Nell Potter tried to act as though Jonathan and Martha Kent were just any customers as they walked in the door. "Hello, looking for anything in particular?"
"Change for a dollar," Jonathan handed her a bill.
She turned to the register and gave him the quarters, which he counted before dumping in his pocket. Pretending she hadn't noticed the gesture, she said, lightly, "Tiger-lilies on sale today."
"Well, even if they're cheap, tiger-lilies are so likely to get parasites, wouldn't you say?" Jonathan smirked at Nell, with a slow glance at her crotch and then her belly, and Martha didn't even try to stifle her laugh. Nell gritted her teeth. She suspected he knew just how much she wanted to forget that abortion, but the ten intervening years hadn't made the pain any smaller, just more cunning in the way that it lay in ambush in the back of her mind.
"This robot plays baseball and never ever strikes out," a voice announced from the back of the store, and Lana held up her latest Legos creation.
***
"It's all right to be scared, Lex, but you can't hide from the things that scare you," Lionel said gently as the helicopter began its descent and his son covered his eyes.
Lex slowly lowered his hands and with a sidelong glance and tiny smile, asked, "What if it's a bear?"
"Well, okay, you can hide from a bear." He grinned back and Lex relaxed a bit.
***
It sounded like thunder, even though the daylight sun was still pouring into the flowershop. Lana stopped working on a robot who could drill through anything and ran to the window to see what was happening.
***
Lex ran from the gasping figure on the cross. "I'll get my dad and the Rosses, they'll help," he tried to promise, but the sudden, tempestuous wind and a tightening in his throat and chest forced the words back.
***
The sky was filled with fire and the truck rolled over. As Martha tried to free herself, she saw a naked little boy crouching to look inside the truck, smiling as though he thought it was a clever trick. "Help!" she screamed, hoping that the little brat's parents were somewhere around. She wondered if he was retarded or something since he just kept looking at them and smiling. When she screamed again, he looked puzzled, tilted his head to the side, and then pushed the truck upright.
***
"Lex!" Lionel grabbed at one of the tufts of hair, then saw pale skin and dark clothing lying a few feet away. "Thank God," he whispered, as he saw that his son was still breathing. He tried to look for bruises--if there was any spinal injury, he shouldn't move him--and didn't see anything, but Lex lay so motionless that he was still reluctant.
He ran to the roadside and tried to wave down the passing red truck, but instead, it accelerated as it passed him. The next car stopped and a driver got out.
"My son, I can't tell what happened, his spine..."
"I'm an intern at the hospital. Just got the call to come in. Where is he?"
The woman crouched next to Lex, prodded and pinched at various spots on his body, and then said, "I can't say for certain, but I think it's safer to get him to the hospital now than to wait. I can lightly immobilize his back and neck anyway." She bit her lip as if a sudden thought struck her. "You do recognize that there's some risk and that I can't make a diagnosis, just give advice based on very little information?"
Lionel bit back nervous laughter. "I wouldn't stab a Good Samaritan in the back." He lightly squeezed Lex's hand, "I'm here, it's okay, you're going to be all right, that's my brave Lex," as the woman deftly fashioned a makeshift support from the thicker cornstalks.
***
"Oh, sweetheart, baby," Nell rocked the sobbing Lana back and forth. Neither of them even remembered that Lana usually hated endearments like that.
"Change for a dollar," Jonathan handed her a bill.
She turned to the register and gave him the quarters, which he counted before dumping in his pocket. Pretending she hadn't noticed the gesture, she said, lightly, "Tiger-lilies on sale today."
"Well, even if they're cheap, tiger-lilies are so likely to get parasites, wouldn't you say?" Jonathan smirked at Nell, with a slow glance at her crotch and then her belly, and Martha didn't even try to stifle her laugh. Nell gritted her teeth. She suspected he knew just how much she wanted to forget that abortion, but the ten intervening years hadn't made the pain any smaller, just more cunning in the way that it lay in ambush in the back of her mind.
"This robot plays baseball and never ever strikes out," a voice announced from the back of the store, and Lana held up her latest Legos creation.
***
"It's all right to be scared, Lex, but you can't hide from the things that scare you," Lionel said gently as the helicopter began its descent and his son covered his eyes.
Lex slowly lowered his hands and with a sidelong glance and tiny smile, asked, "What if it's a bear?"
"Well, okay, you can hide from a bear." He grinned back and Lex relaxed a bit.
***
It sounded like thunder, even though the daylight sun was still pouring into the flowershop. Lana stopped working on a robot who could drill through anything and ran to the window to see what was happening.
***
Lex ran from the gasping figure on the cross. "I'll get my dad and the Rosses, they'll help," he tried to promise, but the sudden, tempestuous wind and a tightening in his throat and chest forced the words back.
***
The sky was filled with fire and the truck rolled over. As Martha tried to free herself, she saw a naked little boy crouching to look inside the truck, smiling as though he thought it was a clever trick. "Help!" she screamed, hoping that the little brat's parents were somewhere around. She wondered if he was retarded or something since he just kept looking at them and smiling. When she screamed again, he looked puzzled, tilted his head to the side, and then pushed the truck upright.
***
"Lex!" Lionel grabbed at one of the tufts of hair, then saw pale skin and dark clothing lying a few feet away. "Thank God," he whispered, as he saw that his son was still breathing. He tried to look for bruises--if there was any spinal injury, he shouldn't move him--and didn't see anything, but Lex lay so motionless that he was still reluctant.
He ran to the roadside and tried to wave down the passing red truck, but instead, it accelerated as it passed him. The next car stopped and a driver got out.
"My son, I can't tell what happened, his spine..."
"I'm an intern at the hospital. Just got the call to come in. Where is he?"
The woman crouched next to Lex, prodded and pinched at various spots on his body, and then said, "I can't say for certain, but I think it's safer to get him to the hospital now than to wait. I can lightly immobilize his back and neck anyway." She bit her lip as if a sudden thought struck her. "You do recognize that there's some risk and that I can't make a diagnosis, just give advice based on very little information?"
Lionel bit back nervous laughter. "I wouldn't stab a Good Samaritan in the back." He lightly squeezed Lex's hand, "I'm here, it's okay, you're going to be all right, that's my brave Lex," as the woman deftly fashioned a makeshift support from the thicker cornstalks.
***
"Oh, sweetheart, baby," Nell rocked the sobbing Lana back and forth. Neither of them even remembered that Lana usually hated endearments like that.