could do together that would be fun last walk through is 7:30 pm!”

Martha…

She says,

“Oh, What’s that son?”

Clark says,

“Well if I told you that then it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore, now would it?”

Martha says,

“Well no, I guess then it wouldn’t be! But what are we going to do about the turkey and YOUR stomach son? Because from where I`m standing, if you do too much activity you might just might faint dead away from your current state of hunger?” (They both laugh.)

It suddenly occurs to them both at the same time in 1 word what their answer for the current adventure is going to be. They said it together at the same time!

“A Picnic!” Something they have not been on together, since before Johnathan died!

Clark says,

“I’ll grab the picnic basket, and other stuff we need as well.”

Martha says,

“Good idea son, I will find us stuff to put in the basket, I have a big kitchen I am sure I can find things in here we could eat to hold us over so as not to take away from the joy of our Turkey experience when we return from wherever you are taking me?”

Clark was now in front of the closet while his mother was still talking from the other room; opening the door he looked up to see the basket on the shelf unused, squeezed tightly into place, till it suddenly gave way seconds later and fell right into his arms when he reached out to stop it from falling to the floor!

* * * * *

It was after midnight before Clark's head hit the pillow, he had never been so hungry in his life, by the time his Mother and him had got to finally sit down to dinner and eat the turkey with all the trimmings; his stomach looked like a pitcher's mound from eating so much. They had a good first day together he thought, as he drifted off to sleep with pleasant feelings of his stomach finally stuffed full as this long day came to an end! Tomorrow would be a new day, it has been awhile since he has had to step foot inside the high school, his thoughts were hoping for the best, as sleep took him to dreamland!

The end!

Written by,

Jennifer Cooley!