"Lana? Lana? Hello?"
"Hello?" the familiar ex-cheerleader's voice answered. She tried to look thru the complete and utter darkness to see where the voice was coming from. "Mom?" she called out, hoping it was her parents coming to whisk her away to heaven with them.
A short, slender, red-headed figure stepped into view, a fiery glow emanating from her. She wore a simple purple outfit, her hair extending to her calves. "Hello, Lana. Don't you think the flowing white robe and feathery wings are a little overdramatic?" she asked, her voice melodic and gentle.
Lana Lang looked at the girl confused. "I'm dead, aren't I? Isn't this what you're supposed to look like when you're dead?"
The red-head chuckled slightly. "I don't know. I've never been dead."
Lana became even more confused. "Well, then, why are you here?"
"Miss Lang," the girl said a little more forcefully, "you're not dead either!"
Lana looked down at her clothes. She saw the white robes. She saw her wings as she fluttered them. "Yes I am. My truck got caught in the tornado. It killed me."
The unfamiliar girl chuckled. "You're not dead. You just think you are. You're actually in a coma at the hospital." The girl's expression grew serious. "But if you keep believeing you're dead, you soon will be. There's a simple law of physics that states 'Where the mind goes, the body follows.'"
Lana looked at the red-head, still confused. "Who are you?"
The girl smiled. "I am known as Redd," she stated simply. "I'm here to bring you back into the realm of consciousness."
"Huh?" Poor Lana was still confused. "I'm dead. I can't just wake up."
Redd rolled her eyes. She held her temper back well with her patience and compassion. "If you were dead, Miss Lang, how would I be here? How would I be able to do this?" With the wave of a hand, the darkness fades to a memory that Lana Lang had kept locked away for years: The childhood crush she had on a particular Clark Kent.
Lana blushed, feeling rather embarrassed as she relived the daydream she had of him and herself playing together alone on the swingsets at the park. True, she was only nine when she had this particular dream and it had stopped as soon Clark and Pete threw mud on her brand new dress, but it was still embarrasing. "I suppose if you're an angel in heaven, you can do anything," Lana said, answering Redd's question.
Redd sighed. "I'm flattered you think me an angel, but I can assure you that I am not and that this is not heaven. This is the Astral Plane. It's a place in your unconsciousness for your mind to interact in."
"Like.being in an ordinary room, but putting on virtual reality goggles that make you think you're in Hawaii?"
Redd thought about it for a minute. "I suppose we can use that primitive analogy for the time being."
"If that's true," Lana said, "then why was I in a room of darkness?"
Redd smiled sweetly. "There's a simple question. The Astral Plane of one's mind usually reflects the emotions that one supressess. With the right amount of practice and meditation, one can change the scenery altogether." With just a mere telepathic thought, the scene switches to that of a tropical one. "You mentioned something about Hawaii?"
Lana smiled in awe. "Wow.It seems so real."
"It's only as real as your mind wants it to be. But I must warn you, as real as it may seem, it is not. You don't have proper experience in the matters of the mind. If you stay on the Astral Plane too long, you will die, save this time, it will be genuine."
Lana looked at Redd. "Are you serious?"
"I do not lie. Such deeds are below me. That's why I've come here. I'm here to help you return to the real world." She smiled gently.
Lana took a deep breath. "Alright. I'm ready."
"Just follow me." Redd turned her back to Lana as the latter followed the former.
A few minutes later, Lana Lang opened her eyes to find Nell, Clark, his parents and Redd. Her body was tingling. She found herself on a respirator, unable to talk. Clark called for a nurse but instead, doctors came running.
They analysed Lana's condition for awhile, made sure she was responsive by asking her to blink on command. The deducted tat it was safe to remove the respirator from her throat.
Her throat was dry and hoarse. She tried to sit up, but found that it hrt to do do. She was informed that she had broken rib and punctured a lung, but that she'd recover fully now that she was out of her coma.
She looked around at everyone, who all had smiles across their faces. She made what little chit-chat she could before directing her attention at Redd. "Who're you?" she asked hoarsely.
Redd smiled. "I'm a friends of Clark's from out of town."
Lana looked at the petite red-head, almost trying to figure out where she recognized her from, when she couldn't, she returned her gaze to her aunt, whose eyes were filled with tears of joy.
The Kents and Redd excused themselves moments later. "How come she didn't recognize you?" Clark asked the resident telepath.
"I mindwiped her memory of me," Redd said. "I felt it would be best if few people knew about my powers."
"Then why didn't you mindwipe me?" Martha asked.
Redd stopped and paused. "I'm not sure.I just go with my feelings. I didn't feel I had the need with you. Perhaps.I figured if you could keep Clark's secret, I could trust you with mine.
"Hello?" the familiar ex-cheerleader's voice answered. She tried to look thru the complete and utter darkness to see where the voice was coming from. "Mom?" she called out, hoping it was her parents coming to whisk her away to heaven with them.
A short, slender, red-headed figure stepped into view, a fiery glow emanating from her. She wore a simple purple outfit, her hair extending to her calves. "Hello, Lana. Don't you think the flowing white robe and feathery wings are a little overdramatic?" she asked, her voice melodic and gentle.
Lana Lang looked at the girl confused. "I'm dead, aren't I? Isn't this what you're supposed to look like when you're dead?"
The red-head chuckled slightly. "I don't know. I've never been dead."
Lana became even more confused. "Well, then, why are you here?"
"Miss Lang," the girl said a little more forcefully, "you're not dead either!"
Lana looked down at her clothes. She saw the white robes. She saw her wings as she fluttered them. "Yes I am. My truck got caught in the tornado. It killed me."
The unfamiliar girl chuckled. "You're not dead. You just think you are. You're actually in a coma at the hospital." The girl's expression grew serious. "But if you keep believeing you're dead, you soon will be. There's a simple law of physics that states 'Where the mind goes, the body follows.'"
Lana looked at the red-head, still confused. "Who are you?"
The girl smiled. "I am known as Redd," she stated simply. "I'm here to bring you back into the realm of consciousness."
"Huh?" Poor Lana was still confused. "I'm dead. I can't just wake up."
Redd rolled her eyes. She held her temper back well with her patience and compassion. "If you were dead, Miss Lang, how would I be here? How would I be able to do this?" With the wave of a hand, the darkness fades to a memory that Lana Lang had kept locked away for years: The childhood crush she had on a particular Clark Kent.
Lana blushed, feeling rather embarrassed as she relived the daydream she had of him and herself playing together alone on the swingsets at the park. True, she was only nine when she had this particular dream and it had stopped as soon Clark and Pete threw mud on her brand new dress, but it was still embarrasing. "I suppose if you're an angel in heaven, you can do anything," Lana said, answering Redd's question.
Redd sighed. "I'm flattered you think me an angel, but I can assure you that I am not and that this is not heaven. This is the Astral Plane. It's a place in your unconsciousness for your mind to interact in."
"Like.being in an ordinary room, but putting on virtual reality goggles that make you think you're in Hawaii?"
Redd thought about it for a minute. "I suppose we can use that primitive analogy for the time being."
"If that's true," Lana said, "then why was I in a room of darkness?"
Redd smiled sweetly. "There's a simple question. The Astral Plane of one's mind usually reflects the emotions that one supressess. With the right amount of practice and meditation, one can change the scenery altogether." With just a mere telepathic thought, the scene switches to that of a tropical one. "You mentioned something about Hawaii?"
Lana smiled in awe. "Wow.It seems so real."
"It's only as real as your mind wants it to be. But I must warn you, as real as it may seem, it is not. You don't have proper experience in the matters of the mind. If you stay on the Astral Plane too long, you will die, save this time, it will be genuine."
Lana looked at Redd. "Are you serious?"
"I do not lie. Such deeds are below me. That's why I've come here. I'm here to help you return to the real world." She smiled gently.
Lana took a deep breath. "Alright. I'm ready."
"Just follow me." Redd turned her back to Lana as the latter followed the former.
A few minutes later, Lana Lang opened her eyes to find Nell, Clark, his parents and Redd. Her body was tingling. She found herself on a respirator, unable to talk. Clark called for a nurse but instead, doctors came running.
They analysed Lana's condition for awhile, made sure she was responsive by asking her to blink on command. The deducted tat it was safe to remove the respirator from her throat.
Her throat was dry and hoarse. She tried to sit up, but found that it hrt to do do. She was informed that she had broken rib and punctured a lung, but that she'd recover fully now that she was out of her coma.
She looked around at everyone, who all had smiles across their faces. She made what little chit-chat she could before directing her attention at Redd. "Who're you?" she asked hoarsely.
Redd smiled. "I'm a friends of Clark's from out of town."
Lana looked at the petite red-head, almost trying to figure out where she recognized her from, when she couldn't, she returned her gaze to her aunt, whose eyes were filled with tears of joy.
The Kents and Redd excused themselves moments later. "How come she didn't recognize you?" Clark asked the resident telepath.
"I mindwiped her memory of me," Redd said. "I felt it would be best if few people knew about my powers."
"Then why didn't you mindwipe me?" Martha asked.
Redd stopped and paused. "I'm not sure.I just go with my feelings. I didn't feel I had the need with you. Perhaps.I figured if you could keep Clark's secret, I could trust you with mine.