The Silver Stranger

An inflatable mattress did not facilitate a restful night’s sleep, and the kitchen floor made for a lousy breakfast table. Alyssa leaned against a cabinet as she nibbled on toast.

“How did you sleep?” Miranda asked between bites of her egg sandwich.

“Briefly, but don’t worry about it. One way or another, insomnia was going to happen.”

Alyssa’s half-open eyes bored through the floor tiles while she kept seeing the little girl who nearly fell off the bridge yesterday, and she kept picturing the worst-case scenario.

Miranda said, “I got a news alert about a weird thing that happened last night.”

“Can’t be weirder than flying unicorns.”

“Maybe not, but it sounds creepier.”

As Miranda explained it, some guy learned he could control all sea life within a limited radius of his person. Unfortunately, this guy detested sea life. Concealed in darkness, he trespassed onto a beach hours after closing and turned his unconventional skill against the nearest fish, forcing them ashore. By the time anyone noticed what was happening, he had already killed hundreds of fish, a few squid, and even a shark, and more were suffocating.

The Terrific Trio arrived and defeated the Fish Slayer, as he had branded himself, in a short, decisive battle. Mr. Amazing telekinetically returned all beached creatures to the sea, some in time to save their lives, and the superheroes then handed the Fish Slayer into police custody.

Alyssa swallowed a bite, and all she said in response was “huh.”

“What possesses someone to massacre fish?” Miranda said. “How do you hate fish so much that you set out to slaughter every last one that you can?”

Eyes still fixed on a random part of the floor, Alyssa muttered, “That’s the guy who gets fish-controlling powers.”

“I know! Isn’t it such a waste?”

Alyssa straightened her back, which still felt stiff. “So … who should get fish-controlling powers?”

“What? I don’t know. Just not the guy who did. He made that much clear. But it’s a good thing the Terrific Trio showed up to stop him, right?”

“It would be better if there wasn’t any unhinged loser with fish-controlling powers.”

Alyssa finished her last bite of toast and stood up to refill her water, groaning along the way. She looked forward to having a real mattress tonight.

After a gulp of water, Alyssa decided to pivot toward a subject where they agreed. “By the way, my parents are in town.”

Miranda hopped to her feet, mildly concerned. “Oh? Are they coming over?”

“No, whole thing is pure coincidence. They’re trying to start another car recycling business, and they decided to do it here—probably hoping dead batteries explode and turn them into super-people or something. They saw the new fad and just had to come chase after it.”

Miranda smirked and playfully smacked her arm. “Oh, come on. You moved here, too. Admit it—you’re fascinated by all this.”

Something about Miranda’s innocent tone lit a spark in Alyssa. An intensity took over.

“Yeah, it’s fascinating, like all weirdly grotesque things are fascinating. That doesn’t make any of this right. Sure—great that the Terrific Trio showed up to stop the creepy fish killer, but who are they accountable to? They get to have all that power, and they have it anonymously. That is not right. The world was already crazy enough. We didn’t need flying cosplayers and living photons on top of that. I know you like them, and really, I get it—it seems like some kind of fantasy come true. Anything’s possible. But the problem with anything being possible is that anything is possible. There are no rules. Reality has no basic structure anymore. Unless someone or something comes along to rein this all in, it’s going to get out of hand.”

Alyssa trudged toward her room, then realized she wasn’t done yet.

“Oh, and while these supposedly great superheroes were fighting unicorns yesterday, a little girl almost fell off the bridge trying to watch them. The dad eventually grabbed her, but she was clearly beneath the Terrific Trio’s notice. And how the hell am I supposed to take them seriously when they dress like children? Children play dress-up with masks and capes. Something is wrong with those three, and I really hope we don’t all suffer for it.”

The rant sucked all the mirth right out of Miranda. Standing in the kitchen, shoulders slumped, she appeared even smaller than usual.

“Yeah, I hope we don’t,” she said in a soft voice.