Monday, May 4, 2009

Telekinesis and Me

ORIGINAL DRAFT

If I Woke Up With Telekinesis
Ever since the introduction of comic books into society, and the countless cartoons and movies that came about as a result, there has been that classic question. “What superpower would you want to have?” Many children, and surely even some adults, daydream about being a superhero. Whether it’s being able to stop a freight train in its tracks with one arm, or being able to fly into outer space, almost everyone has that dream superpower they would love to have. Personally, if I could wake up with any superpower, it would be telekinesis.
In case the reader does not already know this, telekinesis is the ability to move objects with the mind. If given to a person with enough intelligence and creativity, telekinesis could be a rather versatile power. One could use it for anything from reaching things they would normally be too short to reach, to carrying their own body with their power, and thus also attaining the power of flight. One could also use it to move heavy objects that they could not move with physical strength, making telekinesis a rival to superhuman strength. Not to mention, it would be an entertaining power to use. Just think about it. What person in their right mind wouldn’t want to sit in a swamp on Dagobah, lift an X-Wing out of the water, and say, “Judge me by my size, you should not?”
To be completely honest with the reader, I haven’t given much thought to how I would use this extraordinary ability. Perhaps I could use it for the betterment of mankind, to protect the weak, and defeat evil. Or, I could go the super-villain route, taking all that I want and annihilating all in my path, until the entire world bows at my feet. It’s not as easy a choice as one might assume, when one really stops to think about it.
If I had this power, and told people about it, I believe it would radically change the way people thought about me, the way they looked at me, and even the way they treated me. Many people would probably be fearful of my power, even if I didn’t mean them harm. I might be feared, hated, even shunned from society. Or, if I moved to a tribal society, I might be revered and worshipped as a god.
Being a telekinetic would definitely make my life somewhat interesting. A power like that would make me capable of almost anything, but could also have negative consequences. Then again, almost everything in life is that way. In conclusion, if I could wake up with any power, it would be telekinesis.

REVISED DRAFT

Just Your Everyday Telekinetic College Student

It was a quiet Monday morning at Tidewater Community College. Not much was going on at the time, given that it was only nine o’clock in the morning. I strolled out to the gazebo between the library and the Blackwater building to sit down and enjoy the steadily improving weather outside as more people started to show up. They greet me as they come in, and I return their greetings. They have no idea. It has never even occurred to them that I can rip a telephone pole out of the ground with a passing thought. If ever they should pick the wrong day to anger me, they would be rather surprised to leave their last class for the day to find that their car has been mysteriously relocated from the parking lot to the middle of that really pretty lake we have on campus. The day went by as uneventfully as it always does, and soon enough, 1:45 p.m. rolled around, signaling the end of my school day. I went out to the parking lot, got in my car, plugged in the iPod, and left for home. After about ten minutes, I finally made the usual left into my neighborhood. I got about halfway to the first right I had to make, when all of a sudden, a form materialized out of thin air onto the hood of my car. Then everything around me disappeared in an instant. Then it all reappeared, but it looked very different. I also felt an odd sensation in my gut. And then it hit me: My car is upside down, and falling. I barely had enough time to jump out of the car, and no time to save the car. It landed with a loud crash, crushing the roof in and shattering all of the windows. I looked around, and there was my younger brother, the teleporter. Apparently, he teleported himself and my car about twenty feet up, except we reappeared upside down. “Sean, what was that for?” I shouted at him. “Well, Rob, I guess you should have thought twice about making my bed float while I was on it, and then flipping it over,” Sean retorted, “I guess you telekinetics aren’t so big and bad after all.” “Really?” I asked. “Then tell me what you think of this!” With that, I ripped the lamppost behind him out of the ground and threw it down at him. He quickly vanished, and then reappeared on top of my car. The two of them then vanished. I looked around me, but saw nothing. Except for a car-shaped shadow on the ground below me. One that was getting larger by the second. I looked up to see what was left of my car falling down towards me at an alarming rate. I put my hands up and stopped it less than half a foot from me, and then set it on the ground. I then saw Sean appear about twenty feet behind me, but acted as though I hadn’t. As soon as he attempted to rush me, I looked at him, put a hand out, and stopped him in mid-air about five feet from me. “Hard to teleport when I’ve got hold of you, huh?” I said to him, and then sent him flying toward a set of power lines. Right before he hit the lines, he managed to teleport, and popped up at the foot of the telephone pole. “You think you’re so tough?” Sean shouted, “This isn’t over!” Then he vanished. I used my power to flip my car back over, raised the roof to its normal height, and drove home.

1 comment:

  1. "What person in their right mind wouldn’t want to sit in a swamp on Dagobah, lift an X-Wing out of the water, and say, 'Judge me by my size, you should not?'" This part is great and made me laugh.

    Your revised draft was also awesome with both humor and action. You should consider a creative writing course.

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