Stories

Toby loved superheroes. He had a backpack shaped like a rocket, pajamas with a cape, and he even ate his cereal out of a bowl with Batman’s face on it. But Toby didn’t just love superheroes; he desperately wanted to be one.

He had his whole hero identity planned out: Captain Comet! His powers would be super-speed and the ability to talk to squirrels. His mission would be to protect his neighborhood, Oak Street, from villains who tried to steal all the good playground balls.

The only problem was, Toby was getting in his own way.

His first big chance was when Mrs. Gable’s cat, Mittens, got stuck on the second branch of the giant oak tree in her yard.

“Oh, my heavens! Mittens is so high!” cried Mrs. Gable, wringing her hands.

Toby, who was walking by, puffed out his chest. “Fear not, citizen! Captain Comet is on the case!”

He ran toward the tree, ready to zoom up the trunk. But as he got close, he noticed the lowest branch was a little rough and scratchy. “Wait,” Toby thought, skidding to a halt. “What if I get a splinter? Captain Comet can’t save the world with a splinter! It’ll mess up my gripping power.”

He paused, looking for a smoother branch. Mrs. Gable sighed and called her grandson, who grabbed a ladder and rescued Mittens in two minutes flat. Toby, still standing by the tree, just sighed too.

The next day, Toby saw a little boy trip on a crack in the sidewalk, scattering his bag of tiny plastic dinosaurs everywhere.

“Oof! My T-Rex!” the boy wailed, starting to tear up.

“A job for Captain Comet!” Toby declared, kneeling down. He was about to zip around and gather up the scattered toys with his super-speed.

But then he noticed the sidewalk was a little dusty. “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he muttered. “If I go super-speed on this dusty ground, I’ll kick up a huge dust cloud. What if the dust gets in my eyes? I won’t be able to see the evil-doers! And what if it makes me sneeze? Captain Comet can’t sneeze during a rescue!”

He stood up and dusted off his knees, still worrying about the imaginary dust cloud. The little boy, seeing Toby wasn’t helping, sniffled and started picking up his dinosaurs one by one. Toby watched him finish the job, his hands still clean and dust-free.

Later that week, Toby found the perfect villain! It was a big puddle! A giant, brown, muddy puddle blocking the only path to the swingset. It was a menace!

“Aha! My greatest foe yet: The Mud Monster!” Toby whispered, striking a heroic pose. He decided his squirrel-talking power would be perfect for this. He just needed to talk to a squirrel and convince it to gather stones to build a little bridge.

He looked around. Nothing. No squirrels in sight. “Blast!” he whispered. “My powers are useless without a helper squirrel. If I go near that puddle, I’ll get mud on my sneakers! My Captain Comet super-sneakers! And then how will I be super-fast? They’ll be too heavy!”

Just then, his friend Maya walked up. She didn’t look at the puddle, or her sneakers, or even for a squirrel. She just took two giant running steps and jumped right over the whole thing. Sproing! She landed cleanly on the grass by the swingset.

“What are you waiting for, Toby? Come on!” she called.

Toby looked at the puddle, then his clean sneakers. He looked at the oak tree, then at the dusty sidewalk. He realized something important. He wasn’t failing because of splinters, dust, or mud. He was failing because he was waiting for everything to be perfect before he tried. A true hero doesn’t wait for a spotless sidewalk or a clean jump. A true hero just helps.

Toby took a deep breath. He ran back a few steps, and then, without worrying about his sneakers one bit, he leaped! He landed with a slight squish on the edge of the puddle. His sneakers were a little brown, but he was on the other side.

“Hey, Maya!” he grinned, kicking off a tiny spray of water.

He was a little muddy, a little dusty, and he still didn’t have his squirrel army, but he was finally out of his own way. And for the first time, Toby felt like a real hero. Not Captain Comet, but Toby, the kid who wasn’t afraid to get his sneakers dirty to get to the swing set.

What do you think Toby’s next adventure should be?