Doughty Said...

 Doughty Said Fascism Is Not The Opposite Of Democracy 
But A Distortion Of It In A Time Of Crisis

by Justin C. Wilson 
inspired by M. Doughty

He couldn’t believe it. But there it was right there on the back of X-Men number 251, x-ray glasses for only $1.99 plus shipping and handling. "Amazing," he thought to himself "how can they be so cheap?"

"Well for a dollar ninety-nine a pair, I can afford to get at least ten pairs." He told his vision of mother. "Look!" He said pointing to the not so fine print "they’re even cheaper when you buy ten of them."

"You’re such a smart boy," the vision replied "I’m sure that you will be able to help an awful lot of people with your x-ray glasses. Why they might even give you the medal of honor."

"It’s not about the rewards, mom," He told the air around him. "You just don’t understand what being a super hero is all about."

"That’s why I’m glad that you’re around, hon. Why, what would I do without you?"

"Don’t worry mom, I’ll always be here." And with that his mind was made up. It was time to spend the fifteen dollars that he had worked so hard for. Even though it might mean that he would have to give up the carefree lifestyle of a child and accept the harsh responsibilities of being a super hero.

So he wrote his name and address as carefully as he could and was very careful to include his self addressed stamped envelope and of course his fifteen dollars. When he was finished he slipped the envelope into the mailbox and began his six to eight week wait.

When the package finally arrived, he was so excited he had to remind himself to breathe. He carefully got the scissors down from the cupboard, made sure to hold them point down and throwing caution to the winds, ran back to where the package was sitting on the floor. Slowly, he cut the packing tape off of the box being careful not to harm the precious contents inside. And then it was open. Ten brand new pairs of x-ray glasses were staring back at him, radiant.

Carefully, he removed the top pair of glasses from the box and spread the earpieces apart. He took one last look around the room so he would remember what being a normal boy had been like. Then, shaking with anticipation, he slid the x-ray glasses onto his head. He could instantly feel the glasses working their magic and was almost afraid to open his eyes.

When he did it was just liked he had always dreamed it would be! He could see where the pipes and wires in the walls were! He could see where his unmatched socks were hiding! He could even see were the piece of gum that he had accidentally spit across the room last Halloween was! It was glorious! He could see what happened to food once it had been chewed up and swallowed, and how his goldfish breathed. But not only that, he could see what people were thinking! When people were lying, he knew they were lying and if someone was thinking about committing a crime he knew it, and was there to stop them.

But his new power brought great responsibility with it. It became a dead weight he had to carry with him everywhere he went and made him age at three times the normal rate. The glasses began to weigh more and more, and he became weaker and weaker from his old age. He began to feel that the weight was almost too much to bear. He began to hate the glasses and everyone who asked him for help.

One day, when a man asked him, "Can you find the keys to my car, and please hurry up, I'm late for work." He became so old, and the glasses so heavy that he fell to the ground. His head collided with the Earth and knocked the glasses from his face. He was scared. He didn’t know what to do. He hadn’t seen the world in months without seeing through it. The man asked if he should put the glasses back on him, but he said no, as he was sure he would either suffocate or die of old age. So he took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

It was even more glorious then when he had put the glasses on in the first place! Everywhere he looked he saw bright vivid colors and beautiful contours and edges. Everything was so gorgeous that he wept at its beauty. He became young again. He stood up and grabbed the glasses from the man’s hand. He turned them over and over in his own chubby little hands, looking at them. Then decisively he threw them to the ground and smashed them beneath the heal of his Velcro Scooby Doo sneakers.