Firecracker

I always knew that there was something brewing in me but I couldn't quite place it, a freak accident later and it was bright as fucking day. It only cost me a year of my life spent in an accident induced coma followed by 3 straight months of seizure filled nights and cold sweats. All in all it was a pretty shitty time but the payoff was worth it, at least in my opinion. I woke up seemingly normal and right on time my nurse was there ready to check if I had taken my piss or not and like always I had to go on the spot. Normally I would go and it would come out bright yellow indicating that I haven't been drinking as much water as I needed and once again I would get a lecture from this woman. Once she began to tap her foot I knew it was useless, I held the bed rail for support and unsteadily got on my feet.

Physical therapy was working at least, a few weeks ago I couldn't even crawl. It was still hard as shit to keep balance but I was getting, albeit slowly. A few moments later I stood toe to toe with fate, I pulled out my flaccid junk and prayed the piss would come out clear. I knew it was impossible since I drank close to a quarter cup of water the night before but I still held hope. When the steady stream began to flow out my urethra I was surprised, first that it didn't hurt what so ever and the fact that it was steady. My piss almost always came out in short bursts, this demanded my full attention. When I shifted my eyes downwards I noticed the spectacular sight, a stream of clear urine. The nurse was more surprised than me, so surprised that she didn't even stay long. She helped me to my bed and left almost immediately.

I just thought of this as a freak accident since miracles do happen, if I wasn't in the hospital I would've probably played the lotto as well. Within a few moments the sense of mild shock disappeared and I was left with a warm feeling of just happiness, it was the first time I took a nap in a good mood. A few minutes in the doctor came in to check up on my vitals, something that instantly struck me as odd since my vitals were checked a few hours my post piss nap.

"Uhh, you're here early." The sense of confusion was clear as day in my voice, it didn't help that he looked a bit too focused in his work too.

"The nurse said that your urine was clear? Are you able to retain water now?"

I wasn't going to tell him that I wanted my piss to be clear and it magically happened, not if I wanted to keep myself away from the psych ward. I simply agreed and asked when I could be released, my go to question when I wanted to change the topic.

"I told you countless times already Mr. Jones, the accident fractured many of your bones. They have healed but you have lost a considerable amount of mass from coma. With such inactivity, your muscles have deteriorated and you've lost some bone density."

It was the same mixture of statements I grew severely accustomed to, however since I had a miracle happen just minutes before I thought I was still on the hot streak. Like before I just thought of what I wanted to happen, I just thought of my body being in normal condition and just hoped for the best. So, completely ignoring the doctor I got off my bed without using the railing and stood on my feet. To my amazement, and the doctor's, I was able to stand perfectly. There was no bending of the back or shaking of the knees, and to push the envelope further I was walking normally as well. There was no strain on any part of my body, when I felt comfortable with all the basic movements I tried to jump. His mouth practically remained agape as I pushed the limits and did more complex movements.

"I feel fine doc." I counted a good five seconds before he decided to put me through a myriad of tests, since I was already on a hot streak I happily obliged. I'd say roughly six hours were spent with the exams, afterwards I was ready to be released. There was nothing he could've done to keep there anyways so I was good.

I wasn't that slow to just think that two miracles happened in a row because I wanted them to, nobody was that lucky. Once I got home all I did was inspect every inch of myself in front of the full-body mirror I spent my entire last check on, I couldn't tell any noticeable differences. I looked exactly the way I remembered, average height with a decent frame and reasonably normal functioning legs. For some reason I just couldn't tell what could've triggered my sudden influence over myself, just last week I overheard the doctor whisper to his aide that I may never be able to walk again without support. As a child I often played superhero but those were just games, I didn't think I would actually become what I played.

I wanted to dawn a skintight suit and go out in the public screaming out what I discovered but decided against it soon after, best case scenario I'd be put in a special home. Looking around the small cramped apartment I couldn't believe how little time changed anything. I was out of everyone's lives for over a year but the room, like me, remained unchanged. I was surprised that my landlord didn't try to find a loophole and move someone in while I was gone. She hated my guts, her and her racist husband. They only agreed because they desperately needed the money, even then I could see the hatred in their eyes. I could've located somewhere else but time wasn't exactly something I had in abundance, so necessity brought us together. That's not to say that they didn't find ways to kick me out, I just was extra careful read the lease thoroughly.

"Oh shit!" The inside thought became on outside reaction real quick when I noticed the date, Helen Cumbersnatch was about to have a field day.

It was the last day of the lease, I used the money I got from selling my grandparents house to pay off the entire term's rent. Unfortunately I didn't have luxury to enjoy most of it, it wasn't like Helen would've cared. She was about to be ecstatic that I was about to leave, there was no way in hell she'd allow me to renew the lease. My instincts were spot on when she rung the bell about twenty minutes later, she must've seen me get out the taxi earlier. I could've avoided her but that would've just gave her more ammo, if I wanted to hold onto that tiny glimmer of possibility I had to answer.

"Hey Helen, sorry the place is a mess. I just-"

"Lease is up today. I know you were in the hospital so I'm giving you an extra three days to get your stuff out. The earlier the better, the couple wants to move in as soon as possible." She didn't even try to hide the grin while she spoke, she was enjoying this and wanted me to know.

Bitch didn't even let me finish, not only that but she already found someone to replace me. She even told me renewing the lease was out of the equation, I wasn't even living on the property for most of the time and she still thought I was a shitty tenant. I had full authority to be pissed and I was but we both knew that it wasn't going to change anything. If I didn't discover this gift I would've committed a crime, there wasn't even a possibility I knew I would've strangled her. The conversation was already over and there was no use of trying to resuscitate it, I grit my teeth and let her out. Before I even thought about what to do with her I had to figure out where the hell I was going to stay.

I still had a small chunk of money left from the sale of my grandparents house, my share was on the lower side compared to everyone else's but it was still a small fortune for me. I had enough to float me a couple of weeks at a cheap motel, how I'd manage afterwards was question for that time. Taking one last look at the place I left the premises, I was only there for a short while so I didn't have much time to get attached to anything. Even if I did, it wasn't like I could take it with me. I was already on a tight leash, if the savings didn't last me a few weeks I'd have to forget catching up in college and work retail. Luckily the motel had a vacancy and dirt cheap food, in addition to a vending machine.

At first I was slightly accepting of my fate, I mean I knew it was going to happen sooner or later but it still pissed me off. I registered for my classes since I was still enrolled in school and after a bit of explaining and pleading with the bursar's office and admissions, my grant was restored. I forget if it was a scholarship or grant, I could never tell the difference. All I knew was that I got into a special program where my tuition was waived and all I had to pay for were the books. The next semester was a good two months away so it gave me ample time to find a part time job and save up some type of cushion as well as reflect about this gift.

I did manage to figure out how it worked, although more time than I want to admit but nevertheless I got fairly adept at it. The mechanism was simple all I had to do was think it and it would be done. The body was practically my canvas, I could mold it slightly and force even force a response if I wanted. I usually had some fun when I started my shift at the local drug store, whenever a customer was being rude I use to just force a sneeze in the middle of their sentence until they calmed down or left the store. When a customer really became unruly I halted the sneeze response so they constantly felt like they had to sneeze. It made my day much easier and also made me appreciate the little things in life.

I was actually pretty amazed at how fast I practically mastered the ability, it didn't make a living god but I sure felt like it. What could be considered mere party tricks to others actually gave my life some meaning, it was the only thing that kept me from dwelling on the fact that I lost close to two years of my life. I began to think of the power as payment for my tragedy, it actually became much easier to accept with that mind frame. I didn't forget about Helen however, or her husband. I still wanted to get back at them but in way that didn't link back to me. I already lost a chunk of my life, I didn't want to lose anymore. For days I thought about how I was going to get back at them but it was like arguing with a wall, every plan I thought of was too direct and for some reason didn't incorporate my powers. I was too caught up on causing them pain that I began to think from raw emotions than with a rational mind.

Thank god emotions are short lived because I wasn't getting anywhere. After about a week of going in circles I finally came up with something useful. The best way to get back at the happily married couple was to break them up and I knew exactly how to do it. I remembered that Helen's husband, Tom, took a walk in the park every evening after work. Since I was out of the picture for a while I had to make sure he still had that habit, luckily for me he did. Even better was the fact that Helen accompanied him now, they would leave the house around eight and jog for a minute before walking the remainder of the way. Many people used the park to run or jog, or walk like the lovely couple, and the best part about it was that people from all walks of life frequented the place.

Unfortunately for Tom and Helen, this was the only park in a walking distance so they had to keep their racist tendencies submerged until they got out. In my quest for information, I often overheard them talk negatively of any non-white person that frequented the part. What angered me the most was not their blatant racism, is was that sometimes they made no sense whatsoever. One day Helen swore that a black guy, who was dressed in some expensive athletic gear for the matter, was abusing the welfare system. I had to end my information gathering at that moment because my brain could only handle so much stupidity. The person they were referring to was nurse over at the hospital where I was admitted, I saw him once or twice on my way to physical therapy. Furthermore, Helen was the one abusing the system. She often came to the drugstore where I worked and paid with food stamps, how she managed to not get caught eluded me.

It was after that day that I made ruining their life my sole purpose, it was a tad bit extreme but I was young and filled with testosterone. I actually thought I was doing the world a service, acting like a superhero. I guess it doesn't take much to fuel someone's ego, at least it didn't for me. In my mind, I was actually a superhero getting rid of evil. A primitive and highly ideological way of thinking but at the time it made perfect sense. I was so filled with purpose that I actually thought that I was destined to get hit by that car just so I could be reborn as the world's desperately needed hero. Ah the naivety of youth.

The next time I saw them taking a stroll I decided to take action instead of just going on another info gathering stroll, plus I was starting to feel like a stalker. I kept a couple paces behind them and made sure I had a hoodie on with earphones blasting some dubstep, it's the only music that gives me a rush. Once I felt confident enough I simply thought of him as getting a huge boner every time he saw a non-white, the age wouldn't matter either. All I had to do now was turn back and wait a few days, I waited almost a year on a bed so a few days was nothing. The most I expected to see was some type of discomfort or confusion but that didn't even come close to what I saw. The couple who use to hold hands on occasion had a good few steps in between them. One could see the wall getting built between them.

Considering my work done I moved to turn back but stopped midway, it wasn't something that I could clearly describe. I felt complete but incomplete at the same time, something like achieving a goal but the result not being as spectacular as you thought. It wasn't enough for me, I felt almost like all my efforts were wasted. After a while something triggered in me that I needed to magnify the results, I wanted fireworks not some tiny firecrackers. Moments later I caught up with the couple and decided to push the limits, while keeping the same conditions as before I now also made it that Tom couldn't achieve an erection when he was with a white woman. Once again the age wouldn't matter and no matter how much Viagra he took, it would almost always go limp. Furthermore just for laughs, I strengthened the stimulus so no whenever he did get an erection he would empty out his balls. This took premature ejaculation to the next level, as soon as his racist senses would trigger he would soil his pants.

"Good luck explaining that asshole." I thought before turning back.

I ran until I reached the motel and didn't look back for an instant. A rush was nothing compared to what I was feeling. Part of me knew that I went overboard but another part was absolutely thrilled, in all honesty I sided with the thrilled side. Overboard or not, I can't deny the fact that it did indeed feel good. This time, unlike before, I couldn't wait to see the result of my changes. Now the minutes were passing by like days, I was so impatient that I didn't sleep a wink that night. I even called off work the next day just so I could see the aftermath of my meddling. I should've known that no matter how drastic my changes were I wasn't going to see them unfold in the span of a single day. What I did find out however was that there were no fucking tenants, the bitch lied to me. They still had the open house sign out in the lawn.

To think I could've been living in my apartment the entire time, not really an apartment as much as the second floor in their two story house but the principle still stands. Part of me, the same part that was thrilled the other night, wanted to barge in their and completely unload. Speak my mind with no filter and no equalizer, just go in there and let the entire neighborhood know how I feel. Thankfully, the other part was thinking rationally. I quietly headed to the motel and killed some time by downing a six pack around ten in the morning. If nothing else, it calmed my nerves and allowed me to distract myself by mindless television for a few hours before knocking out. I didn't have that urge to check up on the Cumbersnatches when I woke up, that side of me didn't wake for while.

Come to think of it, I went back to my normal routine for a while. At first they were in the back of my head but then I got so busy with work that I just forgot about them, I don't recall how long it took for them to creep back into my mind but it was a good while. As soon as I started thinking about them the insatiable urge to see them came back, I had to feign an excuse at work just to get off. It wasn't hard to pull off as all I had to do was vomit on the floor and with my gift it wasn't hard at all. One thought and cleanup was needed in aisle four. I made sure I walked a few blocks just to keep my cover intact, once I was a good while away from work I sprinted to the train station. All the pieces were falling in place like it was meant to be, the trains were nearly empty and perfectly on time. It truly felt like fate.

Once I arrived at their house, the agonizing itch I had for so long was finally scratched. There she sat, on the steps of the front porch dressed in faded black sweats and an extra large white t-shirt. She had a cigarette in between her fingers and judging from the buds on the floor, she was here for a while. I could just barely make out the dried tears on her face, thanks to my heightened vision, and her hair was a mess even though she tried to tie it in a bun. Something major had definitely happened, the way she nervously brought the cigarette to her darkened lips implied that it was recent. I could've just turned away right there, I achieved my goal already. Twice in fact, I should've been satisfied but I wasn't. Once again it felt like mere firecracker, I wanted more and without even realizing I was directly in front of her.

She looked up and scoffed before scrunching her baggy eyes, "What do you want?"

The way she emphasized the you in that statement made me go further into autopilot mode. "The open house sign, seems like the place is free now."

"I forgot to take it down, I already leased it to someone."

She saw my smile and knew I could tell that she was lying. One glance at the porch and I could tell that she needed the money, a letter was on the floor with a final notice stamp on it. I gave her a few moments to collect her thoughts before delivering a devastating blow.

"Fine don't lease it to me, maybe your husband wants to lease it to the Asian girl he's usually with."

A devastating blow it was, she stopped sucking on the cancer stick midway and gave me a look of desperation. I actually just lied through my teeth in the hopes of getting a reaction but apparently there was something I didn't know. She demanded answers and explanations and details among myriad of other tiny details. Some were blatant lies while others were educated guesses from the hints she gave me, all she needed was a little push to solidify her suspicions. Whether or not her husband had a side piece was irrelevant, what mattered was if she believed it or not and fortunately for me she did.

"Look Helen, whatever goes on between you two is your business. I'm not trying to overstep but isn't keeping the upstairs open a blatant invitation for him to bring her over?"

By this time she had so many thorns of doubt embedded in her that anything I said was believable. A short while later I had successfully convinced her to rent me the upper portion of the house as a deterrent for the rumored side-piece. As an added bonus she would get back at him by having to look at me everyday, she still had racist tendencies but they were in my favor, so I couldn't care less.

Not only was it economically beneficial for me, I was barely saving anything from my check at the motel, but oh so satisfying seeing Tom's face everytime he saw me in the house. While I was doing the laundry it finally hit me why Helen thought her husband was cheating, all the cum stains on his pants and underwear and the just the smell in general were clear signs of something amiss. Once again I felt satisfied, the result no longer felt like a firecracker. I got my fireworks, I could finally go on with my life.