Kiddo

For just a second, a strong gust pushes me off balance. I slip, my foot careens over the cliff’s edge. A warm tingle overtakes my senses. Far off, another me lays at the bottom of the cliff—a watch his matted hair stretch along jagged rock, seep into the sea. I’m not sure which “me” I’d prefer to be; I never bothered learning too much about myself.

When they sleep, sometimes I sneak outside and wander around in the darkness. Warm tingles.

During the day, I sleep—mostly. Sometimes I watch waves tumble over rocks from my bedroom window. Everything’s always moving.

Wanna know a secret? If I had a super power—I’d freeze the whole world. The waves, the wind, everybody and me.

I know how to smile…but I wouldn’t want to be frozen like that. They say your face’ll get stuck that way. I wouldn’t want to be angry, either. I just want to look like me, I guess. I don’t have to be making a face, do I?

The other kids don’t come around. But I don’t really like them, either. For fun, I like to play a game where I used my super power on them.

Hah! They’ll never leave their houses again unless I say so! Have fun watching waves from your windows!

I spread my arms and balance along the cliff’s edge, daring another gust to push me into the other me. It doesn’t, or my super power won’t let it. The wind dies down almost completely—what if I really do have super powers?

I’m bored.

In an instant, I’m back inside and staring at the waves from my window. The wind picks up again.

Maybe everything freezes when I go outside, and starts again when I come back inside. Maybe it’s me.

Next to my bedroom window, I watch everything move along as it should. The other me comes loose from the rock and slips softly into the sea.