Another Smallville. Another Earth.
Clark was excited for the Harvest Festival. It was his favorite time of year. After the crops were harvested was the easiest time for folks around here to give and give they did. It was the time of the year when everyone felt the most like a community.
"All this is your clothing for donation?" his mom asked, eyeing the large cardboard box.
When he affirmed it was, his dad chimed in, "The boy's growing like a weed. What else can you expect?"
Clark picked up the box of canned goods with one hand and used the other for the box of clothes.
He was heading out to put it in the pickup truck when he saw two government-style cars pull in. No one in Smallville had cars like that. He dropped the boxes in a hurry when he saw a man in camo get out. "Mom, Dad, we've got company."
"Jonathan," his mom cried out in fear when she saw them, "what are we going to do?"
"Relax, darling. We knew a day like this might come. We just have to keep our cool."
His mom's nervousness was catching. Was this about him?
They knocked on the door. The man he'd seen get out first spoke with gritted teeth because of the cigar in his mouth. "Mr. and Mrs. Kent?"
"Yes?" his dad answered, trying to seem polite but with a wariness in his eyes.
"I'm General Lane. We have reason to believe you're harboring an extraterrestrial."
"What?" his mom said, gripping the edge of the small table in the hall. She looked as if she might pass out. She'd gone as white as a sheet.
"Look, I don't know what your game is here," his dad said, irritation entering his voice. "but there aren't no aliens around here."
General Lane only smiled and turned to the men behind him. "Search the premises."
Clark tried to clamp down the panic welling up inside. It was his worst nightmare come to life. What were they going to do to him? Question him for answers about his home planet? Despite his origins, he was a teenage boy from Kansas, he had no memory or knowledge of his heritage beyond the ship his parents found him in.
"Now listen here," his dad said just plain angry now. "You've no right to be here. I don't know what you think you know or what outrageous lies you were told, but you're wasting our time and yours."
"There's nothing outrageous about it. Fifteen years ago, a UFO was sighted in your air space and believed to have landed somewhere on your property. Strange reports have occurred ever since of strange blurs, unexplained fires, unexplained ice. Coincide? I think not."
"I think unless you have a search warrant you better get out of here with your tall tales," his dad said, his face had gone beet red with anger.
His mom's eyes were transfixed on the barn where the ship was hidden only in the storm cellar with a bit of straw over the opening.
"Your son's fifteen, isn't he?" General Lane asked. "Born the same day as the UFO sighting. You didn't even make it to the hospital according to his birth records and rather a large newborn at eleven pounds."
His mom couldn't hide the fear anymore. Clark went over beside her to give her something to hold onto besides the table.
"Your point, General?" his dad said.
"Only that no one remembers your wife being pregnant. How do you not know you're pregnant until you go into labor with a baby that size?"
"Happens that way sometimes and we spent most of that winter holed in. It was the worst on record. Neighbors didn't see a lot of each other, and I don't even know why I'm explaining this to you. Are you really insinuating my son is an alien from outer space? Does he look like a space creature to you?"
It was at that moment the soldiers returned and two of them were carting his ship between them.
"Well, looky what we have here," General Lane said. "I'd like to hear your explanation for this. Some fancy new farming equipment? A prop for the church play?"
His dad wasn't answering him. In fact, he was leaning forward and clutching his chest.
He tore out of his mother's grip and ran to his side. "Dad!"
"Jonathan!" his mom echoed in tears going to his other side.
"Call for an ambulance," General Lane instructed of one of his soldiers. "The ship and the alien are government property now and go with us."
"No, no!" his mom sobbed and screamed.
His dad could barely speak, but he said weakly with half-lidded eyes. "Go with them, son. We'll get it sorted out."
Clark would always remember that day as the end of Clark Kent and the beginning of Kal-El.