In the fifth dimension there lived a magical imp named Mr. Mxyzptlk.
Not to be confused with Mikail Mxyzptlk, a lowlife bookie in Smallville who had the ability to control luck. Until Chloe Sullivan used a jamming device to put an end to all that.
One day Mxyzptlk (Mxyzy to his friends) was bored so he visited Earth.
First he visited Metropolis. Invisibly, of course.
He went to a TV station called WGBS. There he found an obnoxious weatherman named Steve Lombard. Mxyzy pointed his finger and created a gust of wind, indoors, that blew off Lombard's toupee.
He recalled one time he caused Peter Parker's web to snap while the costumed youth was swinging high above Manhattan. In that case, he created another gust of wind to save the falling Parker.
After his brief visit to Metropolis, Mxyzy, or M. for short, moved on to Smallville. He thought maybe he would conjure up a fake spaceship or signs of an alien visitation. Maybe create some crop circles.
But another opportunity presented itself.
On the Loeb Bridge a dark-haired young man was leaning on the railing. M. thought about pushing him in or having someone else jump in. Maybe a funny-looking odd fellow named Clarence.
But then he saw a silver-gray Porsche and a flatbed truck hauling rolled-up barbed wire. The driver of the Porsche, a young bald man, began answering his cell phone.
"Don't talk and drive," M. tutted.
He pointed his finger, and one of the rolls of barbed wire fell off.
The bald driver steered frantically to avoid the roll and the young man. The Porsche ended up going off the bridge, taking the young man with it.
Now Mxyzy was not a savage, ruthless, murderous being. He planned to use his magic to repair whatever damage was done to the two men.
This turned out to be unnecessary. Not only was the young man undamaged but he pulled the bald driver to safety and pumped the water out of his lungs.
After the obligatory coughing up of water, the bald man looked slightly perplexed. "Could have sworn I hit you," he said.
Dripping wet, the young man panted slightly. "If you had, I'd be...I'd be dead."
Police showed up; Mxyzy always liked that. Then an older blond-haired man arrived and demanded to know who was the maniac driving the car.
"That'd be me," the bald man said. "Lex Luthor." He extended his hand but the older man ignored the gesture.
"I'm Jonathan Kent." He looked slightly annoyed as he placed a coat around the young man. "This is my son Clark."
Invisibly, M. moved his mouth up and down and spoke in comical voices as the conversation continued.
"You have quite an extraordinary boy there, Mr. Kent. If there's any way I can repay you..."
Jonathan approached Lex in a slightly confrontational manner. "Drive slower," he said tersely.
With his hat tipped slightly, Mxyzy watched as Jonathan and Clark walked away, a red blanket swaying like a cape over Clark's pants.
At the same time, Lex looked out at his Porsche being pulled up out of the water.
What would become of all this, M. wondered.
He'd have to drop in from time to time and observe. And stir things up when he could.
As Mr. Mxyzptlk returned home, he thought maybe he would visit this Clark Kent again in the future.
Assuming, of course, that Clark Kent ever actually did anything interesting or useful with his life.
