The World As I Know It

"In my life, I have learned that there is an antithesis for all things. For every strength, there is a weakness. For every act of kindness, there is an act of violence. For every angel, there is a demon. For every life born, there is a life taken. However, for every superhero, there is no supervillain.

Now, I'm not saying that there are no small-time crooks on the streets and gangsters prowling people's neighborhoods. What I'm saying is that there are no 'Super' villains. The ones that had full-blown, off-the-chart powers.

You see, A long time ago, there were no superpowers on earth! Can you believe it? There was once a time when people didn't have superpowers. I mean, these days almost everyone has one; whether they have the ability to shoot laser beams out of their hands or the ability to light birthday candles on a cake, people have one. Now, according to the history books, Earth in the year 2076, was hit by a giant meteorite the size of something called "Madagascar". Because of this meteor, almost 70% of the world's population was wiped off. But for those who survived, they began to harness their superpowers. The weird part was that animals did not contain any superpowers even though they were exposed to the same mineral that was in the meteor. But who cares about the animals, am I right? Anyway, at first, the superpowers that humans developed were very primitive. For example, one could only utilize their powers to light twigs for a fire, or they could use their powers to water their garden. Small stuff. However, over time people began to repopulate the planet (because humans don't know how to keep their hands in their own pockets - if you know what I'm saying) and in doing so the next generation was able to have access to greater powers. Some families that could light twigs on fire could unleash pillars of fire by the seventh or eighth generation. It was truly a miracle! Well, it was a miracle until human nature fucked us over. Twice. Society began to divide itself into two polar regions. One that advocated for peace, and the other that advocated for chaos. Superheroes and supervillains were born, respectively. I think we all know how the story goes on from there. The superheroes fought the supervillains, and finally the superheroes won both times. In these two, massive wars, humanity's civilization began to crumble until it was almost ruined. In the end, humanity along with their precious superheroes were allowed to have another chance when the last remaining supervillain resigned himself from his throne. It was said that he had a change of heart when he saw how the same people he fought for were suffering because of him.

After that, the world was thrust into a new revolution! Humans reinvented technologies like cars, phones, skyscrapers, medicine 'cause the only other thing that humans were meant to do other than fuck was to create. And create they did. With all of these inventions also came problems like where do I get the resources, or how do I get rid of the waste, or how can I ensure my goods will arrive safe? These were all answered by the new age of superheroes! Heroes these days don't wear skin-tight wetsuits with underwear covering their crotch or wear flamboyant masks that yell, 'SUPERHERO!!!'. Instead, they're all around us. They work for the citizens, making sure that they are safe and secure from any type of trouble around. Of course, their work has been diluted to the point where helping a half-dead lady cross the street is deemed as heroic. But, being a superhero means being recognized by everyone, and- might I mention- the government pays them handsomely. There are some inconsistencies with this story, bu-"

Some little kid kicked me in the shin. "Give me my money back!"

I looked at him, and said, "But, you haven't listened to what I was going to say!"

"I've heard enough, you thief!" the little kid yelled, "You're just trying to steal my money!"

I laughed. "Money, which you put into my hands." The little kid's belly bounced up and down as he tried to catch up to me. It made me laugh even more.

"Give it back!" he screamed.

"Why do you even need it?" I asked him coolly.

The kid's face began to glow red. "I need it to pay for school!" he cried.

I slapped my head. "Gideon, you get tricked every damn week! By me- the same person!"

"Please! I need that money to pay for my school!" He was really putting on a show now. For anyone who didn't know who he was, they would be feeling sorry for him.

"Gideon, we made a deal. I teach you history since you're bad at it, and you pay me. How hard is it to live with that?"

"My *pant* school m-*pant* MONEY!" he whined.

I had started to walk a little faster. I gave him the middle finger and said, "Ohhh, shut the fuck up! Your dad owns the school!" With that, I broke out into a sprint.

***

It was a very hot and humid day. The sun beat down on my back with intensity as I ran through the empty streets. It was noon, so people were either at work or busy eating lunch in air conditioned units. I always wondered whether or not humanity at one point or another had the technology to air condition the streets. I only ask this because it's said in the book that human technology had regressed somewhat when we started to rebuild everything. It seemed like the best technology was lost.

However, I forced myself to run under the blazing heat in order to get to my destination fast enough. I occasionally crossed one side of the street to another, watching out for isolated cars, to stay under the shade, which the grand skyscrapers generously gifted. If there was anything called 'hot shade', then this was exactly how I felt whenever I expected the shade to cool me down.

I clutched the sixteen credits in my pocket. It was four less than what I needed, but I hoped that I could make do with it. After all, I had known Tommy for the past three years. I kept running until I saw the familiar herbal tea shop on the block. The green tea leaves painted on the sign were very common in these parts of the city as new fads for tea rose and died. Sometimes within a week. I sprinted the last six feet towards the door and pushed myself in. The cool burst of air conditioning hit me in the face first. I collapsed on the floor, waiting for my body to rejuvenate itself.

"What are you doing?" a gruff voice asked. The man stood right in front of me and poked me with his cane.

I picked myself up and said, "Hey...Tommy." I took a good look around the store to see everything in the same place. It was a very small store. The counter for checkout was visible when I entered the automatic doors. There was no fresh produce aisle or meat section like all the other convenience stores in the area. The store was solely dedicated to tea. There were giant shelves crammed into the tiny space. Each row of the shelves was packed with small samples of different teas. Mint, java, jasmine, green, black, white, oolong, whatever. There were tons and tons of them. Most of them were piled up high with dust because not many people wander through here. And the people who do, are here for another business.

I looked at Tommy; he was old. Real old. He had sparse air on his head, wrinkles on his face from a long life of laughter and sorrow, cataracts in his eyes from...well being old. He had a small and thin frame, but his voice overpowered many. "You're late!" he said. He raised his cane and whacked me in the head.

"Owww!" I mockingly cried. "Don't you know doing that could make me stupid?!"

He brushed off some lint, which was on his white, cotton shirt, and said, "You're already stupid! Can't even read a clock right!"

I automatically defended myself, "I know how to read a damn clock, Tommy! It was just really hot outside! You should try running in hundred-degree weather!"

Tommy adjusted his glasses and yelled, "When I was your age, I used to carry buckets of water on my head to other men in these hundred-degree days! And guess what? I had to climb up massive buildings for them to receive the water in these hundred-degree days!"

I yelled back, "When you were my age, you didn't have to trick some little snobby-ass kid to give you money!"

"Is that how you keep getting that money?" he asked.

"That's not the point!" I hollered, "The point is: you need to cut me some slack!"

"How about I reduce your pay?" he asked. He grinned evilly.

I faked horror as I replied, "You don't even pay me."

Tommy scratched the back of his head. "Ok, fine. Just give me the money." He extended his open palm. I reached into my back pocket and brought out the credits. I placed them in his hand. He counted it carefully. When he was done, he eyed me. "You're short four credits."

I frowned. "Yeah, I know," I answered, "This is where the slack comes in."

Tommy looked at me and then looked at the clock on the wall behind me. "Fine," he reluctantly said, "I can't take all day on this."

He stamped my hand with a small X and beckoned me to follow him. I knew the drill. I ran around the shop and closed all the blinds. There could be no curious eyes here. When I was finished, Tommy went to the back of the shop and opened a small closet. There was a little shoebox on the floor next to various other cleaning appliances. He raised his foot and stomped on the empty shoebox. Nothing happened for the next few seconds. I counted to ten, and the entire shop floor creaked. The rumble could be felt up to my waist. It made my legs numb. The floor began to descend into the ground like an elevator. I smiled. The fun was about to get started.