The Fight Ends

The fight went on for a few hours. Alana, Anat, and Marc never tired. They kept attacking. Christy A. and Dan were a bloody mess. Their bodies were bruised everywhere. The area looked like something the board of health would condemn.

Things came to an end. The people hiding in the stores ran out. Many jumped onto the soon-to-be departing Newhouse ferry boat. The maintenance staff stood with their mops and brooms. They had no idea what to do. They knew there was no way they’d be able to clean the place up. 

Christy and Dan were sprawled out on concrete. They stared at each other. The two of them just underwent bloody hell. They knew Alanna, Anat, and Marc left. Where they went, they don’t know. The two of them want to keep fighting each other. But they aren’t sure if they have the energy.

The two of them tried to stand up. Both fell. They needed water. They were drunk from all of the wine they took in from Alana’s attack. They could have also used some food. All of the eateries shut down. Plus, the two couldn’t just get up and walk over to one of them.

Tears fell from both of their eyes. They were scared. They knew they’d be attacked again.

Anat, Alanna, and Marc wound up at the Staten Island Mall. At one point, Alana and Marc were mall rats. Those days are over. All the stores they shopped in are gone. But their memories are alive.

A Quiet Day. Not

It was a pleasant sunny day. Thankfully, the heat wave ended. People were back outside and enjoying the beach and parks. David Benjamin and Sarah were in their joint stroller being pushed by Marc. Alana was humming music from the Bauhaus, the Cure, Depeche Mode, and, for kicks, she tossed in some Bon Jovi. She and Marc saw him the night before at the Garden. Sometimes they needed good, fun rock. It is not as deep as the goth and new wave scene. But has its needs.

All was going well. The kids were enjoying themselves in Prospect Park. They had spent a few minutes at Grand Army Plaza and walked over. Alana and Marc are not the biggest fans of zoos, but they planned to take the kids to park’s zoo. One day, they’d take them to an African safari. But at this point, they knew their younglings would enjoy the sea lions, some wild felines (Alana and Marc are allergic to and hate cats), and maybe even try feeding some of the animals. They are still a little young to understand everything. But we are quickly getting there.

They walked down Flatbush Avenue in the direction of the zoo. They gazed at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden across the street. They wanted peace. They sipped their water and made sure the two kids had their milk in their NY Yankees thermos. They were both wearing Yankee t-shirts, shorts, and hats.

They saw the usual crowds on Flatbush – The Homeless, the mentally ill, other families, the street performers and salespersons, and the ice cream trucks. Alana’s phone buzzed. She had no desire to answer it. But it was the blasting of the emergency ringtone by Siouxsie Sioux. 

Alana’s eyes lit up. Marc’s phone was on vibrate, and it was vibrating. There was an attack in New Springville near the Staten Island Mall. Glass was flying everywhere. The NYPD was trying to defuse the situation. Dan’s emergency response team was on the scene. 

Anat jumped into her Porsche and was making great time on the FDR Drive to the heliport near the South Street Seaport. Dan alerted the police that his wife would be able to negotiate. Although Anat worked in investment banking her negotiation skills were well known in NYC. Dan often had her counsel his staff. 

She exited her car and headed into a chopper, and in about five minutes, she was at the mall. Glass almost hit the chopper. Dan knew Anat was not going to use her powers on demand. She and the others kept their secrecy. It has been getting harder. But they’ve been getting smarter.

Jay was in rare form. The officers fired at him. But his glass deflected all the bullets. Alana and Marc were entering the zoo and deciding what to do. They knew they couldn’t get to Staten Island in the manner that Alana did. However, they thought they could be useful. Anat went without Gili and Jerry. So, there’d be no jelly, latkes and olives flying. Dan was getting worried. The NYPD was making some strides but needed something extra.

He looked at his wife. She smiled. She got onto the microphone and asked Jay to stop. More glass flew. Anat said she had to use the ladies’ room. She made that up.

She walked towards Richmond Hill Road and used her senses to sniff out Jay. She fired prunes and apricots at the glass. She knocked most of it down. One piece came awfully close to her. She ducked just at the right moment. She heard Jay’s gravelly voice. She was able to fire in that direction. She stunned him when a raisin hit him between the eyes. He thought he was in total control, and his enemies weren’t gonna get to his location. Wrong he was. Anat fired several more times. Jay fell to the ground. The NYPD closed in. Anat walked away.

Jay and Christy Meet Up

Jay’s been lying low. He knows what his cousin, Christy, has been doing. The two do not know each other well. They probably would compete for attention. But Jay thought it might be good for the two of them to meet up.

Nathan’s

Jay knows Christy spends most of her time wreaking havoc at Coney Island. He decided he’d get there early on Thursday. He arrived and quietly went into Nathan’s for a hot dog, fries, and Coney Island Mermaid Pilsner. He came off as a typical customer. He wore jeans, shorts, sneakers, and a faded Mets shirt. His t-shirt choices are often another thing that pissed off Marc and Alana, the two diehard fans of the Bronx Bombers.

The Thunderbolt

He quietly munched on his food while sipping his pilsner. He heard screams. He knew the rides were opening and figured they were coming from the people on the Thunderbolt. Nah. He looked toward the boardwalk and saw his cousin on the prowl. 

The Beach

Jay got up and walked towards her. He yelled out her name. She turned around and saw him. She grinned and kept attacking little kids on the boardwalk and landed several pieces of stale bread onto the beach. He was about three feet away from her. She glanced at him and kept firing at the children.

Christy fired at Jay. He was not surprised. He fired glass at her volley of bread and knocked it down mid-flight. She managed to hit him in the head. He retaliated. It looked like the two of them would wage war over who reigns as the chief nemesis. 

Marc and Christy Finally Meet 

By Mitchell Slepian

Marc was near Grand Central Station. He had just exited Metro-North and was heading towards Wollensky’s Grill. He needed a filet mignon. He passed by Midtown Comics and decided to stop in. He was happy he was not featured in any comic books. He, Alana, and Anat tried to keep it that way. Shocked they are that nothing has been printed. They figured they were strong with their versions of The Force that they were able to skate by.

Marc was reading an Incredible Hulk book and glanced at Wolverine. He walked up to the counter to purchase them. When a girl looking like the images sent by Anat of Christy was reading a book featuring Harley and Poison Ivy. Marc wasn’t sure if it was her. But sensed it was. He tapped his iPhone; his books were bagged, and he walked down the store’s steps and proceeded toward Forty-Ninth Street and Third Avenue. He was tasting the glass of Sauvignon Blanc they always poured him as he walked in.

He was a block away when he saw stale bread flying through the air. Remember, Christy killed the woman Marc hates. So, he still held her in somewhat high regard. But knew she was dangerous and needed to be stopped.

He saw her randomly hitting a family: mom, dad, and a girl about three years old. Marc fired pomegranates at Christy. He also backed them up with honey. Christy stopped for a second. Marc yelled out Why did you kill that woman? 

Christy smiled and launched more bread. Marc shot back. The two volleyed back and forth for what seemed like an hour. It was about 15 minutes. Christy’s eyes started to stick from the honey in her eyelids. 

Marc nailed her in the nose with a pomegranate. Christy fell. Marc got closer and checked her out. She was down for the count. Or was she? As he got slightly closer, her hands launched a huge piece of stale bread dripping with rancid butter. Marc deflected it, and it smacked Christy in the mouth. She bit into it and smiled.

Marc and Alana React

By Mitchell Slepian

The new parents took their children home. Alana fed them. Marc was pondering. On the ride home, the two discussed what they created. They knew their offspring would have powers. But never in their wildest dreams did they think their powers would be off the charts. Marc watched Alana’s video again. He was concerned about what would happen when the kids were playing with other children and might get annoyed, or if a kid picked on them. Would they be like Dr. Robert Bruce Banner and Hulk out? How would they teach them to use their powers only when needed? Marc and Alana never used theirs unless necessary. Anat did when she first became powerful and was evil. Once she turned, she was low-key. The twins could be a problem.

Alana put the kids in their respective cribs and sat on Marc’s lap. She brought him a glass of Chenin Blanc. She had her own glass. This was from a bottle she purchased at City Winery. It was not from her superpowers. She usually fought with red wine. But mixed things up to make it interesting. The two started kissing. The kids started to cry, and they got up to see why.

They were relaxed when they saw the babies were just being kids. They should be full. A quick diaper check said all was clean. In their minds, the two children were plotting their next episodes. They had no idea how strong they were. They thought what they did to Jay was normal. It was self-defense. Jay did attack them and tried to hurt their parents. In their young minds everyone was like them. Sadly, that’s not the case.

Jen’s pregnancy

Jen announced her pregnancy to the world via Facebook. She was worried not about how she’d handle this stage of her life. But would she be safe? She was doing fine with her married life, her job as a social worker was going well. But she was scared Anat would come after her baby.

She hadn’t heard from Marc for a while. She wasn’t sure if he’d be able to protect her for the whole 9 months. And during her child’s life. She was grateful he and Alana saved her engagement, wedding and honeymoon. But she knew there had to be a limit.

The two of them had their own lives. Eventually, she figured they’d forget about her.

Turns out Marc and Alana were having dinner at City Winery while waiting for Max Weinberg to take the stage. They saw Jen’s announcement. They just looked at each other and clinked their glasses, as Weinberg opened with Thunder Road.

Naturally, Anat saw the post. She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want Jen to be happy. But she was wondering if it was time to let bygones be bygones. She was just so upset with her loneliness. She knows she’s a bit off.  But there had to be something that could break for her.

Anat sat on a bench in Central Park with a box of Sun-Maid raisins.  What could be better?  She was fairly calm.

Alana and Marc were walking hand in hand down Spring Street.  As usual, Weinberg finished with Glory Days.  They knew they’d never wed. Or seriously date. But just be each other’s partners in everything.

Marc’s phone buzzed. He had no desire to look. He was doing well with breaking his addiction to it. But it was nonstop. So he figured he should take a peek.

It was a note from Jen.  He gave it a quick read, congratulated her and told her he and Alana had her covered. She’d be fine. But told her to be watchful.

Marc goes back to P.S. 36

Things were not going well. The Yankees were slipping. Everything else was fine.  Marc stayed up all night to see them lose in extra innings at Fenway.  He finally got himself to sleep.

The next morning he woke up in a different place. He got out of bed and was in his Staten Island room.  He was confused. But going down the steps in his mom’s house. It looked like he was in 1978. That was the year his family moved from Sheepshead Bay to Staten Island.  He was not happy about the move.  He left his Brooklyn friends behind. No more sneaking out of the P.S. 209 schoolyard at lunchtime to go to the Hustle Inn or Z Cozy Corner. Or buying 10-cent wooden planes from the ice cream truck just outside the yard. Maybe they went airborne for three seconds.

He got on the bus at Woodrow Road and wound up in P.S. 36.

He was wearing his Sergio Valente jeans and a Lacoste polo shirt. He had his green knapsack and Star Wars lunchbox. He walked into the annex for his third-grade class. What was going on? His head was spinning. He knew he was flashing back to his youth. He didn’t drink anything before he went to bed and he never did illicit drugs.  Something was weird.

At lunchtime, he sat in the yard by himself. He saw a short, thin, cute girl with pigtails wearing all black by herself eating a sandwich. They were both third graders. Some older girls picked on her.  They grabbed her pretzel stix and juice box.  They didn’t eat the food. They just smacked it on the floor. She tried to fight back. But the girls knocked her down. She buried her head in hands, as tears dripped out of her eyes. The girls left her sitting there. Marc always being shy, walked over to her. He said, “Hi, I’m Marc. I saw what those nasty girls did. Are you okay.” She smiled and said, “I’ll be fine.  I’m Alana. I just moved here from Sheepshead Bay. I wish I had some friends.”

Marc smiled. “Wow, I moved here from Sheepshead Bay about a month ago. I miss the friends that I played Star Wars and Incredible Hulk with. I can be your friend.”

The two kids smiled at each other. They decided they wouldn’t let anyone get picked on.

The two wound up playing Star Wars in the schoolyard. They were always Sith.  They constantly argued over who was the master and the apprentice. Sometimes Marc burst out into a green guy.  For years the two were inseparable.

 

PS 36

The Status Quo

 

Everyone was home from Aruba. Well, the newlyweds and their “security” team were. As for Anat, no one knows where she is. She apparently stormed off her Aruban “chef” job.

The gang was back at work. Jen and Jake were adjusting to married life well. Jen wanted a baby girl.

Marc and Alana were together a lot. But were not dating. Just being their usual selves. They kind of gave up on meeting people. One day they figured they’d wed as a joke. Even with their superpowers, no one could tolerate their craziness. They were made for each other. They just needed to grin and bear it and tie the knot. It was inevitable. But would likely take years.

They carried on their somewhat pathetic existence and attraction to each other. They kept the peace in the areas they visited. They didn’t let anyone get in their way. But did it in a dignified way. They just had no patience for immaturity and dishonesty. This occurred whether the people were much senior or junior to them. They forged ahead.

Alana hung with Tzipora who was talking about marriage to Eran. Alana was envious. The two of them had another tryst between the sheets. Alana wasn’t sure what she was doing with herself. Neither was Tzipora. But she needed the connection she had with Eran. She knew she Alana was just having fun. And ultimately, she’s Marc’s.

They all carried along. All was quiet.

Until…

The Buffalo Wars

Alana and Marc emerged from their Salt Lake swim. They weren’t always the brightest.  They knew the wedding was about to start. So they dried off quickly and put on appropriate attire.

They began to hike over to Antelope Island. They moved quickly. They didn’t want to miss the breaking of the glass.  As they were walking they heard deafening screams.

They knew something had to be going on. They saw a herd of bison running around near the wedding spot.  And they smelled a familiar odor. The two nodded at each other and began to high tail it to the chuppah.

“Don’t you have relations with the buffalo?” asked Alana.

“I only wish I did.  A kid I used to spend my summers with was very close to the mighty animal.  It protected him. The rest of us dreamed to have that.”

The two ran as fast as they could.

They saw Jen and Jake on the floor bleeding. They saw others in the same situation. Then they saw Anat charging on her buffalo at the bride and groom.

Alana and Marc looked at each other.  They jumped onto a tree.  As Anat was heading toward Jen and Jake, Marc jumped off the tree, while Alana shot gallons of wine into Anat’s eyes.   Anat fell off the buffalo. Marc landed on top and rode it like a stallion.  As he was riding, he was meditating. He was thinking of the great buffalo master from his earlier years.  He was channeling him. He got the buffalo to slow down and nod to the rest of the herd.

In the meantime, Alana jumped off the tree and pelted Anat with figs.  They got caught in her filthy hair. She was still on the ground after her fall. She tried to get up but tripped over her boots.  Alana showered her with pomegranate wine.

Meanwhile, the buffalo retreated. Marc hopped off his and walked over to Jake and Jen and began first aid. Alana was checking the other folks.

 

 

Jen and Jake Get Married. Or do they?

Jen’s and Jake’s Antelope Island, Salt Lake wedding was rapidly approaching. Why Antelope Island? Years ago, Jake hiked it when he was on a business trip and loved the watching the buffalo roam. He believes that this animal is very spiritual. No one ever understood why.

Much planning went into it. Jake was fairly well off. So he was able to provide transportation to and from for those in need. He kept his financial status quiet. Jen loved him because of him. Not his money. She was never that type of woman. They figured Salt Lake was safe from Anat, too. Jen didn’t want Marc and Alana there to provide security services. She wanted a peaceful wedding and an amazing  honeymoon in Aruba.

The big day finally arrived. All the guests looked beautiful. But no one looked prettier than Jen. The photographer took great shots of them and the herd of bison that was in the distance.

The wedding was about to begin. Everyone looked beautiful and the weather was perfect. The rabbi called everyone to order. Jake looked so strong and Jen looked like a movie star.

All of a sudden the herd of buffalo came charging at the chuppah. Anat was riding the lead buffalo. She jumped off and started hitting everyone with dates, prunes and the scary and deadly raisin.

“You were so stupid to send out online invites and post a website about this golden day. I hacked everything. The wedding is over. It’s over.”

Jen burst into to tears. Jake tried to hold her. But he was pelted with dried fruit.

They had no idea what to expect next. Their families were running. But the buffalo were charging. People always look at the beauty of the buffalo. Most people forget they are not docile animals.

If they didn’t get help soon there will be a lot seriously injured and perhaps even dead people.