A.N. Remember: Lumen is the bad guy who can turn into light. Shade (not introduced yet) is the good guy who can turn into shadow. I know its kinda confusing, but you're smart, you can figure it out, right?

Human Cannonball

Sam:

Life was goin' swell and everything was just peachy, until my dad came home one day and said, "Son, I'm sorry, but I lost my job at the power plant. I'm goin' to have to work in the coal mines for a while. But, until we can get back on our feet, you're goin' to have to work with me."

"What?!?"

"I'm sorry, Samuel, but we cain't afford to not have you there, too."

That was just fine. If Ah got lung cancer from the coal dust and died, who cared? It wasn't like Ah had any friends anyway.

The next week, I started at the mine.

Wait a minute, back up. Howdy, mah name is Sam Guthrie. Ah live in Kentucky. Ah have a horrible job. Ah have no friends. Okay, there's mah life story.

There you go. Anyway, Ah was in the mine for several months, luggin' the huge mine cart up and down the dark dusty tunnels. Pa would use his pickax to knock the ebony stones from the walls. Ah would take them and wheel them up to the daylight, where they would be loaded into more carts to be shipped off to who knows where.

Ah used my goggles to block out the soot from my eyes. Every worker wore a black jumpsuit. Mine was a little big, since Ah was the youngest worker in the mine.

One day, the boss called all the workers together for a meetin'. We were all gathered around the sign-in station, where the big man stood on the porch with a bullhorn.

Ah looked around and saw that all the guys around me were big and burly. Their ahms were thicker around than Ah was. Ah was almost scared of the looks on their faces.

Boss-man began to talk. "Howdy, workers. Today, we're gonna have a breakthrough in the mine. Take a look at these!" He held up a stick of dynamite. The minin' company's budget was a little low.

"We're gonna use these to blow through that south wall! More coal lies on the other side, and it's gonna be ours!"

Dynamite? This could get interestin'…

"The only problem is that only two of our guys are limber enough t' get away from the blast: Jack and Sam Guthrie."

What?!? Me?!?

This was not right.

Ah wasn't fast, but then, next to these guys, Ah was the Flash.

Mah dad an' I started to work with the charges almost immediately. We would light it, place it next to the wall, and run like thunder towards the entrance of the tunnel.

It went pretty well for a while.

After about, oh, three weeks, Ah reckon, somethin' happened down there that changed mah life fer ever.

The last blast had rattled the mine pretty good, and some rocks were loose an' fallin' to the ground. They weren't but leetle rocks, though.

Or so we thought. We set the charge and turned.

"Y'all okay down there?" called a voice from above. Too loud.

A cave-in started. Huge stones fell from the ceilin'.

"Run, Sam!" said mah Pa. Ah turned to look back at him.

"Ah cain't leave y' here to git crushed!"

"Just go!"

Ah couldn't. Ah ran back, but just as Ah reached him, a large pebble landed on his head, knockin' him out. Ah gasped.

Could Ah get him? Ah couldn't carry him and reach the exit. But Ah could try. Ah scooped him up with strength Ah didn't know Ah had an' charged to daylight.

Ah heard a beep and knew the charge was about t' blow. It was too late fer us.

Ah tried one last thing to reach th' exit. Ah jumped with all mah might toward freedom. Not far enough, though.

Suddenly, Ah felt a strange feeling come over mah legs. Ah flew forward, mah legs propellin' me forward with a weird blast.

A rock fell in mah path. Th' powers sent me straight through the boulder! Ah looked back and saw dust where the stone had been.

Whoa.

As flame erupted from th' far wall, Ah reached the sun.

I landed on the ground and covered mah dad's unconscious form with mah own. Small pieces of debris rained down, but nothin' dangerous.

Several workers came up t' me and asked, "How'd y' get outta there in time?" Ah tried to reply, but nothin' came.

Ah had no answer.

Nothin' could explain this.

Mah pa an' Ah were allowed to go home for th' rest of the day to rest.

That's when an explanation came.