Chapter One: Town Wrecker
The wooden wagon kicked up small dust clouds as its wheels rolled over the beaten path. The passengers were a middle aged man and oddly enough a donkey with its ankle wrapped up neatly. The wagon was being pulled by a young pre-teen boy with the brightest of smiles on his face as he scampered along the path pulling the wagon as if it weighed nothing. Soon enough the boy slowed down as the path smoothed out in the small town, the wagon wheeling to a stop. The middle aged man hopped off and gave the boy a praising pat on the shoulder.
"I didn't think we'd make it when Sky sprained ankle her ankle back there. Yet here we are! Good job Steve." The older man smiled as he walked around the wagon, scooping up some bundles of newly grown corn.
"It wasn't a problem Coleson! Here lemme help unload." The young boy, Steve, chirped and quickly sculled to the other side of the wagon. He easily lifted the enormous pile of hay out of the wagon and held it above his head effortlessly.
Coleson cleared his throat and shook his head. "Don't unload just yet Steve, I have to talk with May about the trade value of that hay." Steve nodded and dropped the large barrel of hay back into the wagon, jostling the donkey and sending her a couple feet into the sky. Coleson huffed and motioned upward to the now rapidly falling donkey. Steve let out a squeak and held his arms out, catching the frail animal in his arms with a slight bounce.
"Sorry sir! I'll just..um..stay by the chart..?" Steve gently set Sky back on her perch inside the wagon and side glanced at Coleson shyly. "Or can I go into town today?"
Coleson shifted to grab more husks of corn and looked at Steve apologetically. "I don't think today is a good day for that Steve, maybe some other day? Just. Stay by the chart. Please." He gave Sky a soft pat and walked over to a small shop on the outskirts of town. "I'll grab your favorite for dinner!" Coleson hollered over his shoulder before he disappeared through the doorway of May's trade shop.
Steve sighed and mumbled forlorningly "Stay by the chart…" Sky huffed as a group of boys came running through the entrance to the town laughing and throwing around a disc. Steve perked up when one of the boys missed a throw and the disc landed by Steve's saddled feet. He bent down and picked it up.
"Hey guys! Mind if I play?" He said to the approaching boy with a bright excited smile. The boy stuttered to a stop a few feet from Steve and his blissful face quickly turning into one of uncomfortableness at the sight of Steve.
"Uh…actually there's five us playing and um we wanna keep it even so." The boy said bluntly and snatched the disc out of Steve's large hands before retreating back to the group. The group of boys snickered and whispered harshly "Like we'd want to hang out with distructo the freak!" Before running off again. Steve sighed and stared at the ground dejectedly, kicking his feet.
There was a distant shout of warning before the metal disc came whizzing past Steve and the chart. It was a natural reaction for the young blonde boy to run a few steps to catch the flying plate and grab onto it. "I got it!" Steve beamed but was jostled by the force of the throw and stumbled backward right into the stark white pillar that decoratively held up the tarps to the shops in town. The pillar tilted side to side, bumping into the pillars next to it on both sides. Steve turned to look and gasped, dropping the disc to quickly wrap his arms around the jiggling pillar. Leaning to the side to steady the thick pole Steve accidently rammed into the other supporting pillar. With a broken crumbling noise the supporting pillar fell, knocking into the smaller pillars and making them all start to crumple, the tarps deflating without the support of the pillars. Steve's eyes widened and he let out a surprised yelp. Abandoning the first pillar Steve attempted to stop the one side of the falling pillars, once dropping the originally falling pillar into the other side of the smaller pillars Steve ran with arms opened wide. People flocked out of the shops to avoid being crushed.
Coleson stood in the middle of town with May, an older woman, who was clutching the corn stalks from earlier, a deep frown on her face. "Steve?" Coleson questioned as Steve ran past, eyes quickly noticing the impending doom of the towns supporting pillars.
"Just a minute Sir!" Steve rushed forward, running in time with the collapsing pillars. Finally the pillars fell into each other, seemingly stopping any more from being crushed. May glanced around before locking her gaze on Coleson. Steve stumbled to a short stop and looked up at the unmoving pillars.
"Coleson this is the last straw. You can't bring him here anymore. He's too much trouble." May addressed sternly. Coleson nodded in agreement and watched Steve stutter shyly over to them. "You need to teach him how to control himself or I'll have to ask you to leave as well." May punctuated the last word by shoving the corn husks into Coleson's arms then glaring at Steve when she walked past. Coleson watched her leave then sighed, holding the corn bundles close to his chest. Steve approached slowly.
"I'm sorry Coleson, I didn't mean any harm…" Steve bowed his head in shame, spotting the troublesome disc lying idle on the ground. He bent and picked it up, eyes pleadingly searching Coleson's face for understanding. A boy from the group jogged up glaring darkly at Steve and forcibly jerked the disc from Steve's hands once more.
"Stay away from us you freak!" The boy hissed and quickly ran back to his group. Coleson swallowed and started to walk back to the chart, Steve following behind a look of pure sadness twisting his features.
"Don't listen to em Steve. They just don't understand you can't control it." Coleson offered, tucking the corn back into the wagon and giving Sky a pat. He climbed up into the wooden wagon. "You're not a freak, it's a gift Steve." Steve remained silent and grabbed the reins to the wagon before he started back up pulling the wagon down the beaten path. It was a quiet ride back home.