At the risk of my man-card, that was quite lovely. I felt young Clark's angst as he fled from what he believed would be Lana's disdain for - or even fear of - his burgeoning abilities. And the happy accident, or perhaps 'serendipity,' that brought these three together was wonderful. Loved the glasses, the brunette's babble and illogic, and especially young Clark's realization that he wasn't cursed but blessed instead.
It looks like the extra-dimensional Clark and not-Lana (not even technically) have changed this young man's life and heart. Now he'll be able to look forward to new abilities popping up instead of dreading their arrival. This will be the turning point in his entire existence, and maybe it will be that little extra boost to keep him on the straight and narrow path to follow his parents' sage counsel.
Oh! My favorite part:
He heard the crunching of footsteps behind the shrubs ahead. He pushed through.
There was a clearing. A woman was standing there, looking away from him. She was brunette, and except for the oversized jacket she wore, she didn't seem to be dressed for winter. She hugged herself tightly, tapping one foot impatiently. He didn't recognize her at all.
A man came through the bushes on the other side. Like the woman, he seemed to be dressed for a warmer day, although he wasn't even shivering. “Sorry, Honey,” he began. “I—”
The man looked up at him and froze.
The woman turned, following the man's stare, and froze.
Clark himself froze. “I—I thought I heard my name,” he stammered.
The man and the woman shared a look. “Well, this is awkward,” the woman murmured.
The man looked up at him again. There was something strange about him that Clark couldn't quite put his finger on. “Er, we didn't realize there would be anyone else in these woods,” he began, then paused. “It's Valentine's day, isn't it? Shouldn't you be off somewhere with L—uh, with your girlfriend?”
The woman gave her companion a mildly annoyed look.
“Well, I—he's—at that age,” the man told her. “You already know how it was—is—at that age...”
“Oh, I know,” she said, rolling her eyes.
Classic Lois. I can
so see this in my head!
Wonderful story, Queenie. Do it again! Come on, you can give us some more! We can take it!
