“Aaaaaaahhhhhh!”
It was the worst possible place for a crash landing. Not only was it east Texas. Not only were they two thousand miles away from their destination. But their fall from the sky landed them in Nacho’s Amazing Reptile Show and Cactus Farm.
“Ouch,” said Melvin as he finally came to a stop.
They spent the next hour removing cactus needles from each other and wrestling alligators who had mistaken them for an easy lunch. The alligators, of course, were no match for a couple of superheroes. The rattlesnakes didn’t know this, and they too joined in the battle. Then the bullfrogs jumped in—and the boa constrictors.
It was the best free-for-all anyone had ever seen. The customers loved it. Nacho himself offered Melvin and Candace a job. “You’ll both be rich,” he said.
Actually, he meant that he’d be rich, but Melvin and Candace had other plans. They had a world to save.
More important, they had the young Melvin to save.
“Thanks, but we have to get going.” Melvin looked east. “Up, up, and away!”
Crash!
Splat!
Thud!
Kabonk!
“I really loved wrestling those alligators,” Candace told him as they streaked toward the horizon.
“I know,” Melvin said. Candace had the best headlock he had ever seen.
“What was that move you put on that boa?” Candace asked. “It was amazing.”
“I call it the pretzel. Couldn’t you tell?”
* * *
Calamity brought the little red plane down in a field outside of Boston. The trio of bad guys then looked around for a car to steal to make the rest of the trip to the academy. There were no cars in the area, so they settled for a bicycle. Since Calamity was the getaway person, he pedaled, while Max and Goofball stayed on any way they could.
The academy stood up on Hero Hill overlooking Sinister Street and Devious Drive. It was almost dark when Max, Goofball, and Calamity arrived. Students of the academy were just coming in from a long day of stopping trains, rescuing damsels, and flying. At least the second-year students had been flying. The first years had not yet received their capes and were involved in simpler tasks. The young Melvin Beederman was one of the first years.
“Holy sitting duck,” Goofball said, adding his evil laugh. “This is going to be easy.”
Holy sitting duck, indeed! But the narrator can’t say if it’s going to be easy or not. That would give away the story.
They waited in the bushes outside the academy until late into the night, when the lights were out and all was quiet inside. Then they headed in to get Melvin.
“Time to make our move, boys,” Goofball said.
“Don’t mind if I do,” Max said. “Let’s make like some bad guys and kidnap a future superhero.”
“Yes, let’s,” Calamity added.