The Forgotten Hero

There was something unusual about him, a good or bad unusual, I couldn't determine. I took a step closer towards him, my breathing steady, but my heart beating at the speed of light. And that was it! One step was all it took for me to see it; and suddenly my heart was beating faster and my breathing wasn't steady anymore...

***

The fact that the 'Special Selection Board' bestowed me with the most debilitated superpower begs me to say I'd rather not have any superpower at all, but they say I should be fortunate to have been given such an important responsibility to shoulder. The so called important responsibility is to spy on strangers. However, I don't need to spy, I just look at random people and instantly know their name, age, religion, etc. At first, I was ecstatic about my new found skill, but as time flew and the world became familiar, it turned to be very featureless and infuriating even.

I looked into my slate-blue eyes, heavy-lidded, as I braided my hair in front of the mirror. For a millionth time wishing there was a box above my head, showing me my position in this challenging world, telling me more about myself. But the dreadful truth is, I'll always know more about outlanders on the streets than about myself. I don't even know who my parents are, who my family is. All I know, is that one day at the age of 10 I woke up in a dark, creepy room, and the 'SSB' had declared me chosen. I know nothing of my life before that, and the 'SSB' won't tell me either. 

The sky was a beautiful blue, dotted with fluffy white clouds that drifted lazily in the gentle breeze, the roads shimmered in the heat of the midday sun, and the sunlit skyscrapers pierced the hot, blue sky. Every once a week, mostly on Saturdays, the 'SSB' hand me over some money and I'm compelled to go buy groceries for myself. I don't like going out anymore, it's too congested, not with people, but with those stupid boxes above their heads, that no one but only I can see. And as I walked down the streets, the boxes were the only things I could see, huge and unavoidable with the same old, boring information on them.

Name: Tristan Jones 

Age: 32

Job: Currently unemployed 

Name: Annie Kandoi

Age: 15

Student

The heat burned the back of my neck as I hoarded tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and other stuff into the cart. I didn't want to come back again for a long time. 

After I was done, I made my way back home, trying profusely to ignore the boxes, but needless to say, that was impossible.

Name: Katlyn Cimorelli 

Age: 40

Job: Lecturer

Name: Pete Guetta 

Age: 23

Practicing Law

All of a sudden, I stopped in my tracks, a strange feeling gushing down me. Without warning, my legs started wobbling beneath me like I was about to fall, and my hands started trembling too. 

I didn't know what to make of this, after all, in my existence of five years, this had never once happened to me, but now...

I looked around, trying to decipher this unknown hunch...and that's when I saw him, sitting in the corner of the streets, all bones, no flesh. I cringed away from the sight, but I wasn't an imbecile to not know that this inexplicable happening had been triggered because of this senile man, and that there was something unusual about him too, a good or bad unusual, I couldn't determine. Out of mere curiosity and a feeling of connection, I took a step closer towards him, my breathing steady but my heart beating at the speed of light. And that was it! One step was all it took for me to see it; and suddenly my heart was beating faster and my breathing wasn't steady anymore.

Just like on everyone else's, I could see a box above his grey head too, but it wasn't the same, it didn't carry the same, typical information on it. There was no name, age, profession, nothing, all it said in quotes was "The Forgotten Hero". I had envisaged something different about this man, but this was completely off the wall! Taking me by surprise again, the man's eyelids flickered and suddenly he was looking at me, I gasped, his face held an expression of worry and sadness. I felt sad too, I felt pity for him. Never had I ever felt commiseration for anybody, I was too selfish for that matter, but today was a day of oddity, and I could believe for once that things had changed, that I had changed. He raised his weary, bony hand and in a measured motion gestured for me to come towards him. I should have been afraid of this strange old man, but I wasn't, my social anxiety issues didn't spark up with regards to him. I willingly walked towards him. The man smiled a kind, feeble smile as I greeted him, wrinkles taking over his face even more. 

"What's your name?" He asked, his voice was gentle but stern at the same time.

"Uhhh...uhm...Delia Garcia, sir." My name was the only other thing I remembered, but still it was impossible to connect the dots leading to my family. 

"Hmm" the old man pondered staring nowhere, the smile vanishing, and sadness taking over again, I felt my smile melting away too. "You look like him too" he voiced out, not exactly speaking to me, "You must be his daughter." I staggered backwards, my heart rate accelerating again. Me! Daughter! Unusual, very unusual. 

"What are you talking about...?" I asked.

"He was a great man, your father" the old man went on with his 'thinking out aloud' not bothering to answer my question, "Put all his head, heart, and soul in protecting the country, died a regardful death too for the same reason." 

I had a father, I really did have a father! 

"There were many other people like your father who sacrificed their precious lives in protecting you people, I too gave my best in the Army." He paused, looked at me, and sighed,

 "But look where I am now, a homeless man on the streets, begging for my life back. People don't even care to look at me, even after knowing who I am...

 "Of course they don't care about us soldiers anymore, the defense system has thoroughly changed now hasn't it...? It's all very different now, no us soldiers needed!" He snorted, looking at me, but his eyes held no joke.

 I knew what he was talking about; it was me, my superpower, the 'SSB'. The old man was right, the whole defense system had changed. Unlike before, when ordinary soldiers guarded and defended our country, now, its the superhuman people like me who try to do the same duty, but its way easier for us with no peril. 

"I'm not saying that this new approach, whatever it is, is bad...but we at a point had surrendered our lives to protect yours, so now, why are we being forgotten. Isn't that unfair...?" Looking at me, he smiled a sad smile again. 

Guilt filled within me. Listening to this stranger talk about his ordeals made me realize how selfish and ignorant I'd been. Even with having no difficulties to face in my life, I'd still been crotchety and ungrateful about almost everything, especially my rare powers. This man and supposedly my father had to go through so much of danger to help save lives, protect lives, even with their families away, but they happily did it, happy to be of some use. However, I on the other hand, even with no jeopardy waiting for me, grumbled about my superpowers, thought them of no use when I could have actually helped the people willingly, gladly. 

It is me, people like me, that actually deserve to be forgotten. So, why is he the "Forgotten Hero". 

~a person with a superpower ~