Super Hero At Comic Con - written by Alfred (a short story for kids)

Once upon a time in the city of New York, the atmosphere was charged with hype for Comic Con. The Godfather of Comics who had been recluse for the past 12 years had promised to make an appearance. Even non-comic book folks were thrilled and quivering with anticipation. 

12 year old Amanda, like her Dad was a major comic book lover. They had dragged Amanda’s Mum along with them all the way from Kentucky to New York to attend this special historical comic con. Coincidentally, Amanda and her parents would be staying in the same hotel that the Godfather of Comics would be staying in. For security reasons, they gave the Godfather of Comics a VIP room on the top-most floor and didn’t allow anyone access much less to book a room on his floor.

Amanda and her parents did a little sight-seeing after they unpacked their things in their hotel room and had dinner. By evening they all retired to bed. Amanda woke up late at night, her parents were still sleeping. Amanda had already slept a lot on the airplane. She decided to head downstairs, get a canned soda and hang a bit at the large children’s recreation room in the hotel which for some strange reason was open 24/7 ( Like if kids play games at night! ). 

As Amanda approached the children’s recreational room, she heard the voices of two grown men. They must be important comic book celebrities or something. Amanda had always been a bit shy, so she hid and peeped through a window. After hearing some part of the conversation, she discovered they were talking about doing something that would catch the Godfather of Comics by surprise; how he would never know what hit him, how they had to pull it off tonight and that if the don’t the Boss would chew them alive.

After putting one and two together to make three, Amanda figured they were talking about either killing the Godfather of Comics or kidnapping him.

She had to do something. She had to stop them.

Amanda rushed to hotel security and reported what she heard.

“Go back to your hotel room little Girl. I don’t have time for this.” Then talking to himself he said, “It’s a wonder what stories little kids come up with just to meet the Godfather.”

After a few minutes it was extremely clear that she was wasting her time. She had to save the Godfather through some other way.

She decided she might as well warn the Godfather of Comics herself. As she got close to the top-most floor she heard a lot of commotion. 

OH NO! She was too late.

Amanda was scared. She didn’t know what to do. Should she run onwards and help the Godfather?: but she’s just a little girl, or should she turn and run back to her hotel room and act like nothing had happened?, or should she call 911?

She heard footsteps coming towards her. Like a dozen well fed men were running away from the direction of the Godfather’s room. They weren’t in sight yet but Amanda quickly moved out of the way into the most perfect hiding spot (an adrenaline rush could do that to you). Like a bucket of cold water slowly poured on the victim of the scorching sun, a voice travelled from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet. “Fear Not, my daughter.” She had heard that voice before. It was the voice of God and it had just made her fears disappear and a new confidence glowed within her. 

A split second later she saw the men who she had heard discussing holding cameras, they were chased by 5 or 6 men in crisp black suit: Bodyguards probably, Amanda thought. Those two men just wanted to be the 1st news reporters to get a picture of the Godfather before his 1st in 12 years public appearance. The thing they meant by he wouldn’t know what hit him was simply a surprise photo. They had to do it tonight because opening day was the next day. The boss they said would chew them alive was probably the C.E.O of the news company they worked for; a C.E.O who must love shouting at his employees. 

Amanda was relieved to know that it was nothing after all. There was no true danger. However,all the Godfather’s bodyguards had chased the men away.  

There was no one to stop her from entering the Godfather’s room. Amanda walked slowly to the door, slowly entered the room. She didn’t see anyone inside. Curiosity made her poke around – look around the room – Study!, but without touching anything that was in the hotel room of the Godfather of comics.

She heard voices getting louder from outside the hotel room door. It must be the bodyguards. What would she do? They would think that she’s a thief. Or no, maybe a cleverly disguised kid assassin.Or no maybe both.

One thing was clear though. Whatever they would think she is would end up in them handing her over to the police. She may be 12 years old but isn’t that what Juvenile Centers are for? – To lock up law offenders that are her age?

Amanda quickly docked into a wardrobe. She was not going to stick around in plain sight and find out what they would do to her. Then again whatever they would’ve done to her wouldn’t be worse than what they would do to her if they find her hiding in the wardrope. ‘Oh! how did I get myself into this mess’, Amanda thought as she peeped through the very slightly open wardrobe doors. She could barely see what was going on outside the wardrobe.

The sound of the footsteps of the bodyguards drew closer.

“Ok! You can come out now.” 

Amanda gasped as her right hand flew across her mouth in fear. She had been caught. She might as well face the music. Summoning up courage to face whatever punish lay out before her, she slowly began to open the wardrobe door but when the door was wide open enough for her to see much more clearly she saw that everyone was facing another part of the hotel room. For some reason they were facing the part of the hotel room were the bathroom was. Suddenly, the bathroom door opened. Oh - My!, it was the Godfather of comics. Amanda’s eyes popped open. Amanda closed the wardrobe door quickly to hide herself but leaving it a little bit wiser than before so this time she can see all that's going on. In spite of her current predicament, Amanda smiled the widest smile, ever. She was in the presence of the Godfather of comics (even though he didn’t know she was there, she was in his presence and that meant a lot to her).

It appeared that his bodyguards must have advised him to hide in the hotel bathroom and lock it from the inside. It must have been when those nosy reporters showed up. The bodyguards must have thought that the reporters where there for a more shady business, just as she herself had thought earlier.

The Godfather of comics instructed the bodyguards to go outside and guard. He was not to be disturbed no matter what.

Amanda watched the Godfather of Comic from her hiding place, as he sat alone, in his hotel room. He seemed to have trouble with sleeping. Amanda was too afraid to come out because she feared what punishment might follow if she did. She figured that het parents would be looking for her right now but even if they tell the security, they won't think of looking in the Godfather's room; his own security would say he is the only one there. Her plan was to hide there till the following morning, when the Godfather and his bodyguards leave, then she would have the opportunity to leave. No one would even know she was there. She would find her parents and tell her them the whole truth. Her parents never did anything to make her fear them, they just always did wise things that made her respect them so she never was afraid of talking to them. They won't tell the security were she had been, they would only tell the security that they have found her so they can end the search.

Amanda soon fell asleep in the wardrobe. She was awakened minutes later by the sound of the Godfather shouting. She opened the wardrobe door a little more to find out what was happening. She observed he was shouting over the phone. Whoever he was talking to must be really getting to him.

10 minutes after he hung up. Amanda watched the Godfather do something with a rope and a hotel stool while standing under a ceiling fan.It was after he formed the rope into a noose that Amanda understood what was happening. He was going to kill himself. No one but her could stop him. His bodyguards who he locked outside his hotel room won’t hear the sound of him hanging himself in his sound padded hotel room. 

Amanda rushed out of the wardrobe with tears in her eyes. “PLEASE DON’T DO IT.”

The Godfather of comics was very very shocked. Where did this little girl come from? How did she get into his wardrobe? How long has she been there?

“Who are you and what do you want”, the God father of comics asked suspiciously.

“I'm just a fan. But please don’t do it. Please don’t kill yourself”, Amanda pleaded.

The Godfather of Comics stared down at her for four silent seconds. Suddenly he broke down and started crying. He explained how his life is full of problems. About how he feels so alone since both his wife and his only child died over 12 years ago in a car crash. About how he has a void in his heart that nothing and nobody can fill. He said people may look at him as a success but when he looks at his life he can’t see anything. He can’t see anything great about his life. He is unhappy and unhappiness is eating away at him. He told her that he was sick and tired of living; that as a matter of fact he wasn’t living – he feels dead. He has spent most of his life walking around putting on a smiley face but feeling dead inside.

Suddenly, the Godfather of Comics stopped talking like he just realised he was talking to a little girl. What could a little girl do to help him when the world’s best psychologists he had regularly visited discreetly couldn’t help him? He probably shouldn’t be filling the little girl’s mind with pictures of the gloom of life anyway!

“Sir”, Amanda said interrupting his thoughts. Amanda began to talk to the Godfather of Comics about Jesus. About who he is and what he came to do. About Jesus being real. Amanda began to share with him testimonies of people she knew whose lives where miraculously changed by Jesus. 

Amanda felt so inspired, so influenced, so overcome by wisdom. She knew the spirit of God had entered that hotel room. She knew he was using her to preach the gospel to the Godfather of Comics. A gospel not of which is dependent on intelligent and smart sounding words; but a gospel of love, power and LIFE.

Amanda had never hear herself speak that way in her life, but by the time she was through, the Godfather of Comics had not only said the prayer of salvation but he was also speaking in tongues too.

It was clear something had changed about him, he looked like a dying old man who had just received his youth again.

The Godfather of Comics made Amanda and her parents his special guests of honour at that special comic con.

He also announced publicly that from here on in, he would start making Christian super hero comics. For thanks to a very special 12 year old girl, he had learnt that there is nothing as special as living for Jesus. A super hero may save someone from a burning building but that person can still be empty inside and walk around feeling dead. But a true super hero is someone who not only can save the body, but can save the soul too with the gospel of Jesus. Therefore a super hero is someone who spreads the gospel of Jesus.

Amanda was the God father of Comics’ Super Hero.  

THE END.