The Death and Life of Superman Read Free

Aunt Sal had died, when Jon had showed Clark the craft that had brought him to Earth. “From the way you described it, that plane crashed on takeoff, without more’n a few seconds’ warning. Why, you’d have had to been right there at the scene to have done any good. On the other hand, who knows how many lives you saved by putting out that forest fire!”
    “That’s right. You’re able to do so many wonderful things with your powers, Clark, but even you can’t solve all the world’s problems.” He could tell Martha was upset. She had practically twisted the hem of her apron into a knot. “Don’t dwell on what might have been, or you’ll worry yourself into a terrible state! Think of what you’ve already accomplished. You’re just one man . . . and you manage to do so much good. And we’re so very proud of you. Don’t you ever forget that!”
    Superman hadn’t forgotten. He couldn’t forget anything. That’s the blessing and the curse of a good memory, Pa had once said, and his memory was just about perfect. Jonathan and Martha had done their best to set him straight, bless them, and time had proven them right.
    A growing chorus of car horns cut into Superman’s consciousness. Five hundred feet below him, rush-hour traffic was already backing up through the borough of Queensland Park along the Burnley Expressway. A quick scan showed him the problem . . . about three miles away, a late-model sedan sat stalled in the express lane, its emergency lights blinking. As Superman sped to the scene, his ears picked up a high-pitched wail coming from the vehicle.
    “MOMMEEEE!”
    In the driver’s seat, Rosemary Carson kept trying the ignition in a vain hope that the engine would turn over. In the back, strapped into a child seat, was the two-year-old source of the wail.
    “MOMMEEE! I gotta POTTEEE!”
    “Honey, I asked you if you needed to go before we left.”
    “Didn’t need to then.”
    “We’ll get you to day care soon, Benjamin, and then you can go. Okay?”
    “Whennnn?”
    “It won’t be long.” I hope. “First, Mommy has to get the car started.” And later Mommy has to remind Daddy that he didn’t get the car serviced, like he promised.
    “Need to go nowww!”
    Benjamin’s whine was reaching the point where it was just slightly less annoying than the miles of car horns. Rosemary had to grit her teeth. No, don’t yell at him, he’s just a kid. This isn’t his fault. “Try not to think about it, sweetie. Let’s . . . let’s sing a song. What shall we sing?”
    “ ‘She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain’ was always one of my favorites, when I was his age!”
    Rosemary sat up with a start at the sound of the rich baritone. She hadn’t heard anyone approaching, but suddenly—there he was, leaning, down to look into her car!
    “Superman! SUPERMAN!” Benjamin had instantly forgotten the pressure on his bladder. The man he’d seen fly on TV was now smiling at him.
    “Hello, Benjamin.”
    Superman knew his name!
    “Don’t worry, we’ll have things taken care of before you know it.”
    Benjamin’s mother just nodded, not quite sure whether to believe this was happening or not. Still, the horn honking seemed to have stopped. Rosemary checked her mirror. Yes, drivers in the cars backed up behind her looked as surprised as she felt. When she looked ahead again, Superman was staring at the front end of her car and stroking his chin. Of course, X-ray vision. He can see right through the hood. Superman came back to her window, and this time she cranked it all the way down.
    “I don’t think I can fix it. At least not right here.”
    “You can’t? I thought you could do anything!”
    “Not quite.” He grinned, perhaps a little self-consciously, and she realized how intently she was staring at him. She dropped her eyes, a bit embarrassed.
    “Tell you what, how about if I give you and Ben a lift to day care? Then we can call a tow truck.”
    “Sure, I . . .” Her jaw dropped. “How