Writing Prompt: “I don’t know, I think my superpower is a bit lame,” said Awe, “All I can do is touch people to give them an existential crisis and force them to consider their actions against a backdrop of the grandeur of the whole universe…”
Inside the Super Hero Compound, people moved to and fro down the hallways. The clock had just passed noon and people were heading toward the cafeteria for lunch. Heroes and personnel alike would mingle at lunch and discuss upcoming missions and their personal lives. The Director of the Compound encouraged these lunch meetings to raise morale and strengthen friendships.
Awestruck was standing in the cafeteria near the vending machines pounding on the machine.
“Come on! GIve me my cookies,” Awestruck said as she hit the plexiglass again.
“Having troubles?” A man walked up and stood beside her.
Awestruck turned to look at them.
“Oh, Captain Cool. I didn’t see you there,” Awestruck said. “I…I was just… The machine is broken.”
Captain Cool was one of the A-Class Super Heroes here at the Compound. He led The Champions which was one of the top Super Hero teams. He was known for his icy powers and his cool quips.
“Oh really?” Captain Cold leaned over to look at the vending machine. “What is wrong with it?”
“B5. Famous Amos Cookies. They are my favorite. But half the time it gets stuck and won’t actually give me my cookies,” Awestruck said. “I keep telling the guy who restocks the machine, but he never actually fixes it.”
“Let me give it a try,” Captain Cold said as he stepped past Awestruck.
He tapped his fingers on the plexiglass. As he did, there was a small bit of frost left on the glass. Then he gave it a hard thump and just like Fonzie and the jukebox, the machine responded in kind. A bag of Famous Amos Cookies fell from the spiral and into the tray at the bottom.
“There we are,” Captain Cold said, flashing a perfectly white smile.
“Wow. Thank you so much, Captain Cold,” Awestruck said. “I guess you saved the day.”
“No problem at all…uh.. Sorry I don’t think I caught your name,” Captain Cold said.
“Awestruck! But my friends call me Awe. You can call me Awe if you want to,” Awestruck said.
“Awe. That’s a very interesting name,” Captain Cold said. “Are you new around here?”
“Oh. Kind of. I’ve been here for about a month now.” Awestruck said. “But most of the time I’m training in the C-quarters.”
“You are empowered? I assumed you were part of the personnel,” Captain Cold said with a laugh. “ I’m sorry that I didn’t know you were a hero.”
“Well I don’t know if I’d go that far,” Awestruck said as she looked down at her feet. “I don’t know if I’d really call myself a hero.”
“Nonsense. If you have powers, you are a hero, no matter if you are C, B, or A-Class,” Captain Cold said.
“I don’t know, I think my superpower is a bit lame,” said Awestruck, “All I can do is touch people to give them an existential crisis and force them to consider their actions against a backdrop of the grandeur of the whole universe. Doesn’t seem very helpful to me.”
There was a moment of silence and Awestruck looked up from the ground. Captain Cold stood there with a strange look on his face like he was unsure what to say.
“Oh, sorry, did I say too much?” Awestruck asked. “I’m sorry.”
“You are totally fine,” Captain Cold said with a bit of a laugh. “That sounds like a very cool power. Very unique.”
“Oh, yeah, I guess,” Awestruck said. “But it’s really nothing compared to what you and the rest of The Champions do. You all save the world over and over again. I’ve never even fought a common purse snatcher or saved a kitten stuck in a tree.”
“Just because you have not stopped a criminal, does not mean you aren’t a hero,” Captain Cold said. “Heroes help in all sorts of ways.”
“But what am I supposed to do with my powers? How can I help?”
Captain Cold scratched his chin as he thought.
“Some powers might seem obvious at first while others are a little bit more unique,” Captain Cold said. “You know, before I was found by the outreach team, I was working at a local ice rink, working as a human zamboni. Not too prestigious. But I found the right people here and I was able to hone my skills and really get to understand my powers. You just need a mentor. Someone to help you find a way to use your unique skills.”
“I didn’t know about that whole zamboni thing,” Awestruck said. “Thanks Captain Cold. I appreciate the advice. Hopefully I can find a mentor and who knows, maybe one day I’ll be an A-Class hero like you.”
“That’s the spirit,” Captain Cold said with a chuckle. “Just make sure when you visit, you bring along a package of those cookies.”
“Of course,” Awestruck said with a smile.
“Good day, Awe,” Captain Cold said, waving goodbye.
“Bye!” Awestruck said as she waved goodbye.
Awestruck stood there for a moment taking in what had just happened. The most popular hero came up to her and gave her advice. At first she was unsure if would fit in here and if she would actually be a useful hero. Now she was confident that she was going to learn to use her powers fully and become an A-Class Hero like Captain Cold.
Captain Cold meanwhile grabbed his lunch and sat at a table among the other members of The Champions. One of the other heroes leaned over to him.
“Who were you talking to?” They asked him.
He shook his head.
“A C-Class hero named Awestruck. I swear these heroes and their powers get weirder and weirder every year,” Captain Cold said before taking a bite of his lunch.
Header Photo Credit to Pexels.com
https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-deep-sky-object-816608/
Writing Prompt submitted to r/WritingPrompts by u/FennecWF
Allen The Writer 