dropped in behind him and the quarterback let the ball fly over Adam’s head. Even with Adam’s leaping ability, he knew he wouldn’t be able to pull this one down. Adam checked his power, his magnetism, and as he fell to the ground with the two defensive players on top of him, he watched the ball bounce off of the turf several yards ahead. Very slowly, Adam got to his feet as the Gladiators danced in victory around him.
Adam walked, head down, for what seemed an eternity to the sideline. The coach clapped him on the shoulder pad and said, “That’s okay.” He didn’t sound okay as his voice cracked with shock and emotion. Adam turned around to watch the Gladiators run out the clock.
Both teams lined up and the quarterback called, “Hut!” As the center hiked the ball up into his hands, a little too hard for a play where the quarterback was going to take a knee, he turned the underside of the ball up from the grass where the evening’s dew had begun to form. The hide of the ball, wet and smacking the quarterback’s hands much harder than he had anticipated, slipped and spun out at a crazy angle between the quarterback’s legs.
Adam watched in disbelief as his team plowed through the line and pounced on the ball. “Get back in there!” the coach shouted in his ear.
Adam didn’t have to be told twice. He jammed his helmet over his head and raced back in. His team bounced back, jubilant from their luck. The Gladiators still seemed to be unsure of what just happened.
“Let’s take it to them,” the quarterback said and called the same play they had just run. Adam glanced at the clock with three seconds left and hoped that this time the throw would be right.
As the ball was hiked, Adam saw the coverage would be the same as last time. Instead of cutting straight in, he juked to the outside and the cornerback bit. Adam saw the corner realize his mistake too late as Adam then turned inside and sprinted into the endzone. The corner’s feet went out from under him as he grabbed wildly for Adam’s legs and Adam could see the name “Connor” on the back of the jersey. He sprinted past the startled linebacker who had covered him last time as well and looked back over his shoulder to see the ball coming in too high again. Adam’s adrenaline kicked in and he took three amazingly long strides and leapt into the air, reaching out as far as he could. The ball hung forever just above his fingertips and then landed ever so gently against them as if it were a giant egg that might break if handled rough.
Adam touched down in a smooth belly flop and slid to a stop just shy of the back of the endzone. He could see the official out of the corner of his eye raise both arms into the air. Before he could even begin to get to his feet, hands grabbed him and drug him to a standing position. Everyone started slapping his shoulders and back, congratulating him on a great catch. The Tigers had won the championship again, 22 to 18. Coach came running up and yelled, “Pizza at Pizza Hut for the whole team on me!” Adam couldn’t quit grinning from ear to ear.
The rest of the year went by in a blur with football season over. Adam continued to get better at using his magnetism for all sorts of things, from cleaning his room to giving him a boost of air or pulling his board back in when riding his skateboard. Every once in a while, he would peek in on his bike and wish he could get it out, but he knew it just wasn’t time.
Preview of Episode 4: Bad Guys Beware
The gunman looked up, surprised, and brought the gun around. The clerk dropped to the floor behind the counter. Adam jumped from his board as he flicked it into his hand and slid down onto his side and across the tile of the floor. He brought the board between him and the robber as the robber unloaded several shots toward Adam. Adam felt the impact of each bullet jolt the board and push him backwards toward the ATM machine. As the bullets ricocheted off of the bulletproof polymer Adam had strengthened the board with, the camera caught the explosion of bags of chips and bottles of alcohol getting ripped apart by the stray slugs.
The gunman stopped in surprise as one wild bullet hit the bottle of whiskey in his hand leaving him holding just the glass neck. Adam used the moment of shock to jump to his feet. Grabbing an open box of Slim Jims, he flung them toward the creep in a rain of spicy goodness. “What a waste,” flickered briefly in Adam’s mind as Mr. Robber flung his hands up in defense before he realized it was something that wouldn’t hurt him.
Dear Brothers and Sisters of Adam:
Don’t forget to email me your suggestions and thoughts about Adam at [email protected].
Thanks,
Kevin T. Goddard
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About the Author
Kevin T. Goddard was born in Springfield, Missouri in 1975. He grew up watching shows and movies like Transformers, G.I. Joe, Star Wars, Star Trek, Dukes of Hazzard, A-Team, and much more action/adventure/science fiction. Kevin is currently a school administrator in Missouri. His family consists of a wife, 8 kids, and a chihuahua. Kevin earned a Doctorate of Education, Ed. D., in Educational Leadership in 2010. He started writing when he was a kid, but as he worked on his advanced degrees in the field of education, his writing turned academic.
About 9 years ago, Kevin wrote a short book entitled Adam Powerhouse: Birth of the Double Zero. After finishing it, he didn't know what to do, so Kevin saved it on his computer and forgot about it. When he reopened the file in 2010, Kevin was surprised to find that many of the things Adam invented in 2001 were now a part of reality...cell phones that connected to the internet, skateboards that work more like a snowboard, video games that allow you to be a rockstar, and more! So, he's had to update Adam's world. It continues to evolve and Kevin hopes Adam lives for a long, long time and you enjoy every adventure Adam has.
Kevin plans on starting more characters with the help of his two oldest daughters and chronicling those characters lives through episodes as he has Adam's.
Connect with Kevin T. Goddard online:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_192520634101730
Email: [email protected]
Adam Powerhouse Episode 3: School, Sports, and...Superpowers? Page 3