Lightning storm over city in purple light

Recap: Yonatan is a great storyteller. Whilst running home during lunch to fetch some homework, he is struck by a lightning bolt.

It had all lasted less than ten seconds. Yonatan rose from the ground in a daze. Don’t people die from lightning bolts? Well he felt fine. Shrugging, he continued his dash to school and made it just before the lesson-bell rang.

“Hey what’s going on with your hair?” said Avi, “You look like you were hit by lightning!” Yonatan stared back at him. “No way!” Shimon cried. Yonatan nodded.

“I thought lightening would kill a person?” said Avi.

“Not usually,” Yosef piped up.

“Ah, the science whiz will now enlighten us, all rise for the sage,” responded Avi.

“Very funny Avi, a lightning strike hits so fast, it usually doesn’t kill. You probably have a mark where it hit though,” Yosef explained. Yonatan pulled down his collar and just under his shoulder, was a faint, wild zigzag mark- the shape of a real lightning bolt.

Avi whistled, “Whoa, we have a real Harry Potter here.”

“Shame I never inherited his powers as well,” said Yonatan.

“Don’t speak too soon!” Shimon cautioned. The boys all laughed at his joke but little did they know how right Shimon was going to be.

After school, Avi, Yosef and Shimon clamoured for Yonatan to continue his story, and he agreed.

The thief stole into the school and crept into the computer room. With deft fingers he skilfully picked the measly padlock that was all the cupboard had in terms of protection. Extracting a computer, he booted it up and ran a programme. Strange symbols ran across the screen and an eerie glow lit the room. The green light contrasted with the intruder’s blue skin and his alien eyes narrowed. The programme was complete. Waving up at the camera, he swiftly disappeared.

——–

“Yonatan get up!” called a voice.

A few minutes later, puffing and panting, Yonatan made it to the corner where Yosef and Avi were waiting impatiently. Picking up Shimon, they ran to school but were rewarded only by the sight of shut gates.

“Suppose we’ll have to go around to the office and get detention.” Yosef’s glum proclamation was suddenly offset when reached the office. Five policemen were there along with a very puzzled looking Rabbi Goldberg who told them: “Boys go to class.” It’s not that they had wanted a detention, but they had certainly been expecting one and the absence of it only piqued their curiosity further.

Later on, Mr Davidson explained to the class that there had been a break-in the night before. “It appears he was wearing some sort of unusual glowing mask and he only tampered with one of the laptops. He didn’t take anything, he simply installed a strange program. Bomb-disposal concluded it was not a bomb, but the police are still treating this very seriously.”

“Do they know what the mask looked like?” asked Shimon curiously.

“As a matter of fact yes, he turned around and waved at the camera, most unusual but that’s enough for now boys, the wonders of osmosis are what we shall be delving into today.”

Avi frowned at Yosef and they turned to stare at Yonatan who simply shrugged with a perplexed expression. Yosef raised his hand. “Just one more question,” he said, “How did he get in?”

“Through the skylight, now please turn to page 53.” Mr Davidson continued, but Yonatan wasn’t listening. Neither were Yosef, Avi or Shimon. The robbery was exactly the story Yonatan had made up that very night.

After lessons, Yosef, Avi and Shimon turned on Yonatan. “Hey, hey, I have no idea how it happened it’s so weird, but…it can’t be,” he said.

“It must be,” Avi stated simply. “Too much of a coincidence,” added Shimon. As one they turned to Yosef.

“What?”

“You’re the brainy one.”

“So what! Truthfully, I have no idea, but it is strange.”

“It all started once you got hit by the lightening!”

“Don’t be crazy Avi, that’s not possible, you watch too much.”

“Oh, so do you have a better explanation? No, Shimon? I didn’t think so.”

Yonatan sank to the ground in a daze, it couldn’t be, could it? But it was his story, down to the last detail and there is no such thing as coincidence. Yosef decided to do some research and for now they would wait to see what he found. Yosef went off to the library with Shimon and Avi took Yonatan home.

“Y’know Yonatan, we could have some real fun with this new talent of yours….”

“No. We have to be careful.”

“Oh come on, it would be so cool, imagine what we could do with it!” Yonatan’s heart began to pound. Truth be told he was excited, it was really cool to have powers. He felt like a super-hero. This would make a great story. His mind began to race, he could make them all rich and famous and really popular and he could invent ways for them to get all the latest gadgets and make everything they ever did succeed! Nothing would ever have to go wrong again, he would never have to be sad again, he wouldnever lack anything that he could ever dream of!

“We could go on cool adventures if you made us the protagonists and you would just write us a happy ending! And we could play some totally wicked tricks in school….”

Yonatan began to grin greedily, the whole world was his! But then his conscience coughed really loudly. Was he really allowed to do all this? What about helping the world? He could end all wars, bring world peace, the possibilities were endless! Maybe it would be wrong to use his new powers for himself? If Hashem gave them to him, surely it was for all mankind?

Avi read the conflict in his friend’s eyes, “Of course we would help everyone we could. Look Yonatan, we can do anything you can dream of!”

Yonatan laughed crazily, the world was theirs!